Community Artists Paint Birdhouses and Barrels for Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy

What if people and nature could thrive together? That's a question one local nonprofit has been working to answer.

Since 1995, the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy has been hard at work to do what it can to protect nature, from animals to their environment. Over the years, Loudoun County has seen a transformation from rural land to suburban development and growth that is certainly not slowing down. With that in mind, it's become even more important to preserve and protect critical elements to keep the wonderful wildlife and their habitat sustainable.

Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy has a mission to inspire, motivate, and engage people to protect, preserve, and restore natural habitats in the community. As a nonprofit, Loudoun Wildlife depends on community support to fulfill that mission.

Going on now, is an online auction in which the public is invited to bid on one of the hand-painted birdhouses, rain barrels and planters. Each one is an original design by volunteer artists in the community and the Loudoun Arts Council.

Watermark Woods provided the birdhouses and Catoctin Creek Distilling Company donated the barrels.

Loudoun Wildlife ConservancyPhoto byLoudoun Wildlife

This beautiful whiskey barrel planter is painted by Judy Didoha, who resides in Leesburg, Virginia. The artist taught at Marymount University and has studied drawing and printmaking in Italy. As of Monday, Feb. 27, the bid stood at $300.

Photo byLoudoun Wildlife

Tree Huger Preschool in Leesburg, a nature-based school environment, had their preschoolers paint a birdhouse as a collaborative effort. As of Feb. 27, the bid stands at $65.

A Leesburg preschool had their students help paint the birdhouses that are up for auction.Photo byLoudoun Wildlife Conservancy

The auction closes Friday, March 3 at 10p.m. For more information regarding Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy and the work that the organization does, visit loudounwildlife.org.