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Monday 9am - 5pm Tuesday 9am - 5pm Wednesday 9am - 5pm Thursday 9am - 5pm Friday 9am - 5pm

Blue Ridge Discovery Center

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Trout Dale, VA
Blue Ridge Discovery Center

Residential School Programs ~ Summer Camps ~ Research ~ Community Programs
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Blue Ridge Discovery Center is creating a bold new approach to ecological awareness and outdoor learning that encourages healthful outdoor activity while supporting the growth of a prosperous, sustainable economy based on the Blue Ridge region’s amazing natural assets. BRDC provides opportunities for people to discover the wonders in their backyards, parks, forests, fields, rivers and mountains. B

RDC fosters a community-based interest in sharing biodiversity with others through guided education activities. BRDC brings the principles of ecology, sustainability, and discovery to the next level through collaborations with various educational and established outdoor institutions.

05/21/2026

We’ve mentioned before that the Virginia Society of Ornithology and Blue Ridge Birders have generously provided scholarships for Ornithology Camp, and we are still accepting applicants. We are also thrilled to share that, thanks to your contributions, we're offering scholarships to two additional overnight camps–Discovery Camp and Wilderness Expedition!

At our Spring Rally two weeks ago, y’all raised over $1,200 for our summer camp scholarship fund! We are so excited to offer these scholarships to local youth so that they can attend summer camp for free. We’ve already started awarding scholarships, so if you or someone you know wants to apply, please fill out the application sooner rather than later.

Please help us spread the word and share this post! We really want to see some new faces at camp this year!

Apply for a camp scholarship here: https://blueridgediscoverycenter.org/digital-scholarship-application

*Please note that scholarships are need-based and for local residents in Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee. Find out which counties are eligible on our website.

05/20/2026

True to its name, the Common Eastern Bumblebee (Bombus impatiens) is the most prevalent backyard bumblebee in our area. Generalists that feed on almost any flower, common eastern bumblebees are one of the few native eusocial bees in our area, meaning that hives are established by a queen and workers who are her daughters.

Common eastern bumblebees are ground-nesting bees, so if you want to support the bees this , don’t mow your lawn! If you need to maintain your yard, try to designate an area of your property to remain unmowed. Plant native plants in your garden with varying bloom times so that bees have a food source all season long. You can even create a “bee bath” that bees may visit to get fresh water, especially during periods of drought. Just make sure the container is shallow so the bees can climb out easily!

05/14/2026

Y’all asked and we delivered!

We are SO EXCITED to announce our first-ever ADULT BIRDING WEEKEND coming up on June 5! This one-of-a-kind birding program will run from 4:00pm on Friday, June 5th, until 2pm on Sunday, June 7th, and includes overnight accommodations in our historic schoolhouse and all meals. Enjoy expert-led lectures, field trips to birding hotspots in the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area, and night programs!

Space is limited to 13 participants, so lock in your registration today: https://blueridgediscoverycenter.org/brdc-programming-store/p/birdingweekend

05/13/2026

We’re ONE MONTH away from our first camp of the summer–Ornithology Camp! And guess what? We’re offering scholarships for this one! The Virginia Society of Ornithology and the Blue Ridge Birders have generously funded scholarships for local youth to attend Ornithology Camp.*

Ornithology Camp runs June 10-13. This overnight camp is based at our Schoolhouse, and campers will venture off campus each day to explore the best birding hotspots in our area. Open to kids ages 11-17, we welcome all skill levels–from total beginners to experienced birders. We’ll teach the basics, as well as hone more advanced skills through bird games, research, and community science.

Please help us spread the word! We want to see this camp full!

Here’s the link to apply for a scholarship: https://blueridgediscoverycenter.org/digital-scholarship-application

*Scholarships are for local residents in Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee. Find out which counties are eligible on our website.

04/30/2026

Birders–choose your adventure at the Mount Rogers Spring Naturalist Rally on May 8-10! We have not one, not two, but FOUR birding programs, for everyone from the beginning birder to the experienced ornithologist who's spent years in the field.

🪺 Intro to Bird Ecology and Behavior: Enjoy a laid-back birding outing with Steven Hopp, Blue Ridge Discovery Center board president, focusing on the ecology and nesting behavior of resident birds.

🐤Warbler Walk: Look (and listen) for breeding warblers and migrating warblers, as well as lingering winter resident sparrows, on this field trip with Bob Riggs.

🐦Bird Walk: Join Allen Boynton, retired Wildlife Diversity Program Coordinator with the NCWRC, for a guided bird walk through different habitats.

🦉Owling: Whooooo goes there? Listen for Barred, Great Horned, and Northern Screech owls in the woods behind BRDC with Josh Ward.

Get your tickets here: https://blueridgediscoverycenter.org/mrnr-spring

04/29/2026

Imagine this… you’re holding a chunky, slimy, lizard-looking thing with mottled skin. You gaze into its golden, froglike eyes, and it returns your curious stare with indifference. You listen to Kevin Hamed describe the creature you are holding as a Wellers salamander (Plethodon welleri), a species of salamander only found in the sky islands of Southwest Virginia, Northeast Tennessee, and Western North Carolina. You study it closely, and it wiggles in your hand impatiently, so you return it to a forest floor littered with spruce and fir needles.

Today you also learned about (and held!) a Kanawha black-bellied salamander (Desmognathus kanawha), a white-spotted slimy salamander (Plethodon cylindraceus), a Yonahlossee salamander (Plethodon yonahlossee), and several other species of salamanders endemic to the Blue Ridge and Southern Appalachian Mountains.

This could be you at the Mount Rogers Spring Naturalist Rally on May 8-10! Kevin Hamed, Professor of Biology at Virginia Tech, will be leading a hike in search of our local salamanders, some of which are found nowhere else in the world.

Get your ticket here: https://blueridgediscoverycenter.org/mrnr-spring

04/28/2026

Got weeds? Join Stacy Endriss on a walk around campus to identify common invasive plants and learn how they affect native ecosystems. Discuss the science behind the impact of invasives and explore practical management strategies that you can use on your own property!

Get your ticket here: https://blueridgediscoverycenter.org/mrnr-spring

04/27/2026

Y'all, our rally shirts are here, and they look SO GOOD! Huge thanks to the talented Olivia Jackson for the design and Renegade Graphics for printing them!

Where have you seen this design before?

You know where to get yours!

04/24/2026

The downturned flowers of Red Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) begin to bloom at almost the same time as hummingbirds return to North America. (We put out our hummingbird feeders this week, btw!)

Red columbine's vibrant coloration signals to ruby-throated hummingbirds that they are an abundant nectar source, a key characteristic of many bird-pollinated wildflower species. Only hummingbirds and a few long-tongued butterflies, such as swallowtails, can access the long, curled nectar spurs protruding from each flower.

A natural calciphile (or "lime-lover"), columbine can be found almost exclusively growing on calcium-rich, mossy rocks. Still, our native red-and-yellow species has been adopted into gardens alongside ornamental species.

Address

6402 Whitetop Road
Trout Dale, VA
24378

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 5pm
Tuesday	9am - 5pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm
Friday	9am - 5pm

Telephone

+12763883155

Website

http://www.blueridgediscoverycenter.org/

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