The Foundation also conducts public nature programs throughout the year, sponsors a course on natural history through Piedmont Virginia Community College , and publishes educational brochures on the local flora and fauna of the area. All Ivy Creek Foundation programs are free and open to the public. The Ivy Creek Foundation maintains an energetic corps of volunteer guides who, each year, lead educational nature walks with more than 3000 local schoolchildren at Ivy Creek. Training for new guides is conducted each fall, and continuing education is offered for all guides throughout the year. Over 40 public programs are offered each year on various aspects of natural history by area naturalists, scientists, and specialists who volunteer their time and expertise to the Foundation.
All programs are free and open to the public.
Area naturalists and scientists introduce their field of expertise to the students both in a classroom setting as well as through field trips to the Ivy Creek Natural Area. Brochures Educational materials on the local flora and fauna of the area, compiled by volunteers and published by the Foundation, are available to members here online or in print upon request. Detailed inventories of the plants and animals found at ICNA are kept by the Foundation and updated as necessary. Brochures include the Checklist of the Ferns and Fern Allies of the Ivy Creek Natural Area , Wildlife Guide to the Ivy Creek Natural Area , Common Wildflowers of the Ivy Creek Natural Area , Vascular Flora of the Ivy Creek Natural Area , The Barn at Ivy Creek , Bluebirds , Hawks , A Guide to the Peninsula Trail at Ivy Creek and the Ivy Creek Natural Area Trail Map . A natural history lending library is maintained in the Foundation office.