Join Earth Sangha for a Pull-a-thon at the Marie Butler Leven Preserve this weekend! The group is going to continue to focus on pulling mile-a-minute and Japanese stiltgrass from the woodland edge. It’s crucial to remove these invasives now before they set seed.
Marie Butler Leven Preserve, 1501 Kirby Road McLean, VA 22101
Friday, Saturday, and Sunday 10-12 August 2018
9 am – 12 pm
For more details, click here.
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.
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.
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
On Saturday, August 11, 1:00PM-4:00PM, join Dr. Steve Roble, zoologist with the Virginia Division of Natural Heritage, for a program on dragonfly and damselfly biology and identification. Dragonflies are some of the most mysterious and beautiful animals that live at the Clifton Institute. And northern Virginia is a hotspot of dragonfly diversity, with at least 65 species present.
Steve Roble is a leading expert on the dragonflies and damselflies of Virginia. He will present on the fascinating biology of these insects and then we will explore the field station in search of dragonflies. We will visit lakes, streams, and fish-free vernal pools, each of which host distinct dragonfly communities. So far we have observed 34 species of dragonflies and 14 damselflies at Clifton.
Clifton Institute has a project on iNaturalist to host your observations.
Come help us add to the list! To RSVP please email Bert Harris at [email protected].
The Clifton Institute is hosting its 23rd annual butterfly count and celebrating its 16th year in collaboration with the North American Butterfly Association July count. They need novice and experienced butterfly enthusiasts to serve as citizen scientists. As a participant, you will be assigned to small teams, led by an experienced butterfly counter. Teams will survey a variety of sites within our count circle.
What you need to know:
Saturday, July 28, 8:00AM-4:00PM (Check-in begins at 8 am with refreshments. Volunteers should be on site no later than 8:30)
$5 fee for participating adults; children 8 and older may participate (fee waived), when accompanied by a parent
Bring your lunch and spend the day. Outdoor clothing and shoes, hats, sunscreen, and water bottles are essential. Cameras and close focus binoculars are suggested. (If you are a photographer, please let us know. We would like to place one photographer on each team!)
Contact Bert Harris at [email protected] for more information and to RSVP (required).
Volunteering to lead a storm drain labeling project is a fun way to give back to the community and help protect our natural world. Each project focuses on a neighborhood, informing people who live there about the dangers of dumping anything into a storm drain. Storm drain labeling is an effective, low-cost method of educating residents about water quality problems in our streams, lakes, rivers and the Bay. The Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District is currently recruiting volunteers to lead storm drain labeling projects. Click here for more information.
Sunday, 8 July 2018
Prince William County Stream Monitoring Session: Woodbridge
Time: 11 am – 1:30pm
Location: Off of Springwoods Dr, Woodbridge
Join certified volunteer monitor Janis Cook at her adopted site along Airport Creek in the Lakeridge neighborhood. For directions and to RSVP, please contact Janis at [email protected].
Saturday, 14 July 2018
Pohick Creek Monitoring Workshop: Springfield/LortonPohick
Time: 9 – 11:30 am
Location: Pohick Creek Stream Valley Park, Springfield
Help monitor big and beautiful Pohick Creek as it winds through its rocky valley just north of I-95 and Lorton. Please RSVP to Dan Schwartz at dan.schwartz
Sunday, 15 July 2018
Prince William County Stream Monitoring Session: Haymarket
Time: 10 am – Noon
Location: James Long Park, 4603 James Madison Hwy, Haymarket. Park at the Old Library parking lot.
Join longtime certfied volunteer monitor Elaine Wilson at her beautiful adopted site on Catharpin Creek in the Gainesville area. This site has some outstanding and unique critters. Spots are limited. For information and to RSVP, contact Elaine at elaine.wilson
Saturday, 28 July 2018
Reston Association Stream Monitoring Workshop: Reston
Time: 8 am
Location: Reston Association Property, exact stream to be determined
Join Will Peterson of the Reston Association and help monitor the health of one of the many beautiful streams on Reston Association common land. Please contact Will at wpeterson
Saturday, 28 July 2018
Difficult Run Stream Monitoring Workshop: Great Falls
Time: 9:30 am
Location: Difficult Run Stream Valley Park near Leigh Mill Rd
Help monitor beautiful Difficult Run as it flows through leafy parkland just upstream of Great Falls National Park. For more information or to RSVP, please contact Dan Schwartz at [email protected] or use Fairfax County’s online Volunteer Management System (initial registration required).
Sunday, 29 July 2018
Stream Monitoring Session: South RunSouth
Time: 1:30 – 4 pm
Location: Parkland behind South Run Rec Center, 7550 Reservation Dr, Springfield
Join certified volunteer monitor Veronica Tangiri as she monitors her adopted site along beautiful and healthy South Run as it flows under a leafy canopy of trees between Burke Lake and Lake Mercer. Please RSVP to Veronica at vera.tangiri
Founded in 1997, the Earth Sangha is a nonprofit public charity based in the Washington, DC, region. Their mission is ecological restoration as a form of socially engaged Buddhism. Volunteers come from a wide variety of backgrounds, and the work is secular and science-based.
In the DC area, they operate a volunteer-based program to propagate local native plants, restore native plant communities, and control invasive alien plants. The Wild Plant Nursery is the region’s most comprehensive effort to propagate native plants directly from local forests and meadows. Nursery and office addresses are different. Click here for directions to the Wild Plant Nursery.
The summer nursery workdays are Sundays, Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 9 AM to Noon. Please be sure to bring a water bottle and stay hydrated. There is no indoor space, air conditioning or even fans at the nursery. Keep a close eye on the volunteer calendar. For safety reasons, they may have to cancel volunteer workdays and nursery hours on short notice because of high temperatures, poor air quality, and thunderstorms. Contact Matt Bright, Conservation Manager, to RSVP to volunteer or for questions or concerns at [email protected] or at his cell: 703-859-2951.
Volunteers can help with watering, weeding, pot preparation, transplanting, and sowing seed. Gloves and tools will be provided.
In addition to environmental work, Earth Sangha hosts weekly meditation sessions in Alexandria, Virginia, along with discussions of what it means to live in a responsible way. These sessions are free and open to all.
Earn FMN service hours by volunteering as a stream monitor at Holmes Run in Annandale. Participants will collect live samples of benthic macroinvertebrates, then sort, count and report on their findings to determine the stream’s current health. No previous experience is required.
If you are interested, please contact Valeria Bertha at [email protected] for more details. For master naturalists: This ongoing project is listed in the service project catalog as: C020 – NVSWCD Biological Stream Monitoring.
Holmes Run, Annandale
Sunday, August 5
9.00AM-12.00PM