Sunday, January 19 | 9:30am

Geology Hike - CANCELED

This hike has been canceled due to the weather forecast for Sunday. We will update when it is rescheduled.

If you love rocks or would like to learn more about the geological make-up of the area, we hope you will join us for our geology hike on January 19. With foliage out of the way, winter is a great time to explore geology! The participants will meet at the kiosk at 9:30 am. The hike includes climbing a hill, walking on rocky and uneven ground, as well as bending over to view rocks. Limited to 15 participants. 

Sunday, January 19 | 1:00pm

Habitat Hike - CANCELED

This hike has been canceled due to the weather forecast for Sunday. We will update when it is rescheduled.

Come out and immerse yourself in the beauty of the winter season at Ivy Creek. Although a seemingly quiet time of year, there is still much happening in the natural world! Take a walk with us through several of Ivy Creek’s habitats and learn about some of the surprising and amazing ways nature provides for the insects, birds, and other wildlife at this time of year.

Monday, January 20 | 9:00am

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service

Looking for a way to give back to your community? Join us on January 20th from 9 am to 12 pm for Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service! We need help removing invasive plants and spreading mulch to protect our trees in the middle of the parking lot. Project descriptions are below.

Invasive plant removal (oriental bittersweet or autumn olive): For this project, we will be walking out on the trails to remove the invasive plants. Participants can bring their own work gloves and loppers if they would like, but we do have some to share. Participants should wear long pants, closed-toed shoes, dress for working outside, and bring their own water bottles.

Spreading mulch: The ground around the trees in the parking lot island was recently aerated to improve the health of the trees, and now the tree roots need to be protected by spreading a thick layer of mulch. Participants should wear long pants, closed-toed shoes, dress for working outside, and bring their own water bottles. 

Minimum age is 13.

Go here to sign up: https://app.dvforms.net/api/dv/y16zlx

Thursday, January 23 | 10:00am

Little Naturalists

Introduce your three- to five-year-old to nature! Trained guides explore topics such as food chains, hibernation, how trees grow and more with three- to five-year-olds and their accompanying adults. The program starts indoors for 20-30 minutes where the children engage with the guides through reading nature centered books and doing a hands-on activity related to the learning in the book. This is followed with a short moderate hike on one of the ICNA trails. Little Naturalists meet  on the second Mondays, third Saturdays, and fourth Thursdays of the month. Gatherings are held from 10:00 to 11:30 am. We prefer that people preregister for these programs. The link to register for the fourth Thursday in January (1/23) is here. Siblings are also welcome to attend.

Little Naturalists follow the weather cancellation policies for Albemarle County Schools.  When the schools are closed or there is a late opening, the Little Naturalists will not meet on that day.

Friday, January 24 | 7:00pm

Fourth Fridays Under the Stars

Under The Stars is held on fourth Fridays.  Learn about upcoming celestial events in a short lecture given in the education building at 7:00 PM.  Afterwards, go outside where local area amateur astronomers will help point out constellations, planets, nebulae, star clusters, and distant galaxies.  Have a look through telescopes of the Charlottesville Astronomical Society, or bring your own. Telescopes will be in the field next to the parking lot at the Ivy Creek Natural Area.

Cloudy skies cancel.

Although this event is free and open to the public, we ask that you contact the Charlottesville Astronomical Society at vicepresident@cvilleastro.com if you plan to attend.  Only if at least one visitor makes contact and confirms attendance, can the CAS guarantee that they will be at Ivy Creek for their presentation and telescope observing session.

Saturday, January 25 | 9:00am

Volunteer Work Day

Have you been looking for a way to give back to your community? Do you love Ivy Creek Natural Area and Historic River View Farm? Do you love being outside and making a difference? Then join us for our monthly public work day! We will be working on removing invasive plants, trail maintenance, and landscape restoration from 9 AM - 12 PM on Saturday, January 25. Wear outdoor work clothes and close-toed shoes/boots. Registration: https://app.dvforms.net/api/dv/j1e2oy

Saturday, January 25 | 4:00pm

Evening Bird Hike

Join us for an evening bird hike on January 25 at 4:00 PM where we will explore the different types of birds that make Ivy Creek their home or a stop on their migration route. This hike is great for beginners! Space is limited and registration is required.

Registration: https://app.dvforms.net/api/dv/w4z06q