Gina Farrar and Kim Nash
Gina has long lived a true conservation ethic, making her a perfectly natural choice for the conservation medal created to honor the memory of de Lacy Thompson Gray. The award recognizes outstanding effort to further knowledge and wise use of our natural resources. Gina founded The Warrenton Garden Club’s Nature Camp in 1983 in an effort to get children outside and connected to the natural world that sustains us. Her conservation ethic begins at home. Her own farm in Orlean is the setting for the two-week camp co- sponsored by her garden club and the Piedmont Environmental Council. Gina serves as co-director, counselor, nurse and cheerleader. The farm, situated on the Rappahannock River, will be preserved through a conservation easement.
Some 24 children, ages 8 to 11, attend the camp. Campers explore their surroundings, study the inter-relatedness of all living things, and gain understanding of the importance of protecting and preserving these things. Many inspired campers return as counselors to perpetuate Gina’s important legacy. Gina’s infectious appreciation for nature, as well as for the importance of clean water, air and land to all life, is truly a gift to future generations.
In 1999, Gina received the Garden Club of America’s Elizabeth Abernathy Hull Award. This award recognizes outstanding contributions to the early environmental education of children. Her willingness to share her farm and her time to inspire children to appreciate the beauty and fragility of our planet made her a worthy honoree.
Gina also was the recipient of the 2010-2011 Gulick Conservation Educator Award. The John Marshall Soil and Water Conservation District conferred the award in recognition of Gina’s commitment to Nature Camp and for “promoting conservation education through outdoor adventures.”
