Rapp Center for Education

Instructors: Mike Wenger, Adam Downing, and Justin Proctor

Rappahannock County brings us closer to the land and immerses us in biodiversity that city dwellers rarely experience.  Living here inspires many residents to want to be more than passive occupants on their land.  This class will help landowners better understand and appreciate the ecological functioning of their property, learn science-based land management techniques, and engage experts to discuss all the organizations that support conservation land management in Rappahannock County.  Whether your property is open field or forest (or both!), this class is for you.  We will combine classroom and field sessions to ensure practical, hands-on learning.  It is recommended that each student buy the book The Woods In Your Backyard for $8 (a reduced price!), which details the process of developing and implementing projects to enhance a property’s natural resources and will be used in the class  The books will be available at the first class.  (The book was authored by natural resource extension specialists from Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia.)  

INSTRUCTORS' BIOS

Adam Downing

Since 2001, Adam has worked as the Forestry and Natural Resources Extension Agent serving Virginia Cooperative Extension’s Northwest District, a 20-county area spanning the Shenandoah Valley and the Northern Piedmont.  His professional expertise is in providing informal education regarding forestry and natural resources to address current issues in rural, urban, and rural/urban interface areas to home- and land-owners, professionals, decision-makers, and the general public. 

Justin Procter

Justin is a conservation biologist for the Smithsonian’s Virginia Working Landscapes program. He coordinates the Virginia Grassland Bird Initiative, a multi-partner effort to reverse the declines of grassland birds by facilitating bird-friendly management practices on grasslands, particularly agricultural landscapes.  He is an active advisor to landowners and local government in a variety of ways.  Many in Rappahannock know of his role in the Kestrel recovery program.  He is also a leader in Front Royal’s Advisory Committee for Environmental Sustainability (ACES).

Mike Wenger

Mike is a Certified Master Naturalist with the Old Rag Master Naturalist Chapter, on the leadership team of The Blue Ridge PRSIM (Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management), and the board of RLEP (Rappahannock League for Environmental Protection).  He has worked with multiple public organizations on invasive plant control and native plant replacement. And he has been working to restore a more balanced natural habitat on his own slice of our shared forest in Rappahannock since coming to live in the county.