Clifton Institute

At the Clifton Institute, our mission is to inspire the next generation of environmental stewards, to learn about the ecology of the northern Virginia Piedmont, and to conserve native biodiversity.

We offer environmental education programs for people of all ages, including field trips for local schools and homeschooling groups, monthly youth nature hikes, summer camps, and workshops for the public. We restore habitat for native plants and animals. At the moment we are focusing on restoring and maintaining grasslands and shrub fields to support the many declining species of birds that rely on those habitats. Finally, we carry out ecological research to better understand the natural history of the area and the effects of our restoration projects. We carry out all our programs on our beautiful 900-acre field station, protected under a permanent conservation easement. We can only accomplish our mission with the help of members of our community like you. Thank you for your support! We hope we’ll see you on the field station soon.

Wishlist

• $30 funds two native shrubs to provide food and shelter for native animals

• $200 funds one biodiversity survey, which helps monitor the effects of habitat restoration projects

• $500 funds a full scholarship for 1 child for 1 week-long session of summer camp

• $1,000 funds the restoration of 10 acres of early successional habitat so that American Woodcocks can prosper