George Mason University hosts free lecture on climate change, Apr. 24th

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An Evening with Dr. Ed Maibach: What Do Americans Think About Climate Change, and What—If Anything—Do They Want to Do About It?

Old Town Hall, City of Fairfax
3999 University Drive, Fairfax VA
Wednesday, 24 April 2019
7 pm

Dr. Edward Maibach will present an overview of the findings from public opinion polls regarding climate change conducted over the past decade. Recently there has been a sharp increase in the public’s understanding of and concern about climate change. He will discuss Mason’s efforts to increase public understanding of climate change. There will be an opportunity for questions following the presentation.

Dr. Maibach serves on the advisory council of George Mason University’s newly launched Institute for a Sustainable Earth (ISE), which will address Earth’s future, including the problem of global climate change. He is also a Mason distinguished University Professor and a communication scientist who is expert in the uses of strategic communication and social marketing to address climate change and related public health challenges. His research – funded by NSF, NASA and private foundations – focuses on public understanding of climate change and clean energy; the psychology underlying public engagement; and cultivating TV weathercasters, health professionals, and climate scientists as effective climate educators. From 2011 to 2014, Ed co-chaired the Engagement & Communication Working Group for the 3rd National Climate Assessment, and he currently advises myriad government agencies, museums, science societies and civic organizations on their climate change public engagement initiatives. He earned his PhD in communication science at Stanford University, his Masters in Public Health at San Diego State University, and his BA in psychology at University of California, San Diego.

Keep Virginia Beautiful 30 in 30 Green Grants, Apr. 30 deadline

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Keep Virginia Beautiful (KVB) 30 in 30 Green Grants initiative is designed to empower groups all across Virginia to make an environmental impact in their own communities. Since 2011, KVB has provided $203,000 for 260 different projects throughout the state. Keep Virginia Beautiful awards grants of $500-$1,000 for projects in each of these four categories: Community Beautification and Greening, Litter Prevention, Recycling, and Cigarette Litter Prevention. The application process is underway and you are invited to apply, but hurry! The deadline is April 30.

KVB receives so many great applications and they wish they could fund them all! What can you do to help your grant application get noticed by the judges?

* Enter early. It’s easy to spot an application that was thrown together at the last minute!
* Think of a snappy title! It makes your application more memorable, and draws in the reader.
* Good things come in small packages. Programs and projects with a lot of bang-for-the-low-budget-buck are very impressive.
* Choose your category wisely. There are fewer grant applications sent for Cigarette Litter and Litter prevention, which means your odds are better of being chosen.
* Send an ugly picture. Show the judges what kind of impact you have planned by including a photograph that helps to tell your story.

Click here to apply for your 2019 30 in 30 Green Grant!

FrogWatch USA training and service

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Photo by Barbara J. Saffir (c)

Trainings:
Thursday, 11 April 2019, 6-9 pm @ Huntley Meadows Park, Alexandria, VA
Sunday, 14 April 2019, 3-6 pm @ National Zoological Park, ­ Rock Creek Campus
Saturday, 27 April 2019, 3-6 pm @ National Zoological Park, ­Rock Creek Campus

The FrogWatch, USA, National Zoo chapter is entering its seventh season of FrogWatch USA at the zoo. To date it has monitored 75 sites in DC, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and Maine and has submitted almost 2,000 frog call observations.

FrogWatch tracks frog populations throughout the United States. Participants will choose a monitoring site that is easily accessible and close to where they live or work to listen to frogs that are calling throughout the warmer months. The three indoor trainings help orient people with the frogs that are in the DC-metro area and their calls. Content is the same, so chose one training that fits your schedule. If you are interested please contact Matt Neff: neffm@si.edu.

Huntley Meadows Volunteering – for Nature Lovers Who Enjoy Talking to Park Visitors

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Photo by Barbara J. Saffir  (c)

Huntley Meadows Park, 3701 Lockheed Boulevard, Alexandria, VA has two opportunities of greatest need at the moment. One of them may be right for you.

Greet and orient visitors as the Volunteer on Duty (VOD). It’s hugely important and lots of fun. These folks at the front desk orient visitors and do a lot of interaction. They get to hear firsthand all the creature sightings from visitors, and introduce new visitors to the park and everything it has to offer. We’re short especially on Monday and Friday afternoons at the moment.

The School Program Leader job is a blast as well! This is a weekday morning, ~9:30AM to 12:30 pm commitment – we ask for a minimum of 10 programs per year, spread through spring and fall. Training is very much “on the job” and there is a co-leading transition before folks are asked to lead hikes through the wetland on their own.

For more information, contact Halley Johnson, Alexandra.Johnson@fairfaxcounty.gov or see the links below. All volunteers need to apply through the online system and go through an interview process to ensure that everyone is aware of expectations and make sure they’re in the right place for their goals and needs.
Fairfax Master Naturalists should record their service hours as E111: FCPA Nature Center Visitor Information Desk for Volunteer on Duty or as E110: FCPA Nature Program for the school programs.

Volunteer on Duty: https://volunteer.fairfaxcounty.gov/recruiter/index.php?recruiterID=1380&class=OppDetails&oppGuid={0D559671-5A0E-4917-BE63-1441B2F336C6}&t=Volunteer-on-Duty-Huntley-Meadows-Park

School Programs: https://volunteer.fairfaxcounty.gov/recruiter/index.php?recruiterID=1380&class=OppDetails&oppGuid={2F0F42BD-90CF-4468-A4A5-FDB8C29494B2}&t=Assistant-AM-School-Program-Leader-Huntley-Meadows-Park

Spring Volunteer Opportunities at Riverbend Park in Great Falls, VA

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Bluebell Festival: Saturday, 6 April 2019
Please sign up to volunteer by 31 March 2019.

The bluebells are starting to bloom at Riverbend Park! This means spring is around the corner …and so is the Bluebell Festival! The Bluebell Festival is one of Riverbend’s biggest events of the year and a perfect opportunity to celebrate Riverbend and promote its preservation goals. Wonderful volunteers are needed to ensure the event is a success!
REGISTER HERE: https://volunteer.fairfaxcounty.gov/recruiter/index.php?recruiterID=1380&class=OppDetails&oppGuid={E596D26B-0BF0-4D61-801B-61CFFE753CBB}&t=Bluebell-Festival-Volunteer
CONTACT: valeria.espinoza@fairfaxcounty.gov
SHIFTS: 9AM-12PM, 11:30AM-2:30PM, or 9AM-2:30PM

April Volunteer Orientation: Restoration, Programs, and Park Support
Saturday, 13 April 2019
11am – 1:30 pm

Are you interested in becoming a Riverbend Park volunteer? Do you want to learn more about habitat restoration, nature/outdoor educational programs, or how to support the park? Join us on April 13th at our upcoming Volunteer Orientation event from 11AM-1:30PM. Volunteers will learn about Riverbend’s volunteer program, available opportunities, and upcoming events and then participate in a hands-on restoration project or interactive training to get started!
REGISTER HERE: https://volunteer.fairfaxcounty.gov/recruiter/index.php?recruiterID=1380&class=OppDetails&oppGuid={A5D09A6F-5888-469B-91ED-54CDC30C8DAA}&t=April-Volunteer-Orientation-Restoration-Programs-and-Park-Support
CONTACT: valeria.espinoza@fairfaxcounty.gov
Note: this is the last orientation event until the fall! If you are interested, but cannot attend let Valeria know.

Become a School Programs Lead Volunteer!
Apply by 7 April 2019

Riverbend Park is in search of motivated naturalists interested in helping to educate local students about nature, culture, and history through our field trip programs! School programs run on weekday mornings during Spring and Fall. Topics include soils, Native American history, ecology/wildlife, watershed science, geology, and more!

APPLY HERE: https://volunteer.fairfaxcounty.gov/recruiter/index.php?recruiterID=1380&class=OppDetails&oppGuid={2F32EB07-0B40-4180-AB3D-6E5D200BF187}&t=School-Programs-Lead-Volunteer-Riverbend-Park
CONTACT: valeria.espinoza@fairfaxcounty.gov

Become a Programs Assistant Volunteer!
Orientation on 13 April 2019

We have Program Assistant opportunities for outdoor rec programs, nature programs, scout programs, and summer programs. These will be included at the Volunteer Orientation on April, 13th! Whether you have a passion for hiking, birding, fishing, canoeing, kayaking, trees, wildlife, campfires, rocks, etc… we’ve got an opportunity for you!
TO SIGN UP CONTACT: valeria.espinoza@fairfaxcounty.gov

For more opportunities: https://volunteer.fairfaxcounty.gov/recruiter/index.php?recruiterID=1380&class=OppSearchResults&orgid=71673

Fairfax Master Naturalists: record your hours as E110: FCPA Nature Programs.

VMN CE Webinar: Maple syrup as a forest product, Mar. 28th

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Virginia Master Naturalists Continuing Education Webinar

Thursday, 28 March 2019, 12:00 pm
Meeting Number: 199-915-948
Link to join: Join Webinar

It’s possible to collect sap sustainably from any species of maple, sap that can be processed into a valuable syrup.  In many parts of Virginia, this can prove to be a viable cottage industry (or at least an interesting demonstration project).  The VMN-High Knob Chapter has overseen a demo “sugar bush” on the Powell River Project Research & Education Center in Wise County for the last four winters.  Chris Allgyer and Phil Meeks will discuss the process for collecting sap and making syrup, as well as its potential as an off-season forest product.  Other species of trees that can yield a usable syrup will also be discussed.

Presenters:

Phil Meeks is the Extension Agent for Agriculture & Natural Resources in Wise County and is the chapter advisor for the High Knob Chapter of VMN.

Chris Allgyer is President of the VMN High Knob Chapter. He recently retired from Mountain Empire Community College where he taught mathematics for 46 years.

Link for recordings of this and past webinars: VMN Continuing Education page.

If you have specific technical questions, try the Zoom Support Center.

What kinds of insects do birds eat? Find out from Audubon, March 24

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The Audubon Society of Northern Virginia will hold an Audubon Afternoon on Sunday, March 24 at the National Wildlife Center, 11100 Wildlife Center Drive in Reston.  Ashley Kennedy, a doctoral candidate at the University of Delaware, is an entomologist who has used her own research and photos provided by citizen scientists from around the country to determine what types of insects various types of birds eat.   She will present fascinating photos and videos of birds bringing food to their young as she discusses birds’ diets and the role of native plants in attracting the insects that birds rely on.  There will be a social gathering at 2:30 followed by Ashley’s presentation at 3 PM.  The event is free and open to the public.

Learn about Audubon at Home, May 9th

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Photo by Barbara J. Saffir (c)

Green Spring Gardens
4603 Green Spring Road, Alexandria, VA
Thursday, 9 May 2019
7:30 – 9 pm
Program and talk with Betsy Martin & Alda Krinsman

The Audubon at Home program was created to make a difference by supporting the efforts of property owners and managers to become better stewards of nature in their own outdoor spaces. It embraces the principles of the National Audubon Society’s Bird-Friendly Communities and promotes citizen participation in conserving and restoring local natural habitat and biodiversity.

The Wildlife Sanctuary Program brings trained naturalists together with property owners and managers on a mission to restore natural habitat. The program offers information, on-site consultation and recommendations to help you establish and nurture sustainable natural habitat in your backyard, neighborhood, school, church, park or business in spaces that range from a small corner of your yard to many acres. Results-based sanctuary certification depends on the success of the habitat to attract and support wildlife. The program seeks to expand wildlife habitat in the area and fosters appreciation for the value of native plants and all the wildlife that depend on them.

Flowery Waters of Spring: Ecology & Conservation of Vernal Pool Wetlands in Virginia, Apr. 11th

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Green Spring Gardens
4603 Green Spring Road, Alexandria
Thursday, 11 April 2019
7:30 – 9 pm

Program and talk with Michael S. Hayslett, Principal of Virginia Vernal Pools, LLC. Mr. Hayslett is a former biology and environmental instructor at Sweet Briar College and other Virginia schools. He has spent a career pursuing the study, awareness, and conservation of the freshwater wetlands known as “vernal pools” around his native Virginia. His research has focused on amphibian ecology, but this Master Naturalist is fascinated with all aspects of these special little ecosystems and with natural history in general.  Brought to you by the Virginia Native Plant Society.

Fairfax Water Source Water Protection & Water Supply Education Grants

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Fairfax Water is offering Watershed and Water Supply Education Grants to support citizen source water protection efforts and community activities related to water supply.
Local and state government educational and environmental agencies, homeowners and HOAs, civic groups and not-for-profit organizations may apply for funding, technical services or a combination of these, not to exceed a total of $10,000.
Grant requests must address water supply or watershed issues within Fairfax Water’s service area or watershed area in Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William, or Fauquier Counties. For a list of eligible projects and application information, please go to https://www.fairfaxwater.org/grants or contact Source Water Protection and Planning by phone at 703-289-6303 or by e-mail at outreach@fairfaxwater.org. Applications must be postmarked by May 15, 2019.