Ruffner Mountain Native Plant Restoration Project Volunteers needed!
Friday – Sunday November 13, 14, 15 and November 20, 21, 22
Fall is here and it is time to start planting!
Help restore the landscape directly surrounding the new Tree Top Visitor Center.
All skill levels are welcome – from novice to expert – we will learn from each other as we work!
Ruffner Mountain is a beautiful place in the fall. Gardening is good exercise and a great way to connect with others in your community.
Project Details:
During construction of the new visitor center, several areas of the landscape were disturbed. Help restore those areas to blend in with the natural forest by using native plantings and natural landscaping. By using the naturalized area around the new visitor center as a model, we can better educate the public on the use of native plants in their own landscaping projects. The native plant landscape can also be used as a resource for our education programs.
There will be two weekends of planting in November:
- Friday November 13, and Saturday November 14, from 8:30 a.m. - noon
- Sunday November 15, from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
- Friday November 20 and Saturday November 21, from 8:30 a.m. - noon
- Sunday November 22, from 1:00p.m. - 3p.m.
Tasks will include:
- digging holes
- planting and transplanting
- mixing soil amendments (potting soil, sand and compost)
- topping areas with pine straw and leaves
What to bring:
- gardening tools
- wheelbarrows
- shovels
- rakes
- wear appropriate clothes, shoes, and gloves
- bring snacks and water
- native plants (please check species list below)
Please call or email the project coordinator, Michelle Reynolds, for more information.
Phone - 914-7077, email -
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Can’t volunteer but would like to help?
If you are unable to volunteer but would like to contribute, we are in the need of native plants, compost, oak leaves, pine straw, potting soil, and sand. Please check the species list below for the specific plants needed.
Plant Species List:
swamp dogwood elderberry
itea virginica lovegrass
witch hazel parsley hawthorns
sourwood hickory tree
arrowood viburnum fringe trees
ironweed red oak
bushy bluestem grass phlox pilosa
beautyberry viburnum rufidulum
oakleaf hydrangea buttonbush
Looking Ahead:
As we develop plans to incorporate both the natural function and planned use of the areas immediately around the new Tree Top Visitor Center and Mountainside Pavilion, we are also considering adding educational components to the landscape. We may do this by developing areas that reflect the mountain's native plant communities, as well as by evoking a sense of place and history in the concentrated area of a garden. For example, this could include education based, native plant gardens anchored by a community art project (a sculpture that would reflect the history and use of the mountain). The gardens would provide visitors with hands on knowledge about the native plants of our area while creating a portal for understanding concepts and issues in environmental education.
We are developing ideas now for the design of the gardens to include areas that mimic the community types and rock formations found on Ruffner Mountain, including a pollinator section, an edible plant section and a rain garden. The gardens could be used as a resource for education programs and to encourage the public to consider native plants for their own gardens and property. Numerous possibilities exist for both programming and community building.
