Managing larger properties for birds, butterflies, and people

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Photo and article by Plant NOVA Natives

The outdoor space on larger properties in Northern Virginia, whether residential or commercial, is typically divided into formal landscaping close to buildings and natural areas at the periphery. New practices are emerging on how to manage both areas, practices that protect the ecosystem and support the birds and the butterflies while better satisfying human needs.

The natural areas between properties are an important amenity, providing visual barriers and sound buffers while capturing stormwater and reducing flooding. Looking around, it is evident that those natural areas are often being left to take care of themselves. The result is that they are steadily degrading as the native trees are displaced by invasive non-native trees and are directly killed by invasive vines. The shrubs and ground layers are equally damaged by invasives species at those levels. Many of these invasive plants originate from the landscaped areas where they had been planted before people knew to do otherwise. Preserving trees and habitat in both areas requires taking out the invasives and replacing them with native species, of which numerous options are available.

Some other tweaking is also needed to common landscaping practices. To name a few examples, piling mulch against the trunks of trees causes the bark to rot. Blowing the fallen leaves out from under trees destroys the cover where fireflies and many butterflies overwinter. Leaf blowers with two-stroke engines pour pollution into the air and are loud enough to damage workers’ ears. Outdoor lighting can adversely affect birds, insects and plants. Spraying insecticides kills the bees and caterpillars even more than the mosquitoes they are intended to target. Simple solutions are available to mitigate all these problems.

Professional property managers and community managers negotiate the contracts with landscaping companies and can work with them to adjust their services. Details of the various options for both landscaped and natural areas can be found on the Plant NOVA Trees website in a section specifically for professionals. www.plantnovatrees.org/property-managers Please spread the word to the managers of any properties where you live or work.

The Volcano Near Fairfax County

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A photograph of Mole Hill as seen along Route 33.

Article and photo by FMN Stephen Tzikas

When I travel to the Society of Amateur Radio Astronomers (SARA) annual conference every summer at the Greenbank Observatory in West Virginia, I drive along Route 33 just past Harrisonburg, VA, the home of James Madison University (JMU). It’s a rural road, but something unusual is found there – a volcano. It’s called Mole Hill, quite inactive today, but nearly 50 million years ago magma thrusted upwards to the surface through cracks in the lithosphere. The tree covered Mole Hill as seen today is made of remnants of the cooled magma column, eroding at a slower pace than the sedimentary rock around it. That resistant rock that supports the peak is a volcanic plug of olivine basalt. This basalt is dark greenish gray to grayish black, medium grained, and moderately porphyritic. Mole Hill is one of the youngest volcanoes on the east coast of North America. Mole Hill has a height of nearly 1,900 feet above sea level. Another extinct volcano, Trimble Knob, is a little closer to the Greenbank Observatory and a little farther from Fairfax County.

Dr. W. Cullen Sherwood of JMU, who passed away in 2016, gave a brief account of Mole Hill and its geology at the following link: https://csmgeo.csm.jmu.edu/geollab/vageol/outreach/fieldtrips/rockingham/molehill.html

His illustration gives the reader an idea of how Mole Hill may have originally appeared.

Mole Hill is mentioned in the Roadside Geology of Virginia book by Keith Frye. The books in the Roadside Geology Series are an excellent way to explore the geology around us when we travel along roads through different states. These books are available through Amazon.com.

 

Richmond Virginia Environmental Film Festival Contest, deadline January 15, 2023

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The 13th annual Richmond Virginia Environmental Film Festival (RVA EFF) is announcing the 2023 Virginia Environmental Film Contest. Experienced filmmakers or those who want to give it a try for the first time are welcome!

The contest is open to Virginia filmmakers submitting films on environmental topics focusing on Virginia. A juried panel will select the winning films and announce them on February 15, 2023 on the website, RVAEFF.org and through a press release. Prize money will be awarded to the filmmakers as follows:

$800 + Laurel Logo – First Place
$100 + Laurel Logo – Best Teen Submission (13-18)
$100 + Laurel Logo – Best “Environmental Call to Action”

Last year’s film winners include Headwaters Down, Breathing Life back into Richmond, Canaries in the Coal Mine, and Girl. For more information on these winners and other honorable mentions, go to the film contest page at RVAEFF.org

“With approximately 1,600 people attending last year’s virtual festival, we know what the power of these films can do to inspire positive changes in ourselves and our communities.”

-Scott Burger, a founding organizer of the festival

All films are to be submitted November 16 through January 15, 2023 through FilmFreeway, a website where filmmakers submit their films to hundreds of film festivals. Filmmakers will find full details regarding contest rules and deadlines and how to submit their film at: filmfreeway.com/RVAenvironmentalfilmfestival. Selected winners will be shown on Sunday, March 18, 2023 (tentative) at The Byrd Theatre.

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 RVAEFF.org

For questions specific to the Film Contest, email: [email protected]

Our mailing address is:

RVA Environmental Film Festival

5314 Dorchester Rd

Richmond, Virginia 23225

Earth Sangha Seeks Conservation Interns

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Earth Sangha is looking for two 2023 Full Season Native Plant Conservation Interns to assist at the Wild Plant Nursery and on restoration sites. Interns will assist in the day-to-day operations of the region’s only exclusively local ecotype native plant nursery and engage in restoration activities on field sites including invasives removal and native plantings. Learn about Northern Virginia’s native flora, horticultural skills, and become part of a grassroots effort to conserve and restore our native plants and their habitats. Our full season internships are term-limited positions, running January through December with a schedule of about 20 hours a week. Internship positions pay $16 an hour. Internship positions are eligible for comprehensive health insurance coverage. See https://www.earthsangha.org/staff for more information.

Take the Parks, Recreation, Open Space, and Access Survey

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The Fairfax County Park Authority is in the midst of developing the Parks, Recreation, Open Space, and Access (PROSA) Strategy. PROSA’s scope encompasses the entire park system. It will examine and identify 10-minute walk access gaps to FCPA parks, evaluate complete park experiences, analyze habitat connectivity between environmental corridors, and analyze and prioritize recreation needs and projects with an equity lens.

The outcomes of PROSA will inform our CIP, land acquisition and many other decisions once completed next year. Community input is very important for this project, so they’re asking for your assistance to complete the survey and get the word out as they are just beginning their community engagement efforts.

They invite you to take the online community survey: FCPA Parks, Recreation, Open Space, and Access Strategy – PublicInput.com. The survey is open through December 11, 2022. It’s also available on the project website: Parks, Recreation, Open Space, and Access (PROSA) Strategy | Park Authority (fairfaxcounty.gov).
Your support is greatly appreciated. For additional information on the project, or for questions and feedback, please contact them at [email protected].

Volunteers Sought for Frying Pan Farm Park

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Photo: Fairfax County Park Authority

Frying Pan Farm Park
2739 West Ox Rd, Herndon

Frying Pan Farm Park is installing a beetle bank / pollinator strip between a pasture fence and the vegetable garden.  The Beetle Bank will provide overwintering habitat for beneficial insects, as well as pathway for visitors to enjoy.  The park would appreciate one or two volunteers to be the point people to maintain the garden.  Tasks would include weeding – especially during the summer, coordinating donations of echinacea purpurea (purple coneflower) plants this fall or next spring, and mulching in the fall.  If you are interested, please email: Marjorie.Landis@fairfaxcounty.gov

Make Room for Turkeys! November 20th

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Photo courtesy of the National Wild Turkey Federation, A female (hen) wild turkey in front of a male (tom)

Sunday, November 20, 2022
3-4 pm

ELLANOR C. LAWRENCE PARK LOCATION
Visitor Center & Amphitheater
5040 Walney Road
Chantilly, VA, 20151


Fee: $8.00
Register here.

Turkeys are native to the Americas and have been everything from decorative to Thanksgiving centerpiece. They’ve been here for 10 million years but how can you make sure they have a place here for a million more? Find out more about the role of turkeys in different cultures and how important habitat restoration will make room for turkeys!

Beginner Lichen Identification Workshop, December 17th

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Photo/Image: Clifton Institute Beginner Lichen Identification Workshop

Saturday, December 17, 2022
1-3 pm

The Clifton Institute
6712 Blantyre Road, Warrenton, VA
38.775154, -77.798197

$10 ($8 for Friends of the Clifton Institute)
Register here.

Lichens: part algae, part fungi, all mystery! Did you know that we have more than 400 species of lichens in our region and that many of them can be identified with a little practice and a hand lens? Lichens in our area are diverse in their appearance, in where they grow, and in how they reproduce. The northern Piedmont is a great place to learn lichens because we have a fascinating blend of mountain and coastal plain species. The 900-acre Clifton Institute hosts at least 75 species, including some mature forest specialists like the Shaggy Fringe Lichen.

In this program, lichenologist and mycology teacher at George Mason UN Dr. Natalie Howe will teach us the basics of lichen biology and then lead us on a walk around the field station to see how many species we can find. No experience with lichens is necessary.

Stream Cleanups, Invasive Removal and Habitat Restoration, and Stream Monitoring Activities for November and December

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Photo: Stream monitoring, Pohick Creek.  by J. Quinn

Stream Cleanups

There are dozens of calls for community action and volunteering, particularly for stream cleanups across the county and region, but here is one you may be interested in.

Surveys

Join these efforts to track biodiversity in the region by conducting surveys, monitoring nests, and more!

Invasive Removal and Habitat Restoration

Join these efforts to remove invasive species, repair trails, and otherwise beautify natural spaces!

  • Habitat Restoration- Friends of Accotink Creek – Klub Kudzu- reoccurring Mon/Thu/Fri in November and December, varying times and locations

  • Habitat Restoration Eakin Park – Friends of Accotink Creek– Saturdays December 3/10, Eakin Park in Annandale 

  • Invasive Plant Removal- Plant NOVA Natives– Tree Rescuers vine ID hands-on training opportunity- Wednesdays/Saturdays in November, varying times and locations

  • Invasive Plant Removal –Friends of Dyke Marsh– November 19 and December 3/17,10:00am- 12:00pm

Stream Monitoring

*NVSWCD Supervised Event*

VASOS Field Exam for Stream Monitoring Certification
When: Friday, November 11, from 3:00-5:00pm OR Saturday, November 12, from 1:00-3:00pm
Where: Wolftrap Creek Stream Valley Park, Vienna
This event is for volunteers taking the field exam only! If you are interested in becoming a certified stream monitor, click here for detailed steps and FAQs. Although it is not required, it is highly recommended to attend a workshop to get some field experience before taking this exam.

More Training and Stream Monitoring Opportunities

The Northern Virginia Water and Soil Conservation District (NVSWCD) is very excited to contribute their stream data to state and national datasets. If you’d like to see data from all the NVSWCD regional stream monitoring team’s active sites, you can find our organization on the Clean Water Hub. Keep in touch with NVSWCD on our Facebook and Instagram.

 

ASNV Project FeederWatch Workshop with Greg Butcher, November 22nd

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Photo: Northern Cardinal by Alexis Hayes

Tuesday, November 22,2022
7:00 PM – 8:00 PM

Workshop is virtual
Workshop is FREE

Please click here to register. 


Project FeederWatch is the easiest citizen science you will ever do!

From the comfort of your home, you simply count the winter birds that visit your feeders and report your data to Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

This FREE workshop will cover a bit of Project FeederWatch history, its purpose, tips for identifying birds, and the protocols to be followed while counting. After the presentation, your identification skills will be tested with a Kahoot!

Greg Butcher is a Ph.D. ornithologist and Audubon Society of Northern Virginia (ASNV) board member. In addition to the U.S. Forest Service, Greg has worked for the National Audubon Society, American Birding Association, Partners in Flight, Birder’s World magazine, and Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Greg is a lively and informative public speaker and interpreter for bird conservation and ecology worldwide.