Manassas Bee Festival Saturday, 6/21/25

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Photo: Courtesy of Jane E. Ogilvie

Saturday June 21, 2025
10:00am – 2:00pm

FREE annual event!

Location: Liberia House and Grounds
8601 Portner Avenue
Manassas City

Join thousands of visitors and buzz on by to have fun and learn about honeybees, native pollinators, and planting native plants at this FREE annual event!

Look at the fun and educational activities that are planned in the City of Manassas!

Sign-up to join as a vendor, sponsor, speaker, or volunteer:

. Dress like a pollinator and join the costume parade
. Learn the waggle dance and try the spelling bee for prizes
. Local honey
. Community apiary of honeybee hives plus native bee houses
. Vendors galore
. Farm animals
. Food trucks
. Mead garden
. Bounce house, games, crafts
. Live music
. Bee, pollinator, healthy living, and native plant experts
. Plenty of parking with tractor and wagon rides
. Historic Liberia House with large trees, native gardens, park trails
. NEW 2K Honey Hike starting at Manassas Museum Lawn. Donate $20 to hike, local honey, and Adopt-a-Bee. Or just join for a walk (No sign-up required)!

Thank you to the City of Manassas, Liberia House and Grounds, and Sponsors, Supporters, Partners and Friends for their support!  Bee City USA!

Fairfax County Park Authority Awarded Grant To Enhance Invasive Species Management

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Photo: Fairfax County Park Authority – Invasive vines and plants

The Fairfax County Park Authority FCPA, a core member of the National Capital – Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management (Nat-Cap PRISM), has been awarded a grant from the Virginia Department of Forestry. The grant, part of the FY25 Virginia PRISM Support for Invasive Species Program, will provide $60,827 to manage invasive species across FCPA parkland. The funds must be used by the end of June 2025.

The funding will support the Early Detection Rapid Response (EDRR) program, an initiative designed to identify and control new populations of invasive plant species before they become established and cause ecological harm. Target species include fountain grass (Cenchrus purpurascens), yellow archangel (Lamium galeobdolon), Java water dropwort (Oenanthe javanica) and floating primrose willow (Ludwigia peploides).

The EDRR approach focuses on surveys to detect newly arriving, rapidly spreading invasive plants. Once identified, these species are quickly targeted for removal by volunteers or contractors, preventing them from outcompeting native flora and disrupting local ecosystems. The project Invader Detectives, using the iNaturalist app, allows anyone to add observations of plants, alerting FCPA ecologists to new invasive species.

This grant will enable FCPA and its partners to expand surveys, map occurrences of priority EDRR invasive species and conduct timely eradication efforts. The initiative builds on the ongoing work of the Invasive Management Area Program, which is primarily a volunteer-based habitat restoration program.

For more information about the EDRR program and how to get involved, visit the Fairfax County Park Authority’s IMA webpage. 

 

Trail Care Academy: In-Person Maintenance Workshop, July 12th (Registration mid June)

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Photo: Ly Le, National Park Service

Saturday, July 12th, 2025
8:30 am – 12:30 PM

Location: Turkey Run Park, George Washington Memorial Parkway
*Exact location details will be provided following registration

 

Please keep a lookout for registration details for the in-person, half-day workshop event on Saturday, July 12th in mid-June.

Announcing  Trail Care Academy‘s in-person, half-day workshop on Saturday, July 12th from 8:30 am – 12:30 PM at Turkey Run Park, George Washington Memorial Parkway. This event will guide participants on tools and techniques for key maintenance topics, including:
  • Trail safety
  • Vegetation management
  • Tread drainage and water dynamics
  • Blazing
  • Blowdown reporting

Further details, including materials to bring and final workshop agendas, will be provided following registration confirmation and closer to the workshop dates. Please note that signing a waiver will be required, as is the use of a supplied hard hat and eye protection. Registration opening in mid-June! Check website page.

Please feel free to contact Rebecca Murphy if you have any questions regarding the workshops or broader Trail Care Academy programming.

Rebecca Murphy
Coastal Program Manager
Northern Virginia Regional Commission 

Phone: 703 – 642 – 4625

Stream Monitoring Citizen Science & Training Opportunities, May and June Dates Available

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Photo: By FMN J. Quinn, Stream monitoring

Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District (NVSWCD) Spring stream monitoring season is in full swing! They hope you’ll be able to join them at one of the upcoming stream monitoring workshops.

Are you interested in obtaining a Virginia Save Our Streams Stream Monitoring certification? This certification is not required for the workshops, but it allows you to monitor your own site if you wish. The certification consists of three parts – watching online webinars, passing an online macroinvertebrate ID exam, and taking an in-person field protocols exam.

Field Certification Event at Cub Run

When: Sunday, June 1, 3:00-6:00pm
Where: Cub Run Stream Valley Park, Centreville

To qualify for your field protocol exam, you must have passed the online macroinvertebrate ID test and have attended at least 1-2 stream monitoring sessions. Learn more about the VASOS Stream Monitoring certification here. For questions or to register, please email Ashley. Please DO NOT sign up for the field certification event using the general workshop signup below – the field certification event and workshop will run concurrently, but registration is separate. Thanks!

Pohick Creek Stream Monitoring Workshop

When: Thursday, May 29, 4:00-7:00pm
Where: Pohick Creek Stream Valley Park, Springfield

The stream monitoring site on Pohick Creek is located on the cross-county trail, popular with runners, dog walkers, and families. This is the largest and deepest stream monitored in these public workshops. This is an accessible stream site, which can be reached by wheelchair and/or other assistive tools over a paved path (there may be some uneven spots). Learn more and register for this workshop and others here.

 

Cub Run Stream Monitoring Workshop

When: Sunday, June 1, 3:00-6:00pm
Where: Cub Run Stream Valley Park, Centreville

This site features some of the largest hellgrammites we find in Fairfax County! (Haven’t heard of them? Be sure to research this super cool macroinvertebrate!). Just a stone’s throw from the parking area, this site is very popular, and you can certainly see why! Learn more and register for this workshop and others here. Want to get your stream monitoring certification here? Please email Ashley instead of registering.

 

Accotink Creek Stream Monitoring Workshop

When: Wednesday, June 11, 4:00-7:00pm
Where: Long Branch Stream Valley Park, Fairfax

Help explore this new stream site! Adopted this spring, this stream is tiny but mighty. Monitors found a lot of diverse macroinvertebrate populations the last time we visited this site! This site is located within a short walk from the parking area over a paved trail. Learn more and register for this workshop and others here.

 

Sugarland Run Stream Monitoring Workshop

When: Saturday, June 14, 9:00am-12:00pm
Where: Sugarland Run Stream Valley Park, Herndon

This site is located near one of the largest great blue heron rookeries (breeding/nesting areas) in the eastern US. Monitors often find plenty of newly hatched young crayfish in the spring. This is also the most accessible stream site, which can be easily reached by wheelchair and/or other assistive tools over a paved path. Learn more and register for this workshop and others here.

 

The NVSWCD is very excited to contribute their stream data to state and national datasets. If you’d like to see data from all the NVSWCD regional stream monitoring team’s active sites, you can find the organization on the Clean Water Hub.

For The Spring FMN Basic Training Students, DIRT Was a BIG Deal!

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Photos: Provided by the 2025 FMN Students in the Spring FMN Basic Training Session – Riverbend Field Trip

If the purpose of a field trip is to provide students with a hands-on, experiential learning opportunity outside of the classroom, then the May 5th trip to Riverbend Park was certainly a success.

The park, located along the Potomac River in Great Falls, provided an opportunity to learn about the geology of the Potomac Gorge. Riverbend was a uniquely suitable site for the students to explore and observe the concepts presented in the Geology/Soils portion of the training. The FMN Instructors and field trip leaders, Geologist Cynde Sears – Geology, and Soil Scientist Dan Schwartz – Soils, are both very accomplished and skillful guides, who can take the classroom curriculum to the field in a way that was engaging, relatable, and at times, exciting. This was certainly the case when it came to understanding the formation and composition of soil. Cynde Sears explained how over millions of years, rock, composed of quartz, feldspar, and mica, is broken down into soil by the chemical processes of lichen. Dan Schwartz described how soil is composed of varying amounts of sand, silt, clay and a surface area of rich organic material forming layers or horizons.  The class took soil samples from a low-lying moist area away from the trail. For these students, dirt was a BIG deal, and their energy was fun to share. The attached pictures are a testament to their enthusiasm and understanding of the concepts.

 

The lighter, grainier samples are from the deeper sections of the samples (containing more sand and silt), whereas the darker, thicker samples are from the upper layers (containing more clay and organic material).

Butterfly and Dragonfly Surveys, April-October

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Photos: Top: L-R Sam Schaen – Monarch Butterfly, Juan Gonzalez, Peck’s Skipper
Bottom: L-R Photo by Ana Ka’ahanui – Halloween pennant dragonfly, Ana Ka’ahanui -Blue Dasher dragonfly

Butterfly and dragonfly surveys are carried out in temperate months (April-October), normally on Friday mornings, at one of four sites ( listed below) around Occoquan Bay, all within the 15-mile diameter circle established for the annual North American Butterfly Association’s Annual Count.

The results of these surveys are made available to the participants and other interested individuals and agencies, including the Fairfax County Park Authority, the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority, and agencies of the U.S. Interior Department. The results of the butterfly-dragonfly surveys are summarized, along with the results of the general surveys, in an annual report.

 

Survey: Occoquan Regional Park Butterfly and Dragonfly
Friday, May 30, 2025
8:30 AM 12:00 PM
Occoquan Regional Park
9751 Ox Road, Lorton, VA, 22079 United States

Participation is limited. Email us to make a reservation here.

Survey: Metz Wetlands Butterfly and Dragonfly
Friday, May 23, 2025
8:30 AM 12:00 PM
Metz Wetlands
15875 Neabsco Road Woodbridge, VA, 22191 United States

Participation is limited. Email us to make a reservation here.

Survey: Meadowood Butterfly and Dragonfly Survey
Friday, June 6, 2025
8:30 AM 12:00 PM
Meadowood Recreation Area
10406 Gunston Road Lorton, VA, 22079 United States

Participation is limited. Email us to make a reservation here.

Survey: Occoquan Bay NWR Butterfly and Dragonfly
Friday, June 13, 2025
8:30 AM 12:00 PM
Occoquan Bay NWR
13950 Dawson Beach Road Woodbridge, VA, 22191 United States

Participation is limited. Email us to make a reservation here.

“Distillation” on the Trail

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Charcoal Trail Greenstone Outcrop at Catoctin Mountain Park

Article, photos & illustration by FMN Stephen Tzikas

A few months ago, I prepared a roadside chemical engineering field trip to the Catoctin Iron Furnace in Maryland, for the local chapter of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers.  One of the features on that excursion was a discussion of nature’s “distillation column.” While chemical engineers study distillation at university, nature has its own type of “distillation column.”

The Bowen Reaction Series

Geologists call it the Bowen Reaction Series. The Bowen Reaction Series is a set of reactions that occur when molten igneous rock cools, usually on its way to the surface.  These reactions can be rather gradual (“continuous”) or abrupt (“discontinuous”). Virginia has many igneous rocks, often delivered to the surface as a consequence of past orogenies, or mountain building collisions with land masses off the East Coast, over the period of the last billion years.  Locally, one can find igneous rocks at Great Falls Park and its museum, as well as the outside massive rock collection surrounding the property of USGS in Reston.

A little further west and north of Fairfax County is mountainous terrain.  One finds a lot of greenstone, such as the old greenstone lava flows of Shenandoah National Park, or those rocks of Catoctin Mountain Park. Greenstone, a term for dark green metamorphic rocks, is primarily composed of altered mafic igneous rocks like basalt and gabbro. These basalt and gabbro rock textures would likely have olivine, pyroxene, and calcium plagioclase in them.  When these rocks underwent metamorphism, secondary minerals formed like chlorite, actinolite, and epidote, contributing to the green color.  Specifically, about 500 million years ago molten lava rose up through fissures on the Earth’s surface creating the igneous rocks like basalt. Through metamorphic processes that occurred afterwards, this rock was transformed into metabasalt greenstone.  Hence, the greenstone you will see all around at nearby Catoctin Mountain Park is a result of “natural distillation” processes initially originating from the Bowen Reaction Series.

Charcoal Trail Greenstone Rock Samples at Catoctin Mountain Park

Felsic and mafic rocks are two main types of igneous rocks.  Basalt and gabbro rocks are known as mafic rocks.  A mafic mineral or rock is a silicate mineral or igneous rock rich in magnesium and iron. Most mafic minerals are dark in color, and common rock-forming mafic minerals include olivine, pyroxene, amphibole, and biotite. Mafic rocks often also contain calcium-rich varieties of plagioclase feldspar. Basalt is an extrusive rock, while gabbro is intrusive. Extrusive rock refers to the mode of igneous volcanic rock formation in which hot magma from inside the Earth flows out onto the surface as lava or explodes violently into the atmosphere to fall back as pyroclastics. In contrast, intrusive rock refers to rocks formed by magma which cools below the surface.

At the other end of nature’s “distillation column,” we find felsic rocks, such as granite, that are high in light-colored minerals, including feldspar and quartz.  They are high in silica (SiO2), while mafic rocks are low in silica.  Felsic rocks are also enriched in the lighter elements such as silicon, oxygen, aluminum, sodium, and potassium.

Celebrating Warblers: Yes, That’s a Warbler Too!, Webinar, May 20th

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Photo: Ovenbird by ABC

Tuesday, May 20, 2025
4 – 5 pm
Free webinar
Register here.

Did you know that North America is home to 53 species of warblers? While many are easily recognized by their name, other species like redstarts and waterthrushes might surprise you. These vibrant songbirds are not just beautiful to observe; they play crucial roles in our ecosystems.​

Unfortunately, warblers are among the many bird species facing significant declines, with some species even experiencing a loss of over 50% in population since 1970, according to the 2025 U.S. State of the Birds report. Habitat loss is a primary driver of these declines.

Join American Bird Conservancy (ABC) for a special “Warblinar” to learn more about warblers — whether by name or not, their songs are just as sweet! We’ll explore what defines them, their ecological importance, and the critical challenges they face. They’ll also discuss ABC’s conservation efforts and how you can take bold action to help conserve these remarkable birds.​

You’ll hear from ABC experts and partners, including:

Anne Mini, Lower Mississippi Valley Joint Venture Science Coordinator
Linnea Rowse, Great Lakes Private Lands Director
Jordan E. Rutter, Director of Communications, American Bird Conservancy

If you can’t make the webinar live, RSVP now and they’ll send you a recording to enjoy when the time is right for you!

Looking Back in Time

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By: FMN Ana Ka’ahanui (Capital Nature)

It was the day before Easter. I navigated the busy parking lot of the Springfield Costco in Newington, scanning the area for a group of outdoorsy looking people. I found them. With walking sticks, backpacks and water bottles, I saw

Accotink Gorge Rockhounds – photo Katy Johnson

a few dozen people assembled at the back of the lot, some applying several coats of insect spray. It was my first geology hike after being certified as a master naturalist and I was excited. I was greeted by one of the organizers, Katy Johnson, with clipboard in hand, asking me if I had signed a waiver. It was great to see fellow naturalists in person; many familiar faces after so many Zoom calls. This was a gathering to visit and appreciate the unique geology of the Accotink Gorge. I couldn’t believe I had lived 15 minutes away from here for over 20 years and I didn’t even know this place existed! This was the precise reason the group came together.

The Friends of Accotink Creek, along with members of the Northern VA Mineral Club (NVMC) introduced the area and gave us the lay of the land and

FMN Katy Johnson – photo Ana Ka’ahanui

history about its formation. Fairfax Master Naturalists were invited to get acquainted with the area in hopes of the gorge becoming a future stewardship activity. NVMC’s Field Trip Co-Chair, Katy Johnson (also an FMN), wrote an excellent recap of our hike, which you can read here. NVMC Hike leader Sue Marcus shared that “Every rock shows us something about its origin. For example, most of the rocks we saw in the stream bed were various types of quartz because quartz is more resistant to erosion. Iron can stain them red or orange.” I was fascinated by the variance in colors we discovered. For a deeper dive, one of the NVMC leaders, Hutch Brown, gives us an in-depth explanation of the geology of the Accotink Gorge in this article. Who knew such natural wonders existed behind the Springfield Costco? I really enjoyed the hike and hope to attend more NVMC’s events in the future.

Accotink Gorge quartz -photo Ana Ka’ahanui

Accotink Gorge Flowers – photo Ana Ka’ahanui

Accotink Gorge Beetle – photo Ana Ka’ahanui

Dragonflies From the Arctic to the Tropics, May 20th

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Photo: Dr. Jessica Ware – by Denis Finnin

Tuesday, May 20, 2025,
7:00pm – 8:30pm

Webinar
Advance Registration Required

Event Details


Dragonflies, damselflies and their ancestors were among the first creatures to fly—before birds, bats or pterosaurs. On May 20, explore the origins of the Odonata insects with Dr. Jessica Ware, an entomologist at the American Museum of Natural History. Using a large genomic dataset, scientists are unlocking their evolutionary history. By studying the tree of life of Odonata, scientists are beginning to understand how flight first evolved in these enigmatic insects. Part of the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center’s 60th anniversary webinar series.

This event will be hosted entirely online, and it will be recorded! Closed captions will be available at the live event and on the recording. By signing up on Zoom, you’ll be able to watch live and receive a link to the recording a few days after the event.

Sign up on Zoom to watch live or on demand

About The Speaker: Jessica Ware

Dr. Jessica Ware is a curator at the American Museum of Natural History, where she serves as Chair of the Division of Invertebrate Zoology. Dr. Ware’s research focuses on the evolution of behavioral and physiological adaptations in insects, with an emphasis on how these occur in Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) and Dictyoptera (termites, cockroaches, and mantises). Dr. Ware holds a B.Sc. from the University of British Columbia in Canada, and a Ph.D. from Rutgers, New Brunswick. She was awarded a PECASE medal from the U.S. government for her work on insect evolution. Dr. Ware served on the Governing Board of the Entomological Society of America for 3 years. Dr. Ware is the past president of the Worldwide Dragonfly Association and the past president of the Entomological Society of America. She is president-elect of the Society of Systematic Biologists. Dr. Ware is co-founder of Entomologists of Color and serves on the board of Black in Natural History Museums. Photo by Denis Finnin

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