Fairfax County Calling for Friends of Trees Nominations

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Individuals or organizations may be nominated for various tree related projects or programs. The individuals or organizations must have demonstrated outstanding conservation-based actions in preserving, protecting or planting trees. The following types of projects or programs may be nominated:

  • Preservation: projects or programs for land or easement donations, or appropriate tree care
  • Education: projects or programs that create publications, interpretive trail development, tree marking with identification tags, or presentations to the public about preservation, protection or tree planting
  • Planting: projects or programs that conduct seedling plantings, riparian restoration plantings or heritage species plantings
  • Maintenance: innovative tree care projects or programs without traditional funding sources

Click here to access a nomination form. Awards are presented in the fall. Nominations are due by July 31, 2020.

FMN Volunteers Recognized in Hidden Oaks’ 2020 Heart of Oaks Awards

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Hidden Oaks Nature Center recently recognized six Fairfax Master Naturalists, all recurring volunteers that help with Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences (MWEEs): Val Bertha, Bob Dinse, Kevin Holland, Harry Iredale, Marilyn Schroeder, and Tom Washburn. MWEEs are learner-centered experiences that actively engage students in building knowledge and meaning through hands-on investigation of local environmental issues.

These folks have taught hundreds of 7th graders about watersheds, pollution, benthic macroinvertebrates, and stewardship, among other topics. The MWEE programs are about 3 hours long (which is a long time to keep a 13-year-old’s attention), but this crew always powers through and manages to keep things fun and interesting. Hidden Oaks staff know they can count on these volunteers for scheduling purposes and that they are competent and engaging with the kids. It also does not hurt that they are all exceptionally pleasant people to be around and they help with other programs throughout the year.

Scott’s Run Service Opportunities and a Kudo

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Scott’s Run Cleanups! 8-10 AM every weekend. Sign up here.

Note: 1-2 Cleanup Lead(s) needed for Saturday 8/22! Please email Valeria Espinosa if you are interested [email protected]

Invasive Removal Tuesday evening, July 27, 6-7:30 PM. Sign up here. If you are interested in leading an invasive removal project, please contact Valeria: [email protected]

Natural Resource Projects at Scott’s Run every Wednesday. Sign up here.

Kudos to Nancy Yinger: This July, Riverbend, which manages Scott’s Run, recognized one of its committed volunteers: Nancy Yinger. Nancy, a Master Naturalist, has participated in the wildflower survey for over a year. Last year, she also partook in the Caterpillars Count! Arthropod Survey. This year, she has continued surveying the park’s wildflowers while supporting trail monitoring efforts. She has also “adopted” a pollinator garden by the Visitor Center. Riverbend is very lucky to have Nancy as part of its volunteer community.

Earth Sangha is Re-Opening the Wild Plant Nursery for Volunteers

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Earth Sangha is reopening the Wild Plant Nursery for plant-shopping appointments and volunteers! (Our contactless “curbside” pickup service will continue to be available.) Volunteer opportunities will begin on July 19, and plant-shopping appointments on August 2.

The safety of volunteers, customers, and staff is the priority. Volunteers MUST pre-register for nursery workdays (workdays will be limited to 10 volunteers), and customers MUST book a plant-sale appointment to ensure everyone can practice social-distancing. They are still closed to walk-ins.

How to Sign-Up to Volunteer

1. Visit the volunteer page at www.earthsangha.org/volunteer

2. Click on the “Sign-up Genius” link to view the calendar and open volunteer slots.

3. Sign-up for the day and volunteer slot you’re interested in. (Please only sign-up for days you know you can attend.)

How to Make an In-Person Plant Sale Appointment

1. Visit the Book Online Page at www.earthsangha.org/book-online

2. Click the green “Request to Book” button

3. Click on the day and time slot you’d like to book and then click the grey “Next” button. The calendar gives the option to view by week or by month. (30 min appointments are available from 9am to Noon on Sundays, Mondays, and Thursdays.)

4. Enter your name, email and phone number

5. Click the grey “Request to Book” button

6. You will receive an email when your appointment is confirmed.

This is their first time offering booking online, so please email Katherine at [email protected] if you have any questions about booking an appointment.

How to order for curbside pick-up

1. Check out inventory at www.earthsangha.org/wpnlist

2. Email Earth Sangha at [email protected] with species and quantities you’d like to purchase. Let them know if you’re a member to receive the member discount! If you need help choosing plants for your site, they’re happy to help! Feel free to send photos of areas you have in mind.

3. They’ll place your order in an assigned bay outside the nursery fence, notify you that it’s ready to go, and you can pick up at your leisure.

4. They’ll email you an invoice you can pay online. Feel free to pick up first, so you can see what you’re getting.

All visitors must abide by the following rules

* All volunteers and customers must be pre-confirmed either through the online volunteer sign-up or online appointment systems.

* No more than 10 people can volunteer for an event at one time.

* Volunteers/customers should not visit the Wild Plant Nursery if they have any COVID symptoms, or have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 in the last 14 days.

* Volunteers/customers must wear a face mask while at the Wild Plant Nursery.

* Volunteers/customers must practice social-distancing while at the Wild Plant Nursery.

* Volunteers are encouraged to bring their own work gloves and water bottles.

Listen to Science Friday’s “The Climate Is Changing—But Can We?”

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34:02 minutes

Ira Flatow’s Degrees of Change series has looked at some of the many ways our actions affect the climate, and how our changing climate is affecting us—from the impact of the fashion industry on global emissions to the ways in which coastal communities are adapting to rising tides.

Climate journalist Eric Holthaus and Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, founder of the Urban Ocean Lab, talk with Ira about creating a climate revolution, the parallels between the climate crisis and other conversations about social structures like Black Lives Matter, and the challenges of working towards a better future in the midst of the chaos of 2020. 

The Climate Is Changing—But Can We?

Join the Next Rare Conversation!

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In June, Rare welcomed Sarah Stein Greenberg, Executive Director of Stanford’s d.School, for its first Rare Conversation on innovating for sustainability (43 mins).

In August, they will speak with Robert Frank, Cornell University professor and author of the book, Under the Influence, about the power social forces have for motivating climate-friendly behavior. Dr. Frank will discuss Can Peer Pressure Solve Climate Change?

Thursday August 13, 2020 | 2:00 PM EST
Register here

For FMN members: both talks are on the Continuing Education calendar.

Introducing the Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR)

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Jerry Nissley

Many of you know that effective 1 July 2020, the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (DGIF) changed its name to the Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) to encompass the greater expanse of their responsibilities.

DWR icon

After reading the notice, I poked around their web site and found a link to Virginia Wildlife and Habitat resources that is interesting on several levels. The myriad of sub-topics include Virginia Wildlife, which describes many of our state’s fish, birds, reptiles, and amphibians. A link to Wildlife Habitat provides resource information on how to build backyard habitats that attract and help sustain wildlife in our communities. Restore the Wildlife describes how folks can get involved with restoration projects around Virginia. There is even advice and phone numbers on what to do with injured wildlife and so much more.

So please click the link below and take some time to review the resources provided by the new and improved DWR. They do a great job at providing state level information, and they sell cool t-shirts too!

Wildlife & Habitat

Identifying Shorebirds with Marc Ribaudo

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Online: 12 and 13 August, 7-8 pm
Fee: $25
Limit: 95
Register: Here for 12 August session and/or Here for 13 August session

This class is recommended for anyone who would like to tackle shorebird identification on their own. Marc will spend two evenings online covering identification tips for shorebirds that can typically be seen in our region. Emphasis will be on shorebirds that pose the biggest identification challenges, such as peeps. He’ll also discuss places to practice and sharpen your new-found skills. A recommended book for this class is The Shorebird Guide by Michael O’Brien, Richard Crossley and Kevin Karlson (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2006). The Sibley Guide to Birds by David Sibley (Knopf, 2014) is also a good basic field guide.

Instructor: Marc Ribaudo has been birding since he was a teenager in New Jersey in the 1960s. He has a great amount of field experience and is a regular trip leader for the Northern Virginia Bird Club and the Friends of Dyke Marsh.

Virtual Green Breakfast with Clean Fairfax

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Saturday, July 11, at 9 AM – 10:30 AM

Hosted by Clean Fairfax and Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District

Snuggle up in the comfort of your own home, with your breakfast and beverage of choice, while joining us online to hear from Jen Cole, Executive Director with the Clean Fairfax Council. While you have been safer at home, have you thought about ways to be greener at home too? Learn why it is important to reduce waste production and consumption and steps we can all take in our day-to-day lives to make our world a little more sustainable.

This event is FREE.

If you have environmental stewardship events that you would like to promote, please send them to [email protected] and she will share them during the webinar. Face-to-face interaction and networking are two things that make our Green Breakfasts so special. We miss seeing you all and look forward to a time soon when it is safe for all of us to gather again.

Join the meeting, by clicking the following link and using the meeting number and password, included below: 

https://northernvirginiasoilwaterconservationdistrict.my.webex.com/northernvirginiasoilwaterconservationdistrict.my/j.php?MTID=m7ba10ee8ebc650dcdd65ccc8c7dbed8e

Meeting number (access code): 126 436 0508 

Meeting password: Fj2Qdg (352734 from phones and video systems)

To listen to the presentation from a phone, dial 1-415-655-0001

Access Code: 1264360508#

Password: 352734# 

Board of Supervisors Approves a Major Initiative to Enhance County Properties with Native Plants!

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Members of Audubon Society of Northern Virginia (ASNV) won a big victory on June 9 when the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved an amendment to the county’s comprehensive plan to apply natural landscaping to county properties. This will formalize natural landscaping as official policy for the county and is the culmination of many years of effort, led by ASNV.

The vote was 8 to 0, with Supervisors Dan Storck and Rodney Lusk absent because of a Black Lives Matter march in the Mount Vernon area. Previously, the Planning Commission had voted for it unanimously on May 14.

ASNV believes that Fairfax County is the only jurisdiction in the region to adopt this approach as formal policy in a comprehensive plan. Adoption of this amendment means that natural landscaping, which largely uses native plants and trees, will be used on most county properties, especially as the county builds or remodels buildings and grounds.