Who We Are
Friends of Bandy Field is an organization formed by City of Richmond and County of Henrico residents to preserve Bandy Field as an undeveloped green space for passive recreation. Bandy Field Nature Park is an official Richmond City Park , but our efforts to preserve and enhance the nature park continue. Community and Organization Support
We gratefully acknowledge the assistance provided by a great variety of partner organizations. The Tuckahoe Garden Club of Westhampton and The Boxwood Garden Club have been actively involved in protecting and preserving Bandy Field as a natural, open green space. The Garden Clubs began working with The Friends of Bandy Field in 1998 to lobby Richmond City Council to add Bandy Field to the city’s park system. They have contributed funds and volunteers to help establish butterfly, wetland and wild flower habitats, remove invasive plants and assist in the planting of trees and shrubs. In 2004, The Garden Club of Virginia awarded The Tuckahoe and Boxwood Garden Clubs the Common Wealth Award for their work at Bandy Field. This is a monetary award given to member garden clubs to aid in areas of conservation, preservation and education. With the application of these funds additional projects were under taken. These have included the installation of permanent signage on The Field, the assemblage of ecology boxes to be used by local schools, the training and education of volunteers to develop and conduct environmental programs, and additional roadside plantings. Other critical organizations supporting our habitat restoration are the City of Richmond Parks and Recreation Department, The Virginia Native Plant Society, and the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay. Our habitat restoration projects brought together a diverse group of residents and community groups for a common purpose. In addition to volunteers from partner groups above, volunteers have come from the Virginia Muslim Coalition for Public Affairs, Richmond Tree Stewards, Boy Scout Troop 418 Capitol, Orchard House School, Virginia Commonwealth University, Collegiate Schools, and the James River Garden Club. An organization with obligations: The Trust for Bandy Field
The ordinance that established Bandy Field Nature Park as an official city park also obligated Friends of Bandy Field to pay for one-half of the yearly maintenance costs of the field, up to a maximum of $1,800. With the dual goals of raising an endowment to meet this obligation and to raise funds for further habitat restoration and enhancement, Friends of Bandy Field established the Trust for Bandy Field in 2002. As of July, 2006, we have raised over $52,000 in our campaign for the Trust for Bandy Field. Richmond's The Community Foundation manages the trust. We continue to seek contributions to the trust; these contributions support our work to protect, restore, and enhance the park. To contribute, please send your check, made payable to the "Trust for Bandy Field" (also please write "Enhancement Fund" on the "For" memo line of your check), and mail your check to:
Contributions are tax deductible. Individuals making a contribution of $100 or more become lifetime members of the Friends of Bandy Field.
We invite you to join us
We also seek volunteers for clean-up days, habitat restoration projects, clerical help, and other activities. If you are interested in volunteering, email us at FOBFrsvp@gmail.com and a member will be in touch to add you to our list of dedicated volunteers.
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