Raptor Education and Photo Encounter, Oct. 19th

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Mason Neck State Park Picnic Area

Red-tailed hawk

7301 High Point Rd, Lorton, VA 22079

Saturday, 19 October 2019
Two sessions: 10am or 1pm
$65 for either of the two 90-minute sessions

Would you like the opportunity to photograph magnificent raptors from just 10 feet away? Imagine being close to owls and hawks with your camera in a natural outdoor setting.

The Friends of Mason Neck State Park and Secret Garden Birds and Bees are offering a unique opportunity to get up close to some beautiful birds. Participants will be able to photograph raptors up close. At least four raptors, including a Red-shouldered Hawk, a Red-Tailed Hawk, an Eastern Screech Owl and a Barred Owl, will pose for you on a natural looking perch. You’ll hear from Secret Garden Birds and Bees staff about each one of them, making this a learning experience as well.

This is a fundraising event that will help the Friends continue to present programs and work on projects in support of the Park. $40 of each registration fee is tax deductible to the extent permissible by law.

Space is limited to 20 participants per session, so don’t wait to register! Register at  Raptor Photo Session.

Friends of Mason Neck Owl Moon Meeting, Sep. 14th

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Mason Neck State Park Visitor Center
7301 High Point Rd, Lorton, VA 22079
Saturday, 14 September 2019
7 – 9 pm

Imagine sitting outside in the Park as the evening skies grow dim.  The sounds of the night erupt as the park’s wildlife begins its nocturnal prowl.  You might hear the call of a coyote or the hoot of a majestic owl as it flies to defend its territory.

Join Friends of Mason Neck State Park under the tent for a very special program – “A Year in the Life of an Owl”.  Featuring a Barred Owl, a Great Horned Owl, and an Eastern Screech Owl, and presented by the raptor rehabilitators and educators of Secret Garden Birds and Bees, this is a ‘must see’ presentation.

What makes this so special?  In addition to being interesting and educational, you will have the rare opportunity to view and these magnificent raptors up close as the rehabilitator walks through the tent and literally brings the birds to you!

Learn what great horned owls, barred owls, barn owls, and eastern screech owls are doing from January through December. Follow them through courtship, nesting, raising young, fledging and finally dispersal of the young to their own territories.

This event is open to the general public.  Registration is only $10 per person, which will help to offset the cost of the program.  Entrance to the park is free (no parking fee) after 6:30 pm.  You can register at Owl Moon Registration.

HOAs and condo associations: Sustainable solutions to landscaping headaches, Oct. 4th & Nov. 2nd

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Northern Virginia Community College, Richard J. Ernst Community Cultural Center

Annandale Campus, Annandale VA Friday, October 4 or Saturday, November 2
(Choose one date to attend. The content will be identical.)
9:30am – 1 pm

Is your community association board dealing with erosion or flooding problems? Is your property management company paying to maintain a lot of lawn that is not being used? Is your landscaping committee looking for ways to beautify community property while supporting birds and butterflies?

Unused lawns. Impervious surface. Heavier rain storms. Invasive introduced plants. These are just some of the reasons for our degrading suburban and urban environments. But planting native plants can help address these problems while improving the overall beauty, sustainability, and ecology of our area.

Board members, landscape committees, property managers, and landscape maintenance companies are particularly encouraged to attend, but everyone is welcome. See details and sign up here.

Rain gardens for homeowners workshop, Sep. 21st

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Sully Government Center
4900 Stonecroft Blvd., Chantilly VA
Saturday, 21 September 2019
10am – 12 pm

Come to this FREE workshop to learn about designing and planting a rain garden at your home! Rain gardens, also known as bioretention areas, are attractive landscape features that allow rain water and snow melt to infiltrate into the ground. A layer of mulch and plants intercept water running off streets, driveways, and rooftops, slowing its flow and removing pollutants before the water reaches local streams, the Occoquan River and the Potomac River, which are drinking water supplies for the region. Speakers include specialists from Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District. Registration is limited, learn more and register here.

Stream monitoring events, Sep. – Nov.

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Sugarland Run Stream Monitoring Workshop

Sugarland Run Stream Valley Park, Herndon VA
Sunday, 8 September 2019
10:00am-12:30pm

Join Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District as they discover aquatic life in Sugarland 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.

Accotink Creek Stream Monitoring Session

Lake Accotink Park, Springfield VA
Saturday, 14 September 2019
9:30 – 11:30am

Join Friends of Lake Accotink Park and Friends of Accotink Creek for a rewarding and fun time for adults and children who enjoy helping our parks and environment by identifying and counting stream critters to document the health of the stream. RSVP here.

Holmes Run Stream Monitoring Workshop

Roundtree Park, Falls Church VA
Saturday, 19 October 2019
9 – 11:30am

Join Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District 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.

Reston Association Stream Monitoring Workshop

Reston VA
Saturday, 19 October 2019
1:30 – 4:30pm

What better way to enjoy the changing seasons than to get your feet wet in one of Reston’s streams? RA welcomes new volunteers to assist with stream monitoring at several locations. Get involved with a small team to collect data and identify insects with the goal of assessing the health of Reston’s streams. Not only do you get to learn about streams, it also provides an opportunity to make new friends! Learn more and register.

Reston Association Stream Monitoring Workshop

Reston VA
Saturday, 16 November 2019
11am – 2pm

What better way to enjoy the changing seasons than to get your feet wet in one of Reston’s streams? RA welcomes new volunteers to assist with stream monitoring at several locations. Get involved with a small team to collect data and identify insects with the goal of assessing the health of Reston’s streams. Not only do you get to learn about streams, it also provides an opportunity to make new friends! Learn more and register.

Update on Lake Accotink management options, Sep. 19th

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Cardinal Forest Elementary School
8600 Forrester Blvd., Springfield VA
Thursday, 19 September 2019
Open house 6:30 – 7 pm
Q&A 7 – 9 pm

The Park Authority will join Braddock District Supervisor John Cook and Lee District Supervisor Jeff McKay to discuss the future plans for Lake Accotink. Members of the community are invited.

Several management options were studied and presented to the community for comment on April 30, 2018. The public input received, coupled with additional analysis for lake management options, informed the proposed management plan. If you are unable to join them at this meeting, the presentation will be shared online after the meeting with an opportunity to provide additional comments.

Previous meeting presentations and detail about the lake management options studied can be found on the Lake Accotink Park Master Plan Revision webpage and more in-depth analysis can be found in the Lake Sustainability Study.  If you have any questions please contact Adam Wynn, Project Manager via [email protected] .

Canoe/Kayak clean up, Sept. 28th

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Belle Haven Marina
George Washington Memorial Pkwy, Alexandria, VA 22307
Saturday, 28 September 2019
10am – 3pm

Thanks to funding from TransUrban ExpressLanes Community Grant program Northern Virginia Conservation Trust will be holding a second Canoe/Kayak Cleanup this year!

This time they will be launching from Belle Haven Marina and will provide a free lunch for our volunteers at Belle Haven Park afterwards!

This will be a great time to both do your part to clean up our waterways and also to make some new friends!

Click here to register!

RVA Environmental Film Festival Seeking Virginia Filmmakers

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Contact: Scott Burger
Email: [email protected]; Phone: 804.714.5444
Deadline 31 December 2019

Richmond, VA – The 10th RVA Environmental Film Festival is now accepting entries for the upcoming 2020 Virginia Environmental Film Contest.  This contest was initiated during the 2013 RVA Environmental Film Festival, and it is once again offering prize money to aspiring film producers from around the state for their submissions now through December 31, 2019.  The selected entries will be shown Sunday, February 9, 2020 at the Byrd Theater in Richmond.  Prizes, including the $1,000 grand prize, will be awarded that day. 
“The RVA Environmental Film Festival documentary contest is so important, unlike anything in Richmond.  It provides a platform to share new work and it encourages future storytelling”  – Melissa Lesh, former RVA Environmental Film Festival Contest winner.
  The RVA EFF Committee considers this film contest one of the main features of the festival.  “We think the contest is important as a way to connect with not just our local natural environment, but also our Virginia film community,” says Scott Burger, one of the festival’s founders.  We want to challenge local filmmakers to bring new perspectives and ideas.”

Entries can be submitted via the online site FilmFreeway.com or by sending DVD with fee, press kit, and contact information to Scott Burger, 612 S. Laurel Street, Richmond, VA 23220-6514.  Filmmakers should be sure to review the contest rules on the FilmFreeway.com site: 
 
https://filmfreeway.com/RVAEnvironmentalFilmFestival
 

The RVA Environmental Film Festival was founded in 2011 and is modeled after the 2008”s Big Picture Festival and other metropolitan environmental film festivals.  The mission is to showcase films that raise awareness of environmental issues relative to all residents of our planet.  Many of the films are new releases and area premiers.  The 2020 RVA Environmental Film Festival is scheduled for early February 2020 at venues in the greater Richmond community.  Admission to the festival is free and open to the public due to generous community sponsors.  More information on the festival can be found at https://rvaeff.org

Behavior-centered design for the environment training

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Rare Center for Behavior and the Environment
1310 N. Courthouse Road, Suite 110, Arlington, VA, 22201
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 703.522.5070

October 16 & 17, 2019
9:00 am–5:00 pm

Register now

Want the key to unlocking greater impact from your environmental programs?

Environmental and conservation organizations have deep expertise in the natural sciences. But if human behavior is the biggest threat to the environment, we need a better understanding of what motivates people. Join Rare for an interactive behavior-centered design training, and gain tools and techniques for moving people toward more sustainable behaviors.

What is Behavior-Centered Design (BCD)?

A process that blends insights from the behavioral sciences and approaches from design thinking to build breakthrough solutions to environmental challenges.

Who is this training for?

• Conservation and environmental practitioners

• Program designers and policy staff

• Sustainability professionals

Why would a BCD training help you?

• Behavior is at the root of both conservation problems and solutions

• Strategies that incorporate human behavior can achieve larger and lasting impact

• BCD holds the potential for unlocking fundraising opportunities

• It provides a step-by-step process for identifying target behaviors and developing strategies       to achieve them

What will I leave the training with?

• Applicable skills and easy-to-use tools

• Hands-on experience with a behavior-centered design process

• A tutorial on Rare’s behavior change toolkit

• A  membership in a learning network of practitioners