Green Breakfast: Three Things You Can Do to Change the World, Mar. 14th–CANCELLED!

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In an abundance of caution and uncertainty over the spread of COVID-19, this event is cancelled. The speaker will make her presentation at the July 11, 2020 Green Breakfast.

Brion’s Grille
10621 Braddock Rd, Fairfax, VA 22032
Saturday, 14 March 2020
Breakfast begins at 8:30 am, $10 at the door, cash preferred.
No prior registration required.

Ever wonder what you can do to make the biggest impact locally and globally? The scale of environmental issues can be overwhelming and make it difficult to convince ourselves that any changes we make will make a difference. How do our individual efforts contribute to a collective impact? Join Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District for a warm breakfast and hear from Jen Cole, Executive Director, Clean Fairfax, who will share three things you can do to reduce your local and global footprint, including ways of reducing dependency on disposable items.

Clean Fairfax began as a litter control task force in 1978, established by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to implement an anti-litter campaign. In 1985, the organization became a private nonprofit.

Funding for the program comes from statewide taxes provided by manufacturers, wholesalers, and distributors of 15 product categories. As a recipient of a non-competitive state grant, Clean Fairfax Council educates the citizens of Fairfax County, Virginia on litter prevention and control, supports the county recycling program, discourages graffiti, promotes sustainability and provides environmental education to residents, businesses and students.

Breakfast includes an all-you-can eat hot buffet with fresh fruit and coffee, tea, orange juice or water. No prior registration required. If you have any questions, please contact the Northern Virginia Soil and Water at [email protected].

Gardening for Earth Renewal

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Article by Plant NOVA Natives staff

How does your garden renew the earth? Vegetable gardens, flower gardens, conventional landscaping and even container gardens can all contribute to a connected landscape that supports our local birds and butterflies. By restoring native plants and avoiding chemicals, together we can heal the damaged landscape we have created with our buildings, sterile lawn, and green-but ecologically-useless plants from other continents.

The wildlife of the East Coast evolved in concert with the complex mixture of trees and understory plants that covered most of the land in the past, plus smaller areas of meadows and wetlands. Turtles, birds, frogs and fireflies all suffer when those hundreds of species of plants are replaced by a monoculture of lawn and a few specimen shrubs. And biodiversity all but disappears when those few plants consist of species that were introduced from elsewhere, as is the case with turf grass (which is from Europe), Japanese Barberry, English Ivy, and many other commonly sold plants, some of which have become invasive and taken over our remaining natural areas.

The antidote is clear: plant more plants, and make sure they are native species! The first step is to look at any nearby natural area and figure out how your property might expand its habitat value and reduce the fragmentation that interferes with the movement of animals. Are you near woods? How about adding more trees and shade-loving shrubs and ground cover? After all, they say that shade gardens are the gardens of the future, because it will be too hot to want to spend much time in the sun! Or perhaps your yard receives your neighbor’s runoff which can be turned into an asset by deep-rooted plants that soak up the excess water and recreate a butterfly-filled meadow. Or perhaps you are lucky enough to have a lawn in full sun that could be used for a raised vegetable bed. Those vegetables are unlikely to be native plants, but the bed will absorb runoff much better than lawn, and you can improve your crop yields by adding a nearby sunny flower garden that draws in the pollinators.

It doesn’t matter whether you want to change or to keep the general appearance of your property – if you prefer, you can achieve the same general look by simply substituting native plants for introduced ones. What we should change is our understanding of how our land functions. You need not settle for a yard that is an empty hole in the map that excludes its natural residents. Rather, your home can become part of what Doug Tallamy, in his newly-released Nature’s Best Hope, is calling our future “Homegrown National Park.” If enough of us make some relatively easy changes to our yard practices, we can knit together our properties into a thriving environment where people and nature live in harmony. Now, in this time of trouble, we can renew the Earth. Find out how at www.plantnovanatives.org/gardening-for-earth-renewal.

Huntley Meadows: Preserving Native Plants, program April 9th–CANCELED!

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Photo: Barbara J. Saffir (c)

Green Spring Gardens
4603 Green Spring Road, Alexandria
Thursday, 9 April 2020
7:30 – 9pm

David Lawlor will discuss the recent Natural Resource Management activities at Huntley Meadows Park including the newly revised Natural Resource Management Plan based on Natural Vegetation Communities found in the park. He will review the quality and types of Huntley Meadows Park Natural Vegetation Communities, as well as the monitoring and protection efforts for the rare plant communities and rare plants found in the park. David will also speak about the surveys and research being conducted at HMP to enhance the understanding of the ecosystems being protected.

David Lawlor is a native of Fairfax County growing up in Annandale, VA. He graduated with a B.S. in Biology from George Mason University. David has over 20 years of experience in the field of Natural Resource Management planning and implementation. David worked as the Fairfax County Assistant Wildlife Biologist for six years and has been the Natural Resource Manager at Huntley Meadows for over 15 years.

Presented by Virginia Native Plant Society, Potowmack Chapter.
Lecture is free and open to the public.

Outreach and communication internship with Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute. Deadline March 8

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Project: Changing Landscapes Initiative

Project Description

The Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) is offering an internship in outreach and communication as part of the Changing Landscapes Initiative (CLI). CLI’s mission is to combine scientific rigor with community wisdom to help secure a vibrant and healthy future for people and wildlife. The goal is to provide local land use planners with insights into the potential future of the region as informed by conservation science. In this way, CLI provides relevant information for supporting strategic decision making that balances the diverse needs of people and the environment that supports them.

Apply here

Learning Objectives

In this internship, the selected intern will learn, expand, and refine skills essential for community outreach—including event planning, logistics, and conservation communication—by assisting with the execution of CLI’s communications strategy and preparation of stakeholder meetings throughout late spring/summer. The intern will gain first-hand insight into how science is communicated, especially in the context of influencing policy. They will have the opportunity to meet individuals from a variety of NGOs and government agencies and learn how these different groups interact with each other. The intern will also be able to improve their skills in public speaking, writing and design by contributing to outreach communications materials and presentations. The intern’s work/schedule will be active and diverse, ranging from digital to intrapersonal communications requiring travel.

Skill Building Opportunities

Interns will have the opportunity to learn and develop skills and experience in community outreach by:

  • Communicating with a network of current project stakeholders
  • Searching for new stakeholders and integrating them into the project network
  • Collaborating in the coordination of meetings, including developing presentation materials and keeping meeting minutes
  • Helping draft and define communications strategy to inform stakeholders and the public about project initiatives and results
  • Seeking out opportunities to share project initiatives and results with NGOs and academic organizations
  • Traveling for intrapersonal partnership-building meetings with communications lead
  • Aid with development and public delivery of presentations with the communications lead
  • Helping prepare status reports, documenting ongoing activities, current schedule trend, challenges, events, and project requirements 

Who Should Apply

Interns with the following will benefit the most from this opportunity:

  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills with strong interpersonal skills to engage effectively with internal team members and external stakeholders
  • Organized and self-motivated individuals, able to handle tight deadlines with strong multi-tasking and prioritizing abilities.
  • Independent and team-oriented experience for a collaborative project
  • Adaptable to a dynamic environment and its challenges with a flexible personality and strong problem-solving skills
  • Working knowledge of Microsoft Office applications and computer proficiency
  • Project management certification or previous experience in program management and communications
  • Strong strategic thinking and planning skills
  • Ability to work independently and remotely
  • Experience working effectively with both governmental agencies and private parties
  • Experience using database and/or visual graphics software (Access, Publisher, InDesign)

Stipend

$1500 per month.

Terms Of Appointment

6-month full time (40 hrs/wk) internship. Internship will consist of remote digital work, in-person meetings, and at times weekly travel within Virginia and D.C. Anticipated start date in April 2020.

Requirements

Valid driver’s license

Location 

The Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute is located at the north entrance of the Shenandoah National Park about 60 miles west of Washington, D.C., in Front Royal, VA.

Often, the intern will travel to other parts of Northwestern Virginia, Washington D.C. or the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center in Edgewater, MD for meetings.

Application Deadline

March 8, 2020 11pm EST

Apply here

Fairfax County Regional Science and Engineering Fair needs judges, March 21st–CANCELED! FCPS closed until April 10th

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Robinson Secondary School
5035 Sideburn Road, Fairfax VA
Saturday, 21 March 2020
7:30 am – 12 pm

Be an organizational judge for Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District’s special award at the Fairfax County Regional Science and Engineering Fair! Overall, each year 250 judges are required to evaluate over four hundred science fair projects in a wide variety of categories ranging from plants sciences to physics and astronomy. Of course the ones for this award will relate to NVSWCD’s work.

Master naturalists receive service hour credit using code E155.

For more information and to volunteer, contact Tessa Bennett.

Be a Citizen Scientist at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts! Bluebird and Purple Martin monitors needed. Training March 15th

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Orientation and Training
Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts
1551 Trap Road, Vienna, VA 22182
Sunday, 15 March 2020
1:00 to 3:30 pm

The National Park Service and Friends of Wolf Trap, would like to enlist the help of a team of volunteers who would form a Bird House Monitoring Team to monitor and maintain the Bluebird boxes and Purple Martin housing at the Park. No experience is necessary, as volunteers would be provided with training and guidance by our lead bluebird trail volunteer, Mr. Dale Thornton. Volunteers would learn about Bluebird stewardship efforts, including how to monitor the nest boxes, nest identification, and collecting and reporting nesting data to track population trends. In addition, volunteers would receive training from Mr. Mike Bishop of the Northern Virginia Purple Martin Initiative who will provide an overview of the Purple Martin and the process for monitoring and maintaining the colony.

The bluebird and purple martin monitoring season typically starts in late March and continues through August.  Nests are monitored on a weekly basis during the spring/summer nesting season and volunteers will help with box repair and maintenance during the off season, on an as-needed basis.  A team of trained monitors who will work on a rotating basis throughout the season and continue next year and into future seasons.  Ideally, each trained volunteer would be on a three- or four-week rotation; however, the monitoring schedule and associated details will partly depend upon how many people choose to volunteer.

The interested volunteers should be adults who have received the appropriate training and hands-on experience monitoring bluebirds on the Wolf Trap bluebird trail.  Children under the supervision of the trained volunteer monitor are welcome to assist the volunteer while they are conducting their monitoring duties.

Interested volunteers please sign up here. For more information, contact Allen Hoffman (Friends of Wolf Trap and FMN)

Master Naturalists may receive service hours at S263, Wolf Trap Stewardship Projects.

Derelict Crab Traps and How Volunteers Can Help

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2020 VMN Continuing Education Webinar Series

When: Wednesday, March 4, 2020, 12:00 pm

Meeting Number: 863-745-357

Link to Join: Join Webinar

Link for recordings of this and past webinars:

VMN Continuing Education Webinar page

Reminder – We still have our February webinar on February 25, discussing feral swine management. Information on that is on the CE Webinar page.

Description
Derelict fishing gear represents a major challenge to marine resource management through deliberate abandonment or accidental loss. Derelict crab traps in particular have significant negative effects, both economic (e.g., reduced fishery harvest from ghost fishing and reduced efficiency of active gear) and ecological (e.g., crab, fish and other animal mortality). This webinar will discuss the derelict crab trap issue in the Virginia portion of the Chesapeake Bay, the recent commercial waterman removal effort, and how volunteer Citizen Scientists can help.

Volunteers who are interested in participating in this project in the 2020 season should request approval from their chapter now, because the period for marking and removing traps ends March 14, 2020. Volunteers must register with the project, be 18 years of age, have a smartphone, and have an email address. For additional information and registration, visit the Crab Trap page. We have a project proposal form that you can take to your chapter available here.
Presenter
Kirk Havens received his B.S. in Biology and M.S. in Oceanography from Old Dominion University and a Ph.D. in Environmental Science and Public Policy from George Mason University. He is a Research Associate Professor, and Assistant Director of the Center for Coastal Resources Management at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science. He also serves as a collaborating partner in the William & Mary School of Law, Virginia Coastal Policy Center. His research has spanned topics as diverse as hormonal activity in blue crabs to tracking black bears and panthers using helicopters and thermal imaging equipment. His present work involves wetlands ecology, adaptive management processes, marine debris, micro-plastics, and biopolymers. He hosts the VIMS event “A Healthy Bay for Healthy Kids: Cooking with Virginia’s First Lady” and the public service segments “Chesapeake Bay Watch with Dr. Kirk Havens”. He serves as the gubernatorial appointee to the Chesapeake Bay Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee and is a past chair of the Committee. He was originally appointed by Gov. Warner and re-appointed by Governors Kaine, McDonnell, McAuliffe and Northam. He also serves as the chair of the Leadership Council for the North Carolina Albemarle Pamlico National Estuary Partnership. He lives in King & Queen County, Virginia with his wife, Karla, and son Kade where he serves as the chair of the County Wetlands Board.

Honor and Recognize individuals who have advanced Earth and space science

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Nominate your peers for an AGU honor

The nomination cycle for 2020 AGU honors is now open. Nominate a colleague, peer or student today.

AGU honors

  • Union Awards recognize individuals who have demonstrated excellence in scientific research, education, communication, and outreach.

    Union Medals are the highest honors bestowed by AGU, recognizing individuals for their scientific body of work as well as their sustained impact within the Earth and space sciences community.

    Union Prizes are given jointly with non-profit, for-profit, government, or NGO entities, and include funding to recognize individuals who showcase excellence in scientific research or communication.

    Union Fellows have attained scientific eminence through achievements in research, as demonstrated by a breakthrough or discovery, innovation in science or the development of methods and instruments, or sustained impact.

    Section Awards recognize outstanding work within a scientific field with nearly 30 named lecture presentations and 40 awards and prizes.

Job opportunity: Interview fishermen!

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The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF) is seeking to fill a position at Burke Lake Park, 7315 Ox Road, Fairfax Station VA. It is a Creel Clerk job and requires interviewing fishermen. It is a temporary position, hourly wage of $15/hour or maybe a bit more, no benefits.

The job entails 24 hours per week average with heavy weekend commitment. The season is April through September. The schedule is already set, but small adjustments can be made as needed. Retired folks interested in being outside and/or fishing who enjoy interacting with the public are welcome to apply!

Interested persons please contact John Odenkirk at (540) 845-9661.

Ornithology Topics: Avian Biology, Spring Session (The Study of Birds)

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National Wildlife Federation
11100 Wildlife Center Drive, Reston, VA 20190
Tuesdays, 24 March – 5 May 2020
7 – 9 pm
Cost: $250 ASNV members, $275 non-members

Join Dr. Chris Haney for a new class, “Ornithology Topics: Avian Biology, Spring Session.” There is no prerequisite for this course and it does not repeat the Audubon Society of Northern Virginia’s fall session of Ornithology but offers all new material.

This course is designed and presented at an introductory, university level in 6 parts, with each classroom session 2 hours long. Ornithology Topics: Avian Biology will feature major underpinnings to ornithology within the fundamental context of U.S. national history. Topics covered in Part 2 of this class will encompass: bird song; avian diet and foraging; mate selection and social behaviors of birds; breeding biology (incubation, chick-rearing, post-natal care); bird populations; and avian conservation and sustainable management. Instructional presentations will include PowerPoint slides, auditory or video supplements, and some in-class participatory exercises. Each night’s classroom lecture will be made available to all participants in PDF format by the following day.

Required textbook: Manual of Ornithology: Avian Structure and Function, 1993, Procter and Lynch, ISBN-10: 0300076193

Optional textbook: Handbook of Bird Biology (Cornell Lab of Ornithology), 3rd edition, 2016, Lovette and Fitzpatrick, ISBN-10: 1118291050

Recommended supplement: The National Geographic Society’s Field Guide to the Birds of America, The Sibley Guide to Birds, or a similar guide for field identification

Register here.