Somewhere in this circle may be the next Jeff Corwin.

Loudoun's own version of "Animal Planet" takes place every summer at Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve, just south of Leesburg on Woods Road. This youth nature camp, sponsored by the Piedmont Environmental Council, gets "Drive for Charity" dollars by way of the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy.  Dollars that provide scholarships for worthy kids as well as helping out with operational costs.

I visited the camp with "Drive for Charity" manager Terry Hoffman so we could watch "Drive for Charity" funds in action. Camp instructors Phil & Ellie Daley and Paul Miller spent the morning bring the world of nature up close and personal. On this second day of the ten, these kids would spend learning about the natural world we live in, Director Phil Daley talked about the world of amphibians and reptiles ~ those creepy crawlies that both fascinate and sometimes. give us pause.  Is it "black on red makes a fellow dead"?

Not content to talk about such beasts, Phil led the kids on an expendition into the heart of Banshee Reeks to look for them. The rain the night before had brought out tree frogs and had freshened a woodland stream making for happy hunting. The kids scampered between logs and across rocks, gently turning them to see what biologcal bounty lay beneath.

Kids & critters is just one more way your "Drive for Charity" dollars go to work in our community. What may be Loudoun's largest single fund raiser can be even larger in 2011, with your participation. Next spring, be one of over 63,000 Greenway users whose tolls make a difference, while at the same time, your commute is made a lot easier.