FSO Hike at Gravely Nature Preserve
December 3, 2016
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
This event is free and open to the public.
You’re invited to share a hike, a film festival, and a nature auction on Saturday, December 3, with the Dan River Basin Association (DRBA). The two-mile hike, DRBA’s First Saturday Outing, begins at 10:00 a.m. at the Richard P. Gravely, Jr. Nature Preserve, 2525 Eggleston Falls Road, Ridgeway, Virginia. Outing coordinator is Wayne Kirkpatrick, an avid fan of the preserve.
The Gravely Nature Preserve, part of Henry County’s Smith River Trail system, was dedicated in April, 2008. Developed by DRBA and Henry County, with funding from The Harvest Foundation, the 75-acre preserve features early twentieth-century tobacco barns and the Burgess Family cemetery, reminders of former owners of the property. Located on a ridge, the cemetery contains graves mostly from 1880-1920, with the most recent being 1941.
Interpretive trails on the preserve wind through mixed woodlands, some along the ridge and others descending to the edge of the Smith River where rhododendrons thrive along the water’s edge. A wide variety of ferns may still be visible this late in the year.
Kirkpatrick comments, “Every time I hike the Gravely Nature Preserve it seems that I am experiencing the trail for the very first time. There is always a different scene to catch my eye, an animal, a tree, a view of the river. Hiking late in the year when the leaves are off the trees lets me enjoy the woods with a longer view. There is often a deer moving quietly along or a Pileated woodpecker hammering merrily. Join DRBA for a late fall outing and see what you can discover!”
Industrialist, civic leader, and archaeologist Richard P. Gravely, Jr. owned the property in the late twentieth century and left detailed instructions for its preservation as a wildlife and nature conservancy. His family honored his wishes, and the resulting nature preserve has hosted educational and recreational events for all ages, including day camps, fitness walks, historic presentations, workshops, after-school programs, and geo-caching.
Participants in the hike are asked to meet at 10:00 a.m. at the parking lot of the Gravely Nature Preserve, 2525 Eggleston Falls Road, Ridgeway, Virginia (GPS 36.6106, -79.8178). Dress in layers, wear hiking shoes or boots, and bring hiking stick(s), lunch, and water. All are invited to picnic in the Outdoor Classroom near the parking lot at the end of the hike.
DRBA’s First Saturday Outings are free and open to the public. For more information, contact Wayne Kirkpatrick, 540-570-3511, or wynbtyk@embarqmail.com.
At 6:00 p.m. that evening the doors open at Averett University’s Pritchett Auditorium in Danville for DRBA’s Wild & Scenic Film Festival and Art in Nature Auction. Award-winning short films begin at 7:00 p.m., guaranteed to entertain and inspire you. Unique locally made items, perfect for gifts, will be offered in the silent and live auction. Locally sourced “movie snacks” will be accompanied by wine and beer from 2 Witches Brewery. Tickets are only $15.00 each, available at www.danriver.org or at the door. All proceeds support DRBA’s programs, preserving and promoting the region’s resources.
