• Volunteer Day: Phenology Trail

    The Clifton Institute 6712 Blantyre Road, Warrenton, VA, United States

    Help us get our phenology trail ready for spring! Please bring water, gardening gloves if desired, and appropriate dress for the weather. Cost: Free! Age: Adults and children ages 12 and up, accompanied by an adult. Weather policy: Date and time subject to change dependent on weather. Please check your email for updates on the […]

    Free
  • Bird Walk

    The Clifton Institute 6712 Blantyre Road, Warrenton, VA, United States

    Join us for a morning of birding at the field station. Led by expert birders. Includes a mile or two of slow walking over varied terrain. Please bring water/snacks as needed and dress for the weather. Cost: Free! Age: Adults and children accompanied by an adult. Weather policy: Rain or shine except in case of […]

    Free
  • Open-access Day for Friends of the Clifton Institute

    Event time: Jan 13 - Oct 12
    Recurring
    The Clifton Institute 6712 Blantyre Road, Warrenton, VA, United States

    We invite Friends of the Clifton Institute to come explore the field station on their own every Saturday from mid-January to mid-October. You can become a Friend of Clifton with a minimum annual donation of $40. Your support will help us reach our goals of expanding and improving our education, restoration, and research programs this […]

  • Education Volunteer Training – Spring Field Trips

    The Clifton Institute 6712 Blantyre Road, Warrenton, VA, United States

    More than a thousand K-12 students visit the Clifton Institute on field trips each year. Our goal is to get students outside, engaging with plants and animals, and learning that anyone can participate in research–including kids! On these trips, students help collect data for one of our on-going research projects. They spend anywhere between 2 […]

    Free
  • The Sounds of Nature: How Natural Sounds are Made and Why They Sound Like They Do *Virtual*

    The Clifton Institute 6712 Blantyre Road, Warrenton, VA, United States

    **This is a virtual program. We will close registration at noon on February 22 to make sure everyone gets the Zoom link. If you registered and have not received a Zoom link by that time please email Eleanor at eharris@cliftoninstitute.org. If you would like to register after that time you can email Eleanor, but she […]

    Free
  • Open-access Day for Friends of the Clifton Institute

    Event time: Jan 13 - Oct 12
    Recurring
    The Clifton Institute 6712 Blantyre Road, Warrenton, VA, United States

    We invite Friends of the Clifton Institute to come explore the field station on their own every Saturday from mid-January to mid-October. You can become a Friend of Clifton with a minimum annual donation of $40. Your support will help us reach our goals of expanding and improving our education, restoration, and research programs this […]

  • Walk with a Naturalist: All-Day Hike

    The Clifton Institute 6712 Blantyre Road, Warrenton, VA, United States

    On this special Walk with a Naturalist, we will walk one of the longer trails on our property. We expect to walk about 5 miles on varied terrain, some of which is steep, but we’ll go slow as we look for plants and animals! Please bring a lunch and / or snacks to eat on […]

    Free
  • Open-access Day for Friends of the Clifton Institute

    Event time: Jan 13 - Oct 12
    Recurring
    The Clifton Institute 6712 Blantyre Road, Warrenton, VA, United States

    We invite Friends of the Clifton Institute to come explore the field station on their own every Saturday from mid-January to mid-October. You can become a Friend of Clifton with a minimum annual donation of $40. Your support will help us reach our goals of expanding and improving our education, restoration, and research programs this […]

  • Nature School : 2023-24

    Event time: Sep 6 - Jan 1
    Recurring
    The Clifton Institute 6712 Blantyre Road, Warrenton, VA, United States

    We are in our third full year of offering Nature School!  Students meet every other Wednesday from September through May to learn about different natural history subjects through hands-on research, restoration, and exploration. This year, we are extending the duration to be from 9AM – 1PM, so that students will bring a picnic lunch to […]

    $235 – $260
  • Bird Walk

    The Clifton Institute 6712 Blantyre Road, Warrenton, VA, United States

    Join us for a morning of birding at the field station. Led by expert birders. Includes a mile or two of slow walking over varied terrain. Please bring water/snacks as needed and dress for the weather. All levels welcome! Cost: Free! Age: Adults and children accompanied by an adult. Weather policy: Rain or shine except […]

    Free
  • Spotted Salamander Walk

    The Clifton Institute 6712 Blantyre Road, Warrenton, VA, United States

    Once a year, salamanders leave their homes in the woods and head toward vernal pools, temporary ponds created by spring rains and melting winter snow. The conditions must be just right, a warm night with rainy conditions. The males arrive first and lay sperm sacks around the pond. The females come later and absorb these […]

    Free
  • Open-access Day for Friends of the Clifton Institute

    Event time: Jan 13 - Oct 12
    Recurring
    The Clifton Institute 6712 Blantyre Road, Warrenton, VA, United States

    We invite Friends of the Clifton Institute to come explore the field station on their own every Saturday from mid-January to mid-October. You can become a Friend of Clifton with a minimum annual donation of $40. Your support will help us reach our goals of expanding and improving our education, restoration, and research programs this […]

  • Nature Crafternoon

    The Clifton Institute 6712 Blantyre Road, Warrenton, VA, United States

    Join us in the farmhouse for an afternoon making nature-inspired crafts, just in time to make something for your valentines. We will provide instructions and materials for participants to make linocut prints. If you would like to bring your own materials or crafts to work on (knitting projects! whittling projects! Coloring books!) please do. We […]

    Free
  • Nature Journaling Meetup and Walk

    The Clifton Institute 6712 Blantyre Road, Warrenton, VA, United States

    Nature journaling is a powerful tool for learning about plants and animals, a mindful practice for connecting to nature, and just a great way to spend time outside. Managing Director and passionate nature journaler Eleanor Harris runs quarterly nature journaling meetups to help people develop their nature journaling skills and meet other nature journalers in […]

    Free
  • Family Nature Walk

    The Clifton Institute 6712 Blantyre Road, Warrenton, VA, United States

    Families with children in grades K-8 are invited to come along as we explore the field station. This program is a wonderful opportunity for families to explore nature together. We pick a different trail to explore each month and usually move slowly as we stop often to look at and learn about the plants and […]

    Free
  • Open-access Day for Friends of the Clifton Institute

    Event time: Jan 13 - Oct 12
    Recurring
    The Clifton Institute 6712 Blantyre Road, Warrenton, VA, United States

    We invite Friends of the Clifton Institute to come explore the field station on their own every Saturday from mid-January to mid-October. You can become a Friend of Clifton with a minimum annual donation of $40. Your support will help us reach our goals of expanding and improving our education, restoration, and research programs this […]

  • American Kestrel Research Update (Virtual)

    The Clifton Institute 6712 Blantyre Road, Warrenton, VA, United States

    **This is a virtual event. We will close registration at noon on February 9 to make sure everyone gets the Zoom link. If you have registered and have not yet received a Zoom link please email Eleanor at eharris@cliftoninstitute.org. If you would like to register after noon on February 9 you can email Eleanor, but […]

    Free
  • Piedmont Polliwogs : 2023-24

    Event time: Sep 14 - Jan 1
    Recurring
    The Clifton Institute 6712 Blantyre Road, Warrenton, VA, United States

    Piedmont Polliwogs is a monthly program for pre-K children that includes a lesson on a different topic every month, story time and short nature walk.  Students get to know each other, grow their independence, and gain confidence in the outdoors with our skilled instructors.  The 9-month series will take place on the second Thursday of […]

    $75 – $90
  • Open-access Day for Friends of the Clifton Institute

    Event time: Jan 13 - Oct 12
    Recurring
    The Clifton Institute 6712 Blantyre Road, Warrenton, VA, United States

    We invite Friends of the Clifton Institute to come explore the field station on their own every Saturday from mid-January to mid-October. You can become a Friend of Clifton with a minimum annual donation of $40. Your support will help us reach our goals of expanding and improving our education, restoration, and research programs this […]

  • How to iNaturalist

    The Clifton Institute 6712 Blantyre Road, Warrenton, VA, United States

    iNaturalist is a powerful tool for people to learn about nature and to contribute to science, but we’ve heard from lots of people that they aren’t sure how to use it. In this program, Co-Directors Bert and Eleanor Harris will give a brief introduction to the iNaturalist app and website and some background and why […]

    Free
  • Volunteer Day: Vernal Pool Cleanup

    The Clifton Institute 6712 Blantyre Road, Warrenton, VA, United States

    We are seeking volunteers to help cleanup the areas around our vernal pools in preparation for our local salamanders! Cost: Free! Age: Adults and children ages 12 and up, accompanied by an adult. Weather policy: Date and time subject to change dependent on weather. Please check your email for updates on the morning of the […]

    Free
  • *POSTPONED TO Feb 17th* Walk with a Naturalist: All-day Hike

    The Clifton Institute 6712 Blantyre Road, Warrenton, VA, United States

    On this special Walk with a Naturalist, we will walk one of the longer trails on our property. We expect to walk about 5 miles on varied terrain, some of which is steep, but we'll go slow as we look for plants and animals! Please bring a lunch and / or snacks to eat on […]

    Free
  • **Cancelled** Bird Walk

    The Clifton Institute 6712 Blantyre Road, Warrenton, VA, United States

    **THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED DUE TO WEATHER** Cost: Free! Age: Adults and children accompanied by an adult. Weather policy: Rain or shine except in case of extreme weather (e.g. thunderstorm or significant snow fall). / COVID-19 Information: This program will be entirely outdoors (an outside porta potty will be available). Please do not attend […]

    Free
  • Winter Tree Identification

    The Clifton Institute 6712 Blantyre Road, Warrenton, VA, United States

    Winter is a great time of year to learn how to identify trees and to practice looking at bark and twigs. We will start this program with a brief presentation indoors about the tips and tricks to identify the most common trees in our forests. Then we will take you on a mile-long walk in […]

    Free
  • Family Nature Walk

    The Clifton Institute 6712 Blantyre Road, Warrenton, VA, United States

    Families with children in grades K-8 are invited to come along as we explore the field station. This program is a wonderful opportunity for families to explore nature together. We pick a different trail to explore each month and usually move slowly as we stop often to look at and learn about the plants and […]

    Free
  • Volunteer day: Invasive Removal

    The Clifton Institute 6712 Blantyre Road, Warrenton, VA, United States

    Invasive plant species crowd out native plants and provide little to no food for native animals. Please bring work gloves and clippers if you have them. Age: Adults only and children ages 12 and up, accompanied by an adult. Weather policy: Date and time subject to change dependent on weather. Please check your email for […]

    Free
  • Open-access Day for Friends of the Clifton Institute

    Event time: Jan 1 - Jan 1
    Recurring
    The Clifton Institute 6712 Blantyre Road, Warrenton, VA, United States

    We invite Friends of the Clifton Institute to come explore the field station on their own every Saturday from mid-January to mid-October. You can become a Friend of Clifton with a minimum annual donation of $40. Your support will help us reach our goals of expanding and improving our education, restoration, and research programs this […]

  • Bird Walk

    The Clifton Institute 6712 Blantyre Road, Warrenton, VA, United States

    Cost: Free! Age: Adults and children accompanied by an adult. Weather policy: Rain or shine except in case of extreme weather (e.g. thunderstorm or significant snow fall). / COVID-19 Information: This program will be entirely outdoors (an outside porta potty will be available). Please do not attend if you are experiencing or have experienced in […]

    Free
  • The 24th Annual The Plains/Airlie Christmas Bird Count

    The Clifton Institute 6712 Blantyre Road, Warrenton, VA, United States

    Join us for the 24th Annual The Plains/Airlie Christmas Bird Count this December!  Our goal?  Count as many birds as we can in our 15-mile-diameter count circle, which includes a variety of habitats--grasslands, forests, lakes, backyards, and even parking lots.  There’s always a chance for Short-eared Owl and American Tree Sparrow, and counters get to […]

    Free
  • Bird Walk

    The Clifton Institute 6712 Blantyre Road, Warrenton, VA, United States

    Cost: Free! Age: Adults and children accompanied by an adult. Weather policy: Rain or shine except in case of extreme weather (e.g. thunderstorm or significant snow fall). / COVID-19 Information: This program will be entirely outdoors (an outside porta potty will be available). Please do not attend if you are experiencing or have experienced in […]

    Free