Ivy Creek News and Notes: July 2020

In This Issue:

Alert
Be Aware of Black Bears

Events
Why Are There Orange Flags Along the Trails?
An Update About Ivy Talks

Milestones
Saving River View Farm Farmhouse: Next Steps
Accommodating More Visitors

Observations
Name that Fungus!

Alert
Be Aware of Black Bears
We've had multiple reports of bear sightings in the Ivy Creek Natural Area. Please be extra careful not to leave any food stuffs along the trails, in the parking lot, or in the restroom trash cans. If you do spot a bear, keep a safe distance and do not interact with it. The Albemarle County Department of Parks and Recreation asks that sightings be reported to them at (434) 296-5844. For more safety tips and lots of interesting information about black bears, check out this Ivy Talk given in 2017 by David Kocka of the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.
Photo: Bear in Shenandoah National Park by Neal Lewis, National Park Service
Events
Why Are There Orange Flags Along the Trails?
This is a question we've been hearing a lot lately! The orange flags mark the stops for the virtual wildflower walk that we've done in conjunction with the Jefferson Chapter of the Virginia Native Plant Society (VNPS). You can identify them either with a plant list (available at the kiosk or on our website: July's is here) or the izi.Travel phone app, which provides a GPS-enabled audio tour. Or, you can visit the natural area completely virtually - all of the current audio tours of ICNA are available at https://izi.travel/en/search/ivy%20creek. Unfortunately, our newsletter comes out at the end of the VNPS plant walk period, but next time you see the flags - check our website or izi.Travel for more information! (If you don't see it right away, check back later - the flags go up before the audio tours are complete, but the tour should be available by the following weekend.)
Black-eyed Susans are one of the stars of the North Field right now. Photo: Catherine Boston
July's walk features many ferns. This is Marginal Wood Fern. Photo: Catherine Boston
An Update About Ivy Talks
It is with great disappointment that we are unable to hold our Fall 2020 Ivy Talk series. After much consideration, we concluded that our strong desire to continue our wonderful live programming paled in comparison to our responsibility to keep our Ivy Creek community safe during the pandemic. Assuming that we can return to our normal routine in early 2021, we plan to resume our regular spring season with February, March and April talks. 

In the meantime, do peruse the website for many links to trail tours, plant walks, natural history information, history of the Carr-Greer family, and more. For those of you who may have missed our past Ivy Talks, some are available on the website. We are in the process of posting more, so stay tuned! Past Ivy Talks can be found here .

As we make our way through this rapidly changing world, please know that we are grateful for the many contributions from our supporters. It not only takes a village of volunteers to keep us going, but a chunk of change to meet our expenses. You are welcome to join our community however you are able!  
Milestones
Saving River View Farm Farmhouse: Next Steps
The Carr-Greer Farmhouse Stabilization Construction Project, Phase 1 of the rehabilitation of the Farmhouse (c. 1870), using best practice methods of repair and replacement, was completed recently. The project involved planning between ICF volunteers and staff, along with experts from the County of Albemarle, with funding provided jointly by the County and the City of Charlottesville. Weather resistant materials were used to protect the integrity of the exterior of the Farmhouse with new roofing material selected to match the roof from the Greer period, replacement of deteriorated wood supporting structures, replacement of basement storm door, and stabilization/painting of wood trim.  After the completion of the repairs, county maintenance crew exposed the old wall separating the Farmhouse from the older Earlysville Road.  (below left)

A study regarding the Future Use of the River View Farmhouse by the county has been in progress for some months, which includes recommendations for the protection of the outbuildings in the next stage. The extant outbuildings are in a serious state of disrepair and require stabilization and future rehabilitation.

With the help of expert volunteers Liz Sargent and Jody Lahendro, constant evaluation of the stabilization of the structure of the Farmhouse was made during the project. Physical artifact materials beginning with the earliest period of the dwelling were recovered during the stabilization and are being conserved and analyzed. 

The ICF River View Farm Farmhouse Study Group volunteers (below right) met recently to analyze, map and make landscaping recommendations for the Farmhouse area.   Enhanced interpretation to the public of the Farmhouse, along with other plant and historic markers, is a goal of the Foundation. 
Photos: Lorna Werntz
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Accommodating More Visitors
Ivy Creek Natural Area has become one of the most-accessed areas in the area for getting outdoors and communing with Nature since the pandemic started . The number of visitors to ICNA increased by over 40% this spring. One of the few parks continually open to the public during the pandemic, Ivy Creek Natural Area continues to offer safe walking and exploring experiences to the public. To assist our visitors, the parking lot at ICNA has been upgraded, including clearly delineated parking spaces (which actually added to the total number of spaces), the addition of a handicapped parking space, arrows to indicate direction of traffic flow, and bumpers to protect the trees on the island. Further improvements are planned.
Photo: Lorna Werntz
Observations
Name That Fungus!
This giant fungus was spotted on July 12 on the Red Trail just uphill from the Bartholomew Oak. Can anyone identify this fungus? Please send your ID to  rochelle@ivycreekfoundation.org . If we get an answer, it will be revealed and credited in our next newsletter.

Photo: Lorna Werntz
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