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American Climate Partners Virginia Wildlife Habitat Cooperative

The Churn of Eco-Entrepreneur Training and Employment

I know memories are fuzzy things, but my guess is the average stay of our 18-30 aged employees is a year. When I close my eyes I can see many dozens of young people, in groups, and teams hauling trash out of rivers, tending soil microbes, planting native grasslands and successional forests, then gone like […]

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American Climate Partners Virginia Wildlife Habitat Cooperative

Virginia Wildlife Habitat Cooperative Awards Grellen Farm 2021 Habitat Award

Earlier this year the VWHC awarded the 2021 Pollinator and Quail Habitat Conservation Award to Mark and Ann Kington – Owners of Grellen Farm – for their continued work to create large tracts of wildlife habitat in the Rapidan watershed of Central Virginia.

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Rapidan Institute SoilKeepers Virginia Wildlife Habitat Cooperative

Building Beaver Dam Analogs (BDAs)

Beaver dam analogs, also known as BDAs, are man-made structures built out of wood and other natural resources designed to replicate the form and function of beaver dams. ACP began working on BDAs this year with the intent to help restore freshwater ecosystems and make possible habitats more suitable for beavers. Being that BDAs are […]

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Rapidan Institute SoilKeepers Virginia Wildlife Habitat Cooperative

Gordonsville Pollinator and Quail Quilt Project

The Virginia Wildlife Habitat Cooperative, a sector of the Center, is working with residents of Gordonsville, VA to develop pollinator and quail corridors through neighboring land parcels. These corridors are simply designated areas on the owner’s land that we work with to promote an environment that is as close to its natural state as much […]

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American Climate Partners Virginia Wildlife Habitat Cooperative

Using Mechanical Burning to Coax Native Warm Season Soil Bank Seed Germination in Cool Season Pastures

For a client in the Gordonsville, Virginia area we took 2 acres of a cool season pasture and burned it with the mechanical burner 2x in the Spring to see what diversity we could coax from the seed bank. Results are Purple Lovegrass, Indian Grass, and lots of Little Bluestem. For wildflowers – Ironweed and […]

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SoilKeepers Uncategorized Virginia Wildlife Habitat Cooperative

Late Summer Hedgerow Quail and Pollinator Habitat Pictures

We are big fans of wild Senna, Oxeye Sunflower, Mountain Mint, and native warm season grasses in these situations where we are trying to feather out savanna from a tree field border to provide food and homes for pollinators and grassland birds. A few pictures from a large project North of Charlottesville.

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American Climate Partners SoilKeepers Virginia Wildlife Habitat Cooperative

SoilKeepers set to become a for profit company and acquire Neuhauser Hay

Later this year, the Center will reformat the landscape contracting program, SoilKeepers, to a for profit company and acquire Orange, VA hay and feed producer Neuhauser Hay. The business focus of the new entity is Estate and Farm Regenerative Landscape Management. The new enterprise will be jointly owned by the Center Board of Directors and […]

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Virginia Wildlife Habitat Cooperative

On Plowing for Biodiversity in Central Virginia

The American Climate Partners owns the contracting enterprises SoilKeepers and Virginia Wildlife Habitat Cooperative. ACP also owns the largest comprehensive, industrial, river cleanup program on the East Coast – StreamSweepers. StreamSweepers work and findings seep into how we do landscape contracting. SteamSweepers has a long running partnership with the National Cancer Institute. StreamSweepers and NCI […]

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SoilKeepers Virginia Wildlife Habitat Cooperative

Mowing for Biodiversity

The Virginia Wildlife Habitat Cooperative in 2021 is offering a new service – large lot mowing for health of people and pollinators. This practically means having the people and equipment to mow grasslands from 5 to 50 inches high in zones around a house. In some small areas this includes the use of, yes, we […]

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SoilKeepers Virginia Wildlife Habitat Cooperative

On Burning Central Virginia Lawns and Field Grasslands for Site Preparation and Biodiversity

What can be so hard about burning grasslands? Well in our experience a lot. There is the heat and there is the smoke. Both are useful. How much heat do you need? For how long? How much risk are you comfortable with? We have come to the place where we work with our friends at […]