Cinder Bed Road Bikeway Nature Walks, May 17th or 7th

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Photo: Amberleigh HOA

Sunday, May 17, 2026 or Sunday June 7, 2026
10:30am-12:30pm

Registration is required:  Click this link for registration information

There is room for 20-25 people to join  on these walks. 

Join Alan Ford, President of the Potowmack Chapter of the Virginia Native Plant Society, for a nature walk in the beautiful woods and creek area of the Amberleigh HOA.  The walks are scheduled for Sunday, May 17 at 10:30 AM or on Sunday, June 7, at 10:30AM. Join participants for a walk adjacent to an acidic seepage swamp, recognized as a globally rare ecosystem. The walk will take place on the property of the Amberleigh HOA in Alexandria (Fairfax Co), the site of a portion of the planned Cinder Bed Road Bikeway. The walk will highlight the plant communities that live in this threatened ecosystem. This is a unique opportunity to view a healthy ecosystem that is under serious threat within a year or two if the bikeway is constructed.

That’s right! If you live in Amberleigh, those woods behind your homes are owned by your HOA and the area is known as the Newington Conservation Site. Learn about the unique habitat of this area, the plants and animals live there, where water comes from and goes.

FMN’s – Opportunity to Join The Living with Black Bears Team in Fairfax County

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Photo: Courtesy of the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, Black Bear and cubs
For those in the FMN Chapter who may be interested in joining the Living with Black Bears Team in Fairfax County, below is information on upcoming training sessions.

DWR is hosting virtual Part 1 and Part 2 Living with Black Bears training for our chapter.  These training sessions are for new or current members interested in the Living with Black Bears project, those members who were unable to attend the original Part 1 and Part 2 Living with Black Bears training sessions, or those Living with Black Bear project members that are looking to refresh their knowledge. The training is broken into two parts.

For Part 1 training, please watch this prerecorded Bear 101 presentation hosted by DWR Region 2 District Wildlife Biologist Sarah Peltier before June 19, 2026.  The video link is https://youtu.be/T4tgRx4kswg.

For Part 2 training, please register for a live virtual Part 2 training with DWR Black Bear Project co-lead Katie Martin using this link https://www.register-ed.com/events/view/244215 . This training will be held on Monday, June 22, 2026. at 6:00 pm. This training will be hosted on the virtual meeting platform, Teams (it’s like Zoom), and you will receive a meeting link via email the morning of the training. The Part 2 training will NOT be recorded.  If you can not attend this Part 2 training, we will offer another virtual Part 2 training in winter 2027, date TBD.

If you have any questions about these trainings, please reach out to Wildlife Education Coordinator, Courtney Hallacher at courtney.hallacher@dwr.virginia.gov.

Two Birding Day Trips – Warblers of the Blue Ridge (5/5/26) and Birds on the Bay (6/9/26)

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Photo: Cerulean Warbler by Matt Felperin
Reston’s Walker Nature Center has two upcoming birding day trips that are open to all adults:
 Warblers of the Blue Ridge – Tuesday, May 5th:
Travel with us to the G. Richard Thompson Wildlife Management Area in Fauquier County to search for migrating songbirds.  GR Thompson is well known for its Trillium Trail, so we will also keep an eye out for trilliums, lady slippers and other spring wildflowers.  After a morning at GR Thompson, we will head to Sky Meadows State Park for a picnic lunch and more birding. This trip includes walking on uneven terrain and gentle slopes.
Register by May 2nd.  Trip cost, which includes bus transportation and any park fees, is $50 for Reston Association members and $65 for non-members.  We will depart the Walker Nature Center (11450 Glade Drive) at 7:00 am and are scheduled to return by 5:00 pm.
 
Birds on the Bay – Tuesday, June 9th:
On this trip, we will head to Flag Ponds Nature Park on the Chesapeake Bay, where we will look for shorebirds along the bay and songbirds in the forests.  This trip will include walking over uneven terrain and some hills.
Register by June 6th. Trip cost, which includes bus transportation and any park fees, is $50 for Reston Association members and $65 for non-members We will depart the Walker Nature Center (11450 Glade Drive) at 7:00 am and are scheduled to return by 4:00 pm.
Both trips will be led by one of WNC’s naturalists.  The time spent birding and observing wildflowers is eligible for FMN CEUs.
If you are familiar with the reston.org WebTrac system, you can register there (search on the keyword “birding”).  Otherwise, you can contact the Walker Nature Center directly at naturecenter@reston.org or 703-476-9689.

Mark your calendar for the 2026 Fairfax Earth Day Festival April 25th!

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Image: Courtesy of Fairfax County Park Authority – 2026

Saturday, April 25, 2026
10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Lake Fairfax Park
1400 Lake Fairfax Dr, Reston, VA 20190

Admission is FREE; Parking is $10 per car at the gate.
Cash and credit accepted.

Learn how you can make a positive impact on the planet through exciting, interactive activities and games

Enjoy:

  • Outdoor Discovery Activities
  • Interactive Nature Exhibits
  • Earth Friendly Vendors
  • Food Trucks
  • Craft Beer Garden
  • Local Bands and Live Entertainment
  • Free Giveaways
  • Furry Farm Friends

And so much more!

Springtime Bird Outing with the Bureau of Land Management and the NPS Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail, April 25th

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Photo: Indigo Bunting, Randy Streufert – NVBA Photo Contest

Saturday, April 25, 2026
9:00 AM 11:00 AM

Meadwood Special Recreation Area
10702 Harley RoadLorton, VA, 22079United States (map)

FREE, but registration is requested

Join participants for a springtime bird walk with Northern Virginia Bird Alliance (NVBA) partners, National Park Service Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail and the Bureau of Land Management, on National Go Birding Day! Together you will explore the diverse bird species that inhabit Meadowood Special Recreation Area. This event is also during the 2026 iNaturalist City Nature Challenge for those looking to participate in the observation period.

Plan to arrive by 9:00 A.M. to meet your guides at the Mustang Trailhead, located at 10702 Harley Road, Lorton, VA 22079. Together, everyone will hike and explore Mustang Meadow and the Thompson Creek Loop Trail. Please note that this outing will cover approximately one to three miles.

Getting There & Additional Site Information

Go south on I-95 to Exit 163 toward Lorton. Turn left onto Lorton Road at the end of the exit ramp. Pass under the second overpass and turn right onto Lorton Market Street (you will see Panera and Planet Fitness). Continue about 1.5 miles to the traffic light at Route 1. Go straight through the light (the road name changes to Gunston Road). In about 1.5 miles, you will pass the main entrance to Meadowood on the right. About half a mile later, you will see a large green pavilion—turn right onto Harley Road, then take the next right into the Mustang Trail Parking Lot.

The Meadowood Special Recreation Management Area (SRMA) offers 13.4 miles of hiking trails, 7 miles of horseback riding trails, and 6.6 miles of mountain biking trails. The site includes two fishing ponds (one of which is universally accessible), 800 acres of forest and meadow habitat, environmental education programs, equestrian facilities, geocaching opportunities, and birdwatching. Learn more on BLM’s Meadowood webpage.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) partners with Northern Virginia Bird Alliance (NVBA) volunteers to provide educational stewardship programs and guided events at Meadowood SRMA in Lorton, Virginia. For over 20 years, NVBA has supported the site through volunteer surveys, guided programs, stewardship projects, and educational activities focused on local species populations.

What should you bring?

Binoculars are helpful but not required for birding. There will be a limited number of loaner pairs available for participants to use. Guides will also be using the eBird app to record and report sightings during the outing; you are  encouraged to download the free app and set up an account ahead of time. Please note that trails can be muddy after heavy rain or snow. Organizers recommend wearing comfortable, closed-toe shoes with good traction, especially for the boardwalk sections. Strollers are not permitted on the boardwalk.

Cancellation Policies for NVBA Bird Outings

Everyone’s safety and enjoyment are top priorities. Occasionally, there may be a need to postpone or cancel an outing to protect the well-being of participants or guides. Whenever possible, you will be notified at least 48 hours in advance; however, last-minute changes may be necessary. Outings may be canceled or postponed for reasons such as:

  • Unsafe air quality

  • Guide illness

  • Extreme weather, including: Lightning within 10 miles of the event location, temperatures above 90°, heavy thunderstorms, snow, or hail.

If an outing must be canceled on the day of the event, organizers will do their best to email all registered participants as soon as possible and/or post the cancellation on their website. Thank you for your understanding and flexibility!

Questions? Contact NVBA’s Community Engagement Coordinator, McKenzie, at mckenzie@nvbirdalliance.org.

Beyond the Spray: Protecting Wildlife and Biodiversity with Safer Mosquito Control Solutions,

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Image: Courtesy of the Northern Virginia Bird Alliance – Beyond the Spray

Saturday, April 25, 2026
2:00 PM 3:00 PM

Mount Vernon Unitarian Church
1909 Windmill Ln Alexandria, VA 22307United States (map)

FREE, but registration is required 

Liz Train, NVBA’s Fairfax County Wildlife Sanctuary Program Coordinator, will give a presentation on mosquito control solutions that avoid pesticides. She will review the research on harms to wildlife caused by broadcast spraying for mosquitoes and talk about alternative (and more effective) methods to reduce mosquito populations. NVBA urges homeowners to consider the long-term health of their yards, ecosystems, and communities, and “Say No to the Spray.” The Wildlife Sanctuary Program promotes healthy, pesticide-free habitats that nurture biodiversity from the soil up.

WINGS OVER WOLF TRAP birds, butterflies, dragonflies +optional garden tour, April12th

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Photo: Courtesy of Wolf Trap Park,  Native Woodland Garden

 

Sunday, Apr 12, 2026
9:30 am to 10:30 am

This Event is FREE however Space is limited so please register early

Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts
1551 Trap Road
Vienna, VA 22182

Overview:

 

Expert led nature walk to identify migratory birds, butterflies, dragonflies, and more at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts

🐦Join Larry Meade for a fun and educational nature walk around the grounds of Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts. April is prime time for bird migration as colorful birds such as warblers sing and show off their breeding plumage. While attendees are enjoying the birds, they will also be looking for other interesting creatures such as butterflies and dragonflies. With over 300 species of birds migrating over the area, attendees should spot quite a few species of birds. Larry works with various conservation groups in the area and will share his deep expertise in a fun and educational manner. Appropriate for all ages. Explore and learn more about the nature side of this gem of a National Park.

🦋Learn how to identify species by sound, color, size, shape and patterns.

🕛Nature walk leaves promptly at 9:30am. Please arrive at least 15 minutes early.

🔍Larry Meade is president of the Northern Virginia Bird Club. He is a frequent bird walk leader, a writer, a photographer, and program presenter. He also has an interest in butterflies and is the compiler of the Alexandria Butterfly Count which is held is September.

📸Photo Credits: Larry Meade. For more information, to join and/or to make a donation Northern Virginia Bird Club | WATCH – STUDY – ENJOY – UNDERSTAND – CONSERVE (nvabc.org)

Please note: There is an optional one-hour Native Woodland Garden Tour led by the Green Spring Extension Master Gardeners following this event from 10:45am-Noon

All ages welcomed. Paths are not stroller friendly.

We love dogs but ask that you leave them at home for this event.

This Event is FREE however Space is limited so please register early as we expect this Event to be SOLD OUT. If you pre-register and cannot make it, PLEASE use Eventbrite to Cancel well ahead of time as we are sure to have a waiting list for this Event.

📍Meeting Location: Main Entrance to the Filene Center- adjacent to the Box Office.

Directions: Turn into Wolf Trap’s main entrance at the digital sign (1551 Trap Road, Vienna), and follow the road to the Filene Center. Free Parking available in nearby lots

🤓Prepare: Wear clothing and shoes suitable for woods, trail walking and the weather. Rain or shine. You may want to bring binoculars, sun and bug protection, water, a basic first aid kit and your cell phone for taking photos. iNaturalist uploads are always appreciated.

Leave No Trace.

Assumption of Risk and Waiver of Liability Attendees assume all risks and accept sole responsibility for any injury, illness, damage, loss, claim, liability or expense of any kind that attendee may experience or incur in connection with attending the event. Attendee hereby releases, covenants not to sue, discharges and hold harmless Friends of Wolf Trap, its volunteers, members, and guests, of and from any such claims, including all liabilities, claims, actions, damages, costs or expenses of any kind arising out of or relating thereto.

📷Photo Consent: Your participation means you give your consent to be photographed, filmed or otherwise recorded and to the release, publication, exhibition or reproduction of and all recorded media of your appearance, your voice, for any purpose whatsoever in perpetuity including, by way of example ony, use on social media.

🌩️N OTE: In the case of inclement weather, this event will be rescheduled.

Wolf Trap National Park Visitor Information. For more information and directions, visit: Wolf Trap National Park Visitor Information

https://www.nps.gov/wotr/planyourvisit/index.htm

www.friendsofwolftrap.org

For FMN’s: These events count as educational credit under “Continuing Education – National Park Service” (sponsoring organization).  Each session that you attend counts as one hour of educational credit.

In-person Art Class: Sketching Birds 101 with Jess Michetti, April 8th

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Sketch: Sketching Birds 101 by Jess Michetti

Wednesday, April 8, 2026
7:00 PM – 8:30 PM

Fee: Members $12.00, Nonmembers $23.00

National Wildlife Federation Building
11100 Wildlife Center Drive
Reston, VA 20190

Click here for Registration and Sign-up

About the course:

In the spirit of Draw A Bird Day (04/08/2026), students will use pencils, pens and copy paper to enjoy drawing birds – together! This event celebrates drawing birds as a way to enjoy the challenge of putting pencil to paper and learn something about our subject along the way.

Draw A Bird Day began in the UK in the 1940s when a young girl asked her wounded uncle to draw a bird for her while visiting him in the hospital. He obliged, and the girl told him he was not a good artist and laughed. The simple act of drawing and sharing lifted his spirits, and from then on, he and others in the hospital drew birds together every time the girl would visit, taking their minds off their injuries and bringing a bit of joy to the hospital ward. Draw a Bird Day is celebrated every year on her birthday, April 8.

Students will talk about materials and techniques along the way as we draw an American Robin together, step-by-step. Absolutely no experience is required, and all skill levels are welcome!

About the Speaker

Jess Michetti is the graphic designer and artist behind Good Goose Graphics. She’s an avid bird watcher, and birds are her favorite subject to draw. She shares her highly detailed colored pencil drawings online and at northern Virginia area art shows throughout the year and hopes that her work inspires viewers to slow down, notice and care for the beauty of nature all around them…to choose wonder.

Fourth Annual Conference for Spanish-Speakers – With Hands-on Training in The Afternoon, February 26th

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Photo: Plant NOVA Natives

 

Thursday, February 26, 2026 (Rain Date: Thursday, March 5)
9:00 am – 12:30 pm (Optional practical session – 12:30 pm – 3:30 pm)

Location: Annandale, VA (Location will be sent to registrants)

Registration is required by February 25.   Please click on the link for details and to register. (PlantNovaTrees.org/clase-en-espanol)

All for free! (Lunch and snacks are included.)

Spanish-language Workshop for Landscape Professionals 

Learn about native plants and natural landscape management. 

Open to owners, designers, foremen, laborers, and employees of garden centers.

Fourth annual conference for Spanish-speakers – with hands-on training in the afternoon
Thursday, February 26, 2025 in Annandale. The conference is free and in person and includes lunch.
Topics include
  • Introduction to invasive plant control as a business
  • Native shrubs and vines for the garden

  • Invasive shrubs and vines

If our new guide Native Plants for Virginia Gardens has been printed, everyone will receive a copy.

Special event – this year only!

In partnership with Fairfax Tree Rescuers PRISM, we will be combining this conference with the first offering of a certificate course on the identification and control of invasive plants. The course will include both on-line and in-person learning. Those wishing to be eligible for a certificate should stay for the afternoon session and plan to do the on-line learning and a second in-person practice later. Click here for more information.

Questions? plantnovanatives@gmail.com 

Enhancing Our Understanding of Ecology

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Enhancing Our Understanding of Ecology – By FMN Mike Mixon

National Geographic defines Ecology as, “the scientific study of how organisms interact with each other and their unique physical environments”.

As Virginia Master Naturalists we acquired a fundamental understanding of Ecology while undergoing the chapter’s basic training program. If  you would like to enhance your knowledge on this subject, I recommend you consider taking the online course offered by Universal Class entitled, “The Power of Ecology: Shaping a Sustainable Future.” I completed the self-paced course in January 2026 and was amazed at the breadth and depth of the material covered. Topics included extinction and evolution, biodiversity, conservation and adaptation, biogeography, ecosystems, and many others. The course consists of 20 learning modules, quizzes, and an end-of-course exam. Completing the course requires learners to accrue 70 percent of all possible points. Upon successful completion, a certificate was made available to me and my hours were accrued towards Universal Class continuing education. I then contacted our chapter’s Hours Committee and received approval to log 14 hours as FMN continuing education in Better Impact, using ‘Other’ as the Approved CE Organization.

Note that the online course provider—Universal Class—normally operates on a paid subscription basis. The good news is that Fairfax County Public Library cardholders can take Universal Class courses for free. If interested, you should check it out!  Universal Class offers a wide range of course topics and many of its other courses are not eligible for FMN continuing education.

If you are not familiar with the Fairfax County Public Library website, then here are steps you can follow to find the free course, “The Power of Ecology: Shaping a Sustainable Future” offered by Universal Class.
>Go to the following URL: https://fairfaxcounty.gov/library
>Under “Department Resources” click “Account | Log In”
>Login to your account
>In the far-left column, go down and find “Research Center” and click “All Databases”
>In the “Database / Key Word” search bar, search for “Universal Class”
>From the search results, click “Universal Class”
>Click “Browse Courses”
>Search “Ecology”
>From the search results, click “The Power of Ecology: Shaping A Sustainable Future” icon
>Click “+ Join This Course”
>Click “Register Now” and you are on your way.

Featured Image: “Parasitic ecology icon” by Debivort on EN wiki is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.