Feature photo Catoctin Iron Furnace: Soil and hearth sediments preserve chemical markers. For example, testing the chemical matrix of industrial slag identifies the efficiency of historical furnaces and the type of ore processed. Pebbles and grains remaining on the property are easy to find. A magnet can attract magnetic pulverized ore around the furnace. Small […]
Feature photo: Fractured bedrock drill core example from the October 19, 2024 field demonstration of the annual meeting of the Geological Association of New Jersey (GANJ). A wash (squirt) bottle was used to apply water onto the drill core, whereupon demonstrating how quickly the water is absorbed into the fracture bedrock, and hence how it […]
Feature photo: The Turquoise Trail in Reston. Reston, in Fairfax County, is a designated Biophilic City, celebrated for deeply embedding nature into its planned community structure. It is home to over 55 miles of trails with preserved open spaces with abundant wildlife habitats. Photo and article by FMN Stephen Tzikas Three factors influenced the development […]
Feature photo: Luck Stone Quarry. Tilted Upwards Rock layering. Not shown is the East side folding, and a fault at the north metamorphic boundary Photos and article by FMN Stephen Tzikas Mining operations are inherent to the disciplines of geology and engineering. Mines can be open pit (surface), or underground. They can include minerals, coal, […]
Photo: Plant NOVA Natives Article by Eileen Ellsworth One year ago, Plant NOVA Natives launched a Pollinator Pathway initiative. The original program was created by a group of highly credentialed environmentalists and conservationists in Wilton, Connecticut and expanded by PNN into Northern Virginia. Its goal is to address habitat fragmentation caused by human activity that […]
Feature photo: A Calm Day on Lake Audubon. But Thermodynamics still governs geochemistry in lakes such as the status of chemical reactions, temperature, pressure, pH, mineral precipitation/dissolution, and gas exchange. Article and photos by FMN Stephen Tzikas An understanding of thermodynamics as it relates to lakes and streams is an important concept for master naturalists. […]
Dense plantings of native plants capture stormwater Article and photo by Plant NOVA Natives Northern Virginia’s stream and river water quality is not great. Although agriculture is the largest contributor by far of nutrient and sediment loads in Virginia’s streams, rivers, and the Chesapeake Bay, urban and suburban stormwater runoff is the second largest and […]
Diatom microfossil fragments at Brownies Beach, Maryland, magnified under the author’s microscope (Bausch and Lomb Stereo Zoom Microscope DD740). Diatoms are unicellular organisms and can be in various shapes. Article and photos by FMN Stephen Tzikas Fossils can be found on many trails. I have collected them from coal deposits in Schuylkill County, PA, in […]
Photo: Joe Subolefsky – Black Vultures./Audubon Photography Awards PRESS RELEASE: RICHMOND, VA The Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) has recently received reports of groups of dead black vultures across the state including several counties in Southwest Virginia. Preliminary testing indicates that the likely cause is H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). Although disease activity […]
Photo: FMN Lori Scheibe Article by FMN Elaine Sevy After many years, Su Jewell and Kurt Gaskill are stepping down as Audubon Christmas Bird Count coordinators, and are searching for new coordinators so the count for 2025 can go on. Su was the Sector 10 coordinator, which included boundaries called “Lake Accotink,” described below. Kurt […]