Claytor Nature Study Center

The CNSC is a former farm in rural Bedford County, VA, USA. It was given to Lynchburg College in 1998 for use as an environmental education and research center. Our mission is to 1) enrich the learning experience about nature through education and research, 2) to demonstrate and promote sustainable human-environment interactions, and 3) to preserve and enhance the diversity and function of ecosystems. We serve approximately 1000 Lynchburg College students faculty and staff, 1000 adult lifelong learners from the regional community, and 1000 K-12 children, each year, with high quality environmental education and outdoor nature experiences. Our Eco-Village will provide versatile residential lodging via 8, ca. 600 square foot cabins, each demonstrating a different green building technology or material. All tied together into a village by attractive outdoor living areas, rainwater capture and reuse, solar and other alternative energy. Residents will be both short- and long-term students and guests of Lynchburg College. The transient nature of this population will make the goal of a sustainable food system a challenge. We will complete the local permitting process and begin construction of the EcoVillage in 2011.