By: Lorraine Upton | Guest Contributor
Bedford, VA – University of Lynchburg’s new director of the Claytor Nature Center, Lindsay Tomlinson, has been working to increase engagement with this “hidden gem”.
The Claytor Nature Center is 491 acres of donated land in Bedford County, designated for the University’s use in environmental education and research.
Mountain View from the Cloverleaf Farmhouse. Photo by Lorraine Upton.
Tomlinson’s goal as director is for students to think back to Claytor being a piece of their college experience. I know environmental studies and outdoor exploration isn’t for everybody, but for those that do enjoy those things, they should definitely come on out here and take advantage of what we have to offer.”
Since starting work back in June of 2025, Tomlinson has made great efforts to gain attention from both University of Lynchburg students and students from surrounding schools.
“I was able to do a ton of field trips in the fall for homeschool, private schools and public schools. The University has continued to send out students, and we’ve had some response from some other universities as well,” says Tomlinson.
View of the Bridge crossing Big Otter River. Photo by Lorraine Upton.
Tomlinson has also worked on securing help, including Claire Stevens ‘28, who will work as a student employee at the facility.
“My involvement at Claytor is going to be a lot of various different things, but my main goal is to gain some outdoor education experience,” says Stevens.
Another Hornet involved is Alyssa Golladay 22’, a Lynchburg alumnus and new member of the Claytor advisory board.
“It’s a three-year commitment. Right now, it’s more how do we bring people out to Claytor and task management? How do we upkeep things, or what can we do to incentivize people?” asks Golladay.
View of a public hiking trail at Claytor. Photo by Lorraine Upton.
Claytor Nature Center has many events planned for the spring season and welcomes all students to join! Learn more about Claytor and their events on this website, on social media pages, or in the newsletter.
