Help clean up Fairfax County Parks April 5th-20th

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Join The Nature Conservancy and Fairfax County Park Authority to clean up your watershed! This spring cleaning will remove tires, plastic bottles, cans and other debris from local waterways, preventing trash from reaching the nation’s largest estuary, the Chesapeake Bay.

1,000 volunteers are needed to help cover 21 parks! This event is ideal for families, service groups, Scouts and individuals.

Dates and locations are subject to change. Registration for the 4th annual cleanup event will open on March 1, 2019.

5 APRIL 2019

Providence RECenter, Falls Church—25 volunteers needed

6 APRIL  2019

Cub Run RECenter, Chantilly—105 volunteers needed
Ellanor C. Lawrence Park, Chantilly—35 volunteers needed
George Washington RECenter grounds, Alexandria—45 volunteers needed
Hidden Oaks Nature Center at Roundtree Park, Falls Church—55 volunteers needed
Hidden Pond Nature Center, Springfield—55 volunteers needed
Huntley Meadows Park, Alexandria—50 volunteers needed
Lake Accotink Park, Springfield—105 volunteers needed
Lake Fairfax Park, Reston—30 volunteers needed
Lemon Road Park, Falls Church—45 volunteers needed
Middleridge Park, Fairfax—45 volunteers needed
Ossian Hall Park, Annandale—45 volunteers needed
Pine Ridge Park, Annandale—45 volunteers needed
Royal Lake Park, Fairfax—45 volunteers needed
Sully Historic Site, Chantilly—30 volunteers needed
Woodglen Lake Park, Fairfax—45 volunteers needed

13 APRIL  2019

Riverbend Park, Great Falls—45 volunteers needed
Scott’s Run Nature Preserve, McLean—30 volunteers needed

20 APRIL 2019

Arrowbrook Park, Herndon—45 volunteers needed
Dulles Rock Hill Park, Chantilly—45 volunteers needed
Merrybrook Run Stream Valley Park, Fairfax—45 volunteers needed

iNaturalist identification party, Feb. 28th

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National Geographic
1610 M St NW,Washington DC 20036
Thursday, 28 February 2019
5:30-8 PM

Be prepared to help with this year’s City Nature Challenge by helping to  identify last year’s iNaturalist observations! The group will meet in the cafeteria at National Geographic. Pizza provided! *Bring a laptop* and any field guides you want to reference.

Enter via the courtyard from M Street. From the courtyard, enter the building on the left, then inside turn left to the cafeteria.

Schedule
5:30-6 Arrival & check in
6-6:15 Welcome & tips for identifying on iNaturalist
6:15-7:30 Identifying observations!
7:30-7:45 Check in on progress, sharing of learning
7:45-8 More identifications, goodbyes

Register here please.

Send us your success stories

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Have you been working on a service project that has a goal?

Have you accomplished the goal or made progress toward achieving it?

Have you been working in concert with others?

Can you recount the accomplishments of your team?

Can you include measures?

Nope, you don’t need to have solved world hunger or addressed climate change all by yourself. Some successes are simply incremental steps toward outcomes that benefit the environment in Fairfax County and northern Virginia.

Every year, FMN reports stories of success to Virginia Master Naturalists. We’d like to share yours.

Whenever you are ready, please compose up to 500 words that relay (in whichever order best suits your story):

  • The name of your project and the service code
  • Its purpose, goals, and current objectives
  • Who’s working on the project–they don’t all have to be FMNers
  • What have you accomplished to date?
  • How do you measure those accomplishments beyond hours spent (e.g., if you planted a pollinator garden, what did it attract over what period of time that’s different from what used to visit that area? In addition to creatures that fly or crawl, did you attract human visitors? helpers? funding to continue? How many? How much?)
  • How much help do you need from chapter members?
  • What might we learn?
  • Why is this activity worth the investment of time?
  • How does it bring you pleasure? Would we have fun, too?

Please send the story and 2-3 photos with captions to [email protected]. A member of the FMN Communications team will be in touch within a few days, and your story will be posted to this site.

Yes, the time you spend on the story counts toward your service hours.

Questions? Again, [email protected]

Participate in CaterpillarsCount! this spring

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Learn about the Fairfax Master Naturalist citizen science project, CaterpillarsCount! (Service code C254 if you’re an FMNer), including the results from last year and plans to continue the project this year. 

FMN efforts are part of a larger study to determine whether seasonal activity of plants, insects, and birds are all responding synchronously to climate change. 

CaterpillarsCount! is part of a National Science Foundation-funded study with University of North Carolina, Georgetown University, and University of Connecticut as lead universities.  Additional volunteers are needed to continue to collect data this year during spring and summer. 

Guest presenters: Elise Larsen, PhD, Georgetown University and Don Coram, PhD, Fairfax Master Naturalist. 

Location:  Walker Nature Center, Reston, VA. 

Date and time:   April 23, 7:00 – 8:00 pm.

The presentation counts toward FMN continuing education credits

Helping your stream through citizen science

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Chapman DeMary Trail, Purcellville VA
Sunday, 10 March 2019
2-5 pm

Join Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy for a stream-side demonstration and discussion examining how citizen science surveys can be used to assess local stream quality. You will see how biomonitoring surveys are conducted. You will have a chance to look at the data and at aquatic macro invertebrates. They will discuss how the data is analyzed and how it can be used to improve our streams. At the end, you will have the opportunity to sign up for a spring survey, led by one of Loudoun Wildlife’s citizen science stream monitoring teams. Registration is limited, RSVP to Loudoun Wildlife.

Sign up for Belvedere Elementary School’s Eco-Day

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Stacey Evers, VMN and Environmental Educator, is looking for master naturalists to present environmental programs to students at Belvedere Elementary School on Thursday, June 6, 2019, as part of their annual Eco-Day. Belvedere is at Columbia Pike and Sleepy Hollow Road in the Bailey’s Crossroads/east Annandale part of Fairfax County and is very close to Arlington. Your preparation time and actual service would apply toward service hours.

Please contact Stacey soonest to engage:

703-346-8530 |greenBELVEDERE.wordpress.com

During Eco-Day, grade levels pre-K-5 will circulate through stations of hands-on activities from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. However, they can accommodate a smaller window of time if needed and would welcome one-time presentations and activities such as hikes and surveys that require specific start and end times. The programs could be as simple as sharing a skull or shell collection, identifying insects with students in the pollinator gardens, or sharing activities related to bird beak adaptations. They are also interested in activities that incorporate art or other disciplines beyond science.

You will receive beverages, lunch, and a table and canopy if you need them. That said, presentations/activities must involve hands-on learning or inquiry and not be static displays.

Zooniverse Citizen Science Projects

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The Zooniverse is a collection of web-based Citizen Science projects that use the efforts and abilities of volunteers to help researchers deal with the flood of data that confronts them. Review or transcribe data from centuries-old logs of whaling ships, listen to bat calls, identify marine invertebrates, or watch a red hawk nest to learn more about their calls and behavior. There are dozens of projects available in a variety of disciplines. To volunteer, just go to the Projects page, choose one you like the look of, and get started.

Deadline for 2019 Mason Bee Monitoring Project: Feb 11

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Volunteers are being sought across all of Virginia to join in monitoring efforts of the declining native blue orchard mason bee, during March to May 2019. Fill out the interest form to be considered for the 2019 Monitoring Project, and feel free to share with friends, fellow VMNs, and neighbors:  https://goo.gl/forms/cg4DTkALU4YpuYd22

If you are interested and your chapter has not yet approved a project for this, download the Mason Bee 2019 Project Proposal here and submit it to your chapter’s Project Chair.

You can also find this, along with all the information you need to know about the project, on the VMN state website on the project’s webpage: http://www.virginiamasternaturalist.org/mason-bee-research.html 

If you have any questions, please contact

Katie LeCroy at [email protected]

Stream Monitoring, Feb. 9th to Mar. 16th

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Prince William (Hooes Run) Water Quality Monitoring Workshop
When: Saturday, 9 February 2019, 10 am-12:30 pm
Where: Castle Ct., Woodbridge VA
Join Veronica Tangiri of Prince William SWCD in monitoring this beautiful site of Hooes Run as it enters the Occoquan Reservior/River area. Chemical and biological data will be collected. Visitors parking lot and curb parking available. Contact Veronica for more information or to register.

Holmes Run Stream Monitoring Workshop
When: Saturday, 16 February 2019, 10 am-12:30 pm
Where: Roundtree Park, Falls Church VA
Join the Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District (NVSWCD) 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.

Pohick Creek Stream Monitoring Session
When: Saturday, 16 February 2019, 1 – 4 pm
Where: Hidden Pond Nature Center, Springfield VA
Join certified stream monitor Susan Demsko in her winter stream monitoring at her site at Hidden Pond Nature Center. Registration is limited. Contact Susan for more information or to register.

Little Difficult Run Stream Monitoring Workshop
When: Saturday, 23 February 2019, 10 am-12:30 pm
Where: Fred Crabtree Park, Herndon VA
Join the Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District (NVSWCD) as they discover aquatic life in Little Difficult 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.

Bryan Branch Stream Monitoring Session
When: Saturday, 23 February 2019, 1 -3 pm
Where: McLean VA
Join a certified stream monitor at this adopted stream to help make a difference in our environment. We will check on the health of one local stream in McLean. County and state officials will use the data you collect to assess the overall condition of our streams and help determine watershed management initiatives. Come learn more and help. Registration is limited. RSVP to Elizabeth Winston.

Holmes Run Stream Monitoring Session
When: Sunday, 24 February 2019, 9 am-12 pm
Where: Near Annandale Road, Falls Church VA
Join certified stream monitor Valerie Bertha in her winter stream monitoring at her site in Holmes Run. Registration is limited. Contact Valerie for more information or to register.

Friends of Accotink Creek Stream Monitoring Session
When: Saturday, 9 March 2019, 9:30 – 11:30 am
Where: Lake Accotink Park, Springfield VA
Join Friends of Accotink Creek volunteers as they assess ecological conditions in a stream, based on the presence and absence of bottom-dwelling invertebrates. Meet at the parking lot behind Lake Accotink Park Administrative Building. See additional stream monitoring information on the Friends of Accotink Creek website.

Cub Run Stream Monitoring Workshop
When: Sunday, 10 March 2019, 10 am-12:30 pm
Where: Cub Run Stream Valley Park, Centreville VA
Join the Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District (NVSWCD) as they discover aquatic life in Cub 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.

Prince William (Cedar Run) Stream Monitoring Workshop
When: Saturday, 16 March 2019, 10 am-12:30 pm
Where: Evergreen Acres Farm, Hazelwood Dr., Nokesville VA
Join Veronica Tangiri of the Prince William Soil and Water Conservation District for citizen science monitoring. Come and learn more about the health of this stream and how it interacts with agriculture as it joins the Occoquan River. Contact Veronica for more information or to register.

Spring Stream Cleanup Events, Feb. 18th to Mar. 16th

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Americana Drive Stream Cleanup
When: Monday, 18 February 2019, 10 am-2 pm
Where: Americana Drive, Annandale VA
Join the Fairfax County Restoration Project in their efforts to clean up Americana Drive! Gloves, vests, and trash bags will be provided. Student community service hours are available through the Friends of Accotink Creek. Please sign up so the organizers can prepare enough supplies.

Quantico Creek Stream Cleanup
When: Saturday, 23 February 2019, 9 am-12 pm
Where: Dumfries Elementary School, Dumfries VA
Join Prince William Soil and Water Conservation District for a Quantico Creek cleanup in the Town of Dumfries in support of water quality awareness and plastic prevention. This event has been organized as part of the commemoration of the history of the Town of Dumfries. Cleanup supplies will be provided. Dress well for the weather and put on boots. Register with Sonnie Coffey.

2019 Big County Spring Stream Cleanup Launching
When: Saturday, 2 March 2019, 9 am-12 pm
Where: Eagles Park, Woodbridge VA
Promote water quality and plastic pollution awareness around the newly constructed Woodbridge Boardwalk. Join the water quality awareness campaign and give a treat to this scenic site of the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail. Prince William County residents are invited to come out en mass at Eagle Park in Woodbridge. To register, please visit Prince William Trails and Streams Coalition website.

Bull Run Tributary Stream Cleanup
When: Saturday, 16 March 2019, 9 am-12 pm
Where: Manassas VA
Join the Merrimac Farm Master Naturalists, Friends of the Square, Keep Prince William Beautiful, and other Prince William County partners to keep the stream corridor near the Bull Run Shopping Center clean under Prince William Soil and Water Conservation District’s (SWCD) Adopt-A-Stream program. Great for student community service hours. Light refreshment will be provided. Volunteers should come dressed for the weather, with boots and clothes they don’t mind getting dirty. Learn more and RSVP to Prince William SWCD.