Radio Meteor Observing

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Illustration 1: With Permission from www.LiveMeteors.com.  A meteor trail is capable of reflecting radio waves from transmitters located on the ground so that they can be detected by amateur radio antennas.   

Article by FMN Stephen Tzikas

We have all seen “shooting stars” or meteors.  They are rocky fragments that collide with the Earth and burn up in the atmospheres, causing that “shooting star” effect.  People can explore meteor observing a little more scientifically through the American Meteor Society website: https://www.amsmeteors.org/

There is another aspect to meteor observing than can be done under any conditions, such as daylight hours and inclement weather, and that is with radio meteors.  Counts of radio meteors provide valuable data. Radio detection of meteors is more effective than optical observations.  Hence, it may be possible to discover many new minor meteor shower swarms, their cometary fragment trails, and their original associated comets.  A meteor in the Earth’s upper atmosphere produces a sharp pinging sound of about a second’s duration in the continuous live display found at www.livemeteors.com.  This website offers a way for anyone to gather intensity and duration data for radio meteor echoes on a continuous 24/7 basis, allowing the recording of meteor showers throughout the year.  A receiver tuned to a received radio beacon, an antenna, and a recorder or a computer, are needed if you decide to reproduce the set-up.  In Figure 1, I provide an example of a  Spectrum Waterfall Display taken from www.livemeteors.com on April 16, 2015 for the Lyrid meteor shower at precisely 4:40 AM local time or 08:40:24 UTC and 55.24 MHz.

Figure 1: Author’s screenshot from https://www.livemeteors.com

The Canadian Meteor Orbit Radar (CMOR) has an interesting website: https://aquarid.physics.uwo.ca/research/radar/cmor_intro.html .  While reviewing the website, take a look at the projects and activities that are being investigated.  The interesting research to determine meteor radiants and original source comets, including those for meteors not seen optically, is still in its early stages and needs support.  The American Meteor Society, whose link I provided earlier, also has a radio observing program.

The field of radio astronomy observation is large and relatively new.  Even for amateurs, there are many opportunities to develop the field.  Such opportunities usually require dedicated self-starters who can apply the science and engineering of radio astronomy into meaningful observations and datasets.  However, radio meteors is one of the simpler observational programs that master naturalists can enjoy.     

Another Great Volunteer Activity: Native Pollinator Garden at the Potomac River National Wildlife Refuge Center

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Photo: COURTESY OF Potomac National Wildlife Refuge Center, Overgrown Pollinator Gardens

Tuesday, August 8, 2023
9:00AM
Visitor Services Specialist at Potomac River NWR
14050 Dawson Beach Rd.C
Woodbridge, VA 22191

 

 

Another opportunity to excel has risen up before us – literally! The existing native pollinator garden at the Potomac River National Wildlife Refuge Center has become overgrown and needs rejuvenating.

The initial workday has been scheduled for August 8 at 9AM. 

To signup, please click on this link: https://forms.office.com/g/fcHpHmQtAp.

Plan of attack is to pull/dig up all vegetation, enhance the soil by working in compost, then cover until an appropriate planting time in the fall (Sept/Oct), and finally remove debris to their dumpster.

The garden is relatively small (two 8×10 raised bed rectangles conjoined into an ‘L’ shape), so this initial effort should not take more than an easy 2 hours, tops.

Merrimac Farm chapter has been contacted, so this may be a chance to meet some neighboring VMNs, as well as, potential volunteers from Master Gardeners, Mom’s Kitchen, and NWRC Staff. 

Tools will be provided but you may bring your own favorites and your own work gloves.

So please come on down, meet some new people, check out a new place along the Potomac River, and dig some weeds!

FMN volunteers may claim service hours using, S543: Stewardship and Outreach – – FMN

By the way, this project developed as a direct result of NWRC engaging the FMN booth at the Eagle Festival and seeing the work done by volunteers at Mason Neck State Park. So kudos to all the volunteers who made a difference with the gardens at MNSP.

Coordinator and location for this event is:

Gabriela (Gabby) Youngken
Visitor Services Specialist at Potomac River NWRC
14050 Dawson Beach Rd.
Woodbridge, VA 22191
Mobile: (571)866-1262
Office: (703)490-4979 Ext. 52585

Thank you!

Join The NABA Butterfly Count, September 10th

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Photo By David Illig, Variegated Fritillary (NABA Butterfly Count)

Click here for registration information.

The Butterfly Count is an ongoing program of the North American Butterfly Association (NABA) to census the butterflies of North America (United States, Canada and partially Mexico) and to publish the results. Volunteer participants are assigned a count area with a 15-mile diameter. The volunteers conduct a one-day census of all butterflies sighted within that circle.

Volunteers are encouraged to attend the butterfly identification webinar on Sept 5 (FREE for ASNV Members; $10 for non-members).

Volunteers of all experience levels are welcome! Every team will be led by an expert. Participants are encouraged to stay with their team for the duration of the event. A tally rally will take place at 4:00 PM at Belle Haven Pizzeria at 1401 Belle Haven Road, Alexandria, Virginia 22307.

This count is organized by Larry Meade. Deadline to register is Thursday, September 7 at 9:00 PM so you can be assigned to a team on Friday. Teams will each meet at their designated count locations.

Larry Meade is president of the Northern Virginia Bird Club and a member of the ASNV Adult Education Committee. He is a frequent bird walk leader and has been involved in numerous Audubon Christmas Bird Counts and NABA Butterfly Counts. He is the compiler of the Alexandria Circle NABA Butterfly Count.

ASNV Presents Fall Butterfly Identification with Larry Meade, September 5th

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Photo By David Illig, Variegated Fritillary

Click here for registration information.

The sight of butterflies fluttering around on a warm day is one of the most iconic signs of summer, but they can still be found well into the fall months. These beautiful insects usually live for only a few weeks as adults, but they make quite an impression while they are in their full glory. There is a large variety of butterfly species in our area. Larry Meade will walk participants through the common species and help us differentiate some of the trickier look-a-like species.

Participants are encouraged to register for the North American Butterfly Association (NABA) Count to be held on September 10, 2023.

A good way to prepare this program is to review Butterflies of the Mid-Atlantic, a Field Guide, by Robert Blakney and Judy Gallagher. Judy Gallagher is a member of the ASNV Board, and the field guide is available for purchase on the ASNV website.

Larry Meade is president of the Northern Virginia Bird Club and a member of the ASNV Adult Education Committee. He is a frequent bird walk leader and has been involved in numerous Audubon Christmas Bird Counts and North America Butterfly Association (NABA) Butterfly Counts. He is the compiler of the Alexandria Circle NABA Butterfly Count.

This program is FREE for members of Audubon Society of Northern Virginia and members of the Northern Virginia Bird Club.

 

Understanding the Climate Crisis with Bill Young, Five Sessions: September 19th, 21st, 26th, 28th and October 3rd

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Photo: Bill Young 

September 19, 21, 26, 28 and October 3, 2023
7:00 – 8:30 PM
Virtual
Cost: (ASNV Members: $65 , Non-members: $75)

Click here for Registration details.

The climate crisis is the biggest issue facing humans and the natural environment in the 21st century.

This five-part course will help people be better informed about the scope of the crisis and the science behind this issue. Each class will last about an hour and a half, with opportunity for discussion. Our speaker, Bill Young, has a great thirst for knowledge and the ability to communicate complex issues in an understandable narrative.

Topics to be covered include:

  • Overview of climate concepts and issues

  • Greenhouse gases

  • Effects on birds and biodiversity

  • Fossil fuels

  • Transportation and agriculture

This class will be followed on Thursday, October 5, by a free Climate Crisis Action & Advocacy Workshop with Bill Young and Board Member Tom Wood. This program is open to all. Please post to social media and invite your friends & family to participate. The workshop will provide participants with suggestions for actions that we can all take to push back on the effects of climate change. We hope that participants in this lecture series will attend that workshop.

Bill Young is a writer who lives in Arlington. He is the co-creator (with Ashley Bradford) of the MPNature.com website, and he has taught numerous classes for ASNV.

Your ticket will cover all five sessions, 7.5 hours of program time. This program will be held on September 19, 21, 26, 28, and Oct 3, 7:00 – 8:30 PM. You will get a zoom link on September 19 that will be the same link for all five sessions. Sessions will be recorded and the videos will be shared with all registered participants.

Meant to Catch Spotted Lanternflies, Glue Traps Are a Horrifying Hazard for Birds

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Photo: Courtesy of Raven Ridge Wildlife Center Red-bellied Woodpecker stuck in a glue trap being transported to the Center in Pennsylvania

Wildlife rehabilitators, unable to save many victims, are urging the public to choose bird-safe methods of managing the invasive insects.

Glue traps are widely used to catch rodents or insects like the recently infamous spotted lanternfly. When the invasive insects became widespread, experts noticed that lanternfly traps were ensnaring other wildlife like birds and small mammals—a problem they call “bycatch.”

The strips of sticky tape can injure or kill birds and other wildlife, but fortunately, safer alternatives are available. Learn more about preventing harm from glue traps, and other bird-safe ways of controlling spotted lanternfly populations. 

 

CE event at the Smithsonian

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CE announcement at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum –
What:
Interpretive Tour of the National Museum of Natural History for Virginia Master Naturalists
When:
August 16, 2023 at 3:00pm
Where:
National Museum of Natural History
Meet in the rotunda at the information desk beside the big elephant.
How long:
Approximately 2 hours.
Group limit.
6 individuals
To register:
1. Login to BI and click on your ‘Opportunities’ tab.
2. Select ‘Opportunity Calendar’ from the pull-down list.
3. Find event in the displayed calendar and click on it to display event details.
4. To sign up, Click on the ‘Sign Up’ box in the lower right. This automatically signs you up and puts the event on your calendar.
5. To claim CE hours: use All Continuing Education -> FMN All other Chapter Training

Bring paper and pencil to take notes if you desire. No recordings please.
Dr. Kelmelis will guide an interpretive tour of the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History relevant to Virginia Master Naturalists.  This tour will identify the relationship of some exhibits to the natural environment of Virginia including the geologic history, mineralogy, entomology, osteology, evolution, mammalogy, and many other topics.  Some of the take-aways will include an introduction of how the NMNH’s display collection can be used to enrich the naturalist’s understanding of science, the scientific method, and some techniques that are applicable to naturalists’ domain of interests; as well as some facts related to the natural condition and history of Virginia.

Dr. Kelmelis is former Chief Scientist for Geography for the U.S. Geological Survey, Senior Counselor for Earth Science at the U.S. Department of State, former Professor of Science, Technology and International Policy, and Founding Faculty of the School of International Affairs at Pennsylvania State University.  He holds a BA in Earth Science; MS in Engineering; and Ph.D. in Geography. He is a volunteer and docent at the Smithsonian Institution and a Virginia Master Naturalist in the Fairfax County chapter.

 

cover photo: Jerry Nissley

VMN Continuing Education Webinar: Community Generated Data Informs Our Understanding Of the Vulnerability Of Frog and Toad Species To Climate Change, July 24th

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Photo: Wood Frog by Randy Streufert

Monday, July 24, 2023
12:00-1:00 PM

Pre-registration required

Description: To mitigate climate change-driven biodiversity loss using limited resources, conservation biologists and wildlife managers often use assessments to prioritize species that are at risk of extinction. But some assessments require a lot of data which isn’t available for all species. These data-poor species might be overlooked, delaying actions that could reduce their extinction risk. In this webinar, you’ll see how community generated data aids assessments of climate change vulnerability by placing data-poor species on the same scale as data-rich species through an example for 90 species of frogs and toads in the US.

Presenter: Traci DuBose is an ecologist who enjoys working to conserve animals with complex life cycles for future generations. After receiving a PhD from the University of Oklahoma studying stream ecosystems, she leveraged available data to inform the conservation of frogs, toads, and red cockaded woodpeckers at Virginia Tech. She currently is an Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education program post-doctoral fellow investigating the cause of enigmatic freshwater mussel declines as a part of a large interdisciplinary team.

*Note: As always, the VMN CE Webinar will be recorded, and the recording will be available on the VMN Continuing Education Webinar Series webpage within two weeks of the webinar.

Blue Ridge PRISM Summer Meeting: “These Are Not Your Grandpa’s Quail”, July 19th

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Photo Courtesy of the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources

Wednesday, July 19, 2023
11:30 am – 1:00 pm
via Zoom

Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/640679949977

The northern bobwhite aka bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus) is the only quail native to eastern North America. Its clear, whistled call was once a common sound throughout its range. You hear its call much less often now because of a steep decline in the bobwhite quail population, mostly due to habitat loss. For its Summer Meeting, Blue Ridge PRISM will welcome Marc Puckett, a certified wildlife biologist and the Small Game Project Leader for the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources. He will discuss the bobwhite quail and how to manage its habitat in multiple scenarios so that these birds can thrive.

This is a free online event and includes a question & answer period with the audience. Those who register will receive access to the recording.

This event is put on by the Blue Ridge PRISM. Please direct any questions to them. https://blueridgeprism.org/

NASA Moon Trees Quest: A Citizen Science Project Collaboration with the USDA Forest Service

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Image Courtesy of the Globe Program NASA Moon Trees Quest

Did you know that in 1971 the Apollo 14 spacecraft carried seeds of several trees into space? Well those seeds of species such as sycamore, loblolly pine, coast redwood, sweetgum, and Douglas-firs were planted all over the United States. The NASA Moon Trees Quest is a citizen science project collaboration with the USDA Forest Service to collect data on the accessible remaining trees as well as examples of the species around the country. Using their free GLOBE Observer app, you can join the quest and help gather data about the trees near you. Click here to learn how to participate, accurately measure trees and submit your tree observations.

FMN’s to log volunteer hours for this activity there is an existing CS code of : C700: GLOBE Observer — NASA