YMCA at Virginia Tech

Confident Cycling: Commuter
Whether your motivation is saving money, improving your health and fitness, beating traffic or reducing your carbon footprint, this Confident Cycling guide to bicycle commuting provides practical and effective solutions to some of the challenges and barriers you may face. As with other Confident Cycling courses, even experienced bicycle riders will find helpful hints and new techniques to make your ride more enjoyable and safer. If you are new to bicycling � or returning after many years out of the saddle � we’ll show you how to incorporate cycling into your daily routine. This class is taught by the NRVBA's (New River Valley Bicycle Association) certified instructors. $35

Boating Skills and Seamanship
The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary BS&S course is a comprehensive course designed for both the experienced and novice boater. The course, now in its 13 edition, consists of 14 two-hour sessions. The classes provide up-to-date knowledge for handling boats in all conditions. The topics include: Which Boat is for You; Equipment for Your Boat; Trailering Your Boat; Handling Your Boat; Your Highway Signs; The Rules You Must Follow; Inland Boating; The Rest of Our Story; Introduction to Navigation; Powering Your Boat; Lines & Knots for Your Boat; Weather & Boating; and Your Boat’s Radio. Successful completion of this course complies with Virginia Boating Safety Education requirements. Most Insurance Companies will offer discounts on boat insurance to individuals who successfully complete this course. $75 for individuals, includes workbook; $110 per couple (share workbook). Class Canceled. Note: This class has been combined with Sailing Skills and Seamanship below - the class includes the same workbook, similar material, and will also provide you with the Virginia Boating Safety Education Requirements.

Energy Efficiency and Your Home
In this workshop you’ll learn about making your home healthier and more energy efficient. We’ll cover what a Home Performance Assessments (aka Energy Audit), including the diagnostic tests that can be performed on your home to find problems. We will discuss solutions available to improve the energy efficiency, indoor air quality, comfort, and durability of your home. Cecile Newcomb is Home Performance Director for Energy Check and a Certified HERS rater. $12

Create a Backyard Habitat – Attracting Birds, Butterflies, Bees and Beneficial Bugs
Create a garden using specific plantings and simple water features to attract birds, butterflies, bees and beneficial bugs. You’ll be amazed at how easy it is to create a beautiful garden that you and these flying wonders will enjoy. Learn how to have your newly created wildlife habitat certified by the National Wildlife Foundation. $25

Fall Gardening
Gardening doesn’t stop after summer is over! We’ll cover fall vegetables and garden cleanup, fall landscaping (bulbs, shrubs, yard maintenance, pruning, grass, fertilizer) and how to improve your soil, soil types, and what really goes on down there in the dirt! Bring any hand tools that need sharpening or tuning up, a gardening project or problem, and lots of questions! Erica Jones has been gardening since she was 12, is a Master Gardener, and is chief designer and maintainer of a public garden in Craig. $35

Plant Propagation Basics – Perennials and Groundcover
Participants will enjoy learning about perennials and ground cover in this hands on workshop. Learn propagation tricks and techniques to increase plant volume and maintain the health of your plants. Participants will have the opportunity to take home divisions ready to plant in their garden from a selection of at least 15 plants, along with a booklet of plant propagation information. Instructor Diane Relf is retired from the Virginia Tech Department of Horticulture where she established the Virginia Extension Master Gardener program. All supplies included in the course fee. $34

Plants from Seeds and Cuttings
Participants will enjoy learning about starting plants from cuttings and seeds during this hands on workshop in the instructor’s home garden. Learn tricks and techniques to ensure success with your new plants. Participants will receive a booklet of plant propagation information and have the opportunity to take home cuttings from a selection of at least 10 indoor plants and seed from 10 self-seeding annuals. Instructor Diane Relf is retired from the Virginia Tech Department of Horticulture where she established the statewide Virginia Extension Master Gardener program. All supplies included in the course fee. $34 Members of the Waldron Family YMCA will receive a 25% discount on the class. Please call 961-9622 to register if you are a member.

Finding and Identifying Rocks
Are you a “rock hound” or budding amateur geologist? Do you find rocks and wonder what they are? Rock and mineral collecting is a fascinating hobby that can be shared by the entire family. Learn how to find and identify common rocks from the New River Valley region and discover what’s in these rocks and the conditions under which they formed. Bring local rocks to class for identification if you have them. Students should bring a hand lens,10X or greater, (available at the VT Bookstore) and a pocket knife if you have one. Ages 11 to adult. $25

Fly Fishing
Have you wanted to try fly fishing but been put off by the unfamiliar jargon? The bewildering array of tackle, gear, and gadgets? Then this introductory course is for you.Learn all about trout, where they live, what they eat, and how to catch them. Learn about dry flies, streamers, and nymphs, fly lines, leaders, and tippets, the fly-fisherman's favorite knots, and reasonably priced rods and reels perfect for the beginner. Learn to cast a fly line in thirty minutes with all the dexterity needed to catch fish. Eight hours of classroom instruction, plus group and private casting lessons and a guided trip to local streams make this class a bargain compared to the hundreds of dollars that equivalent fly fishing schools cost. Required equipment: None. Text (highly recommended) Dave Whitlock, L.L. Bean Fly Fishing Handbook, 2nd ed. (Lyons. Press, 2006). Instructor Bruce Cantrell calls fly-fishing a “precious, life-affirming experience . . . It teaches patience, self –discipline, and appreciation of the natural world.” He preaches and practices catch-and-release; teaches his students to cast flies in 30 minutes or less; and encourages them not to buy expensive equipment and clothing. Bruce is a retired college English teacher, a private ESL tutor, and a Tai Chi instructor; in addition to being a passionate fly-fisherman of 20 years. $95

Sailing Skills & Seamanship
The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary's Sailing Skills and Seamanship Course (SS&S) is a comprehensive course designed for both experienced and novice sailboat operators. The course, now in its 6th edition, is divided into 10, core requirement, two-to four-hour lessons plus 6 elective lessons that will enhance the skills required for a safe voyage in all conditions. Topics include: About Sailboats, How A Boat Sails, Basic Sailboat Maneuvering, Rigging And Boat Handling, Equipment For Your Boat, Trailering Your Sailboat, Your Highway Signs (ATONS), The Rules Of The Nautical Road, Inland Boating, Sailing Safety, More On Sail Trim And Boat Handling, Introduction To Navigation, Lines And Knots For Your Boat, Weather And Sailing, and Your Boat’s Radio. Successful completion of this course complies with Virginia Boating Safety Education requirements. Most Insurance Companies will offer discounts on boat insurance to individuals who successfully complete this course. $90 (includes course materials) $130/couple (shared course materials).

Solar Greenhouses
Want to grow produce in the winter?; Dave Roper, the designer and builder of the YMCA Solar Greenhouse (YSGH) will present the basic principles of a solar greenhouse. The construction details of the YSGH in the new Hale-YMCA Community Gardens will be discussed as well as the current (fall 2009) experience of growing produce in the YSGH and future plans for using the greenhouse. Two smaller back-yard versions of a solar greenhouse will also be presented. $10

Real Live Raptors
Come learn about birds of prey – what they eat, how they catch it, their role in the ecosystem. Did you know that raptors can be indicators of environmental health? Instructor Katie Fallon will bring two live birds to aide in her talk. She will also discuss the work that is conducted at the West Virginia Raptor Rehabilitation Center. Come see the live birds and learn all about them! For adults and children 12 and up. $10

SW Virginia Mountaintop Removal
What is mountaintop removal coal mining and how does it affect you? Come learn about this cost-effective, but environmentally destructive method of coal mining that has erased 450 mountains from the Appalachian range. We'll look at how the combination of national energy needs and federal environmental legislation contributed to the growing use of mountaintop removal mining. We'll discuss the social, health, and economic effects of this mining method on local communities, especially in southwestern Virginia, as well as its far-reaching effects on the quality of our national waters. We'll think about how we are ourselves implicated in mountaintop removal coal mining, and what options we can create for ourselves as individuals, a state, and a nation. This topic will be of interest to anyone interested in energy production and policy, Appalachian culture and history, or the environment. A former instructor of Virginia Tech, Jennifer Barton is currently researching mountaintop removal and working with activists and affected coalfield communities. $18

Terrariums – Create Your Own Ecosystem
Open to all ages! Learn to create a miniature ecosystem inside a glass container. You'll learn to construct and maintain a terrarium and what plants grow well in them. The instructor will provide all supplies, but you can bring your own clear glass container if you have one, small plants, or other objects like interesting rocks, ceramic animals, lichens, pieces of mirror to make a "pond", driftwood, branches with fungi attached. All the terrarium (plant) residents need to be of similar light needs. Wear clothes you don't mind getting a little dirt on. Erica Jones returns to Open University for her third year of teaching and is a Master Gardener. $15 plus supply fee to instructor (will vary depending on what supplies you bring/purchase).