Native plants for beginners symposium, Feb. 8

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Photo by Barbara J. Saffir (c)

  • Create a beautiful yard
  • Save time so you can enjoy other activities
  • Create habitat for birds & pollinators
  • Save money on fertilizer
  • Improve water quality
  • Reduce erosion
  • Stop mowing, Start growing!

Learn more at the Prince William Native Plant Symposium on Saturday, February 8, 2020 at the Northern Virginia Community College-Workforce Center

2675 College Drive, Woodbridge, VA 22191

9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.  

The $20 fee covers coffee and donuts, lunch, and materials.  

Let us help you to stop mowing and get going on your dream landscape!  

Call 703-792-7070 for more details and register here.

Explore the Clifton Institute in November and December

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Photo: Barbara J. Saffir (c)

YHikes!

Saturday, November 17, 9:00AM – 12:00PM

Our monthly YHikeS! (Youth Hikes) program continues. Children ages 5 and older are invited to come along as we explore the field station and learn about the plants, animals, and fungi that live here. Parents are welcome to drop off their child or they may attend the program.

Monthly Bird Walks

Wednesday, November 14 and Saturday, December 1 at 8:00AM

Novice and experienced birders will enjoy these guided 1-2 mile hikes to look for the many species of birds that can be found on the field station. The ducks are starting to show up and pretty soon our ponds will be full of waterfowl. You never know what we’ll find!

Nature photography, FMN annual meeting, December 7th

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Photo by Fred Siskind

St. Dunstan’s Church

1830 Kirby Drive, McLean VA

Friday, 7 December 2018

7-9 pm

Potluck:  please bring a dish to share

Public invited!  Our Fairfax Master Naturalists board officer elections will be followed by our Fall Basic Training Course graduation.  Candidates for election follow:

President: Joe Gorney
Vice President/Program Committee Chair: Kit Sheffield
Secretary: Shannon Dart
Treasurer: Ron Grimes
Past President: Michael Reinemer

Fred Siskind will then give a presentation on nature photography.  (One hour continuing education credit for Fairfax Master Naturalists.) Fred will discuss macro photography in the field with an emphasis on photographing insects – dragonflies, damselflies, butterflies, caterpillars. He will briefly describe the equipment he uses and cover the essential requirements for producing a good photograph – composition, background and foreground control, depth of field, gardening, and lighting.

Fred is a nature photographer specializing in wildlife. In addition to regularly photographing in Washington area parks, he has traveled to many U.S. national parks as well as game parks in Kenya. He is a longtime member and former President of the Northern Virginia Photographic Society, and a member of the North American Nature Photography Association. He completed the Fairfax Master Naturalist Program in 2016.

His photos have been published in many magazines (Audubon, Birder’s World, Bird Watcher’s Digest, National Geographic Kids, Natural History, Nature’s Best, Outdoor Photographer, Smokies Life), books (American Birding Association, Capstone, Kidsbooks, National Geographic, Western National Parks Association), calendars (Audubon, Shearson, Tildon), and used in exhibits (Huntley Meadows Park, National Park Service, National Arboretum) and brochures and posters (Huntley Meadows Park, Time-Life Books, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service). He collaborated with former U.S. Children’s Poet Laureate J. Patrick Lewis on a poetry/photography book for children titled Face Bug, which can be ordered on Amazon. His photos can be seen at www.agpix.com/siskind.

VMN webinar: Mason Bee Project update

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Are you interested in learning about mason bees? Master Naturalists across the state and mason bee researchers at the University of Virginia’s Blandy Experimental Farm were able to monitor spring-emerging mason bee populations. Over 150 Master Naturalists all over Virginia were involved by deploying bee “hotels” (nest boxes) in 2017 and 2018 and bee bowls (traps) in 2017. This webinar will cover the natural history of spring-emerging mason bees, it will describe our project setup and methodology with a live demonstration, results will be shared, and we will share information for how to participate in the 2019 mason bee monitoring project season. Everyone is welcome to join the webinar.

Kate LeCroy is a Ph.D. student studying ecology in the department of Environmental Sciences at the University of Virginia. She is advised by T’ai Roulston, Ph.D., at University of Virginia’s Blandy Experimental Farm in Boyce, Virginia. Kate graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Birmingham-Southern College in Birmingham, Alabama and went on to complete a Master of Science degree in Biology from the University of Pittsburgh studying the community ecology of flower color. Now at UVA, in 2017 and 2018, Kate worked with over 150 Virginia Master Naturalists throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia to document springtime wild bee diversity, particularly the diversity of mason bees (genus Osmia). Kate enjoys interacting with Master Naturalists because of their curiosity, their steadfast commitment to projects, and their enthusiasm for conservation and the natural world. When she’s not out “saving the bees” Kate enjoys spending time in Charlottesville with her husband Riley and their dog, Magnolia.

Webinar Details

When: November 13, 2018, 12:00 pm

Meeting Number: 467-052-749

Link to join: Join Webinar

(This link will connect you to the video feed, but you will need to connect your audio separately to hear the speaker.  Zoom will prompt you to do that once you have connected the video feed.  See the technical information below for details on connecting your audio.)

Link for recordings of this and past webinars:  VMN Continuing Education page 

Nature’s Best Photography on display at Museum of Natural History

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The 23rd Annual Nature’s Best Photography Windland Smith Rice International Awards exhibition opened on October 29 at the National Museum of Natural History. Named for nature photographer and conservationist Windland Smith Rice, Nature’s Best presents breathtaking fine art prints and short videos that highlight the best of nature photography—and our spectacular planet.

The “23rd Annual Windland Smith Rice International Awards Smithsonian Exhibition” is on view through September 2019, on the second floor of the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.

Entries to the 2019 competition may be submitted beginning November 1, 2018.

Biodiversity of the George Washington Memorial Pkway, Nov. 14th

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Photo by Barbara J. Saffir (c)

Huntley Meadows Park

3701 Lockheed Boulevard, Alexandria, VA

Wednesday, 14 November 2018

7:30 pm

National Park Service (NPS) biologist Brent Steury will give a presentation summarizing the George Washington Memorial Parkway’s eleven-year biodiversity inventory of its 4,580 acres. NPS experts have documented 5,563 species including 101 species new to the flora or fauna of Virginia, seven species new to the District of Columbia, three species new to North America, at least 71 species new to science, 106 species state listed for rarity, and three federally-threatened species. This free, public program is sponsored by the Friends of Dyke Marsh, the American Horticultural Society, the Friends of Little Hunting Creek and the Four Mile Run Conservancy Foundation. Sponsored by the Friends of Dyke Marsh.

95th Green Breakfast, November 10th

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Photo by Barbara J. Saffir (c)

Brion’s Grille
10621 Braddock Rd, Fairfax, VA 22032
Saturday, 10 November 2018
Breakfast begins at 8:30 am, $10 at the door, cash preferred
No prior registration required.

Breakfast includes an all-you-can eat hot buffet with fresh fruit and coffee, tea, orange juice or water.  If you have any questions, please contact the Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District at [email protected].

Speaker:  Nancy Stoner
President of the Potomac Riverkeeper Network
 
Every day there are groups promoting clean water through advocacy and action. The Potomac Riverkeeper Network is one of them. Established in 2000 by principals of local environmental groups to fulfill a niche for a strong advocate to enforce clean water laws for the Potomac River and its tributaries, Riverkeepers are the eyes and ears of the water, protecting the public’s right to clean water in their rivers and streams. Encompassing the skills of scientists, teachers, law officers, fishermen and paddlers, Riverkeepers combine a profound knowledge of their waterway, matched with a relentless commitment to protecting your rights and the rule of law.

Nancy Stoner joined the Potomac Riverkeeper Network in April 2018 as its new president, succeeding Jeff Kelble. As one of the nation’s most experienced water policy experts, Nancy has a rich and distinguished background in protecting our nation’s water. Nancy most recently served as Water Program Director and Senior Fellow for the Pisces Foundation where she developed the foundation’s strategy to protect freshwater resources in the U.S. using integrated water management (IWM) to maximize the value from water resources for people and nature. She also supervised a $7 million investment annually to implement IWM in urban and agricultural watersheds.

Nancy graduated from the Yale Law School, New Haven, Connecticut, and was awarded a Juris Doctorate in 1986. She was also awarded a Bachelor of Arts with Highest Distinction, Phi Beta Kappa, from the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia.

 

Check out science communications workshops at AGU Fall Meeting

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Photo: Barbara J. Saffir (c)

We all know that science matters, but sometimes it’s hard to figure out exactly how, and with whom, to share it.

Sharpen your ability to share research with the world. Join the American Geophysical Union science communication sessions to learn how to tell good stories, become a science advocate, and explain science to any audience.

All events are in the Science Communication: A Sharing Science Room (Convention Center, 203 A/B) unless otherwise noted.

For high school teachers and students, registration is free

Highlights of the schedule

Sunday, 10 December

Communicating Science With Any Audience: Workshop at AGU18
Science Storytelling in Multimedia: Workshop at AGU18

Monday, 11 December

Sketch Your Science
How to Sketch (Your) Science
Luncheon: How to Become a Congressional Science Fellow or Mass Media Fellow
Sharing Science Mentoring Meet-up
Blogging and Social Media Forum 101
Blogging and Social Media Forum 201

Tuesday, 12 December

Sketch Your Science
ED21B: The Up-Goer Five Challenge: Tell Us About the Hard Things You Do in Ten Hundred Words I
Everything You’ve Always Wanted to Know about Science-Art-Sustainability Collaborations (but were afraid to ask…)
Rhyme Your Research: Workshop
Sharing Science in Plain English (Panel & Lunch)
ED23B: The Up-Goer Five Challenge: Tell Us About the Hard Things You Do in Ten Hundred Words II
Live Third Pod from the Sun podcast recording with photographer James Balog
Dialogue with Religious Publics (AAAS DOSER event)
Open Mic Night

Wednesday, 13 December

Sketch Your Science
Communicating Your Science: Ask the Experts
Sprint workshop: SciComm via Multimedia
Film Making Crash Course

Thursday, 14 December

Sketch Your Science
Sustainable Futures: Short Films About Science
Tell me a story: Storytelling in SciComm
Voices for Science Panel
Sharing Science Mentoring Meetup
When Is Science Newsworthy?
Film Screening & Panel Q&A — Summiting the Solar System: Pluto & Beyond
(Science) Podcasting 101
AGU Story Collider

Friday, 15 December

Sketch Your Science
Summiting the Solar System: Pluto & Beyond: Film Screening

2019 VMN Conference – 20-22 September

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Photo credit: Massanetta Springs Camp & Conference Center

It’s time to mark your calendars for the 2019 Virginia Master Naturalist Statewide Volunteer Conference and Training!

The group will meet in Harrisonburg, Virginia on 20-22 September 2019 at Massanetta Spring Camp and Conference Center. The Conference Center has on-site lodging, dining, and meeting rooms, as well as trails and outdoor spaces.

Please check out the current information here: http://www.virginiamasternaturalist.org/vmn-statewide-conference.html

Further information will be sent out in the spring. Fun and learning guaranteed!

Moonshine and Mayhem: Not Your Typical Hike in the Woods

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Photo: Ana Ka’ahanui

You probably think about trees, trails and animals when you conjure up images of the parks in Fairfax County, but some of today’s beautiful public properties have a dicey past.

Get a little taste of that sketchy history (not literally, of course) on the “Moonshine and Mayhem Hike” at Riverbend Park on Saturday, November 3, 2018. On this 2.5-mile scenic hike, journey back in time to Riverbend’s secret past. As the trail winds through upland forest and hollows, enjoy stops along the way that reveal how the land was used as a hideout from local authorities during the days of prohibition.

This program is designed for participants age 13 to adult. It runs from 9 to 11 a.m., and the cost is $10 per person.

Register to claim one of the 14 open spots.