Clean the Bay Day, June 7th

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Saturday, June 7, 2025
9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

This short, three-hour annual event has a massive cumulative impact. Since the event began in 1989, this Virginia tradition has engaged more than 165,500 volunteers who have removed approximately 7.18 million pounds of debris from our land and waterways.

The 36th annual Clean the Chesapeake Bay Day event takes place on Saturday, June 7, 2025, from 9 a.m. to noon at sites all across the Chesapeake Bay watershed in Virginia. Volunteer registration will open in April. If you would like to be contacted when registration opens, join the email list.

Clean the Bay Day could not be the huge success that it is without everyone joining together and lending a hand. Check out the photo album. Watch the video to see why so many people participate.

Ready to go one step further? Each cleanup site needs a Zone Captain. It’s easy! You simply check in volunteers and report back data. Webinar training and other resources will be provided. Contact us at [email protected] if you would like more information.

In 2024, more than 3,680 volunteers and 60+ CBF partners gathered at over 200 sites across Virginia. Thanks to their hard work more than 82,200 pounds of debris were removed from parks, beaches, rivers, streets, and lakes.

City Nature Challenge – Washington DC Metropolitan Area, April 25th – May 4th

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Image: citynaturechallenge.org, Washington DC metro area

Friday, April 25 – Monday April 28, 2025 take photos of wild plants and animals

Tuesday, April 29 – Sunday, May 4, 2025 identification of what was found

Do you like observing nature? Make your observations count! The City Nature Challenge is an adventure in metropolitan areas worldwide to discover and identify wildlife. You will be looking for signs of life in parks, neighborhoods, and backyards to see what plants and animals share our environment. Join the City Nature Challenge and become a citizen scientist!

Everyone in the Washington DC metropolitan area with access to a camera and the internet can observe wildlife for the Challenge. Anyone worldwide can help with identifying your finds!

Upcoming Fairfax County Stream Monitoring Opportunities

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Photo: J. Quinn

The Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District (NVSWCD) monitors several streams throughout Fairfax County during their scheduled stream monitoring workshops throughout the year. These workshops engage volunteers in collecting data, with scheduled monitoring sessions at least twice a year at each location.

NVSWCD trains volunteers to assess ecological conditions in streams based on the absence/presence of benthic macroinvertebrates (aquatic bugs and other critters). Training includes field workshops and mentoring by experienced monitors, no prior experience required!

Volunteers can assist at different levels of commitment. You may choose to participate in one or a few NVSWCD public stream monitoring workshops, or you may become a certified stream monitor to adopt your chosen stream and commit to monitoring it at least twice a year.

There are three shifts scheduled thus far –

  • March 11, from 10am-1pm at Sugarland Run in Herndon
  • March 16, from 9am-12pm at Pohick Creek in Springfield
  • March 20, from 3-6pm at Difficult Run in Great Falls

Minimum age: 12  (All volunteers under 18 years of age must be accompanied by an adult.)

To sign up, please log in to Volunteer Fairfax and search for stream monitoring.

To learn more about NVSWCD and their activities, see their page here: https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/soil-water-conservation/volunteer-stream-monitoring

Contact Ashley Palmer for more information at 703-324-1423 or [email protected].

Jerry Nissley

Volunteer Opportunities at Hidden Oaks Nature Center

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Photo: By FMN Jerry Nissley, Hidden Oaks Nature Center

The Hidden Oaks Nature Center staff are looking for volunteers to fill these two positions.

Volunteer on Duty – Weekdays and Sundays

If you love nature and enjoy talking to people, consider volunteering at Hidden Oaks Nature Center’s front desk. You will welcome visitors, orient them to the park, answer questions, and check in program participants. This is an opportunity to learn about the natural resources of the county and share your knowledge.

Weekdays:  Shifts are 9am-1pm or 1pm-5pm

Sundays:  Shifts are 12pm-5pm, every other week

 Program Aides

Assist Hidden Oaks with teaching the public, especially kids, and have fun doing it.  Included is learning all about the local environment and nature during our programs, while on field trips, or at tabling events.  This is a wonderful opportunity for anyone with a passion for the outdoors and a drive to help instill your passion on a new generation.  Opportunities may be intermittent and based on events and registration.

If interested, please contact the Hidden Oaks volunteer coordinator at [email protected].  Thank you!

 

 

Seed Cleaning at Earth Sangha, Various Dates

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Photo: Earth Sangha

Earth Sangha Office at 5101-i Backlick Road, Annandale VA 22003
Sundays 2/2, 2/9, 2/16 & 2/23 and Mondays 2/3, 2/10, & 2/24
9 am – 12 pm
Register here to volunteer.

After a busy year of seed collecting, it’s time to go inside for some seed cleaning! Take a seat around the table and help Earth Sangha clean stems and chaff from the seeds their staff has collected from wild local eco-type plants (with permission!). The seeds will be sown, grown at their nursery, and the new plants will eventually make their way to restoration sites and private lands. These events will take place inside and can result in dust/allergens so if you have a sensitive respiratory system it may be a good idea to bring a mask.

If you have any questions about volunteering at the office, contact Maddie at [email protected] or call 703.859.2951.

Green Spring Gardens – Volunteers Needed

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Green Spring Gardens, a Fairfax County Park Authority park, is looking for additional volunteers starting with the upcoming season.

Green Spring provides field trips for kids from PreK-4th grade on weekdays in the spring and fall. Field trips include fascinating topics like Metamorphosis and More, Soil Secrets, Fantastic Flora and Fauna, Virginia Ecosystems and others. Volunteers lead nature walks or attend stations that focus on topics such as Botany Lab, Water Cycle Station, Food Web, Animal Adaptations, Soil Lab, and more. FMN volunteers can log at least 2 hours per field trip. Any necessary training will be provided.

Green Spring Gardens will host field trip information sessions and trainings on February 18, 19 and 20 from 10-12:30 at Green Spring Gardens. It is only necessary to attend one session, but you are welcome to come to as many as you’d like.
Volunteers can log hours in Better Impact using code E110 FCPA Educational Nature Programs – Fairfax County Park Authority.

Please contact Pam Smith at [email protected] to learn more about the various opportunities and sign up for February training.

Green Spring Gardens
4603 Green Spring Road
Alexandria, VA 22312
703-642-5173
www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/green-spring

Cover Photo – curtesy of FCPA

Green Spring Gardens

Green Spring Garden Seeking Gardeners

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Photo: Courtesy of Green Springs Garden

Join the Green Spring Gardeners to help keep them growing and enhance garden grounds for visitor enjoyment and education. Additional volunteer gardeners are welcome to help the horticulture teams. As a volunteer gardener, you will assist with all phases of gardening including propagation, transplanting, mulching, weeding, watering and harvesting.

Qualifications:

  • Basic horticulture knowledge
  • Previous hands-on gardening experience
  • Interest in the stewardship of the county’s natural and cultural resources
  • Gardening requires lifting, bending, and stooping (you should be able to lift 25-30 lbs)
  • You will work in teams, so it is important that you work well with others and maintain a positive attitude
  • Minimum age: 18

If selected as a volunteer, you will be required to attend a site orientation and on-the-job training as required. Mandatory Volunteer Outdoor Safety and Power Tools/Equipment Training will be provided.

Hours of operation are on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings. Volunteer gardeners would commit to three hours per week for a period of four months.

Location: 4603 Green Spring Rd, Alexandria, VA 22312

You can sign up through the Volunteer Fairfax Site: https://volunteer.fairfaxcounty.gov/custom/1380/opp_details/187124

For more information about Green Spring Gardens: https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/green-spring

Project Learning Tree – How to get Involved

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Project Learning Tree® (PLT) is an international program that works with thousands of teachers each year, giving them award-winning environmental education curriculum materials and training to help them weave the environment into their everyday lesson plans and take their students outdoors to learn.

Virginia PLT is sponsored by the Virginia Department of Forestry, Virginia Forestry Association, and the Virginia Tech College of Natural Resources & the Environment. Project Learning Tree is one of the cornerstone environmental education curricula and its current guides contain activities that are engaging, hands-on, & aligned with the state’s education standards.

VMN is working to build volunteer involvement in Project Learning Tree, which is a fantastic environmental education curriculum for youth. Involvement by VMN volunteers can include taking the PLT educator workshop (learning to use the curriculum for youth programs), taking the PLT facilitator training (learning to train other educators, such as fellow VMN volunteers in how to use the curriculum), facilitating programs for youth using the curriculum, and/or giving training workshops for other educators (for those who complete the facilitator training.)

To this end, our FMN Chapter has approved PLT as a CE Provider and established Activity Service code E003: Project Learning Tree Facilitator.
FMN CE hours may be recorded for taking the required training and then service hours may be recorded for actually preparing material and teaching the curriculum.

Project Learning Tree has two components where VMNs can be involved:

1. The educator workshops are eligible for continuing education hours per the discretion of the local chapter. Those are offered around the state at various times throughout the year.

2. Part two is adding an Outreach service code for trained PLT instructors for when they actually teach course criteria. They can’t teach until they have been trained. PLT sessions could be arranged with schools or county nature centers.

Educator Workshops may also be arranged for a specific chapter, which segues to the ‘big ask’ of this article. FMN Wendy Cohen, is a certified facilitator and has volunteered to lead a workshop for our chapter. PLT likes to have at least ten people attend these workshops. Because of the preparation required to develop a chapter workshop, FMN would like to gauge the potential interest of our membership.

FMN is targeting the workshop for the February/March 2025 timeframe.

FMN is not asking for a commitment at this time but if there is potential interest on your part to participate in a workshop, please respond with a ‘Yes, I am interested in a workshop in [Feb or Mar or either]’ to the following email address:

Jerry Nissley (Hours co-chair) – [email protected]

Results will be communicated in January 2025.

Acknowledgements:

Cover photo by Kara Zimmerman – Bigleaf Magnolia leaf found by Isaac. Kids love nature programs.

Difficult Run Stream Valley Park Habitat Restoration in Oakton! December 7th

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Photo: FMN J. Quinn

Saturday 7, 2024
2:00pm – 4:00pm

Sign-up information

Oakmont Rec Center
3200 Jermantown Rd, Oakton

 

Did you know that invasive plants are a huge threat to local wildlife, including migrating birds? Help out these creatures by volunteering to remove invasive plants and restore habitat!

Through removal of invasive plants, you’ll help restore natural habitats for wildlife in Fairfax County, while spending time outdoors & meeting new people. All ages are welcome. Meet in the parking lot of Oakmont Rec Center, 3200 Jermantown Rd, Oakton

Additional Information

Duties:
Volunteers will manually remove invasive plants and plant native species. Thank you for your interest in volunteering with the Park Authority. In working to ensure everyone’s safety, we are following current CDC guidelines. If you are not feeling well, please stay home!

Qualifications:
No prior experience necessary, a short training and introduction will be provided at the beginning of every opportunity. Registration for IMA workdays must be submitted by 3pm on the Friday prior to a weekend workday and by 12pm on the day prior to a weekday workday. Volunteers 11 years old and under must be accompanied by an adult.

Purpose:
To restore parkland through the removal of invasive plants and planting of native species.

Benefits:
Volunteers will immediately be able to see how their efforts have had a positive impact on parkland. Volunteers will make parks they volunteer at more aesthetically pleasing and improve the quality of habitat for local wildlife.

Help Tackle Invasive Plants, Dec. 7th and 21st

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Photo: Ned Stone, A Dyke Marsh inlet.

 

Saturdays, Dec. 7th and 21st, 2024
10:00 am to 12:00pm

If you wish to participate, please send an email to [email protected]

Meet at the Haul Road trail entrance bench.

Haul Road Trail directions and parking: GPS coordinates: 38.777739, -77.050540 South of Alexandria off the GW Memorial Parkway at
the sign for Dyke Marsh Nature Preserve and Belle Haven Marina. Click here for directions.

Help protect native plants by pulling and clipping invasive plants. Members of the FODM will train volunteers to identify the five or so target plants. They kindly ask that you not bring pets. Invasive plants can threaten and outcompete native plants.

Bring gloves, hand clippers and water. Instructions, examples and trash bags will be provided.  Wear long sleeves and pants and sun protection. Some tools will be available to share. They will cancel if lightning or severe storms are anticipated.

For sessions beginning at 10 a.m., if it is raining at or after 9 a.m. on the day of the session, the session will be cancelled.

For more information: Volunteer/Help – Friends of Dyke Marsh