About
Clifton Institute Education Programs include school field trips, summer camps, community science, and volunteer days. The program also offers walks, talks, workshops, and field trips for school groups, as well as walks and workshops for adults. Activities take place on a 900-acre nature preserve and field station that includes grasslands, shrublands, forests, ponds, wetlands, trails, a beaver pond, and a historic farmhouse and cabin.
• Ages: 3–18 years old
• Schedule: Office hours Tuesday–Saturday, 10:00–16:00
• Price: You can become a Friend with a minimum annual donation of $40.
The Clifton Institute Education Programs are part of a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to save Virginia’s native species by doing conservation biology research, restoring habitat for native plants and animals, and teaching people about science, conservation, and nature. The organization states a mission to inspire a deeper understanding and appreciation of nature, to study the ecology of the region, to restore habitat, and to conserve native biodiversity. The site functions as a laboratory to experiment with different land management methods and as a place where thousands of visitors explore and learn about nature each year, supported by a calendar of education programs and volunteer opportunities. Friends of the Clifton Institute can explore trails on Tuesdays and Saturdays from mid-January to mid-October, and visitors can contribute to an iNaturalist project as part of a goal to document every species of plant, animal, fungi, lichen, and slime mold on the property. The organization also shares recordings of research presentations, activities for kids, and nature journaling inspiration on its YouTube channel.
The Clifton Institute’s history on the property includes the 1976 purchase of Clifton Farm and Adams Farm arranged by founder Dr. Murdock Head to protect the land from development, the introduction of Trumpeter Swans to the property by Dr. William Sladen in the 1990s, and the donation of a conservation easement on the property to the Virginia Outdoors Foundation in 2008. Based on dendrochronology of framing timbers, construction on the farmhouse began in 1817 and on the cabin in 1820, and the farmhouse is painted a peach color inspired by the color of Little Bluestem in the winter. In 2023 the Fauquier County Architectural Review Board presented the organization with the Fauquier County Award for Preservation Excellence for its work to conserve the cabin.
Community involvement includes working with collaborators at other research institutions, high school interns, college- and graduate-level technicians, and community members to collect data. Through its Landowner Outreach program, the organization provides advice to landowners and land managers about best management practices to support declining species on other properties. Through the Virginia Native Seed Project, it works on boosting the native seed industry so that landowners can purchase locally appropriate seeds that recreate historic plant communities.
Last updated July 19, 2026.
• Ages: 3–18 years old
• Schedule: Office hours Tuesday–Saturday, 10:00–16:00
• Price: You can become a Friend with a minimum annual donation of $40.
The Clifton Institute Education Programs are part of a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to save Virginia’s native species by doing conservation biology research, restoring habitat for native plants and animals, and teaching people about science, conservation, and nature. The organization states a mission to inspire a deeper understanding and appreciation of nature, to study the ecology of the region, to restore habitat, and to conserve native biodiversity. The site functions as a laboratory to experiment with different land management methods and as a place where thousands of visitors explore and learn about nature each year, supported by a calendar of education programs and volunteer opportunities. Friends of the Clifton Institute can explore trails on Tuesdays and Saturdays from mid-January to mid-October, and visitors can contribute to an iNaturalist project as part of a goal to document every species of plant, animal, fungi, lichen, and slime mold on the property. The organization also shares recordings of research presentations, activities for kids, and nature journaling inspiration on its YouTube channel.
The Clifton Institute’s history on the property includes the 1976 purchase of Clifton Farm and Adams Farm arranged by founder Dr. Murdock Head to protect the land from development, the introduction of Trumpeter Swans to the property by Dr. William Sladen in the 1990s, and the donation of a conservation easement on the property to the Virginia Outdoors Foundation in 2008. Based on dendrochronology of framing timbers, construction on the farmhouse began in 1817 and on the cabin in 1820, and the farmhouse is painted a peach color inspired by the color of Little Bluestem in the winter. In 2023 the Fauquier County Architectural Review Board presented the organization with the Fauquier County Award for Preservation Excellence for its work to conserve the cabin.
Community involvement includes working with collaborators at other research institutions, high school interns, college- and graduate-level technicians, and community members to collect data. Through its Landowner Outreach program, the organization provides advice to landowners and land managers about best management practices to support declining species on other properties. Through the Virginia Native Seed Project, it works on boosting the native seed industry so that landowners can purchase locally appropriate seeds that recreate historic plant communities.
Last updated July 19, 2026.
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