The North Fork of the Roanoke River originates between two mountain ridges just inside Roanoke County before flowing through Montgomery County just east of Blacksburg. The river is home to a variety of rare and native species, including the federally endangered Roanoke logperch. Thanks to a second Community Conservation Grant from the Virginia Environmental Endowment […]

No one wants to get injured while out on the trails having fun, but it’s comforting to know that, if needed, the rescuers are prepared. The Blacksburg Volunteer Rescue Squad (BVRS) recently staged a training with a rescue simulation on the new McDonald Hollow Trails on Brush Mountain. In order to get hands-on knowledge of […]

The McDonald Hollow Trail Network, part of the new Brush Mountain Park, is now open to the public! We are so grateful to the community, our partners, volunteers, and supporters for making this project possible. Construction of a the final trail planned on the property, the Crosscut trail, is underway. Crosscut is being hand-built, so […]

Youth Outreach Coordinator Melissa Henry worked with the Virginia Tech Stream Team to create an educational outreach Stream Box on Tom’s Creek near the Nature Play Space. Inside there are activities, scavenger hunts and tutorials about life in and around the creek. The stream box, a beautifully hand-painted mailbox located near the Nature Play Space […]

The New River Land Trust and its partners understand that the community is eager for Brush Mountain Property 1 and its trails to be opened. I can’t give you the exact date that this will happen, but we are getting close. The park will be called Brush Mountain Park, and Property 1 will be named […]

The New River Land Trust (NRLT) is partnering with local landowners, the United States Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS), the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR), the Skyline Soil & Water Conservation District, and the Canaan Valley Institute to improve water quality in the North Fork of the Roanoke River with an emphasis on […]

The New River Land Trust is pleased to be hosting the 45th Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour – Virtual Edition. The film festival will be very different this year, and while we’re disappointed that we’re not able to host the exciting in-person event, the good news is that you can have more Banff than […]

The Brush Mountain Trails Project is moving forward! About 80% of trail construction on Property 1 is complete. An additional trail was recently approved, and work is underway on this exciting, more technical trail. The Poverty Creek Trails Coalition is coordinating the volunteer effort needed for finishing work on trails that were built this past […]

In the Catawba Valley, just 10 minutes or so from Blacksburg, a federally endangered species of fish, the Roanoke logperch, is getting some much-needed help. The New River Land Trust (NRLT) is partnering with local landowners, the United States Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS), the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR), the Skyline Soil & […]

NEW! Outdoor Exploration Backpacks are now available to check out from the Montgomery-Floyd Regional Library System (MFRL). This fall, 8 “Early Birders” backpacks are available, and early next spring, we’ll add 10 “Stream Exploration Backpacks”. This program will serve as an environmental education resource for families tailored to meet standards of learning for grades 4-7 […]