Land Stewardship and Facility Maintenance

Education Building

Built and maintained by Ivy Creek Foundation (ICF), the Education Building consists of a 30 x 30 open meeting space which has a maximum (fire code) capacity of 65 people, two restrooms, an office, and an upstairs storage loft.  The HVAC system is an eco-friendly geothermal unit. It is used for a variety of meetings, and is stocked with 8 folding tables, 64 folding chairs, an A/V cart, projection screen, open Wi-Fi, and an audio system.  We also have a laptop, projector, and a video camera for our own programmatic use.

Bookings of the Education Building are handled by the Director of Operations.  Each group is expected to leave the space clean which includes sweeping the floor and removing trash. In addition to the public programs mentioned under Education, there are two other kinds of bookings:

Private Program Venue – The Education Building can be booked for private meetings and classes.  Charlottesville Area Tree Stewards, UVA's OLLI program, the Jefferson Chapter of the Virginia Native Plant Society, the Master Naturalists, a number of other groups, and several agencies regularly and frequently book Ivy Creek’s Education Building for classes, skill trainings, conferences, strategic planning sessions, and other fora.  Often these bookings are included in an annual organizational membership fee.  Sometimes, an unrelated group prefers to rent the space outright.  The rental fee is a flat $100 for non-organizational members except the City and County (see below).

City/County Bookings – In recent years, Ivy Creek has become a rather popular meeting space for various departments in the City and County government.  These are free of charge, because they own the site.

Types of events we do not host:

  • Weddings
  • Private parties and special occasions
  • Organized team sports activities or gatherings
  • Evening or overnight camping excursions

Barn

Ivy Creek Barn

Conly Greer’s barn was renovated in 2011 and reopened to visitors in 2012.  It currently houses several activity tables, a display of old agricultural tools, and several educational panels on local natural and historical features of Ivy Creek Natural Area and Historic River View Farm.  The upstairs of the barn is temporarily closed to the public. The downstairs is open to the public on weekend mornings as advertised.

Other Structures

Carr-Greer Farmhouse – rehabilitation project management is being provided by Albemarle County, with the City and ICF as partners

Carr-Greer Cemetery – jointly maintained by Albemarle County Parks and Recreation (ACPR) and ICF, as needed

Carr-Greer Carriage House (structure next to house parking area) – maintained by ACPR

Kiosk – an outdoor information center for visitors, maintained by ICF

Clivus toilets – the public, composting bathrooms, maintained by ACPR

Toolshed – For Buildings & Grounds equipment storage, maintained by ICF

Walkway lighting – jointly maintained by ICF and ACPR

Trail Stewardship

There are over seven miles of trails on the grounds of Ivy Creek Natural Area maintained by the Trail Stewards under the auspices of the Buildings & Grounds (B&G) Committee and the Director of Operations. The Trail Stewards and other members of B&G keep the trails open and clean them up after storm events, replace markers and signage along the trails, and report their activity to the Director of Operations.

Land Management

In addition to the trails themselves, ICNA/HRVF has become home for several demonstration gardens, special plantings, and “fixtures” such as feeders and bluebird boxes. 

The Tree Stewards planted the native trees around the “main campus.”  The Native Plant Society installed the bushes and other labeled plantings. ICF in conjunction with the Master Gardeners and various gardening clubs have planned, installed, developed, and maintained the Pollinator Garden over the years.  Various other contributions that support our native wildlife have been put in by Master Naturalists and members of the Monticello Bird Club (e.g., the bluebird boxes, the chimney swift tower, etc.).  Members of those groups continue to be active in maintaining and adding to those pieces. 

The Boy Scouts have added the bat house, wood duck boxes, a dragonfly walk, and several other features to aid our wildlife and provide passive enjoyment of the area.  The maintenance of these projects, as well as various benches, signs, and subtle improvements tend to be the purview of B&G volunteers.

Around 2000, the hayfields were restored to native warm season grasses which are better wildlife habitat. The two fields are selectively mowed each year to retard successional growth of woody plants and encourage patches of blackberry and sumac.

Invasive plant removal work days are also scheduled through B&G. There are key volunteer organizations that help with this—most notably APO (service organization at UVA) and, more recently, Blue Ridge PRISM. In September 2013 and 2014, with a grant from Bama Works, ICF hired Conservation Services to undertake an herbicidal spraying of autumn olive and bittersweet at ICNA. In 2016, we received a second grant from Dominion Foundation to continue spraying and provide funds for other eradication methods.

ACPR provides land maintenance assistance by mowing the main area, keeping the verge around the parking lot in order, maintaining the gate, and patrolling/responding to trespass calls after dark. ACPR striped the parking lot in 2020 and is also in charge of clearing the parking lot after a storm.