Geology of the Piedmont Tour, March 9th

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Image: Courtesy of Clifton Institute

Saturday, March 9, 2023
9:00AM – 12:00PM

The Clifton Institute
6712 Blantyre Rd
Warrenton, VA 20187

Cost: FREE

Registration is REQUIRED.

It’s winter and that means that rock season is upon us! This year, it would be nice to branch out and check out a whole new geologic province. The last two years the class took a close look at rocks of the Piedmont Plateau and learned that several times in the geologic past, huge mountain ranges rose up where the Piedmont is today. Where did those mountains go? The sand and silt washed down from those soaring peaks must have gone somewhere and this class is going to find it! Join this tour for a journey off the western edge of the Blue Ridge Anticlinorium and into one of the world’s great thrust/fold belts, the Valley and Ridge Province of the Appalachian Mountains. you will be looking at layers and layers of ancient sediments laid out in a vast river delta. Like the pages of a book, these layers have a fascinating story to tell about life in the Paleozoic.

The tour will be heading out to Front Royal to begin the geology tour this year and making its way up into Fort Valley, stopping along the way. A few of the stops will involve a short hike but nothing too strenuous.

Participants can EITHER meet at Clifton at 9 a.m. and carpool to Front Royal, OR meet the tour in Front Royal around 10 a.m.

CE – Blue Bird Trail at River Farm, March 7th

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New on-line CE opportunity for FMN.

When: Thursday evening, March 7th at 7pm.
How long: Approximately 1 hour
Description: Eastern Bluebirds were once as common as robins in Northern Virginia until the early 20th century when introduced species, habitat loss and pesticides caused alarming population declines. Join in to learn how this lovely species has made a heartening comeback and how Fairfax Master Naturalists are helping at Washington’s River Farm.

Presenter: FMN Susan Farmer is a longtime Blue Bird nesting box monitor at Huntley Meadows and a member of Virginia Blue Bird Society. She is the FMN liaison for the FMN-AHS partnership and recently organized the installation of 8 nesting boxes at River Farm. An article on that installation may be found in this newsletter.

This is an FMN only CE session and registration is required via Better Impact (BI) by 5 March.

To register:
1. Login to BI and click on your ‘Opportunities’ tab.
2. Select ‘Opportunity Calendar’ from the pull-down list.
3. Find event in the displayed calendar and click on it to see 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 personal calendar.
5. To claim 1 CE hour: please use “All Continuing Education -> FMN All other Chapter Training”, as the Approved Org.

6. The Zoom session link will be sent to all who register by 5 March. The email will be sent to the email of record in BI. The session will be recorded.

FMN CE – Woodcock Night Hike at Huntley Meadows

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What: FMN CE Evening Woodcock Walk for Virginia Master Naturalists
When: on Friday, March 8th from 5:30-7pm
Where: Huntley Meadows Park – South Kings Hwy entrance
Meet at in the parking lot.
How long: Approximately 2 hours.
Group limit: 15 individuals

Take an evening stroll with a park naturalist through the forest to one of the park’s largest meadows. Listen for the call of the male woodcock and hopefully see his amazing courtship dance and flight. Bring a flashlight. Approximately 1.5 mile walk on uneven terrain. Canceled if rain. Meet at the South Kings Highway entrance to the park.

To register:
1. Login to BI and click on your ‘Opportunities’ tab.
2. Select ‘Opportunity Calendar’ from the pull-down list.
3. Find 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 2 CE hours: use All Continuing Education -> FMN All other Chapter Training

Cover photo courtesy of FCPA

Enrollment for 2024 Fairfax Tree Steward (FTS)Training Class Open!

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Photo: Courtesy of the Fairfax Tree Stewards (FTS)

From Brenda Frank, President

Join the 2024 Fairfax Tree Steward (FTS) training class. Apply here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1i0hMqcdoOQFlyZkmc-c5lVyL_xsl3lgHLVGk3ajMvIk/edit   See information about the training here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1214hruEY5X-9-O7tNzKkkCbd9yqWS5ok3AtarNe5ZfU/edit Current FTS Tree Stewards may audit the classes at no cost for continuing education. The program will accept 20 applicants in order of submission. Enrollment closes on February 26, 2024.

The training program will begin on February 27, 2024. Trainees will be required to attend all 10 sessions and field work of approximately 1½ hours each. Make-ups will be accepted for two sessions. All of program instructors are experienced certified arborists. A detailed syllabus will be available soon.

The first and last sessions will be “live,” at a location central to all trainees. The other sessions will be on Zoom and recorded to enable makeup and review. Field sessions on pruning, tree ID, tree selection, and tree diagnostics will be on weekends interspersed among the class sessions.

Become a Fairfax Tree Steward. Sign up today!  

Native Plants of Freshwater Tidal Communities, March 3

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Photo of Wild Rice by Mr. Nelson DeBarros

Sunday, March 3, 2023
3:00 PM

No registration is required.
This is an in-person program (no remote option).

Join this presentation on the native plants of Northern Virginia’s freshwater tidal marshes by Nelson DeBarros, a vegetation ecologist with the Fairfax County Park Authority.  The talk will cover several area marshes and their plants, like wild rice, spatterdock and cattails.

The meeting is in person at the Huntley Meadows Visitor Center, 3701 Lockheed Boulevard, Alexandria (Fairfax County) (https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/huntley-meadows).

The cosponsors of the program are Plant NOVA Natives, Northern Virginia Trout Unlimited, Virginia Native Plant Society, Potowmack Chapter, Friends of Little Hunting Creek, Friends of Accotink Creek and the Friends of Huntley Meadows Park.

Know Your Natives: Deer Tolerance, webinar February 21st

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Photo: PennState Extension

Thursday, February 21, 2024
7 – 8 pm
Webinar
Registration required.

The Penn State Master Gardeners of Westmoreland County presents an informational session on deer-tolerant native plants in the Know Your Natives series. Deer can be both majestic and challenging visitors to our gardens. In this webinar, we’ll explore native plants that have evolved strategies to withstand deer browsing, providing you with valuable insights into creating a garden that thrives even in the company of these troublesome herbivores.

Attend this hour-long webinar to explore gardening methods for coexisting with local deer, understanding plant factors that deter them, and identifying deer-tolerant species for a diverse, beautiful garden.

Winter Symposium & CVNLA Short Course: Gardening for the Future, February 14th & February 15th

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Photo: FMN Jennifer Pradas, Pollinator garden

Wednesday, February 14 & Thursday, February 15, 2024
9:00 am – 3:50 pm

In-Person OR Virtually, via Zoom

In-Person Tickets: $100/day or $180 for a 2-day ticket (includes light breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack and all-day hot beverage service)
Virtual Tickets: $55/day or $100 for a 2-day ticket (includes access to recorded presentations for a limited time)

Click here for additional information and registration details.

Gardening for the Future

Solving the complex challenges of designing a future that supports the health of our ecosystems and the thriving of all living things on Earth will require collaboration and thoughtful solutions from all corners of the green industry (and beyond!). This year’s symposium explores some of these innovative approaches that are being researched and implemented across the green industry with the goal of moving together toward a resilient future. 

Join this year’s symposium on Wednesday, February 14 and Thursday, February 15 to hear a variety of exciting speakers including Chris Ludwig (Flora of Virginia co-author), Ekene Tharpe (Babylon Micro-Farms), Andrew Freiden (NBC12), Jazmin Albarran (Seed Your Future), Josh Cerra (Cornell University), Richard Olsen (U.S. National Arboretum) and many more.  

The Sounds of Nature: How Natural Sounds are Made and Why They Sound Like They Do *Virtual*, February 22nd

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Image: Courtesy of the Clifton Institute

February 22, 2024
7:00 pm – 8:00 pm

**This is a virtual program**

FREE

Registration is REQUIRED.

As mostly visual creatures, we often take sound for granted, but there is a whole incredible world of vibrations going on around us. In this Zoom program, Co-Director Eleanor Harris, Ph.D., will explain how natural sounds are made and how both human and non-human animals hear them. From why birds sing in the morning to how insects hear with their legs, thinking about sounds in nature might change the way you see and hear the world around you. A Zoom link will be emailed to participants shortly before the program.

Cancellation policy: If you register and can no longer attend this event, please let us know as soon as possible so that we can open your spot to someone else.

By registering for this event, you are affirming that you have read and agree to the Clifton Institute liability release policy.

Spotted Salamander Walk, February 13th

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Image: Courtesy of The Clifton Institute

February 13, 2024
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

The Clifton Institute
6712 Blantyre Rd
Warrenton, VA 20187

FREE

Registration is REQUIRED.

Once a year, salamanders leave their homes in the woods and head toward vernal pools, temporary ponds created by spring rains and melting winter snow. The conditions must be just right, a warm night with rainy conditions. The males arrive first and lay sperm sacks around the pond. The females come later and absorb these sacks, which causes them to lay their eggs, about 50-100 per female. Join this walk to the vernal pools to witness this spectacle of nature.

It will be necessary to watch the weather closely to adjust the time and date that looks most promising for the group to see this wonderful migration. For now, this date is a best-guess placeholder for the walk. You will receive an email closer to the date with information about when to meet.

Please bring a flashlight. As you will likely go out in the rain, the recommendation is to wear a raincoat and waterproof shoes.

Age:  Adults and children ages 12 and up, accompanied by an adult.

COVID-19 Information: This program will be entirely outdoors (an outside porta potty will be available). It is required that everyone have a mask with them in case the class needs to go inside during inclement weather, to administer first aid, or for other reasons. Please do not attend if you are experiencing or have experienced in the last two weeks any symptoms associated with COVID-19 (fever, cough, shortness of breath, etc.).

Cancellation policy: If you register and can no longer attend this event, please let the Clifton Institute know as soon as possible so that they can open your spot to someone else.

Before attending this event, please read the information included on the Clifton Institute liability release form (click here).

How to iNaturalist, February 3rd

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Image: Courtesy of The Clifton Institute

February 3, 2024
2:00 pm – 4:00 pm

The Clifton Institute
6712 Blantyre Rd
Warrenton, VA 20187

FREE

Registration is REQUIRED.

Cost: Free!

iNaturalist is a powerful tool for people to learn about nature and to contribute to science, but there are lots of people who are not sure how to use it. In this program, Co-Directors Bert and Eleanor Harris will give a brief introduction to the iNaturalist app and website and some background and why it is loved it so much. Then you will go outside and practice how to take pictures and upload them to have the best chance at having your observation identified. Please download the iNaturalist app onto your phone before you arrive.

Age:Adults and children accompanied by an adult.

Weather policy: Rain or shine except in case of extreme weather (e.g. thunderstorm or significant snow fall).

COVID-19 Information: This program will be entirely outdoors (an outside porta potty will be available). Please do not attend if you are experiencing or have experienced in the last two weeks any symptoms associated with COVID-19 (fever, cough, shortness of breath, etc.).

Cancellation policy: If you register and can no longer attend this event, please let the Clifton Institute know as soon as possible so that they can open your spot to someone else.

By registering for this event, you are affirming that you have read and agree to the Clifton Institute’s liability release policy.