A Unique Stewardship Opportunity and You Can Bring Your Mt Bike for a Great Ride Afterwards, June 1st

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Photo: Meadowood Special Recreation Management Area, public domain
Saturday, June  1, 2024
9am – 12pm
Meadowood Special Recreation Management Area,
10110 Gunston Rd Lorton, VA 22079
Free to the public!
Contact BLM:  [email protected] or 703-339-8009

Please join the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and MORE (Mid-Atlantic Off Road Enthusiasts), Inc. for their annual National Trails Day (June 1) at Meadowood Special Recreation Management Area. Please park at Meadowood Gateway Parking Lot (next to Gunston Elementary School) for trail work and stewardship efforts to improve the mountain bike trail systems on public land. This year volunteers will be working on the following mountain bike trails: South Branch Loop and Yardsale Trail. This event is free and open to all ages. Please dress appropriately for the weather, and bring water and snacks. They will be handing out hand tools and gloves. Bring your bike to test the trails afterwards! Please spread this volunteer event to your friends, family, and co-workers! Hope to see you all there!

New Particulate Pollution Air Quality Index

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Image:  Courtesy of the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality

You may soon notice some changes to the Air Quality Index (AQI). The AQI is a standardized color-coded scale used to describe health concerns associated with common pollutants such as ground-level ozone and PM2.5 (particulate pollution smaller than 2.5 microns in diameter). The AQI can range from 0 to 500. An AQI from 0-50 is green, for good air quality, whereas an AQI above 300 is maroon, meaning that air quality is hazardous. When the AQI is above 100 (orange or worse), air quality is unhealthy: first for sensitive groups of people, then for everyone as the values increase.

On May 6, the AQI changed for PM2.5 such that the breakpoint between green (good) and yellow (moderate) air quality has become more stringent. The Moderate category now begins when fine particle pollution concentrations reach 9 micrograms per cubic meter of air (the level of the updated annual air quality standard). Previously, the Moderate category began at 12 micrograms per cubic meter. EPA implemented this change to increase public health protection, consistent with evolving scientific understanding of the impacts of PM2.5 pollution. As a result of this, you may see air quality reach the yellow (moderate) AQI more frequently than in the past.

Don’t forget to sign up for air quality forecasts and alerts!

FCPA Announces the Farmers Market Opening Days

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Photo: FCPA Farmers Market

The birds are chirping, the flowers are blooming, and the sun is shining, which means the Farmers Markets are opening up for the 2024 season!

Farmers Market Opening Days

  • Mount Vernon Farmers Market: April 17 
  • Burke Farmers Market: April 20 
  • Reston Farmers Market: April 27
  • Oakmont Farmers Market: May 1
  • Wakefield Farmers Market: May 1 
  • Annandale Farmers Market: May 2
  • Herndon Farmers Market: May 2 
  • McLean Farmers Market: May 3 
  • Kingstowne Farmers Market: May 3
  • Lorton Farmers Market: May 5

Please click here for more information about the Farmers Market Schedules and locations.   

Earth Sangha’s Spring Open House and Native Plant Sale, May 5th

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Image: Courtesy of Earth Sangha

Sunday, May 5th, 2024
9:00AM – 1:00PM

Earth Sangha Wild Plant Nursery
6100 Cloud Dr.
Springfield, VA 22150

 

About the Wild Plant Nursery

The Wild Plant Nursery is a unique resource for ecological restoration in the greater Washington, DC, area. Established in 2001 in Springfield, Virginia, under an agreement with the Fairfax County Park Authority, the nursery is the region’s most comprehensive source of local, wild native-plant material (“local ecotypes”). The use of local ecotypes is a standard best practice in ecological restoration because that helps to safeguard genetic diversity and local adaptation in the species planted. The nursery is currently working with about 340 species, some uncommon or rare in the wild in this region. For many of these species, their nursery is the DC area’s only source of production — local ecotype or otherwise. All plants are grown from seed (or spores) that they themselves collect, from over 50 local natural areas. (They collect only with permission.) The nursery serves their own planting programs, as well as those of area governments, schools, businesses, and other conservation nonprofits. They rely on volunteers to run the nursery! To join them, check the Volunteer page for our Field Schedule. Please note that their nursery and office addresses are different. The Wild Plant Nursery is located at 6100 Cloud Dr. in Grove Point Park (formerly known as Franconia Park), Springfield. Our office is located in Annandale but is not open for plant sales.

Earth Sangha’s Wild Plant Nursery Species List

 

 

 

Spring Native Plant Sale at The Clifton Institute, May 18th

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Image: Courtesy of The Clifton Institute

Saturday, May 18, 2024
11:00AM – 2:00PM

The Clifton Institute
6712 Blantyre Rd
Warrenton, VA 20187

Native plants provide better food for insects, which in turn provide food for birds. You can make a huge difference for wildlife by planting native species on your property. Since fall 2019 The Clifton institute has been collecting seeds of native grassland plants from around the area, which means in addition to being native they are of local ecotypes. At the plant sale they will sell seedlings grown from these seeds of a variety of perennial wildflowers, native grasses, and a few trees. Some of their favorites include butterflyweed, upland ironweed, scaly blazing star, narrow-leaf mountain-mint, and gray goldenrod. Partners from other organizations will also have plants and merchandise for sale. They will accept credit card, cash, or checks made out to the Clifton Institute. Hope to see you there!

Earth Day Fairfax, April 20th

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Image:  Fairfax County Park Authority

Saturday, April 20, 2024
10am – 4pm
Sully Historic Site
3650 Historic Sully Way, Chantilly
Free admission, parking $10 per car

Discover the world around you with hands-on activities, games, entertainment and fun at Earth Day 2024. See the inaugural Wonder Wagon, Fairfax County Park Authority’s Mobile Nature Center! Enjoy outdoor discovery activities, interactive nature exhibites, furry farm friends, food trucks, earth-friendly vendors craft beer garden, obstacle course, live music and entertainment, FREE giveaways, Sully Historic House tours, meet WUSA9 Meteorologist Topper Shunt and the ECO9 Broadcast Truck. Learn more here.

Submit Your Best Bird Photos to the 2024 Audubon Photography Awards, deadline February 28th

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Photo: Green-winged Teals, James Fatemi/Audubon Photography Awards

The 2024 Audubon Photography Awards is now accepting photographs until February 28. This prestigious contest attracts photographers from around the country to compete for 9 prizes. Winning photographs will be published in Audubon’s Magazine and on their website. We have wonderful natural resources here in Virginia and some very talented photographers! We hope you will submit your best photos for consideration. In the last two years we have had two high school students from Northern Virginia win Honorable Mention. This year’s Youth Prize is a free ticket to Hog Island’s Audubon Camp for Teens. Enter your photos here or see the full rules here. Check out some tips and tricks to photograph birds here. Need some inspiration? View the top 100 photos from last year’s contest here.

Come to the Mason Neck State Park for Guided First Day Hikes, January 1st

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Monday, January 1, 2024

Mason Neck State Park
7301 High Point Rd, Lorton, VA 22079

 

Join Park Staff on a guided hike this January 1. First Day Hikes are the perfect way to start the year! Each trail is unique, and the leaders will offer information about the park and its plants and animals along the way. The Visitor Center will be open for more hands on activities, and to warm up if needed!

9:30 am: Kane’s Creek to Eagle Spur trail. Roughly a 3.8 mile hike. Packed dirt trail with stairs and roots. Not wheelchair or stroller friendly.

11:30 am: Tundra Swan Hike at the Woodmarsh Trail at Elizabeth Hartwell Refuge.  Approximately 2.5 miles loop. Not wheelchair friendly, Limited space available for this hike only. Recommended for ages 8 and up. Registration is required. Register at https://mnsp.eventbrite.com

12:00 pm:Dogue Trail hike and roll. Wheelchair accessible. Approximately 0.85 miles, packed gravel trail.

3:00 pm: Family-friendly hike on Bay View Trail. Approximately 1.25 miles, with stops and hands on opportunities for adventure and exploration. Packed dirt surface trail with boardwalks and exposed roots.

The Friends will provide hot coffee and cocoa from 9:00 to 11:30 AM.

Admission and parking are free on January 1. 

Bench Dedication Honors McGlone

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Photos and Article By FMN Susan Laume

A group of Fairfax Master Naturalists gathered on Saturday afternoon, December 2nd, to recognize the contributions of retired Virginia forester Dr. Jim McClone.  A bench was dedicated in his honor on a Mason Neck State Park trail, where McClone regularly took naturalists in training to learn tree identification.

Bench plaque expresses gratitude for McGlone’s many years of service to the FMN chapter

Recently retired in June, McGlone is credited with working to establish the Fairfax County chapter, serving as chapter advisor, and teaching dendrology to hundreds of Virginia Master Naturalists students.

Attending with his wife, who McGlone credits with steering him toward his long time career. McGlone also received the thanks of Officer Taylore Willis, representing the State Park. Following the remarks, McGlone again led a winter tree identification; perhaps proving his gum balls don’t yet fall far from his favorite Black Gum trees.

Fairfax Master Naturalists gather to recognize retired forester Jim McClone

 

Officer Taylore Willis makes remarks on behalf of Mason Neck State Park

McGlone and his wife, who he thanked during the dedication, look forward to spending retirement time together

 

Afternoon at the Smithsonian – Interpretive Tour of the Museum of Natural History

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Photo by FMN Susan Martel, Geology section National Museum of Natural History with FMN Dr. John Kelmelis.

Tuesday, 5 Dec 2023
3:00 to 5:00PM (Tour is approximately 2 hours).
Where: National Museum of Natural History, Washington D.C.
Meet at the information desk in the rotunda beside Henry, the big elephant.
Group limit. 6 individuals

To register:

  1. Login to BI and click on your ‘Opportunities’ tab.
  2. Select ‘Opportunity Calendar’ from the pull-down list.
  3. Find the event in the displayed calendar and click on it to display event details.
  4. To sign up, Click on the ‘Sign Up’ box in the lower right. This automatically signs you up and puts the event on your calendar.
  5. To claim CE hours: use All Continuing Education -> FMN All other Chapter Training

Bring paper and pencil to take notes if you desire. No recordings please.

FMN Dr. Kelmelis will guide an interpretive tour of the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History relevant to Virginia Master Naturalists.  This tour will identify the relationship of some exhibits to the natural environment of Virginia including the geologic history, mineralogy, entomology, osteology, evolution, mammalogy, and many other topics.  Some of the take-aways will include an introduction of how the NMNH’s display collection can be used to enrich the naturalist’s understanding of science, the scientific method, and some techniques that are applicable to naturalists’ domain of interests; as well as some facts related to the natural condition and history of Virginia.