August stream monitoring activities: Attend and help

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Join volunteers throughout Fairfax County who monitor water quality in local streams. The Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District trains volunteers to assess ecological conditions in streams based on the presence and abundance of benthic macroinvertebrates (aquatic insects). Volunteers also learn how to take chemical measurements about nitrate/nitrite and turbidity. Training includes indoor and field workshops and mentoring by experienced monitors.

Sunday, 19 August 2018

Stream Monitoring Workshop: Reston
Time:  1:00 – 4:00pm
Join Will Peterson of the Reston Association as he guides you through the monitoring protocol on one of the many beautiful streams that flows through Reston Association’s natural areas. For more information and to RSVP, please contact Will.

Saturday, 25 August 2018

Stream Monitoring Workshop: Cub Run, Centerville
Time:  9-11:30am
Come out to Cub Run in Centerville, VA to learn more about benthic macroinvertebrates and how they can be used to determine the water quality of a stream. RSVP to Dan Schwartz or register through Fairfax County’s Volunteer Management System.

Sunday, 26 August 2018

Stream Monitoring Workshop: Wolftrap Creek, Vienna
Time: 1 – 4pm
Join Certified Volunteer Monitor Ho Yeon Jeong and the Conservation District at Ho Yeon’s adopted site along Wolftrap Creek in the Town of Vienna. Help monitor the health of this restored urban stream, a few miles upstream of its namesake performing arts center. Please RSVP to Dan Schwartz for directions and instructions.

Mosquito Prevention: Tip and toss that water

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A teaspoon.

That’s all the water a mosquito needs to breed. After all the rain we’ve had, please walk around your homes, look on your apartment balconies and examine your neighborhood common areas to tip and toss standing water.

Here are 12 prime locations to check:

  1. Buckets, watering cans, bottle caps or any trash that can hold water
  2. Corrugated pipes for downspout drainage
  3. Bird baths and pet water bowls
  4. Potted plants with saucers
  5. Children’s toys
  6. Tarps on woodpiles and garden equipment
  7. Grill and patio furniture
  8. Read more

Watch August VMN Continuing Ed webinar: Forest Health in Virginia, 16 August

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Access for streaming the 2018 Virginia Master Naturalist videos is now available. Michelle Prysby will restore access to earlier videos, starting with 2017, later this month.

To watch any of the 2018 videos now and the earlier videos later in August, see VMN’s Continuing Education web page.

The August webinar will be on Forest Health in Virginia, with Virginia Department of Forestry’s Forest Health Manager, Lori Chamberlin.  It will take place Thursday, 16 August, at noon. 

For master naturalists, watching the VMN webinars counts toward continuing ed credits.

National Zoo Kid’s Farm looking for volunteers

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The Smithsonian’s National Zoo’s Kids’ Farm exhibit is home to domestic animals rather than exotic animals or wildlife. Volunteers will be trained to perform keeper aide tasks, such as preparing diets, cleaning enclosures and creating enrichment items. Additionally, unlike any other program at the Zoo, volunteers will also be trained in interpretation techniques, including interacting with the general public, giving public demonstrations and educating visitors about environmental issues.

Shifts are available daily from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Volunteers must be able to commit to at least one four-hour shift every other week for a minimum of one year.

Age Range: 

18+

Commitment: 

long-term

Special qualifications: 

Volunteers should be physically fit and willing to work in all types of weather, as the Kids’ Farm animals are housed outdoors and in a large barn. Volunteers should be interested in learning about and caring for a variety of domestic animals, such as cows, alpacas, chickens and donkeys as well as interacting with Zoo guests about environmental issues. Some animal care experience is preferred but not required.

Training: 

Once provisionally accepted, volunteers must complete mandatory online and in-person orientation and training. Additional training will be provided on the job. There is a probationary period for all volunteers.

Location: 

Washington DC

Status: 

Open

Category: 

Education

Zoo Support

Contact phone: 

202-633-3061

Additional information: 

These positions are highly competitive, and there are limited spaces available. Submission of an application is not a guarantee of placement. Applicants will be interviewed by unit staff, and those who are provisionally accepted will undergo background checks, including fingerprinting, as a requirement for approval as a volunteer. Once accepted, volunteers must submit proof of required vaccinations, including tetanus and a negative TB test, to the Zoo’s health unit.

Please note: It is the Zoo’s policy that individuals who keep venomous animals in personal collections will not be accepted as volunteer keeper aides.

Apply here

Seven Myths About Rain Gardens

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A rain garden is a great way to handle runoff on your property, but it is important to do it right. Rain gardens serve the dual purpose of improving landscape aesthetics and draining stormwater in an environmentally friendly and natural way. Whether you are planning to install a rain garden at home or simply curious about the process, Fairfax County’s Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District teaches about some common myths and misconceptions about rain gardens.

Virginia Master Naturalist Photo Contest Update

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Author: Michael Reinemer

Telling stories and connecting dots about the natural world in Virginia are among our roles as Virginia Master Naturalists. Photographs can speak volumes about the flora, fauna, landscapes and our volunteer work in the Commonwealth.

So Fairfax Master Naturalists was pleased to receive a treasure trove of terrific images from members for the 2018 Virginia Master Naturalist photo contest. Selected entries from Fairfax Master Naturalists will be submitted for the state competition.

Milkweed seed, Kent Gardens Park, VA. Photo by Fred Siskind.

Beyond the contest, these types of photos help us spread the word about conservation, stewardship, and the wonders of nature we get to see up close.

A big thanks to contributors this year, including Michael Fox, Ana Ka’ahanui, Tami Sheiffer and Fred Siskind.

If you have photos about your FMN experience or Virginia’s natural world that you wouldn’t mind sharing with the public via FMN, feel free to send them to us with a caption and photo credit.

Paint Nite for the Blue Ridge Wildlife Center

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BlueRidge Wildlife Center is hosting a Paint Nite in the Ronald M. Bradley Learning Center, and invites the community to come paint with local artist Carol Erikson and the staff of BRWC.  Prior to painting, you can visit with their Wildlife Ambassadors.

Blue Ridge Wildlife Center, 106 Island Farm Lane, Boyce, VA

Saturday, August 18, 2018

7 – 9 pm

BYO refreshments. Water is available, but all guests are encouraged to bring drinks and snacks for the event.

Tickets are $45 per person which covers all supplies.

$15 of each ticket will go toward Blue Ridge Wildlife Center’s rehabilitation work.

The deadline for purchasing tickets is August 4th, 2018.

Go to the Paint Nite website to sign up for this fun event!

Apply for Earth Sangha plant grant

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The Earth Sangha Plant Grant supports small-scale, citizen-led restoration efforts across Northern Virginia. Twice a year, they accept applications for restoration projects on public lands in need of local-ecotype native plants. They then offer a matching grant on plants purchased (essentially a buy-one, get-one free offer) good for one season up to a certain dollar amount. No project is too small, whether it’s a community-led invasive pull, or a larger project with multiple partners, they want to support thoughtful restoration efforts on public lands.

More info and application

Aid in native plant rescue, 21 July

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Friends of Accotink Creek invites you to help rescue native plants in the path of a stream restoration project along Flag Run. Be prepared to take your plants away for replanting at home or other authorized location. Bring trowels, shovels and buckets.  Sturdy work shoes, long pants, and long sleeves are recommended. Water and work gloves will be available.  RSVP here.

Elgar Street between Ravensworth Road and Juliet Street, Springfield, VA

Saturday, 21 July 2018

10 am – 1 pm

Learn about dragonflies in Reston, 26 & 28 July

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Dragonflies are fascinating and colorful insects with bizarre behavior.  An educational program on dragonflies will be offered in Reston on July 26 and 28, 2018.  The program consists of a class on the biology, conservation, and identification of local dragonflies followed by an opportunity to observe dragonflies in the field.   The class will be taught on Thursday, 26 July 2018 by Ken Rosenthal, Park Naturalist, Arlington County Department of Parks and Recreation, Gulf Branch Nature Center, and Don Coram, Fairfax Master Naturalist, Class of Fall 2016.  The field observations will be held on Saturday, 28 July 2018, going out from the Walker Nature Center.  A dozen or more different dragonflies may be observed.  The class and field observation are free if you do both; the class is $5.00 if you just take the class.  To register, sign up on the Reston website, www.restonwebtrac.org, or call the Nature Center, 703-435-6530.

Walker Nature Center

11450 State Rte 4721, Reston, VA 20191

Class:  Thursday, 26 July 2018

7-8:30 pm

Field observations:  Saturday, 28 July 2018

9:45 am-1 pm