4/26: Invasive Species & Restoration Community Day

In partnership with the Invasive Species Collaborative at Virginia Tech and the Virginia Tech Biocultural & Ecological Restoration Initiative, the Town of Blacksburg will host a community day focused on invasive species and restoration on Saturday, April 26 from 1- 6:30 pm. This interactive event will take place in various locations throughout Heritage Park and Rising Silo Brewery. All workshops and demonstrations are free, but registration is required. Click here to register.

The program will feature several concurrent workshops, including:

• Restoration Walk n’ Talk, 1- 2:30pm: Highlighting a new ecological restoration project underway along Toms Creek in Heritage Park.
• Water World Workshop, 1-2:30pm: Teaching hands-on sampling and observation techniques that reveal indicators of aquatic ecosystem health.
• “Wildlife in Your Backyard” Show #1, 1pm – 2pm: Learning about the impact of invasive species on local ecosystems and how native wildlife are key to ecological balance. Featuring several animal ambassadors from the Southwest Virginia (SWVA) Wildlife Center of Roanoke.
• “Wildlife in Your Backyard” Show #2, 2:30pm – 3:30pm: Learning about the impact of invasive species on local ecosystems and how native wildlife are key to ecological balance. Featuring several animal ambassadors from the SWVA Wildlife Center of Roanoke.

These workshops will be followed by an invasive plant removal and management demonstration from 2:30 – 4:30pm that will highlight different techniques, including:

• Big machinery (forest mulching)
• hand tools
• commercially available herbicides
• emphasizing how to use these chemicals safely and strategically, and
• post-removal restoration techniques

A partner meet-and-greet at Rising Silo Brewery will close out the day’s events to help connect participants with local non-profit organizations, university partners, and state agencies that are doing work to address invasive species and ecological restoration. The meet and greet will conclude at 6:30pm, giving participants time to ask questions and learn more about options/resources to help begin tackling invasives and restoring the ecological health of their properties. No registration is required for the meet-and-greet.

Questions and for more information: Please contact Town Sustainability Manager, Carol Davis at cdavis@blacksburg.gov or 540.443.1617.