Friends of the Blue Ridge

04/24/2026

Kudos to our New River valley chapter of FRIENDS for teaming up with the NRV Master Gardeners and Naturalists this month to create a pollinator garden at Heritage Park in Blacksburg! We are grateful for these volunteers’ dedication to our mission: “Building even better community throughout the Blue Ridge!”

04/21/2026

Hey FRIENDS, help up install 3 new bike racks to support recreational opportunities and eco-tourism in the Roanoke Valley! Wednesday is GIVE Roanoke and we set a goal of $3,000 to place new bike racks at:

• Morningside Elementary
• Big Lick Brewing Company
• Feeding Southwest Virginia's Community Solutions Center

Give: https://www.giveroanoke.org/organizations/friends-of-the-blue-ridge

Working in partnership with RIDE Solutions and Lift Arc Studios LLC, FRIENDS has funded nearly 40 bike racks in the cities of Roanoke and Salem, Roanoke County, Botetourt County and Roanoke College.

Our bike racks provide residents and visitors an attractive means to secure their bicycles and helps promote a more eco-friendly form of transportation.

04/14/2026

We are thrilled to announce that our scholarship committee will award 33 Lynn Davis Scholarships in the amount of $1,000 each to college-bound students from across the Blue Ridge region of Virginia and North Carolina!

This $33,000 investment in the next generation of Blue Ridge leaders adds to the $95,000 we’ve awarded since we launched the scholarship program in 2023.

Named in honor of our co-founder Lynn Davis,  these scholarships support high-achieving students who plan to pursue a degree in environmental or cultural studies with a goal of enhancing the quality of life in our beloved region. We look forward to announcing the names of the recipients in the coming days, and thank the work of our scholarship committee for its time in judging the 60+ applications for this year’s awards!

03/12/2026

Please join us in thanking these Roanoke College students who spent their spring break helping our Asheville Chapter install new benches at Buncombe County Parks & Recreation’s Collier Park!

The benches were built by chapter volunteers, but needed some “student power” to transport them to where they’d be installed. To the rescue came the Roanoke College students who journeyed to Asheville as part of Lutheran Disaster Relief’s LDR Carolinas.

If your college would like to provide a meaningful alternative spring break program in the Blue Ridge region of North Carolina or Virginia, let us know!

03/05/2026

Our Peaks of Otter Chapter invites you to a volunteer work day this Saturday, 9 am to 12:30 pm, to help spruce up the Claytor Nature Center Otter Space!

Where: Claytor Nature Center, 1844 Woods Rd, Bedford, VA 24523.

JOBS INCLUDE: Stabilizing/fixing areas of the perimeter fencing, general maintenance of Otter Space and ABC Trail, replacing a balance beam log, moving some tree trunk sections into the play area for new activity areas, water sealing the pavilion, benches, mud kitchen, making a fairy house for the Fairy and Gnome Village.

WHAT TO BRING: Rakes, pruners, loppers, shovels, favorite weeding tools for invasive English Ivy and honeysuckle, work gloves, insect repellent, refillable water bottle. We will also have a variety of tools available, work gloves and safety equipment available for your use.

OTHER INFO: Bring your personal refillable water bottle. Water will be available. We will have some snacks. There is a nice pavilion with tables near the parking area if you wanted to have a picnic afterwards and enjoy the trails at CNC.

Restrooms will be available in the Education Building. It will be a beautiful day to enjoy Claytor Nature Center! Please come join us!

03/05/2026

Kudos to FRIENDS’ High Country chapter chair Jae Furman for helping create a nature-focused art walk in Boone that was inspired by last weekend’s BooneDocs Film Festival! Read all about it here👇

BOONE — Inspired by a documentary screened during BooneDocs’ fifth anniversary festival, a local artist partnered with Friends of the Blue Ridge to host a nature-focused art walk and watercolor

02/12/2026

🚴‍♀️Could your public institution or community organization use a free bike rack?

📣The 2026 Bike Rack grant program is NOW accepting applications until March 15!

In partnership with RRIDE Solutions FRIENDS works to expand access to bike parking across the region. This annual program provides locations that serve the public with custom bike racks manufactured locally by LLift Arc Studios LLC

These bike racks support sustainable transportation by making it easier for communities and organizations to accommodate cyclists. 🚴‍♀️

Eligibility area are locations within the Roanoke Valley-Alleghany region including Alleghany, Botetourt, Craig, Franklin and Roanoke counties; the cities of Covington, Roanoke, and Salem; and the towns of Clifton Forge, Rocky Mount and Vinton.

✅Visit this link for eligibility details and APPLY ONLINE: https://ridesolutions.org/2024/03/18/bike-parking/

02/10/2026

FRIENDS is honored to be a recipient of Clark Gas & Oil’s annual give-back event. Clark president Blair Clark presented Fisher Peak chapter head Carey Simms with a generous grant to help fund the chapter’s mission in Hillsville and Carroll County.

We have been fortunate to call Clark Gas & Oil a friend for many years. Clark has donated material, equipment and manpower toward new parking lots for the historic Roberson Mill restoration in Floyd and Devil’s Den Nature Preserve in Fancy Gap, and a boat ramp at Camp Dickenson in Fries.

Please join us in thanking Clark Oil & Gas for being such a great friend to our Blue Ridge region!

01/12/2026

We love supporting Blue Ridge bicyclists with our customizable, attractive and secure bike racks!

12/20/2025

ICYMI: Enjoy now on YouTube last night’s final Glencoe Session of 2025 featuring the beautiful bluegrass harmonies of Highland Reverie.

Rescheduled due to wintry weather: In partnership with the Glencoe Mansion & Museum in Radford, Va., FRIENDS is thrilled to present the final “Glencoe Sessio...

12/14/2025

FRIENDS and “frigid” start with the same three letters and that’s certainly what we experienced today volunteering for the Blacksburg Parks and Recreation Department cutting and clearing out a stand of bamboo at Nellie’s Cave Park. Please join us in thanking our incredible volunteers, who braved below freezing temperatures and wind chills in the single digits to show some friendship to Blacksburg!