CRLC plans National Public Lands Day event at Varina LandLab Sept. 28-29

The Capital Region Land Conservancy will host its National Public Lands Day event at the Varina LandLab Conservation Area, a 353-acre tract off Deep Bottom Road in Eastern Henrico, Sept. 28-29.

The event will be a part of the CRLC's efforts to highlight the value of public spaces and encourage connections with them through events and volunteer opportunities. The event will feature a variety of activities, including a birding and history hike, a volunteer planting project, and an artist talk and workshop Sunday with sculptor Reece Camp Carter (workshop admission is $15 per person, and registration is required.

Carter will debut her site-specific and site-responsive environmental art installation "Repurporse: a midpoint," a 150-foot-long piece that she created using found natural materials from the conservation area. The piece reflects upon the changes that have taken place to the land during the past year and is influenced by a previous prescribed burn of the land that now flourishes as a meadow, rolling topography that carries rainwater to the nearby Four Mile Creek, and the brush pile habitats that offer refuse for wildlife and insects.

The installation is part of a collaboration with the CRLC and is designed to highlight the fragility and cycle of nature and encourage visitors to think about environmental issues. Though it is designed as a long-term structure, the work eventually will disappear back into the land, as a way of demonstrating the fragility and cycle of nature.

In addition to the art installation, there will be other activities at the event including a birding hike with the Richmond Audubon Society, a history walk commemorating the 160th Anniversary of the Battle of New Market Heights, and a volunteer planting project. The event includes a history hike commemorating the 160th Anniversary of the Battle of New Market Heights and a birding hike to introduce attendees to common birds in the area.

The full schedule of events is:

Saturday, Sept. 28

• 8:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. – Birding Walk with Richmond Audubon Society, Trailhead 1; • 9 a.m. – 11 a.m. – Volunteer Planting Project, Trailhead 3; • 11 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.  – Artist Talk with Reece Camp Carter, Trailhead 2; • 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. – History Walk with Parker Agelasto, Trailhead 3.

Sunday, Sept. 29

• 9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. – Artist Workshop with Reece Camp Carter, Trailhead 2; • 9:30 am – 10:30 a.m. – History Walk with Parker Agelasto, Trailhead 3