Saving Coral Reefs in the Sunshine State, with Mote Marine Laboratory, Webinar, January 21st

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Photo: Staghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis) by James G. Douglass via iNaturalist (CC-BY-NC-4.0)

Tuesday, January 21, 2025
7 – 8:30 pm
Register here.

Florida’s coral reefs have lost over 95% of their living coral cover over the last 50 years and are on the brink of functional extinction. In Smithsonian Environmental Research Center’s (SERC) first evening science talk of the year, Dr. Erinn Muller will reveal how scientists at Mote Marine Laboratory are meeting the dire need for active coral restoration. She’ll touch on methods like coral nursery rearing and outplanting, and present the latest research helping restored corals resist disease and adapt to climate change. She will also highlight the importance of live coral biobanking and cryopreservation. In the race against environmental degradation, Mote scientists have created an International Coral Gene Bank as a “Noah’s Ark for coral species preservation.”

Dr. Muller is an Associate Vice President for Research, a Senior Scientist, and the Coral Health and Disease Program Manager at Mote Marine Laboratory and the Director of Mote’s International Coral Gene Bank – a ‘Noah’s Ark for coral species preservation’. Dr. Muller’s research focuses on identifying corals that are resilient to major threats such as climate change and coral disease to help inform Mote’s coral restoration activities. Dr. Muller has studied coral health and disease for the last 20 years, researching reefs around the world including the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, the Florida Keys and Saudi Arabia. She has over 70 publications in peer-reviewed journals, co-authored several book chapters, been a mentor for over 50 undergraduate interns and graduate students. She also helped co-create a research-based after school program for high school students in the Florida Keys and U.S. Virgin Islands.

Vernal Pools from Ice Age to Space Age, Webinar, February 13th

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Photo: Vernal pool  by Michael Hayslett

Thursday, February 13, 2025
7 – 8:30 pm
Register here.

Join Virginia Native Plant Society Potowmack Chapter and vernal pool expert Michael Hayslett who will present “Vernal Pools from Ice Age to Space Age.”

A vernal pool is a form of temporary, freshwater wetland that contains water for a portion of the year and supports a fantastic array of wildlife and plants, some specially adapted for these habitats and many being rare species in Virginia. Vernal pools are often found in the floodplain of a stream, in seasonally-flooded woodlands, as sinkhole ponds, or where rainwater and snow collect in forest depressions.
[https://virginiavernalpools.com]

Mike Hayslett pioneered vernal pool awareness in Virginia. With over 30 years of traveling the state educating, studying pools, and advising on these freshwater wetlands, he became known as “Virginia’s leading vernal pools expert.” He promotes conservation of these unique habitats, and helps communities and landowners better understand, appreciate and manage their vernal pool wetlands and related wildlife.

Photo: Sheila Sund from Salem, Wooly Bear Caterpillar, United States, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Where Do Wildlife Go in Winter?

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Photo: Sheila Sund from Salem, Wooly Bear Caterpillar, United States, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Where Do Wildlife Go in Winter? article by Betsy Martin featured as a Wildlife Sanctuary Almanac article for Northern Virginia Bird Alliance.

The ancients puzzled over the disappearance and reappearance of birds. Aristotle thought they transformed into other species in winter, which explained why robins appeared just as redstarts disappeared in Greece. In the 16th century, Olaus Magnus theorized that swallows buried themselves in clay at the bottom of rivers in wintertime. In the 17th century, Charles Morton offered the most fantastic theory of all, that birds flew to the moon and back every year.

We know now that migration on earth accounts for the disappearance and reappearance of birds. But what about other creatures? Learning their whereabouts gives us the chance to help many of them overwinter and reappear in the spring. Keep reading here.

 

 

First Hike Fairfax Photo Contest returns for 2025! Submission Before Noon on Thursday, January 2nd

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Image: Courtesy of Fairfax County Government – First Hike

The amazingly popular First Hike Fairfax Photo Contest returns for 2025! Grab your coats and cameras and join the fun on New Year’s Day along more than 334 miles of Park Authority trails.

Participation is simple:

Visit any FCPA trail on Wednesday, January 1, 2025. Take a photo to commemorate the experience and submit it online before Noon on Thursday, January 2. The photo submission link will be posted here by 7 a.m. on January 1, 2025.

Win prizes in one of the following seven categories; prizes are sponsored by the Fairfax County Park Foundation:

  • People’s Choice: $100 Park Authority Gift Card or 25-visit FCPA Rec Center Discount Fast Pass (valued at $175)
  • Judges’ Choice: $100 Park Authority Gift Card or 25-visit FCPA Rec Center Discount Fast Pass (valued at $175)
  • Director’s Choice: $100 Park Authority Gift Card
  • Best in Show (Scenery/Landscapes): $75 Park Authority Gift Card
  • Best in Show (People): $75 Park Authority Gift Card
  • Best in Show (Wildlife): $75 Park Authority Gift Card
  • Best in Show (Pets): $75 Park Authority Gift Card

PHOTO CONTEST RULES

  • First Hike Fairfax is open to amateur and professional photographers.
  • Photos must be taken on a Park Authority trail on Wednesday, January 1, 2025
  • Submissions must be made online. A link will be provided above by 7 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025.
  • Only one photo entry per person will be accepted (multiple family members may submit photos individually).
  • Photos must be in JPG format (no bigger than 5MB is preferred)
  • Contest submissions must clearly indicate the date and what Park Authority trail the photo was taken.
  • See full contest rules.

Need inspiration? See all photo submissions for First Hike 2024!

 

Calling All Teachers: Apply for NVBA’s Hog Island Scholarship by February 25th

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Photo: Walker Golder/Audubon Photography Awards, Atlantic Puffins 

Each year Northern Virginia Bird Alliance (NVBA) offers a full scholarship and transportation to “Sharing Nature: An Educator’s Week” at National Audubon Society’s Hog Island Camp in Maine.

Hog Island Audubon Camp has offered environmental education programs for adults, teens, families and conservation leaders since 1936. While there, educators learn interdisciplinary hands-on methods and approaches to environmental education while immersed in the natural world. Educator’s Week in the coming year is August 10-15. To learn more and apply, click here.

Please help spread the word by sharing this with any teachers you know in northern Virginia. Thank you!

Dreaming of Forests

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Photo: Induction Ceremony, FMN Janet Quinn*

Article by FMN Stacey Remick

It is possible to save and celebrate forests.  I know it does not seem possible when you see so many tracts of beautiful trees destroyed for roads and further development.  I am here to tell you that you can dream big and bring your local forests, parks and private lands into a network of recognized Community and Old Growth Forests.

St. Peter’s in the Woods Episcopal Church dreamed big this year.  In 2019, we were awarded what is now the Wildlife Sanctuary designation through the Northern Virginia Bird Alliance, in part because of our native gardens.  We continued our congregational work in setting the cultural and infrastructural foundations of sustainability and Earth care practices.  So, in May of this year, I proposed to the church governing board that I submit a petition for our Sanctuary Forest to be considered for inclusion into the Old Growth Forest Network.

Photo: Forest at dawn, FMN Stacey Remick

Our property sits in a Resource Protection Area (RPA) as part of the Virginia Commonwealth’s Chesapeake Bay Ordinance.  Being designated as an Old Growth Forest would be a confirmation of this protected status — more than this, a public statement of our commitment to the continued practices of stewardship of this mature forest that it will become an old-growth forest.  Our unique placement in a zone of resource protection is permanent and would have stood whether or not we submitted for this designation.  We wanted to make public our commitment and responsibility.

We have two retaining ponds and the forest itself is a riparian buffer that contributes to the protection of both the Occoquan and Chesapeake Bay watersheds.  The forest is close to 100 years old and has all the characteristics of a mature forest, which means that it is not fully old-growth yet but it will become old-growth within a decade.  It contains a meditation trail of about .2 miles and is used by not just our congregation but our surrounding community.

I began the process by contacting the Old Growth Forest Network with a basic description of our forest as well as pictures and video of it over the last year.  We worked with

Photo: Meditation trail, FMN Stacey Remick

Brian Kane to go over the key critical criteria for the designation.  Once I had done the required research, the final documentation was submitted.  We signed a Memorandum of Understanding which outlined our responsibilities and then began planning for a September 14, 2024 induction ceremony.

As of September 14th, we are listed on the national Old Growth Forest Community Forests website, have been invited to speak at webinars and will soon be featured in the international Episcopal E-Communique Living Church.  Other congregations are looking to us as an example of what is possible to hope for and aspire to.  One result is that the Virginia Master Naturalists (VMN) program got a boost when Virginia Senator Stella Pekarsky and Virginia Delegate Dan Hellman learned about the Virginia Master Naturalists active in our congregation.  They had never heard of VMN, much less the Fairfax Chapter, before coming to the ceremony.

If you are a private landowner, know of a park where there is a mature forest or you live in a community that has such a forested space, do not give up hope.  Consider talking with the Old Growth Forest Network.  No matter how large or small a forest, such a designation moves us closer to saving more of our precious forest ecosystems.

Please feel free to visit St. Peter’s in the Woods (https://www.stpetersinthewoods.org) anytime during the year.  For more information about the Old Growth Forest Network (https://www.oldgrowthforest.net) contact Brian Kane.  If you would like to join me for a walk in our forest or a retreat, please contact me at [email protected].

* Pictured in feature photo:

Furthest left – Christopher Topoleski, Executive Director, Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions (FACS)
Front row to the right of Christopher Topoleski
Andreana Jinju Lin, Communications and Outreach Manager (FACS)
Stacey Remick, author
Brian Kane, Old Growth Forest Network
Rev. Susan Hartzell, St. Peter’s in the Woods

Back row left to right
Fatima Malik, representing Congressman Gerry Connolly
Virginia State Senator Stella Pekarsky
Virginia State Delegate Dan Helmer
Kristine Montamat, Chair, Diocese of Virginia Creation Care Committee.

 

Green Spring Gardens

Green Spring Garden Seeking Gardeners

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Photo: Courtesy of Green Springs Garden

Join the Green Spring Gardeners to help keep them growing and enhance garden grounds for visitor enjoyment and education. Additional volunteer gardeners are welcome to help the horticulture teams. As a volunteer gardener, you will assist with all phases of gardening including propagation, transplanting, mulching, weeding, watering and harvesting.

Qualifications:

  • Basic horticulture knowledge
  • Previous hands-on gardening experience
  • Interest in the stewardship of the county’s natural and cultural resources
  • Gardening requires lifting, bending, and stooping (you should be able to lift 25-30 lbs)
  • You will work in teams, so it is important that you work well with others and maintain a positive attitude
  • Minimum age: 18

If selected as a volunteer, you will be required to attend a site orientation and on-the-job training as required. Mandatory Volunteer Outdoor Safety and Power Tools/Equipment Training will be provided.

Hours of operation are on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings. Volunteer gardeners would commit to three hours per week for a period of four months.

Location: 4603 Green Spring Rd, Alexandria, VA 22312

You can sign up through the Volunteer Fairfax Site: https://volunteer.fairfaxcounty.gov/custom/1380/opp_details/187124

For more information about Green Spring Gardens: https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/green-spring

Let Dead Plant Material Lie

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Photo and article by Plant NOVA Natives

Our splendid native plants are going dormant for the winter and leaving behind their seed heads and dead stalks as a reminder of growing season glory. Many of us are inclined to perceive these remnants as unsightly “garden debris” that should be cut and cleared sooner rather than later. Better now than in the spring, right?

Wrong! Dead native plant material is integral to a healthy ecosystem. An essential support for the populations of pollinators and other animals upon which we all depend, nothing comes close to replacing its role in the health of a diverse ecosystem. Before trotting out the clippers and rakes, consider this:

Dead stalks: Many dead stalks of native plants contain hollow spaces that are like 5-star winter resorts for the insect world. We may frown at their appearance, but native bees, among others, are industriously and ingeniously taking advantage of them in surprising ways. Adorable little bees that are so tiny you may never have noticed them are laying eggs, hibernating, and otherwise snuggling down for the harsh winter in the stem shelter of the native plants we installed. Insects aren’t the only critters who profit. Dead plant material provides shelter and nesting resources for birds and many others.

Dead leaves: Butterflies can spend the winter in leaf litter as caterpillars and chrysalises. The Mourning Cloak, Question Mark, and Comma butterflies, for example, overwinter in dead leaves as adults after entering a dormant phase called “diapause.” Moth species such as Luna Moth and Isabella Tiger Moth also pupate in leaf litter. Salamanders, some turtles and other creatures find shelter there as well.

Seeds and berries: Seeds on flowerheads and winter berries are an important source of nourishment for both resident and migrating birds and are consumed throughout the fall and winter. Living or dead, native plant material has immense value for wildlife.

Living soil: Dead and decomposing plant material are valuable components of soil. Gardeners and landscapers spend considerable time and money on store-bought organic material to condition the clay soil often encountered in Northern Virginia. But the decomposing plant material already present helps build humus, a dark organic material comprised of approximately 60% carbon, 6% nitrogen, and small amounts of phosphorus and sulfur. Humus-rich soil encourages a proliferation of beneficial soil organisms and microorganisms. It also holds moisture and retains soil structure for better air and water circulation. The decomposition process creates very fertile ground indeed for native plant gardening.

Armed with this expanded understanding, it seems that the best fall cleanup strategy is to not have one: leave the stalks, stems and leaves alone and let them lie, right where they are, over the winter. A light cleanup or pruning in early spring to encourage new growth can be done with little or no harm to local wildlife. More information on garden and landscape maintenance can be found on the Plant NOVA Natives website.

We would be remiss not to include a word here about gardening aesthetics. We humans care about how things look. In daily life, surrounded by people, garden beauty and aesthetics will always be a consideration. Our definition of “garden beauty,” however, can certainly evolve. Are not waving seedheads more interesting than bare ground? And is it not beautiful that all kinds of animals need our pollinator gardens for more than just pollen? That our efforts not only attract pollinators but enable their very survival? That it takes just a bit of forbearance to advance and strengthen the biodiversity of the region?

Let’s pause the garden cleanup until spring, and then be gentle on the emerging life.

Restoring Mussels to Our Rivers, In Person Only, February 23rd

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Sunday, February 23, 2025
3 pm (informal social hour begins at 2 pm)
Mount Vernon Government Center, 2511 Parkers Lane, Alexandria VA

No RSVP needed

Mussels are nature’s water-based “cleanup crew.” One adult mussel can clean up to 10 liters of water per day.

Friends of Dyke Marsh is hosting Dean Nauioks of the Potomac Riverkeeper to describe Potomac Riverkeeper Network’s 50 Million Mussel Project (https://www.potomacriverkeepernetwork.org/50-million-mussel-project/). Their goal is to restore this important bivalve to the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers.

This presentation is cosponsored by the Friends of Dyke Marsh, Northern Virginia Trout Unlimited, Friends of Mason Neck State Park, Four Mile Run Conservancy Foundation, Friends of Little Hunting Creek and the Prince William Conservation Alliance.

“Swanfall” by Tom Blackburn

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Photo: Tundra Swans, Randy Streufert, The Potomac Flier (The NVBA)

Tom Blackburn has written a beautiful article about the magnificent tundra swans. Between 200 and 400 of these migratory birds are spending the winter in the Great Marsh of Belmont Bay (Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge). “Swanfall” is the term used to describe the annual return of swans to their winter home.   Mr. Blackburn describes both the swans’ breeding behavior and their incredible migratory journey. He also provides the reader with some very helpful viewing tips. Please take a few minutes and read this very informative article.  

This article appeared in the Nov. 30, 2024, Edition of the Northern Virginia Bird Alliance, The Potomac Flier.

Click here for additional information and details about the ranger guided walks to see the Tundra Swans offered by Mason Neck State Park.