Oak Spring Garden Foundation

### Context Profile for Oak Spring Garden Foundation

1. **Organization Mission & Cause**:
   - The Oak Spring Garden Foundation (OSGF) is dedicated to the conservation of biodiversity and the promotion of sustainable land management practices. Their mission is to steward the Oak Spring estate, a 700-acre property rich in diverse ecosystems, to protect and foster wildlife communities. They aim to share their conservation efforts and knowledge with the public through educational programs and community engagement.

2. **Type of Activities**:
   - OSGF hosts various events, including guided biodiversity walks, educational workshops, and community programs focused on conservation and sustainability. The "Biodiversity Walk" is a recent event that invites participants to explore the estate's flora and fauna while learning about conservation practices. They also engage in fundraising campaigns to support their initiatives and promote awareness of biodiversity issues.

3. **Tone of Voice**:
   - The tone of OSGF's communication is friendly, informative, and inviting. They use clear and accessible language to engage a diverse audience, including novice and seasoned nature enthusiasts. The content is structured to provide essential information while encouraging participation and fostering a sense of community.

4. **Emoji Usage**:
   - The organization does not appear to use emojis in their communications, maintaining a professional and straightforward approach in their messaging.

5. **Key Facts**:
   - **Founding Info**: Established by Paul and Bunny Mellon, OSGF is committed to conservation and education.
   - **Scale**: The foundation operates on a 700-acre estate, focusing on biodiversity conservation.
   - **Impact Metrics**: Specific metrics were not detailed on the website, but their activities emphasize community engagement and educational outreach.
   - **Volunteer Info**: Information about volunteer opportunities is not explicitly mentioned, but community involvement is encouraged through events.

6. **Writing Guidelines**:
   - Use clear and concise language that is accessible to a broad audience.
   - Maintain a friendly and inviting tone, encouraging participation and engagement.
   - Structure content to provide essential details upfront, followed by additional context or instructions.
   - Avoid using emojis to maintain a professional appearance.
   - Include calls to action that inspire readers to participate in events or support the foundation's mission.

This context profile serves as a foundational guide for creating tailored content for the Oak Spring Garden Foundation, ensuring alignment with their mission, tone, and audience engagement strategies.

General Admission

Overview: Please join us for a special screening of selections from the <a fr-original-style="" href="https://conservationfilmfest.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration-color: initial; user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">American Conservation Film Festival</a>&rsquo;s 2025 films. This program will feature three remarkable short films that highlight urgent and inspiring stories from the natural world. Banner image: still from &quot;Bird in My Backyard,&quot; taken by Eric Pittman&nbsp; Flora, Fauna, FungaChilean mycologist Giuliana Furci is joined in her search for new mushrooms on Tierra del Fuego by biologist and author Merlin Sheldrake and mycologist Toby Kiers. They outline a strategy for greater fugal inclusion in conservation-policy fungi underpin every ecosystem on Earth through nutrient cycling and the essential relationships they form with plants. View the trailer <a fr-original-style="" href="https://vimeo.com/1029816119" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration-color: initial; user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">here</a>.&nbsp;<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/hxn9dbuhd/image/upload/v1756929430/wysiwyg/fofv9ywxmxc4cg55uk4s.jpg" style="width: 600px; display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; position: relative; max-width: 100%; cursor: pointer; padding: 0px 1px; user-select: none; box-sizing: inherit; border-radius: 10px; background-clip: padding-box;" fr-original-style="width: 600px; display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center;" fr-original-class="fr-draggable fr-rounded">Filmmaker: Sam Sheline Reviving the Forgotten River (student film)The Anacostia River, nicknamed &quot;DC&#39;s forgotten river,&quot; is an infamously polluted tributary of the Chesapeake Bay. But years of work from local activists has made a difference in the river&#39;s restoration-- the Anacostia may soon be swimmable for the first time in more than 50 years.<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/hxn9dbuhd/image/upload/v1756929492/wysiwyg/llcderkg6yljovm9gxqd.jpg" style="width: 600px; display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; position: relative; max-width: 100%; cursor: pointer; padding: 0px 1px; user-select: none; box-sizing: inherit; border-radius: 10px; background-clip: padding-box;" fr-original-style="width: 600px; display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center;" fr-original-class="fr-draggable fr-rounded"><strong fr-original-style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Roboto; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; letter-spacing: 0.25px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;" id="isPasted" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Roboto; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; letter-spacing: 0.25px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;"> <strong fr-original-style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Roboto; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; letter-spacing: 0.25px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;" id="isPasted" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Roboto; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; letter-spacing: 0.25px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/hxn9dbuhd/image/upload/v1756927217/wysiwyg/w8hffvv2bdxzxp4ccc3j.jpg" style="width: 190px; display: inline-block; vertical-align: bottom; margin-right: 5px; margin-left: 5px; text-align: center; max-width: calc(100% - 10px); position: relative; cursor: pointer; padding: 0px 1px; user-select: none; box-sizing: inherit;" fr-original-style="width: 190px; display: inline-block; vertical-align: bottom; margin-right: 5px; margin-left: 5px; text-align: center; max-width: calc(100% - 10px);" fr-original-class="fr-draggable"> View the trailer <a fr-original-style="" href="https://vimeo.com/1031195968" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration-color: initial; user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">here</a>. Filmmakers: Elizabeth (Lee) Green, Sarah King, Charles Connell, Lindsey Aranson, and Lily Huffman The Bird in My BackyardIn an urban backyard on Canada&#39;s west coast, a window salesman created a living laboratory for investigating hummingbird behavior. This film follows citizen scientist Eric Pittman as he documents the journeys of two female Anna&#39;s hummingbirds as they attempt to raise their young in his garden.&nbsp;<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/hxn9dbuhd/image/upload/v1756929347/wysiwyg/uwe7upth6mznwiye8k7c.jpg" style="width: 600px; display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; position: relative; max-width: 100%; cursor: pointer; padding: 0px 1px; user-select: none; box-sizing: inherit; border-radius: 10px; background-clip: padding-box;" fr-original-style="width: 600px; display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center;" fr-original-class="fr-draggable fr-rounded">View the trailer <a fr-original-style="" href="https://vimeo.com/1006612957?share=copy" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration-color: initial; user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">here</a>.&nbsp; Filmmaker: Ryan Wilkes About Oak Spring Garden Foundation:&nbsp;The <a fr-original-style="" href="https://www.osgf.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration-color: initial; user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">Oak Spring Garden Foundation&nbsp;</a>(OSGF) is a philanthropic foundation based at the former primary estate of the late Paul and Rachel Mellon, who were major philanthropists in the U.S. of the arts, humanities, and sciences in the second half of the twentieth century. OSGF is located in the northern Virginia Piedmont and Blue Ridge Mountains region (ca. one-hour drive from Washington, D.C.). Led by Sir Peter Crane, the Foundation&rsquo;s inaugural President, OSGF provides workshops, short courses and supports residencies for artists and scholars. Its celebrated Library comprises rare books, manuscripts and works of art relating to horticulture, landscape design, botany and natural history. It is becoming a new center of stimulation of all things botanical, from fundamental research in plant evolution and conservation, to horticultural and plant conservation practice, to the history and art of plants, gardens and landscapes. About the American Conservation Film Festival: <a fr-original-style="" href="https://conservationfilmfest.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration-color: initial; user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">The American Conservation Film Festival</a> (ACFF) is an annual festival in Sheperdstown, West Virginia, that showcases films from around the world on environmental and conservation issues. Its mission is to inspire, inform, and engage audiences by presenting contemporary films, supporting emerging filmmakers, and providing educational opportunities through interactions with filmmakers and conservation experts.&nbsp;<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/hxn9dbuhd/image/upload/v1756928422/wysiwyg/zjdo4eylhj8ghzetdrnz.png" style="width: 251px; display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; position: relative; max-width: 100%; cursor: pointer; padding: 0px 1px; user-select: none; box-sizing: inherit;" fr-original-style="width: 251px; display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center;" fr-original-class="fr-draggable">Please note:&nbsp;This event does not include a tour of Little Oak Spring, the Library, Formal Garden or broader landscape. Photo Release Statement: By attending this event, you consent to your likeness and image being used for ongoing promotional and marketing efforts.

Hi <span data-custom-variable="{{firstname}}" fr-original-class="fr-deletable styled-tag-chip" fr-original-style="" style="background-color: rgb(248, 248, 255); border: 1px solid rgb(191, 191, 255); border-radius: 4px; color: rgb(42, 42, 196); padding: 1px 8px; font-size: 11px; display: inline-block; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: anywhere; user-select: none; box-sizing: inherit;">First name , Thank you for registering for <a fr-original-style="" href="https://conservationfilmfest.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration-color: initial; user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">American Conservation Film Festival</a>: Best of Fest Shorts! We look forward to seeing you there. Oak Spring Garden Foundation

Overview: Please join us for a special screening of selections from the <a href="https://conservationfilmfest.org/" target="_blank">American Conservation Film Festival</a>’s 2025 films. This program will feature three remarkable short films that highlight urgent and inspiring stories from the natural world. Banner image: still from "Bird in My Backyard," taken by Eric Pittman  Flora, Fauna, FungaChilean mycologist Giuliana Furci is joined in her search for new mushrooms on Tierra del Fuego by biologist and author Merlin Sheldrake and mycologist Toby Kiers. They outline a strategy for greater fugal inclusion in conservation-policy fungi underpin every ecosystem on Earth through nutrient cycling and the essential relationships they form with plants. View the trailer <a href="https://vimeo.com/1029816119" target="_blank">here</a>. <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/hxn9dbuhd/image/upload/v1756929430/wysiwyg/fofv9ywxmxc4cg55uk4s.jpg" style="width:600px;display:block;vertical-align:top;margin:5px auto;text-align:center;position:relative;cursor:pointer;padding:0px 1px;user-select:none;box-sizing:inherit;border-radius:10px;max-width:100%" />Filmmaker: Sam Sheline Reviving the Forgotten River (student film)The Anacostia River, nicknamed "DC's forgotten river," is an infamously polluted tributary of the Chesapeake Bay. But years of work from local activists has made a difference in the river's restoration-- the Anacostia may soon be swimmable for the first time in more than 50 years.<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/hxn9dbuhd/image/upload/v1756929492/wysiwyg/llcderkg6yljovm9gxqd.jpg" style="width:600px;display:block;vertical-align:top;margin:5px auto;text-align:center;position:relative;cursor:pointer;padding:0px 1px;user-select:none;box-sizing:inherit;border-radius:10px;max-width:100%" /> <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/hxn9dbuhd/image/upload/v1756927217/wysiwyg/w8hffvv2bdxzxp4ccc3j.jpg" style="width:190px;display:inline-block;vertical-align:bottom;margin-right:5px;margin-left:5px;text-align:center;position:relative;cursor:pointer;padding:0px 1px;user-select:none;box-sizing:inherit;max-width:100%" /> View the trailer <a href="https://vimeo.com/1031195968" target="_blank">here</a>. Filmmakers: Elizabeth (Lee) Green, Sarah King, Charles Connell, Lindsey Aranson, and Lily Huffman The Bird in My BackyardIn an urban backyard on Canada's west coast, a window salesman created a living laboratory for investigating hummingbird behavior. This film follows citizen scientist Eric Pittman as he documents the journeys of two female Anna's hummingbirds as they attempt to raise their young in his garden. <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/hxn9dbuhd/image/upload/v1756929347/wysiwyg/uwe7upth6mznwiye8k7c.jpg" style="width:600px;display:block;vertical-align:top;margin:5px auto;text-align:center;position:relative;cursor:pointer;padding:0px 1px;user-select:none;box-sizing:inherit;border-radius:10px;max-width:100%" />View the trailer <a href="https://vimeo.com/1006612957?share=copy" target="_blank">here</a>.  Filmmaker: Ryan Wilkes About Oak Spring Garden Foundation: The <a href="https://www.osgf.org/" target="_blank">Oak Spring Garden Foundation </a>(OSGF) is a philanthropic foundation based at the former primary estate of the late Paul and Rachel Mellon, who were major philanthropists in the U.S. of the arts, humanities, and sciences in the second half of the twentieth century. OSGF is located in the northern Virginia Piedmont and Blue Ridge Mountains region (ca. one-hour drive from Washington, D.C.). Led by Sir Peter Crane, the Foundation’s inaugural President, OSGF provides workshops, short courses and supports residencies for artists and scholars. Its celebrated Library comprises rare books, manuscripts and works of art relating to horticulture, landscape design, botany and natural history. It is becoming a new center of stimulation of all things botanical, from fundamental research in plant evolution and conservation, to horticultural and plant conservation practice, to the history and art of plants, gardens and landscapes. About the American Conservation Film Festival: <a href="https://conservationfilmfest.org/" target="_blank">The American Conservation Film Festival</a> (ACFF) is an annual festival in Sheperdstown, West Virginia, that showcases films from around the world on environmental and conservation issues. Its mission is to inspire, inform, and engage audiences by presenting contemporary films, supporting emerging filmmakers, and providing educational opportunities through interactions with filmmakers and conservation experts. <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/hxn9dbuhd/image/upload/v1756928422/wysiwyg/zjdo4eylhj8ghzetdrnz.png" style="width:251px;display:block;vertical-align:top;margin:5px auto;text-align:center;position:relative;cursor:pointer;padding:0px 1px;user-select:none;box-sizing:inherit;max-width:100%" />Please note: This event does not include a tour of Little Oak Spring, the Library, Formal Garden or broader landscape. Photo Release Statement: By attending this event, you consent to your likeness and image being used for ongoing promotional and marketing efforts.

Oak Spring Garden Foundation

American Conservation Film Festival: Best of Fest Shorts

8614 Mill Reef Rd

General Admission

$15