Conservation science and research is at the core of the Virginia Working Landscapes program.

We collaborate with several partners to conduct innovative research to help inform best management practices for conservation in the region. Our research projects vary from year-to-year and are dependent on grant funding, local conservation priorities and availability of collaborators’ support.

While our core projects currently focus on grassland bird and plant ecology, we help facilitate building scientific knowledge around a variety of habitats that make up our region’s landscapes and the communities that rely on them. Below are summaries of these projects and the key collaborators that make each of them possible.

Current VWL Focal Projects

Exploring Impacts of Regenerative Grazing Practices on Grassland Birds

Revealing the Movement Mysteries of Meadowlarks

Motus Wildlife Tracking System

Grassland Biodiversity Surveys

The Making of a Meadow: An Experiment in Grassland Restoration

Bee-Friendly Beef

Project Fledgling: Uncovering The Cryptic Life Stage of Declining Grassland Birds

Ecosystem Services Provided by Cavity-nesting Birds

Understanding Solar Energy Access Among Underserved Farming Communities in Virginia

Collaborator-Led Projects

Changing Landscapes Initiative

River Herring in the Rappahannock: Tracking and Monitoring

A Helping Habitat: Northern Bobwhite Quail Monitoring

SUPPORT VWL

VWL is supported 100% by grants and donations and our work is made possible by the generous contributions from our community.

The Smithsonian Institution is a 501(c)(3). All contributions are tax-deductible.

Donate to VWL

GET IN TOUCH

Virginia Working Landscapes
Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute
1500 Remount Road, MRC 5537
Front Royal, Virginia 22630

SCBIVWL@si.edu
540-635-0035

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