Formed in May 1979, the Ivy Creek Foundation is a non-profit conservation management organization concerned with both the cultural and natural stewardship of the properties under its care. Our location is the Ivy Creek Natural Area, a 219-acre preserve on the South Fork Rivanna Reservoir made of a mix of upland woods, pine stands, old fields, and streams. ICNA is jointly owned by Albemarle County and Charlottesville City. ICF built and maintains more than 7 miles of rustic footpaths at ICNA, designed to leave large tracts of wildlife habitat intact while being enjoyed year-round by walkers, hikers, and observers of wildlife and nature.
Since its inception, ICF has recognized and celebrated the spectacular human history of the Ivy Creek Natural Area. Rising from slavery, the Carr family came to own more than 200 acres of prime farmland, keeping it in the family for over a century. We work to tell the story of the family and their journey through farming and educational success. We work to showcase how they played an important role in the community.
Habitat Management: The Ivy Creek Foundation works closely with local and state agencies to maintain a diverse representation of wildlife habitats with the intent to maintain the natural area’s biodiversity. Volunteer workdays frequently focus on invasive plant removal.
Free Public Programs: The Foundation organizes and offers – free to the public – more than 40 public walks and programs each year on a variety of topics related to the natural history of Virginia. These include monthly or seasonal walks on birds, trees, wildflowers, dragonflies, and butterflies and historical tours focusing on the Carr/Greer family.
School Tour Program: Since 1980, the Foundation has hosted local schoolchildren for an interpretive nature walk with a trained volunteer guide at a 1:10 ratio. More than 2,000 children routinely come on these walks each year.
Guides to the Flora and Fauna of the Natural Areas: The Foundation maintains and, as available, updates biological inventories of the plants and animals of the Ivy Creek and Ragged Mountain Natural Areas. These are made available to the general public through brochures, hand outs and on the ICF website.
Geothermal Education Building: In 1997, the Foundation secured funding to design and build an environmentally sustainable Education Center for use in ICF programming and office space. The Education Building is made available without charge to state and local environmental organizations for meetings and workshops.
Community Resource: The Foundation maintains a large natural history library for use by volunteers and the general public (by appointment). The Foundation is also a well-known and often-used resource for natural history inquiries from the community.
