Join the Clifton Institute’s Bioblitz on April 27

On April 27, Clifton Institute will be doing a bioblitz as a part of the City Nature Challenge. They’ll will be working with like-minded organizations to document as many species as possible in the Washington, D.C., metro area.

The event will start with a bird walk, then look for all other kinds of species during the day, and end with moths and crickets in the evening! People of all skill levels are most welcome, but they are especially in need of people with expertise in invertebrates, fungi, and plants. And they need photographers to help document species.

April 28th is the rain date. Please email Bert Harris at [email protected] or register on our website if you are interested in participating with this active group of naturalists and scientists in a particularly beautiful and diverse nature preserve.

Volunteer at Riverbend Park: Wildlife Conservation & Animal Care

Volunteer Orientation

Saturday, Feb 2

9:30 AM-12:00 PM

8700 Potomac Hills St Great Falls, VA

Want to become a Riverbend Park Volunteer? Attend our next monthly Volunteer Orientation and learn about our upcoming opportunities, projects, and events and get started on your training with a hands-on project!

Please register

Upcoming Opportunities

  • Wildflower Survey (Feb-May)  NEW – Identify & document native and non-native wildflowers
  • Spring Salamander Survey (Feb-May)ID, measure, and document salamanders
  • Turtle Survey (Feb-May)  NEW – ID native turtles and help us track & document their presence at Riverbend
  • Wildlife Camera Monitor NEW – Help us set up & track wildlife cams throughout the park and review footage for some action
  • Exhibit Animal Care – Help provide care for our exhibit animals (min 4hrs/month for 6 months)
  • Survey Data Entry (winter-spring) NEW – Enter data on our salamander survey onto a spreadsheet
  • Spring/Summer Programs – Join our interpretive team and provide assistance at our camps & programs
  • Wagon Driver (spring-summer) – help us provide wagon rides at our programs and events
  • Astronomy Festivals (Feb. 16 and March 9)
  • Macroinvertebrate Stream Survey at Scott’s Run Orientation March 2
  • Dragonfly Survey (March-Oct) Training in March
  • Bluebell Festival, April 6

 

Ongoing Opportunities

  • Watershed Clean ups
  • Habitat restoration
  • Trail maintenance and restoration
  • Gardening/plants
  • Park Support

 

Contact

Valeria Espinoza, Volunteer Coordinator [email protected]

Rita Peralta, Natural Resources Manager [email protected]

Volunteer Opportunities

Two NVSWCD stormwater workshops

Soak It Up: Stormwater Solutions for Homeowners
February 2, 10 AM–Noon
Register: http://bit.ly/2FBHiLC

Rain Gardens for Homeowners
March 2, 10 AM-Noon
Register: http://bit.ly/2VX3h5y

Mason District Governmental Center
6507 Columbia Pike Annandale, VA 22003

Stormwater Workshops flyer to share

Educational opportunities abound outside Fairfax County in February/March

Green Matters Symposium – Doug Tallamy speaking.
Friday, 22 February 2019, 8-4 pm
Silver Spring Civic Building, 1 Veterans Pl, Silver Spring, MD

Prince William County (PWC) Native Plant Symposium for Beginners (Beginners only)
Saturday, 23 February 2019, 9 am – 2 pm
McCoart Administration Building
1 County Complex Court
Woodbridge, Virginia 22192

Prince William – Balancing Natives and Ornamentals in Your Garden
Saturday, 23 February 2019, 1 – 3 pm
Old Historic Manassas Courthouse, Manassas
This lecture from the Master Gardeners of Prince William Education Committee discusses the benefits of native plants and features 25 specimen plants. The lecture is led by Keith Tomlinson of Meadowlark Botanical Gardens. This is a free program, but please register by calling 703-792-7747.

Plant Pollinators talk by Heather Holm
Sunday, 17 February 2019, 3:30 pm
Manassas Park Community Center, 99 Adams Street, Manassas  Park, VA

Loudoun County Extension Master Gardeners 10th Annual Gardening Symposium
Saturday, 23 March 2019, 9 am – 4 pm
Talks by Larry Weaner, Barbara Pleasant, Sara Via, and Nancy Lawson.

 

 

“Road projects” for wildlife: Your hedge as sanctuary

If you are the only turtle living in someone’s yard, where are you going to find a mate? Asphalt and lawns are fine for moving people around, but they create barriers for wildlife. Fragmentation of our natural areas has a lot to do with why box turtle sightings are an increasingly rare occurrence in the suburbs.

Eastern box turtle, Plant NOVA Natives

Our parks, only some of which are large enough or undisturbed enough to nurture biodiversity, make up a small percentage of the land in Northern Virginia. It is up to us to connect those natural areas into wildlife corridors by using our own yards. By lining our properties with hedges, we can create pathways for turtles and other wildlife to navigate the landscape. Ideally such pathways would be uninterrupted, but even creating a series of islands is effective. Not only can native plants provide shelter, but the fruits, berries, and seeds they produce will attract songbirds to liven up our landscapes. Have you ever noticed that birds congregate on properties that have thickets?

Creating a hedge is very simple. Start by planting two or three native shrubs where you now have lawn, allowing dead leaves to create a ground layer. Add more shrubs and trees as your time and energy allow – the wider the corridor, the better. Many suggestions for suitable plants of various heights can be found on this page of the Plant NOVA Natives website. Hedges, which can look relaxed and natural like a hedgerow, or clipped and formal, provide the additional benefits of capturing stormwater and enhancing privacy.

For a little more inspiration, watch our two-minute video about the secret goings-on within native plantings. (The hotline keeps breaking–try this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGd2507_uNw&feature=youtu.be)

By the way: if you ever stop your car to help a turtle cross the road, be sure to deliver it to the side where it was heading, and no further. Box turtles are territorial and will not survive if you move them any distance.

2018 Annual Report from Fairfax Chapter of Virginia Master Naturalists

Each year, our chapter submits a record of what our members have accomplished to the Virginia Master Naturalists home office in Charlottesville, VA. This year, we recorded 12,569 hours across 137  citizen science, education, and stewardship service projects, in addition to chapter administration.

As Past President Michael Reinemer recounts, numbers alone convey neither the dedication of our volunteers nor the outcomes of their work. Those results of these hours, so generously given, include bird counts and surveys, maintenance of bluebird houses and trails; installation and monitoring of nest structures for Purple Martins; stream monitoring; outreach to school children; education on native plants; citizen science efforts to collect data on wildlife populations, native plants, pollinators, and other natural resources; work with partners such as Earth Sangha, Northern Virginia Soil and Water, Fairfax County Parks; and many more.

The report itself is available in its entirety.

Goose rehabbers/relocators needed

Photo by Barbara J. Saffir (c)

Spring in Fairfax County means goose nesting season.  In search of secure sites, some geese nest in dangerous places (rooftops, parking lots, mall planters) where they and their goslings have no path to safe water.  Wildlife Rescue League and other concerned goose advocates are looking for folks who want to train to become Category 2 Rehabbers to help relocate stranded goose families.  This past year has seen the loss of several dedicated rescuers and we are hoping others can step in.  For further information, please text Carol Hall at 571-419-2592.

Reston Association in search of Watershed Specialist

The Watershed Specialist position (full time) has become available at the Reston Association. The work involves everything from leading stream monitoring groups, educating the public about watershed related issues, cleaning and maintaining the lakes, working with shoreline stabilization projects, and more! The position can be labor intensive at times. If you know someone who is looking for a job in the natural resources realm and who may be interested in this job, please pass this information along.

Apply for the position here: Reston Association Watershed Specialist

Flying squirrel frenzy & February flowers, Feb. 17th

Photo by Barbara J. Saffir (c)

Meet at Brookside Nature Center, 1400 Glenallan Ave., Wheaton, Maryland 20902
Sunday, 17 February 2019
2:00 to 7:15 pm

If you feel like squealing with delight like a little kid when you see flying squirrels, boy do we have an adventure for you! And it’s coupled with fabulous outdoor and indoor flowers — in frigid February!

First, the group will hike up to 6 miles on paved and dirt trails in Wheaton Regional Park to Brookside Gardens’ outdoor gardens and indoor glass conservatory and beyond. (The exact length will be posted soon.) Color in the outdoor garden includes winter-blooming orange/yellow witch hazels, pink hellebore flowers, white snow-drops and the buxom red berries of nandina plants. Then they’ll visit the Brookside Nature Center to watch nocturnal southern flying squirrels with their big eyes and teensy mouths swoop in to nosh on sunflower seeds just after dusk. If they’re lucky, they’ll see more than a dozen of these palm-sized critters dash from tree to tree and squish together on the feeders. (Bring your own human snacks or dinner to enjoy on the deck before the squirrels join us. Dress warmly!)

Not a hiker? You can just attend this Sierra Club, adults-only special session flying squirrel event, which is led by Brookside Nature Center. Please bring exact change. ($6 required fee to the nature center & $2 voluntary fee to the Sierra Club.)

Questions? Please post them to Meetup or email Barbara at [email protected].

Can’t attend? Brookside runs its own flying squirrel programs on many Fridays. Call first for details, 301-962-1480.

Annual Aldo Leopold Read-a-thon, January 20th

RESCHEDULED FOR JANUARY 20TH DUE TO SNOW

Villages of Piedmont Clubhouse
16080 Market Ridge Blvd., Haymarket, VA
Sunday, 13 January 2019
4 – 6 pm

Join the Northern Virginia Conservation Trust to celebrate Aldo Leopold’s 132nd birthday! Their annual read-a-thon will feature guest speakers to read spoken excerpts from Leopold’s books. The event is free and will honor the legendary conservationist and his work. Feel free to join them in the audience to listen. Please get in touch with them if you’d like to be a guest speaker. They will also have open slots available day-of for volunteer readers from the crowd. RSVP to Emily at [email protected] or call 703-354-5093.