On 29 September 2018, Visitor Services Manager Suzanne Holland thanked Fairfax Master Naturalists for their many contributions to the Park Authority and Hidden Oaks. The 10th anniversary celebration of FMN stewardship highlighted the chapter’s work on behalf of the limited impact development parking lot, the native gardens, and Nature Playce, the children’s playground. More than 125 visitors attended the festivities.
Hidden Oaks Nature Center
7701 Royce Street, Annandale, VA
Saturday, September 8, 2018
6:30-8:15 pm
Assist with a nature program for children and their parents. Program includes hearing animal bedtime stories, meeting live animals, and wishing goodnight to the center’s live animals. To volunteer or for more information, contact Suzanne Holland at [email protected] or 703-941-1065.
Master Naturalists, record your service hours as E110: FCPA Nature Programs. Include the number of participants in the Contacts field.
Want to share your love of nature with children and families? Great opportunities are coming up this fall for Master Naturalists and other interested volunteers. Here’s a sampling:
Meaningful Watershed Education Experience, Hidden Oaks, Sept. 26 & 27, 9am-12:24pm; Oct. 2, 3, 4, 5, 17, 18, 24, & 25, 9:15am-12:45pm. Assist at stations including stream studies, stewardship, benthic macroinvertebrate study or live animal exhibits for 7th grade classes. Contact Kim Young, [email protected].
Fear-less Fest, Hidden Oaks, Oct. 27, 5:30pm-9:15pm. Join as a trail leader or costumed creature explaining away their scary reputations, or lead a craft. Light supper provided. Contact Fiona Davies, [email protected].
Monarch Tag and Tea, Hidden Oaks, Sept. 9, noon-4pm. Assist with crafts and monarch butterfly tagging. Can do part of presentation, if desired. Contact Fiona Davies, [email protected].
Nature Playce Celebration, Hidden Oaks, Sept. 29, noon-5pm. Hidden Oaks celebrates outdoor play and environmental stewardship at the 10th anniversary of Nature Playce and the watershed-friendly parking lot. Lead a craft or activity station. Can volunteer for a minimum of two hours. Contact Fiona Davies, [email protected].
Plants and Trees for Child Care Professionals, Hidden Oaks, Oct. 13, 7:30am-12:45pm. Prepare crafts in advance or assist on the day for Office for Children Institute of Early Learning workshop on native plants and trees for up to 50 licensed child care professionals. Contact Suzanne Holland, [email protected].
Master Naturalists can record hours for the programs above as E110: FCPA Nature Programs.
Find more opportunities by contacting a Fairfax County nature center or park near you. Hidden Oaks, Huntley Meadows, Riverbend, Ellanor C. Lawrence, Frying Pan, Green Spring Gardens, Hidden Pond, and Cub Run RECenter have a wide variety of volunteer needs in nature programs, citizen science and stewardship.
The Fairfax County Park Authority will celebrate National Parks & Recreation Month with free open house events across Fairfax County on July 21st. Stop by one of the eight free events and find that “A Lifetime of Discovery” awaits you in Fairfax parks.
Tours of Colvin Run Miller’s House
Various times
Multiple parks throughout Fairfax County
The Fairfax County Park Authority’s Discovery Trail Map features 12 sites across the park system that give children and adults the chance to discover each park’s special features. There’s a game built into the activities, so prizes are a possible outcome (e.g., bicycles, mini-golf, a carousel, train, tour boat, pedal boat, camping, wagon ride, RECenters and a boat rental).
This year’s free summer activities highlight the rich diversity of wildlife you’ll see in Fairfax County parks.
This program was cancelled due to low registration.
8511 Greeley Blvd., Springfield VA
Sunday, April 22nd, 10.00 am-12.00pm
Explore the stream valley and pond at Hidden Pond Nature Center with a tackle-the trash hike, critter talk and Earth Day craft. Give back to Mother Nature by appreciating and beautifying the park. Cost: $8 per person. Register and learn more here.
5040 Walney Road, Chantilly VA
1.00 – 4.00 pm, Sunday, April 22nd
Come and celebrate Earth Day at Ellanor C. Lawrence Park! Learn how plastics affect our environment and our park. Explore what we can do to reduce, reuse, restore and recycle through walks, talks and games.
This free program runs from 1 to 4 p.m. For more information, call 703-631-0013. Learn more.
Saturday, April 14th, 10.00 am to 3.00 pm
Riverbend Park, 8700 Potomac Hills St., Great Falls, VA
See the first signs of spring’s arrival, the carpet of Virginia Bluebells throughout the forest! These breathtaking beauties usher in springtime by carpeting the park’s floodplain with their magnificent blooms. The bluebells are so abundant in some areas you can’t see an end! Enjoy wildflower walks, face painting, live animals, moonbounce, and music. There will also be food vendors, crafts, the longhouse to explore, puppet shows and wagon rides. The cost is $7 per person in advance; $9 at the door. For more information, call 703-759-9018 or learn more here.
The Fairfax County Park Authority and the Fairfax County Park Foundation invite you to vote for Fairfax County parks in the National Recreation and Park Association’s “Meet Me at the Park” Earth Month Campaign. The locale that receives the most nominations will receive a $20,000 grant to improve a local park.
For the fourth year in a row, the NRPA is collaborating with The Walt Disney Company–including Disney|ABC Television Group and ESPN–to help fund local park improvement projects across the country through the national “Meet Me at the Park” Earth Month campaign. The city that receives the most nominations during the month of April will receive a $20K grant to improve a local park. From April 1 to April 30, 2018, visit Meet Me at the Park website to nominate Fairfax, Va. At the end of April, the city with the most nominations will receive the $20K grant funding. Everyone who submits a nomination will be entered into a drawing for a GoPro Prize Pack.