Contact: Montana Lanier Ruffner
The Piedmont Environmental Council
mlanier@pecva.org; 540-677-0813
CATLETT, VA. (April 2, 2025) – Each year in April, a spectacular display of thousands of bluebells appears on the banks of Cedar Run at Bonny Brook Farm. Sunday, April 13, from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. — rain or shine — community members are invited to celebrate this rite of spring with The Piedmont Environmental Council and host Margrete Stevens. Margrete and her late husband Mike Stevens have hosted this event for 22 years; this year’s bluebell walk is a special tribute to Mike, who died in February of ALS at home on their farm.
The Bluebell Walk along Cedar Run is free and family-friendly, though four-legged friends must be left at home. Registration is required at pecva.org/bluebells.
Mike Stevens worked as a development economist for close to 50 years. Born in England, he lived in several parts of Africa and the Far East before joining the World Bank in Washington, D.C. in 1985. Mike and Margrete bought Bonny Brook Farm in 1992. In addition to placing the 200 acre farm under a conservation easement with the Virginia Outdoors Foundation in 2010, the Stevens’ land management has included the planting of 155 native trees along Cedar Run, extraction of miles of old barbed wire nestled in the cedar tree lines, establishment of a wildflower meadow, and the beginning of a battle against invasive plants, including Callery pears, multiflora rose and honeysuckle.
“As human beings, we respond to certain places where land and water come together, intuitively knowing that combination is an essential part of life, providing us the essentials of food and water. Certainly, Bonny Brook Farm offers that potential. As Mike and Margrete became more and more a part of the land they loved, Mike also became increasingly engaged in the broader community effort to protect, conserve and restore this incredible piece of the planet we get to call home. Through their own conservation and that of the many neighbors they encouraged to do the same, the results of their sustained advocacy are more than 12,000 thousand acres of farms and forests protected in the Cedar Run watershed, part of a globally recognized example of community based conservation,” said PEC President Chris Miller.
The Stevens’ conservation and stewardship efforts have been possible thanks to help from PEC, the Clifton Institute, and PRISM. The restoration of Bonny Brook became Mike’s passion and his work lives on in our continued enjoyment of the land.
Guests are asked to arrive on time for the group field walk, and encouraged to wear appropriate clothing and sturdy shoes that can get dirty. Those wishing to wade across Cedar Run (a fan-favorite part of the walk) should bring along tall boots or waders. Donations are welcome in support of PEC’s Julian W. Scheer Fauquier Land Conservation Fund, which sponsors this annual event, for continued land and water conservation efforts in Fauquier County. The “Fauquier Fund” was established in 2003 and provides valuable outreach, education and financial resources for land conservation and environmental stewardship of land and waterways.
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The Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC) works to protect and restore the lands and waters of the Virginia Piedmont, while building stronger, more sustainable communities. Founded in 1972, PEC is a locally based, community-supported 501(c)3 nonprofit and accredited land trust. At the core of PEC’s approach is a focus on educating, engaging and empowering people to effect positive change in their communities.