Bull Run Mountains Conservancy

Bull Run Mountains Conservancy, Inc. (BRMC) is an independent, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization founded in 1994 to protect the Bull Run Mountains through education, research, and stewardship.

BRMC promotes the preservation and the improvement of natural resources on the Bull Run Mountains through educational, charitable, and scientific means for the benefit of the general public.


The Bull Run Mountains are the most easterly mountain chain in Virginia, and include unique ecosystems and headwaters of the Occoquan and Goose Creek watersheds.

Education.
BRMC offers educational programs to adults and children, with a strong link to local history. We served nearly 3,000 children and adults with over 10,000 impact hours through our public education programs in 2016. BRMC has a high leader-to-participant ratio that ensures a focused and quality education experience. All of our programs endeavor to teach how important it is to care for and protect the Bull Run Mountains.

Research.
Research underpins our education program. For 22 years, BRMC has sponsored and assisted numerous baseline studies that add important data to our understanding of the landscape. These studies have focused on stream/water quality, forest ecology/health, insect surveys including important pollinator populations of butterflies, moths, and beetles, American Chestnut restoration, and the impact of white nose syndrome on bat fauna populations.

Stewardship.
BRMC provides a visitor experience that exposes them to the Virginia State Natural Area Preserve system and its importance in preserving and protecting Virginia’s biodiversity. We facilitate the creation and utilize of conservation lands on and adjacent to the mountains to highlight the importance of open space buffers to natural area preserves. All interpretive programs touch on what it means for land to qualify as a State Natural Area Preserve and what is required to preserve the natural heritage resources they are designated to protect.