Learn about local efforts to bring back the Eastern Bluebird from Master Naturalist and Virginia Bluebird Society’s 2017 Bluebird of the Year Mike Bishop. He’ll discuss history and recent grassroots efforts to revive populations in Virginia.
Sully Government Center
4900 Stonecroft Blvd, Chantilly, VA
February 26, 7.30-8.30 pm
Admission is free and families are welcome
Prince William (Hooes Run) Water Quality Monitoring Workshop
When: Saturday, 9 February 2019, 10 am-12:30 pm
Where: Castle Ct., Woodbridge VA
Join Veronica Tangiri of Prince William SWCD in monitoring this beautiful site of Hooes Run as it enters the Occoquan Reservior/River area. Chemical and biological data will be collected. Visitors parking lot and curb parking available. Contact Veronica for more information or to register.
Holmes Run Stream Monitoring Workshop
When: Saturday, 16 February 2019, 10 am-12:30 pm
Where: Roundtree Park, Falls Church VA
Join the Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District (NVSWCD) as they discover aquatic life in Holmes Run! This official NVSWCD stream monitoring workshop covers watershed health, what macroinvertebrates tell us about stream quality, and what you can do to prevent pollution in your local stream. This workshop will also help to prepare you to become a certified stream monitor. Registration is limited. Send questions to Ashley Palmer and RSVP here.
Pohick Creek Stream Monitoring Session
When: Saturday, 16 February 2019, 1 – 4 pm
Where: Hidden Pond Nature Center, Springfield VA
Join certified stream monitor Susan Demsko in her winter stream monitoring at her site at Hidden Pond Nature Center. Registration is limited. Contact Susan for more information or to register.
Little Difficult Run Stream Monitoring Workshop
When: Saturday, 23 February 2019, 10 am-12:30 pm
Where: Fred Crabtree Park, Herndon VA
Join the Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District (NVSWCD) as they discover aquatic life in Little Difficult Run! This official NVSWCD stream monitoring workshop covers watershed health, what macroinvertebrates tell us about stream quality, and what you can do to prevent pollution in your local stream. This workshop will also help to prepare you to become a certified stream monitor. Registration is limited. Send questions to Ashley Palmer and RSVP here.
Bryan Branch Stream Monitoring Session
When: Saturday, 23 February 2019, 1 -3 pm
Where: McLean VA
Join a certified stream monitor at this adopted stream to help make a difference in our environment. We will check on the health of one local stream in McLean. County and state officials will use the data you collect to assess the overall condition of our streams and help determine watershed management initiatives. Come learn more and help. Registration is limited. RSVP to Elizabeth Winston.
Holmes Run Stream Monitoring Session
When: Sunday, 24 February 2019, 9 am-12 pm
Where: Near Annandale Road, Falls Church VA
Join certified stream monitor Valerie Bertha in her winter stream monitoring at her site in Holmes Run. Registration is limited. Contact Valerie for more information or to register.
Friends of Accotink Creek Stream Monitoring Session
When: Saturday, 9 March 2019, 9:30 – 11:30 am
Where: Lake Accotink Park, Springfield VA
Join Friends of Accotink Creek volunteers as they assess ecological conditions in a stream, based on the presence and absence of bottom-dwelling invertebrates. Meet at the parking lot behind Lake Accotink Park Administrative Building. See additional stream monitoring information on the Friends of Accotink Creek website.
Cub Run Stream Monitoring Workshop
When: Sunday, 10 March 2019, 10 am-12:30 pm
Where: Cub Run Stream Valley Park, Centreville VA
Join the Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District (NVSWCD) as they discover aquatic life in Cub Run! This official NVSWCD stream monitoring workshop covers watershed health, what macroinvertebrates tell us about stream quality, and what you can do to prevent pollution in your local stream. This workshop will also help to prepare you to become a certified stream monitor. Registration is limited. Send questions to Ashley Palmer and RSVP here.
Prince William (Cedar Run) Stream Monitoring Workshop
When: Saturday, 16 March 2019, 10 am-12:30 pm
Where: Evergreen Acres Farm, Hazelwood Dr., Nokesville VA
Join Veronica Tangiri of the Prince William Soil and Water Conservation District for citizen science monitoring. Come and learn more about the health of this stream and how it interacts with agriculture as it joins the Occoquan River. Contact Veronica for more information or to register.
Mount Vernon Government Center
2511 Parkers Lane, Alexandria VA
Sunday, 3 March 2019
1:30 pm, social gathering, 2 pm program
Vernal pools, which are pools that dry up in the summer, are vital habitat for salamanders, fairy shrimp and several species of frogs. Vernal pools occur throughout the Washington area and play an important role in the environment.
Karen Sheffield, the Manager of Huntley Meadows Park, will present this program on vernal pools. She will discuss the animals and plants that inhabit these shallow pools of water. The program is brought to you by the Friends of Dyke Marsh and cosponsored by the Friends of Mason Neck State Park, the Friends of Huntley Meadows Park and the Friends of Accotink Creek.
Certified Interpretive Guide classes are being offered by the Fairfax County Park Authority March 5-8th 2019.
This certification workshop focuses on the skills needed to interpret natural and cultural resources to an audience allowing them to not just learn about resources but connect to and care about them.
This is a national certification program offered by the National Association for Interpretation hosted by the Fairfax County Park Authority for its staff. It requires no prior knowledge or training.
There are 2 sessions with 5 spots per session open to the public. You can register online.
The link for the Hidden Oaks Nature center location is https://www.interpnet.com/nai/nai/_events/Event_Display.aspx?EventKey=CIG030519D
The link for Frying Pan Farm Park is https://www.interpnet.com/nai/nai/_events/Event_Display.aspx?EventKey=CIG030519S
Classes run from 830am-430 pm daily March 5-8th more details will follow after registering. Don’t forget to indicate if you want the certification option.
You’re invited to the Annual Invasive Management Appreciation Event
Cabells Mill, 5235 Walney Road, Chantilly, VA 20151
Saturday, February 16, 9 am-11.30 am
Talk by Lea Johnson (see flyer for bio)
RSVP to [email protected] or call 703-324-8681
The Balanced Garden: How to meld beautiful and sustainable native plants with favorites from around the world
Saturday, Feb 16, 2019 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Green Spring Gardens 4603 Green Spring Road Alexandria VA
Registration: (703) 642-5173 or online at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/parktakes Code: 986.B59A
Butterflies and Blossoms, or Larval Host Plants and the Lepidoptera that Eat Them
Thursday, February 14, 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm
Green Spring Gardens, 4603 Green Spring Road, Alexandria VA
No reservations are necessary for this talk.
Virginia Native Plant Society programs are free and open to the public.
Margaret Chatham will discuss butterflies, caterpillars, and larval host plants.
Beautiful butterflies and lovely blossoms are all the result of trying to make a living. The plants need someone to pollinate them, but at the same time need to limit the number of caterpillars and other insects that can eat them. The butterflies and caterpillars need to avoid being eaten long enough to lay eggs for the next generation. Learn which natives to plant to nurture more than just monarchs.
2010 was a good year for butterfly photographs in our area. Margaret Chatham took a lot of pictures that year. Then she wanted to know who they were and what they ate. No year since has offered her quite as many butterflies, but every season brings something new, so now she wants to share them.
Margaret is a devoted Fraser Preserve Volunteer Visitation Committee Member who removes invasive barberry shrubs in winter and wavyleaf grass in summer and knows the preserve intimately. She is also editor of the VNPS Potowmack News newsletter, a volunteer at the VNPS propagation beds at Green Spring Gardens in Alexandria, and an Arlington Regional Master Naturalist.
On April 27, Clifton Institute will be doing a bioblitz as a part of the City Nature Challenge. They’ll will be working with like-minded organizations to document as many species as possible in the Washington, D.C., metro area.
The event will start with a bird walk, then look for all other kinds of species during the day, and end with moths and crickets in the evening! People of all skill levels are most welcome, but they are especially in need of people with expertise in invertebrates, fungi, and plants. And they need photographers to help document species.
April 28th is the rain date. Please email Bert Harris at [email protected] or register on our website if you are interested in participating with this active group of naturalists and scientists in a particularly beautiful and diverse nature preserve.
Volunteer Orientation
Saturday, Feb 2
9:30 AM-12:00 PM
8700 Potomac Hills St Great Falls, VA
Want to become a Riverbend Park Volunteer? Attend our next monthly Volunteer Orientation and learn about our upcoming opportunities, projects, and events and get started on your training with a hands-on project!
Upcoming Opportunities
Ongoing Opportunities
Contact
Valeria Espinoza, Volunteer Coordinator [email protected]
Rita Peralta, Natural Resources Manager [email protected]
Soak It Up: Stormwater Solutions for Homeowners
February 2, 10 AM–Noon
Register: http://bit.ly/2FBHiLC
Rain Gardens for Homeowners
March 2, 10 AM-Noon
Register: http://bit.ly/2VX3h5y
Mason District Governmental Center
6507 Columbia Pike Annandale, VA 22003
Green Matters Symposium – Doug Tallamy speaking.
Friday, 22 February 2019, 8-4 pm
Silver Spring Civic Building, 1 Veterans Pl, Silver Spring, MD
Prince William County (PWC) Native Plant Symposium for Beginners (Beginners only)
Saturday, 23 February 2019, 9 am – 2 pm
McCoart Administration Building
1 County Complex Court
Woodbridge, Virginia 22192
Prince William – Balancing Natives and Ornamentals in Your Garden
Saturday, 23 February 2019, 1 – 3 pm
Old Historic Manassas Courthouse, Manassas
This lecture from the Master Gardeners of Prince William Education Committee discusses the benefits of native plants and features 25 specimen plants. The lecture is led by Keith Tomlinson of Meadowlark Botanical Gardens. This is a free program, but please register by calling 703-792-7747.
Plant Pollinators talk by Heather Holm
Sunday, 17 February 2019, 3:30 pm
Manassas Park Community Center, 99 Adams Street, Manassas Park, VA
Loudoun County Extension Master Gardeners 10th Annual Gardening Symposium
Saturday, 23 March 2019, 9 am – 4 pm
Talks by Larry Weaner, Barbara Pleasant, Sara Via, and Nancy Lawson.