From educational programs to hands-on conservation efforts, the parks invite visitors of all ages to join in honoring our planet and taking action for a sustainable future. There will be something for everyone this Earth Day at Virginia State Parks. To learn more, go to virginiastateparks.gov/earthday.

If you're interested in knowing how to start native plants from seed, join Virginia Cooperative Extension on Wednesday, April 17, at 11 a.m. VCE will host long time Master Gardener Pat Lust for a ZOOM talk on the steps necessary for growing your native plant garden from seed.

The goals of this fire are to maintain wildlife habitat and control woody and invasive species. This will be the park’s second prescribed fire following a successful burn in April 2018.

April is Invasive Plant Pest and Disease Awareness Month and there is a lot of concern about non-native plant pests and plant diseases. Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) encourages everyone to help reduce the threat that invasive plant pests and diseases pose to Virginia’s agricultural and natural resources.

Join PW Master Gardeners on Satueday, March 30 for a program on starting and sharing plants.

More nurseries wanted to participate in growing native Virginia trees discount program. “Last year’s successful pilot resulted in getting more than 1,500 trees in the ground that will provide shade, reduce temperatures and offer more ecosystem benefits, especially for essential pollinators,” VDOF said.

On Saturday, Oct. 7, the new Rollins Ford Park in Nokesville will host the opening ribbon cutting ceremonies from 9:30 to 11 a.m.

This is an unusual storm, which has been difficult to accurately forecast, approaching large population centers with many at-risk communities. Accordingly, the pre-positioning of response assets and supplies will be necessary to assist our local and state partners. The Virginia Emergency Support Team will activate for this incident.