The Nature Conservancy Virginia

The Nature Conservancy Virginia Across the commonwealth, The Nature Conservancy is working to create a world where people and nature can thrive. Protecting nature. Preserving life.

www.nature.org/virginia

Over 50 volunteers have joined our eelgrass restoration efforts so far this season! As you can see from the photos, they...
05/28/2026

Over 50 volunteers have joined our eelgrass restoration efforts so far this season! As you can see from the photos, they’re having a blast while learning about eelgrass and the incredible aquatic life it supports.😀
We’re so grateful for their commitment to restoring our beautiful Eastern Shore. Right now, we have 41 cans of eelgrass seeds in the holding tanks — our goal is 72, so there’s still time to be part of this work!
Tap the link to save your spot: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1983046986920?aff=oddtdtcreator

Atlantic menhaden are ocean powerhouses—filtering water, feeding whales and striped bass, and moving energy up and down ...
05/26/2026

Atlantic menhaden are ocean powerhouses—filtering water, feeding whales and striped bass, and moving energy up and down the coast in massive migrating schools. That’s why protecting them protects everything!😀
Working along with partners, we’re advancing menhaden fishing reforms that keep enough menhaden in the right places and at the right times to keep menhaden fisheries along the Atlantic coast profitable while leaving enough in the water to feed the predators that depend on them.

Healthy menhaden = a healthier Atlantic.🐟
Read how this work is shaping the future of our ocean:https://www.nature.org/en-us/about-us/where-we-work/united-states/virginia/stories-in-virginia/mid-atlantic-seascape/?en_txn1=s_fbo.reg_sou.x.x

📸 Carl Lobue

Do you live in Surry County? We want to hear your thoughts! Join us for an upcoming field day to share how you experienc...
05/24/2026

Do you live in Surry County? We want to hear your thoughts! Join us for an upcoming field day to share how you experience Sunken Meadow and explore ways we can make it an even stronger haven for both people and wildlife. Your voice can help shape its future.
📆 Saturday, May 30, 2026
⏰ 10 a.m.–12 p.m.
📍 Chippokes State Park (guest park pass included)

Please register by Wednesday, May 27: https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=wW2-eY7Xu0uyK9mUwKQXpyJ9CJ0m8O1KjMOKDQWujOlUNVcxWlNUQ0JLWDEwOU9QNDFUUkRFOFdQUC4u&route=shorturl

📸 Marvel

The World Fish Migration Day award goes to: Menhaden!🏆 They may be tiny, but they cover a lot of ground—traveling hundre...
05/23/2026

The World Fish Migration Day award goes to: Menhaden!🏆
They may be tiny, but they cover a lot of ground—traveling hundreds of miles in the Atlantic. Every year, these shimmering forage fish ride shifting currents up and down the coast—fueling whales, seabirds and striped bass, and keeping our ocean food webs moving.🐟
In spring, adults push north toward cooler waters and booming plankton blooms. In fall, they sweep south again, forming massive schools that feed everything from dolphins to bluefish.
Juveniles drift into estuaries like the Chesapeake Bay and Albemarle‑Pamlico Sound, where they grow before joining the coastal migration highway.
Healthy migrations mean a healthy ocean—and protecting menhaden helps protect the species that depend on them.

📸 Alex Shure from iNaturalist

Virginia’s Mid-Atlantic seascape is more than a backdrop for beach days—it’s a powerhouse of wildlife, culture and coast...
05/22/2026

Virginia’s Mid-Atlantic seascape is more than a backdrop for beach days—it’s a powerhouse of wildlife, culture and coastal economies.😀 A healthy ocean fuels about $66.8 billion each year in commercial fishing, recreation and energy, according to NOAA, which is why ocean conservation is one of our top priorities.🌊
Our work focuses on science, partnerships and smart policy:
🐟 Partnering with anglers and agencies to maintain productive recreational fisheries now and into the future.
🐟 Making sure there are enough menhaden in the right times and at the right places to support predators like sportfish and seabirds.
🐟 Tagging fish like Atlantic sturgeon and Atlantic bonito to better understand their migration patterns and what habitats they’re using. 🐟 Identifying and mapping critical fish habitat to focus conservation efforts and funding where it’s most needed.

Stay connected to conservation wins across the commonwealth. Subscribe to our monthly e-newsletter.
https://preserve.nature.org/page/82226/data/1?en_txn1=s_p.ch_va.eg.x.Virginia.NN

📸 Artie Raslich

05/21/2026

🔊 Did you hear that? The whimbrel are calling this week! Our annual visitors are on the Eastern Shore, beginning the northern leg of their migration, and we’d love to give them a warm send off this Friday. Join us for our Whimbrel Watch Open House, where you can help count the departing Whimbrel, learn more about the natural beauty of our shore, and chat with our migratory bird team.

When: Open House — May 22, 5:30-7:30 pm
Where: The Nature Conservancy’s Box Tree Farm on the Eastern Shore (directions and info) - https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/6d85b748a262485998306a6e5fdcc503

Tell us you are coming: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/whimbrel-watch-sign-up-for-information-tickets-1989307894463?aff=oddtdtcreator Registration is not necessary to attend, but this is a cool way to get updates on the count, as well as to let us know to expect you!

Big news for the Eastern Shore! 🌊 Bay scallops — once considered locally extinct in Virginia — are making an incredible ...
05/18/2026

Big news for the Eastern Shore! 🌊 Bay scallops — once considered locally extinct in Virginia — are making an incredible comeback.
After disease wiped out their eelgrass habitat in the 1930s, bay scallops disappeared from our coastal waters. But thanks to years of seagrass restoration with our partners at VIMS and William & Mary, the population is now multiplying exponentially. Scientists are finding more scallops per square meter than anyone imagined possible just a handful of years ago. 😀
This recovery is more than a win for one species — it’s proof that restoring habitat works. Healthy seagrass meadows support marine life, improve water quality, and strengthen coastal resilience. And now, they’re helping bring back a beloved species once thought lost.
Be part of this historic comeback and help us restore eelgrass. Sign up for upcoming volunteer opportunities: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1983046986920?aff=oddtdtcreator

📸 Matt Kane/TNC

Let’s welcome our annual visitors back to the Eastern Shore!😀 Hudsonian Whimbrel (often simply called whimbrel) are long...
05/14/2026

Let’s welcome our annual visitors back to the Eastern Shore!😀 Hudsonian Whimbrel (often simply called whimbrel) are long‑distance shorebird migrants that travel from South America to the Arctic and sub‑Arctic each spring to nest — over 4,000 miles one way!😲
Each year, we gather with volunteers and community members to count how many whimbrel are leaving or passing by the Shore on migration. You don’t need to be an expert — just good at counting. Or come hang out and talk shorebirds with us; we love that, too.

📆 When: May 19–28
📍 Where: The Nature Conservancy's Box Tree Farm on the Eastern Shore

Enjoy our story map with live data: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/6d85b748a262485998306a6e5fdcc503

See you there!

📸 Mario Balitbit

Eelgrass is a vital marine plant that plays a crucial role in our coastal ecosystems as food and habitat for many types ...
05/13/2026

Eelgrass is a vital marine plant that plays a crucial role in our coastal ecosystems as food and habitat for many types of marine life. It was lost from the Eastern Shore for decades until TNC and partners began a concerted restoration effort more than two decades ago. Understanding eelgrass growth stages helps guide conservation efforts and maintain healthy marine environments 🐠.

🌿 Stage 1: Flowers emerge and are pollinated while upright.
🌿 Stage 2: Styles bend back, and anthers are present.
🌿 Stage 3: Thecae (within anthers) emerge from the spatha and release pollen.
🌿 Stage 4: Seeds ripen.
🌿 Stage 5: Seeds are released.

Each shoot produces both male and female flowers that are available for pollination at different times, which helps prevent self-pollination. Early in the season, we are looking to see when pollination happens and how seeds are developing. Now, the team is looking to see the proportion of shoots that have seeds somewhere the 4.5 and 5 stages.

😀 Interested in being part of the largest seagrass restoration project in the world? We’ll teach you everything you need to know. Tap the link to save your spot: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1983046986920?aff=oddtdtcreator

Happy Mother’s Day to the wildest moms out there — literally! Nature is full of incredible mothers, and some of them t...
05/10/2026

Happy Mother’s Day to the wildest moms out there — literally!
Nature is full of incredible mothers, and some of them take parenting to a whole new level. A few of our favorite “supermom” moves:
🐘 Elephant moms stay pregnant for nearly two years and then raise their calves within a tight-knit herd of aunties and grandmas who help protect and teach the little ones.
🐊 Alligator moms gently carry their hatchlings in their jaws (yes, really!) and guard the nest long after the babies emerge.
🐙 Octopus moms go all‑in: they protect their eggs for months without eating, fanning and cleaning them constantly until they hatch.
🐧 Penguin moms tag‑team parenting — while one parent treks miles to feed, the other keeps the chick warm and safe from the cold.
From fierce protectors to marathon caregivers, animal moms show just how creative and resilient motherhood can be. 💚

📸 Martina Schikore/TNC Photo Contest 2018

Address

652 Peter Jefferson Parkway Suite 190
Charlottesville, VA
22911

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Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

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