What do you get when you pair two days of immersive programming with 40+ passionate supporters of Shenandoah National Park in the middle of summer? An amazing July Weekend in the Park event that we can’t wait to tell you more about!
This past weekend marked our 5th annual Rapidan July Weekend in the Park, an event that brings our Board of Trustees and many Rapidan Society members giving at the Limberlost level ($2,500+/year) on the mountain for a weekend to get an up-close look at the impactful projects and programs that your support is bringing to life in Shenandoah.
Following a productive board meeting, attendees were invited to take a walk through the historic Boulder Cabin at Skyland Resort. This cabin served Shenandoah for more than a century and will serve as the future home of our Artist-in-Residence program participants.
Exhibit Specialist AJ Lochart shared what it looked like to navigate the strategy and execution of this reconstruction project, discussed the unique challenges and lessons learned so far, and answered insightful questions that helped donors understand why this effort is such an integral part of Shenandoah’s story. He also shared how this preservation project will help future visitors engage more deeply with Shenandoah.
On Saturday Morning, attendees had the option to make their way to the Byrd Visitors Center for a Monarch Butterfly presentation or head over to the Big Meadows Maintenance Yard for a Preventative Search and Rescue Presentation.
Long-time Trust supporter and monarch expert, Carolyn Smith, delved into the fascinating life cycle of these endangered butterflies. She shared illuminating photos from her participation in the citizen-science Monarch Larva Monitoring Project, in which she carefully scans her property’s milkweed for teeny tiny monarch eggs and then proceeds to document their journey.
Smith also explained their annual migration patterns and why their numbers have declined so steeply (did you know that monarch butterflies can only lay their eggs and eat milkweeds?). Afterwards, Smith led the group into Big Meadows in search of signs of monarchs. It was amazing to learn and then immediately see these unique organisms in Shenandoah!
Attendees at the Search and Rescue presentation met members of Shenandoah’s PSAR team and took part in a mock rescue to learn what it takes to care for a hiker injured on the trail. Consistent team communication, “going slow to go fast” (a mindset that reduces risk and keeps everyone safe during a rescue), and proactively sharing safety tips with visitors in the front and backcountry are all keys to successful outcomes for the park’s dedicated PSAR team.
After a break for lunch, we wrapped up the weekend by splitting their time between an interactive Artist-in-Residence session at the Wayside or a return trip to the Maintenance Yard for an Air Quality Monitoring presentation.
Artist-in-Residence, Nyssa Collins, arrived in Shenandoah from Knoxville, Tennessee just twenty minutes prior to her program with the Trust. She wasted no time introducing attendees to the magic of paper cutting. Attendees, inspired by the park, carefully sliced construction paper with exacto knives to create impressive cutouts of monarch butterflies, mountain laurels, gray catbirds, and more. Nyssa guided attendees through every step and encouraged them to see Shenandoah through a new lens.
Air and Waters Quality Monitoring Technician, Liz Garcia gave donors a crash course on the value of measuring weather trends across time and how those trends affect the park’s ecosystem. Our donors also had the opportunity to see the range of tools Liz uses to make informed decisions that safeguard the park’s land and streams.
Events like July Weekend in the Park are an encouraging reminder for all of us who care about Shenandoah. This work and your generosity support a thriving future for Shenandoah National Park!
We will be hosting another Weekend in the Park for our Rapidan Society ($1,000+/year) this September with more opportunities to engage with NPS project leads and get first-hand looks at what generosity makes possible for our park and surrounding communities. If you’d like to attend this sort of programming, consider joining the Rapidan Society!
Reach out to our Director of Leadership Giving, Anna Patchias, at apatchias@snptrust.org for more information about giving levels and upcoming events.
