Saving Land SPRING 2016
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Vol. 20, Issue 1
New Outdoor Adventures Remembering Local Conservation Hero Carvins Cove to Mill Mountain: 20 Miles for 20 Years
blueridgelandconser vancy.org
Blue Ridge Land Conservancy Promoting the conservation of western Virginia’s natural resources- farms, forests, waterways, and rural landscapes BOARD OF TRUSTEES Linda W. Pharis, President Betty H. Lesko, President-Elect F. Fulton Galer, Treasurer Whitney H. Feldmann, Secretary C. Whitney Brown Frank G. Carter Diana K. Christopulos Stephen M. Claytor M. Rupert Cutler Thomas M. Dunkenberger, Jr Broaddus C. Fitzpatrick Joshua C. Gibson Quinn F. Graeff William M. Hackworth Anne M. Jennings George A. Kegley Nelson W. Lafon
ADVISORY COUNCIL Lucy R. Ellett Liza T. Field Talfourd H. Kemper Robert B. Lambeth, Jr.
STAFF David C. Perry, Executive Director Meagan R. Cupka, Project Manager Deborah Ullmer, Office Assistant Erica Reed, Outdoor Educator 722 First Street SW, Suite L Roanoke, VA 24016 540-985-0000 blueridgelandconservancy.org
COVER PHOTO:
20-20 Relay participants celebrate at Mill Mountain Star
Outdoor Adventures with BRLC
This May through October, BRLC will be offering monthly outdoor programs featuring guided hikes, hands-on education events, and fun for the whole family! BRLC’s outdoor series will be open to both Friends AND the general public.
For more information, directions, or to register for an event, contact Erica Reed at: ereed@blueridgelandconservancy.org or 540-985-0000
What is a “Friend” of the Land Conservancy? A Friend of the Land Conservancy is an individual (and their immediate family—spouse and children) or business that is an annual financial donor to the Blue Ridge Land Conservancy. And no, you don’t need to own any land—nearly all of our Friends are simply folks who want to make a difference by supporting BRLC. Benefits of being a Friend include discounts to Outdoor Adventures, our quarterly magazine, a membership card and sticker, invitations to special events like the Conservation Celebration, and more.
DATE
May 7
June 18
July 9
August 6
Sept. 16
Oct. 22
EVENT
Cahas Mountain Hike
The Bee’s Knees!
Moo-vie Night
Water Bug Walk
Full Moon Hike
Build an Owl House!
SPONSORS TITLE SPONSOR:R
PEAK SPONSORS:R
DESCRIPTION
WHERE
Hike one of the largest private mountains in Franklin County. With permission from the Garst family, BRLC staff will guide intermediate hikers to House Rock where they can enjoy stunning views and their packed lunch.
Cahas Mountain, Franklin County
Learn about the art of beekeeping, why bees are in trouble, and why they’re so important for people. See a beekeeper interact with his bees and sample a local honey.
Greenfield Recreation Park, Daleville
Enjoy “The Lorax” under the stars on the historic Monterey Farm in northeast Roanoke, and experience a magical view of the Roanoke Valley.
See what animals live in the waters of the North Fork of the Roanoke River as you get your feet wet and cool off on a summer’s afternoon. Tour historic McDonald’s Mill and enjoy ice cream compliments of Homestead Creamery.
WHEN
REGISTRATION
DIRECTIONS
9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
$4 for Friends, $7 for general public
Meet in the parking lot of Clearbrook Elementary School across from the Walmart on US 220 south of Roanoke. We will caravan from there to the trailhead.
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
$4 for Friends, $7 for general public
Meet at Greenfield Recreation Park on Etzler Rd. Take US-220 N, turn left onto Catawba Rd, then turn right onto Etzler Rd. Park will be on the right.
Monterey Farm, Roanoke
8:00 PM – 10:00 PM
$5 for Friends, $10 for general public
Turn onto Tinker Creek Lane across from Hollins Road Baptist Church on Old Mountain Road. Turn into driveway at 301 Tinker Creek Lane NE.
McDonald’s Mill, Blacksburg
2:00 PM – 4:00 PM
$4 for Friends, $7 for general public
Meet at McDonald’s Mill, 3875 Catawba Rd. near Blacksburg. Look for the big white millhouse.
Meet in the boat launch parking lot at Carvins Cove Natural Reserve, 9644 Reservoir Rd., Roanoke.
Meet under the shelter atop Mill Mountain, just off Fishburn Parkway in Roanoke.
Listen to the sounds of nature as we enjoy a sunset over Carvins Cove and a late summer moonrise. We’ll watch the full moon come over Tinker Mountain and listen to nearby owls.
Carvins Cove, Troutville
8:00 PM – 11:00 PM
$3 for Friends, $6 for general public
Mysterious owls are a favorite Halloween creature! Learn more about these silent hunters of the night and build a home for them for your backyard.
Mill Mountain, Roanoke
1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
$10 per owl box
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YOUR GIFT CAN LAST FOREVER. How often can you say that a gift you give will last forever? The Blue Ridge Land Conservancy’s Bedrock Society is a special group of people like yourself who have made a significant gift to the Conservancy in their will or through another planned giving method. For more information, visit blueridgelandconservancy.org/bedrock-society.html or contact David Perry at (540) 985-0000 or dperry@blueridgelandconservancy.org.
Be a True BLUE Friend Join a special group of land savers: As a True Blue Friend, you’ll make a small, tax-deductible gift to the land conservancy each month. It’s simple, convenient and helps all year long. To learn more, visit blueridgelandconservancy.org/trueblue-member.html or contact David Perry at dperry@ blueridgelandconservancy.org or by phone at (540) 985-0000.
Martins Love Their Sweet Hobby J
eanne and Robert Martin are in a sticky situation--and that’s just how they like it! The Martins, who live on a large tract of forestland in western Franklin County that is protected by the Blue Ridge Land Conservancy and the Virginia Outdoors Foundation, have been tapping their maple trees to produce real homemade maple syrup this past spring. “Since we don’t have sugar maples, we tap red maples,” says Jeanne. “We put plastic tubing in the tree and collect the sap in five gallon buckets.” Says Jeanne, “It’s boiled off in a stainless steel tub over a wood fire. It’s then finished off on the stove in the house by boiling to the syrup stage.” “We can it in quarts and is it delicious!” she 4 | Spring 2016
By Dave Perry
adds. “It’s a labor of love.” Jeanne says it takes about 60 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup. When most people think of tapping maple trees, they think of sugar maples. It can take as a little as 30 gallons of sap from a sugar maple to produce a gallon of syrup. However, sugar maples prefer cooler climates associated with higher elevations and higher latitudes, such as those found in places like Highland County, Virginia, where the average elevation is over 2,800 ft., or in New England. Red maples like the ones the Martins tap are more common at all elevations across the eastern United States, and while generally producing sap with a lower sugar content, they can be preferred by maple syrup producers due to their unique yet distinctly “maple” flavor.
Jeanne Martin holds jars of her homemade maple syrup
Floyd fourth-grade students peer at the insects they collected
Little Hands Help the Little River
W
hat happens when you combine beautiful weather, a conserved farm, excellent educators, and fourth grade students? A little bit of magic and a whole lot of learning!
In the few days before their spring break, all of Floyd’s fourth graders rode a bus to the conserved Palmetto Glen Farm in the heart of the county. For several years, students from various Floyd schools had visited the farm to learn and practice agricultural methods, and had even planted and harvested their own potatoes. The idyllic pastures across the road had supported sheep and cattle, but had not yet been used as a teaching tool. Thanks to a grant from the Community Foundation of the New River Valley, those pastures and that portion of Howell Creek would now host an educational field trip for elementary students. Organized by the Blue Ridge Land Conservancy, students rotated through four education stations along the banks of Howell Creek. They would get their feet wet in the creek and discover aquatic insects – also called macroinvertebrates – with educators from Apple Ridge Farm and the Mountain Castles Soil & Water Conservation District. They would learn about watersheds
Students check their nets at Floyd River Day
and soils by playing “erosion games” with Camp Bethel. With the Virginia Department of Forestry, students counted rings on a 130-year-old Red Oak tree and learned about natural resources. And finally, with the local Virginia Tech Cooperative Extension, they played water games which taught about water conservation and pollution. “We are very pleased to bring this great program to Floyd County,” said BRLC project manager Meagan Cupka. “I’ve Students count rings on a tree at the Virginia been talking to teachers as they Department of Forestry Station go through the stations. They seem just as excited as the students and are asking if we’ll bring the event back next year. We are going to try to make this an annual event.” This event wouldn’t have been as successful without the perfect setting. Palmetto Glen Farm is managed by the Shelor Family Foundation and is forever protected by a conservation agreement with the Virginia Outdoors Foundation (VOF). The farm’s previous owner, the late Nola Shelor Albert, worked for several years with VOF and the New River Land Trust to finalize agreements to protect the farm. According to Dwight and Patricia Shelor, she had always wanted the farm to be used to educate children. It is an honor to make this event happen, and we hope to continue it in the future! Spring 2016 | 5
Remembering Madison Marye A M O D E L L A N D SAV E R
By George Kegley
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e will remember and respect Madison Marye—model land saver, state senator, farmer, Army officer and a fine story-teller—for a long time. Madison, who died February 24th at 90 years of age, protected 562 acres of scenic Montgomery County bottom land and foothills with a conservation agreement a decade ago and he loved to talk about it. “You should put your deed where your mouth is,” he said when he and his wife, Charlotte, signed their agreement with the Virginia Outdoors Foundation. They wanted to “preserve the scenic beauty of this valley.” The valley in eastern Montgomery County on the famous U.S. 11/460 straightaway between Elliston and Shawsville is “still pretty much pristine… some places deserve to be preserved and this is one of them,” Madison said long ago. The Maryes were the first recipients of the annual A. Victor Thomas Environmental Stewardship Award from the Blue Ridge Land Conservancy, and the annual Conservation Celebration was held at their farm in 2006. Madison Marye’s legacy continues with a herd of Angus beef cattle managed by his grandson, Tyler Hawes, who lives nearby. The farm extends from the North Fork of the Roanoke River up to the lower slopes of Poor Mountain. The farm has been passed down through inheritance of the Madison, Peyton, Ellis and Marye families for more than two centuries. Madison’s great-grandfather was President John Tyler, another historical connection. Madison Marye grew up on the river bottom farm in the Great Depression years. On a seat on a horse-drawn wagon, he would haul corn and wheat to the Big Spring mill down the road. When asked about his home address, he said that on odd days it is Elliston and on even days it’s Shawsville. 6
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Madison Marye and his wife Charlotte at their Montgomery County farm
He enlisted in the Army soon after Pearl Harbor and he was sent to Germany where he saw action with a machine gun at 19. There he met Charlotte, but he had to come back on a second tour before he won her hand. They married in Bamburg, Germany in 1950. He later served in Korea and Vietnam, rising to major and earning the Bronze Star for bravery in combat, as well as the Combat Infantry Badge. After more than 20 years of Army service, he retired and came home to Montgomery County. Turning to politics in his retirement, Madison served 29 years as a Democratic state senator, noted for standing up for the little guy. He often made his point on the Senate floor with stories about his fictional Uncle Billy. He could “disable and defrock any argument with humor,” retired Del. Dick Cranwell once recalled. Just one example of his pithy comments: “It’s getting so you need a lawyer to go right around with you to protect you from other lawyers.”
Madison fought for years for lowering the state tax on food and requiring a refundable deposit on glass and metal bottles that could be recycled. The tax was lowered but the bottle bill never passed. As the last fulltime farmer to serve in the General Assembly, Madison tried to reform the state’s eminent domain laws to protect land owners in the path of a proposed power line. In retirement, he often wrote letters to the editor of the Roanoke Times, keeping abreast of current issues. In his legacy is a sign on the nearby road, “Madison Marye Highway.” Charlotte Marye supported her husband’s advocacy for conservation. She’s lived in the scenic valley for 66 years. Now, she keeps up with her family, daughter Charlotte Hawes, who lives next door; grandson Tyler Hawes; as well as her son James Marye, a retired Army colonel who lives in Savannah, Ga.; his three children, Jim, Julia and Emily, and a great-granddaughter, Romina.
20 Miles for 20 Years Earlier this month on a blustery spring day, eight people set out from Carvins Cove in Botetourt County with the goal of bringing the Blue Ridge Land Conservancy flag to the top of Mill Mountain. They had their sights on walking that twenty-mile distance, with each mile representing a year BRLC has been saving land. To help celebrate BRLC’s 20th anniversary, 36 other walkers representing over 17 organizations would join them throughout the day. Participants made their way from Carvins Cove, through Roanoke County and City to the Greenways, and finished by walking up Mill Mountain.
Thank you to those who walked with us on April 7 to celebrate with us!
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The Blue Ridge Land Conservancy is accredited by the Land Trust Accreditation Commission, a mark of distinction in land conservation. BRLC is also a proud member of the Land Trust Alliance, the Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Virginia Conservation Network.
Non-Profit U.S. Postage PAID Wordsprint, Inc. Permit#172
722 First Street, SW, Suite L Roanoke, Virginia 24016-4120 Phone/Fax 540-985-0000 www.blueridgeconservancy.org Member of:
you’re invited
LOCAL WILDFLOWER AND BIRD WALK WITH POTLUCK TO FOLLOW Join us for our fifth annual potluck on Sunday, May 15th at the Mill Mountain picnic shelter in Roanoke! Mr. Bill Hunley, a local teacher and knowledgeable outdoor enthusiast, will guide guests through the wildflower garden while sharing his knowledge about the local blossoms and migrating birds overhead. New to flower or bird identification, or maybe an old pro? Don’t worry – Mr. Hunley will have information for all ages and abilities. As always, the event is FREE and open to the public. We do ask that you bring a dish to share for the potluck! BLRC will supply the rest: plates, cutlery, water, and soft drinks. The walk and garden tour will begin at 5pm, with the picnic to follow. For more information, contact Meagan at 540-985-0000 or mcupka@blueridgelandconservancy.org We look forward to seeing you!