Each week, C-VILLE’s Green Scene page takes a look at local environmental news. The section’s bulletin board has information on local green events and keeps you up to date on statewide happenings. Got an event or a tip you’d like to see here and in the paper? Write us at news@c-ville.com.
Acorn ask: The Virginia Department of Forestry is asking residents to help preserve native trees by collecting acorns and seeds from 11 species and delivering them to the nearest VDOF office.
The species they need most are Alleghany Chinkapin, Chinese Chestnut, Hazelnut, Black Oak, Chestnut Oak, Northern Red Oak, Pin Oak, Sawtooth Oak, White Oak, Willow Oak, and Black Walnut.
Lawns and urban areas are good places to collect, according to the DOF, because it’s easier to know which trees your seeds and nuts came from. Put the seeds of just one species each in a labeled, non-plastic bag for drop-off. Check out the DOF’s seed and acorn description page for a longer list of trees and how to identify them, and get a full rundown of the collection program here.
Market access: Programs to allow residents to pay for farmers’ market finds with food stamps are expanding, now that the state has acquired a $92,000 federal grant to fund the the installation of more electronic benefit transfer machines at markets throughout Virginia. The grant is part of a $4 million spending program to install more of the machines nationwide.
Meet and eat: On September 3, see Charlottesville farms in action on the Meet Yer Eats Farm Tour. From 10am to 4am you can visit any of the 19 participating farms, which stretch outside Culpeper east to Goochland County, south past Lovingston and west to Afton (check out the map here).
Get more details and buy your pass at the event webpage. And do it early—buy before September 1 and you’ll get a discounted rate of $15.