RVA Environmental Film Festival Seeking Virginia Filmmakers

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Contact: Scott Burger
Email: [email protected]; Phone: 804.714.5444
Deadline 31 December 2019

Richmond, VA – The 10th RVA Environmental Film Festival is now accepting entries for the upcoming 2020 Virginia Environmental Film Contest.  This contest was initiated during the 2013 RVA Environmental Film Festival, and it is once again offering prize money to aspiring film producers from around the state for their submissions now through December 31, 2019.  The selected entries will be shown Sunday, February 9, 2020 at the Byrd Theater in Richmond.  Prizes, including the $1,000 grand prize, will be awarded that day. 
“The RVA Environmental Film Festival documentary contest is so important, unlike anything in Richmond.  It provides a platform to share new work and it encourages future storytelling”  – Melissa Lesh, former RVA Environmental Film Festival Contest winner.
  The RVA EFF Committee considers this film contest one of the main features of the festival.  “We think the contest is important as a way to connect with not just our local natural environment, but also our Virginia film community,” says Scott Burger, one of the festival’s founders.  We want to challenge local filmmakers to bring new perspectives and ideas.”

Entries can be submitted via the online site FilmFreeway.com or by sending DVD with fee, press kit, and contact information to Scott Burger, 612 S. Laurel Street, Richmond, VA 23220-6514.  Filmmakers should be sure to review the contest rules on the FilmFreeway.com site: 
 
https://filmfreeway.com/RVAEnvironmentalFilmFestival
 

The RVA Environmental Film Festival was founded in 2011 and is modeled after the 2008”s Big Picture Festival and other metropolitan environmental film festivals.  The mission is to showcase films that raise awareness of environmental issues relative to all residents of our planet.  Many of the films are new releases and area premiers.  The 2020 RVA Environmental Film Festival is scheduled for early February 2020 at venues in the greater Richmond community.  Admission to the festival is free and open to the public due to generous community sponsors.  More information on the festival can be found at https://rvaeff.org

Volunteer at Riverbend’s Native American Festival, Sept 7

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Join Riverbend at this year’s Virginia Native American Festival held at Riverbend Park in Great Falls, VA, on Saturday, September 7, 10-4. Admission is $8 online, $10 at the gate. Volunteers receive free admission to the festival.

To volunteer, register here, by September 1.

You can sign-up for a shift directly. Valerie Espinosa will contact you about station assignments soon, but feel free to let her know if you have any questions or are volunteering with a group. Riverbend is  providing a shuttle from Colvin Run Mill again this year.

About the Native American Festival 

Celebrate the culture & history of the first people of Virginia. The festival includes eight American Indian tribes from Virginia, including the Rappahannock dancers and drummers. Enjoy hands-on activities and live demonstrations that include American Indian storytelling, shooting bow and arrows, throwing spears and making stone tools. Help build a dugout canoe, and visit a marketplace of American Indian crafts, pottery and jewelry. $8 online, $10 at the gate.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact Valeria at [email protected] or call 703-759-9018.

Upcoming programs at the gorgeous Clifton Institute

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Six exciting programs are coming up at The Clifton Institute:

Creatures of the Night

Walk with A Naturalist

Bugscaping: Regenerative Landscaping for the 21st Century

Colors of Clifton: Preserving the Palette of Autumn

Mindful Naturalists: Nature Yoga

Nature Journaling with Joyce Andrew

 

Some are free, some have a small fee, all require registration.

Runnymede NatureFest 2019 volunteers needed, Sept. 29th

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Photo by Ryan Dunn. Used with permission of Connection Newspapers.

Runnymede Park
195 Herndon Pkwy, Herndon VA
Sunday, 29 September 2019
1-5 pm

Friends of Runnymede Park is hosting this free, family-friendly event.  There will be live animals, games, exhibits and hands-on activities at stations throughout the park. Participants include:

– Leslie Sturges, “Save Lucy the Bat” will bring live bats.
– Blue Ridge Wildlife Center with live mammals.
– Lois Auer with live raptors.
– Reptiles from Riverbend Park.

Plus Bees, Butterflies, Crafts, Games and Much More!

For more information, visit our website, frpweb.org, or email [email protected].

Volunteers needed! Please contact Carol Hadlock.

Celebrate Hidden Oaks’ 50th anniversary, Oct 19

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Join Hidden Oaks staff on Saturday, October 19, 11 am-4 pm to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the county’s first nature center. The event is free to the public and features musical groups as well as activities and learning stations.

The kick-off for the day is the unveiling of a carved tree at 11 am. Here’s the story:

Two electric bolts during a storm turned a 100-foot tulip poplar just outside the picture window at Hidden Oaks Nature center into an imminent danger to the building. The tree had been the focal point of the woodland view from the center. It was a feeding station for flying squirrels and many species of birds. Its loss was keenly felt by staff, park visitors, and the nature center’s wildlife neighbors.

But the lightning assault did not damage the tree’s base. That was the knock of opportunity. Staff arranged for a ten-foot stump to remain for chainsaw artist Andrew Mallon, who created a sculpture of critters that enjoyed the tree’s gifts over its 128-year life. The urban art will be the centerpiece of a learning station on natural woodland shelters, and the carving means the tree can be enjoyed for the next 20 years. Because it is near the nature center, the artwork is easily accessible to all visitors. Join the community as the tree is unveiled at the opening ceremonies at 11 a.m. on Oct. 19, 2019.

 

Native plant sale, Sep. 14th

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Morven Park,17195 Southern Planter Lane, Leesburg
(Enter via Old Waterford Rd. and proceed to the main parking lot.)
Saturday, 14 September 2019
9am – 3pm

Native Plant Sale sponsored by Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy!

Three native plant nurseries will have a huge selection of fall blooming flowers, shrubs, trees, vines and ferns for sale. Along with native plants, they’ll have:
– Loudoun Audubon at Home program
– Loudoun Stream Monitoring program
– Unique yard art from Sunny Lane Forge
– Loudoun County Master Gardeners
– Virginia Master Naturalists
– Information about JK Black Oak Wildlife Sanctuary
– And much more!

For more information, visit: https://loudounwildlife.org/event/fall-native-plant-sale-3/

For questions, contact Kim Strader at [email protected].

Photo: Fairfax County Park Authority

Hidden Oaks 50th Anniversary Celebration, Oct. 19th

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Hidden Oaks Nature Center
7701 Royce St., Annandale VA
Saturday, 19 October 2019
11 am – 4 pm

Visit for a day of fun, music and special activities in honor of Hidden Oaks Nature Center’s 50th anniversary! Opened in 1969 as the first nature center in Fairfax County, Hidden Oaks now serves over 30,000 visitors a year. Enjoy a Reptiles Alive presentation, music from the School of Rock honoring Woodstock’s 50th year and other children’s music groups, go on a Hidden Treasures of Hidden Oaks hunt, see demonstrations of Monarch butterfly tagging and release and enjoy the new playground and chainsaw tree art. Fun for all ages!  Parking in Annandale Community Park except for special permit parking.  Free.

Have some natural knowledge and can assist with a learning station?  To volunteer, contact Suzanne Holland, [email protected]. Master naturalists, record your hours as E110: FCPA Nature Programs.

FMN quarterly chapter meeting Sept. 16th, Fairfax County recycling program

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Hidden Oaks Nature Center
7701 Royce St., Annadale VA
Monday, 16 September 2019
7:30 – 9 pm

Our chapter will have a brief meeting, enjoy some food and drink, and learn from a presentation on recycling in Fairfax County by Erica Carter, Fairfax County Solid Waste Management Program, Recycling Coordinator.

There’s been a lot of talk about recycling these days – what can we recycle? Where does it go? Is China still buying? More importantly, what can you do to minimize the amount of waste that you and your family create? We’ll take a quick look at the current state of waste management in Fairfax County and answer everyone’s questions about what they can and cannot recycle.

Fairfax Master Naturalists earn one hour of continuing education credit for this event.

Celebrate the Diversity of the Piedmont: Virginia Native Plant Society Annual Conference

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Friday, Sept 27-Sunday, Sept 29, 2019 

Hikes, lectures, and classes are scheduled for all day Saturday and half day Sunday, with check-in, dinner, and speaker on Friday night.

One price for the whole weekend, to include meals from Friday dinner to Sunday lunch. This year, it is based in Front Royal.

Go to the VNPS website here for everything you want to know, and to register.

Questions? Contact:

Email [email protected]

Phone: 540-837-1600

Wildlife Corridors and Crashes: Research and Efforts to Facilitate Safe Wildlife Movement across Roads

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Webinar Details

Wednesday, August 28, 2019, 12:00 pm
Meeting Number: 306-718-517
Link to Join: Join Webinar
Link for recordings of this and past webinars: VMN Continuing Education Webinar page

Description

As wildlife move across the landscape or through our waterways, they increasingly find their habitat shrinking or carved up by human development and infrastructure. The road network was built with a focus on providing safe and efficient transport, with little regard for ecology. Roads not only threaten the viability of certain species’ populations, but also pose a substantial risk to driver safety. Virginia is consistently among the 10 states with the highest number of deer-vehicle collisions, with more than 60,000 reported each year.

Today, the transportation and scientific communities increasingly seek to reconnect fragmented habitat and avoid further disruption to wildlife movement. It is now more widely recognized that prioritizing wildlife corridor protection and helping wildlife move safely through the landscape is a benefit to both wildlife populations and drivers.

This webinar focuses on three road ecology efforts underway in the Commonwealth:

  • Wildlife crossing research conducted by the Virginia Transportation Research Council (the research division on VDOT)
  • A newly established Virginia Safe Wildlife Corridors Collaborative that seeks to implement solutions to address driver safety and habitat connectivity, and
  • The development of wildlife corridor legislation to identify corridors in the Commonwealth and encourage the implementation of measures to ensure safe wildlife passage across roadways.

Presenters

Misty Boos received a Master of Environmental Planning degree from the University of Tasmania in 2006 and a BS in Sociology with emphasis on Environmental Studies from Southern Oregon University. She has extensive experience in the non-profit sector working on research projects and in the field for many environmental organizations. She has been an active participant and leader for Wild Virginia outings and completed training as a Virginia Master Naturalist.

Bridget Donaldson is an associate principal research scientist at the Virginia Transportation Research Council. She holds a BS in Ecological and Populational Biology from the University of Colorado and an MS in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Tennessee. While her research covers a variety of environmental topics, ranging from climate change to roadkill composting, she has been involved in the research and implementation of measures to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions for over 15 years.