Events
Natural Beauty of Virginia
Bette Dzamba, vice president of the Central Blue Ridge Chapter (Nelson County) of the Virginia Master Naturalists, will present a program on the natural beauty and biodiversity of Virginia on Saturday, Aug. 3 at 10:30 a.m. and again at 2 p.m. at Oakland Museum, sponsored by the Nelson County Historical Society.
Her program will include the stories of some of the many people who have studied nature in Virginia. These will include Thomas Hariot and John White, who wrote and illustrated “A Brief and True Report of the New Found Land of Virginia in 1588.”
The program will also cover the lengths that Thomas Jefferson went to in his obsessive quest to convince the French naturalist, Comte de Buffon, that North American nature surpassed that of Europe.
Ms. Dzamba will also recognize some less well-known naturalists from Central Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley. Wirt Robinson was a naturalist and West Point professor from Buckingham County whose field kit and tools are on display at Oakland. William A. Murrill was a mycologist with the New York Botanical Garden who wrote over 500 scientific articles and many books including some for children. “Billy the Boy Naturalist” is about his childhood north of Lynchburg. Lena Clemmons Artz, a botanist from Woodstock, would be celebrating her 133rd birthday on the day of the talk. The only member of her family to attend college, she obtained her Bachelor's degree at the age of 35 and then went on to earn her Master's degree at George Washington University before working as a school teacher and independent scholar.
Due to a limitation on the number of seats at Oakland, the Society requests attendees reserve a seat by emailing Rachel Deddens at rachel@nelsonhistorical.org for either the morning or afternoon sessions.
This event is free and open to the public. Donations are always welcome. Oakland is located at 5365 Thomas Nelson Highway near Tye River Elementary School.
Nelson County Historical Society Homes and Properties Tour (Special Events)
More information will be available in the spring newsletter and on Nelson County Historical Society website.
Climate
Climate change is having a significant impact on the Earth's ecosystem, causing rising temperatures, sea level rise, and more frequent natural disasters. This is putting pressure on many species, pushing them towards extinction and causing disruption to entire ecosystems.