Posts

Native Southern Flying Squirrels Webinar, February 17th

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Photo (c) by Barbara J. Saffir

Wednesday, February 17, 2021
7 pm
To receive the Zoom link, register at [email protected] and put “Flying Squirrels” in the subject line

Join the Friends of Dyke Marsh for a presentation by naturalist, Kim Young and explore the often hidden life of the native southern flying squirrel (Glaucomys volans). Learn how to look for them, their adaptations for nocturnal living and the truth about their ability to “fly.”

Wetland Ecology, Webinar 8 September

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Tuesday, 8 September 2020
7:30 pm

Dr. Christian Jones of George Mason University’s Potomac Science Center will give a presentation titled “Wetland Ecosystems in the Mid-Atlantic: Types, Functions and Threats.” Hosted on Zoom by the Friends of Dyke Marsh, registration required in advance. To sign up, please email [email protected] and put “September 8 program” in the subject line and your name in the body of the email. Free.

Wildlife Conservation in a Changing World: Can Wildlife Adapt?, a talk Nov. 13th

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Huntley Meadows Park
3701 Lockheed Blvd., Alexandria VA
Wednesday, 13 November 2019
7:30 pm

Climate change is happening now. Even if we drastically reduce emissions soon, changes will continue into the future because greenhouse gases already emitted can stay in the atmosphere for decades. How will this affect wildlife? Can wildlife adapt? What can we do to help? Climate change on its own, and in combination with other stresses, may push many species to their limits. Climate change can adversely affect wildlife, for example, when the life cycles of interdependent species get out of sync and when rising coastal waters flood nesting sites. Too little or too much precipitation can stress whole ecosystems. Dr. Sally Valdes will explore how climate change is affecting wildlife and offer some steps for addressing this threat.

Dr. Valdes has a Ph.D. in aquatic ecology from Cornell University with minors in natural resource policy and ecosystem ecology. She worked for almost 25 years as a biologist in several federal government agencies. Since retiring, she has taught an environmental health and a wildlife ecology class. As a federal employee, Dr. Valdes served on an advisory group that developed the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Climate Change and Wildlife Science Center and was responsible for integrating climate change concerns into environmental reviews of proposed federal projects.

The program is sponsored by the Friends of Dyke Marsh.

The Songs of Insects, A Talk and Walk, September 11th

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Norma Hoffman Visitor Center
Huntley Meadows Park, 3701 Lockheed Blvd., Alexandria, VA
Wednesday, 11 September 2019
7 pm

The Friends of Dyke Marsh invite you to a presentation that will explore the world of singing insects using nature images and sound recordings. You’ll learn where to find these insects, how to identify them by looks and songs, how and why they sing, and how you hear their songs. Their speaker will be Wil Hershberger, an avid naturalist, nature photographer, nature sound recordist, and co-author of the book “The Songs of Insects.”

The talk will be followed by a walk, beginning at 8 pm, to listen for singing insects. The number of people on the walk is limited to 20, so if you want to go on the walk please register in advance by sending an email to [email protected]. Registration will be on a first-come, first-served basis. (No registration is needed to attend the talk.)
This program is cosponsored by the Potowmack Chapter of the Virginia Native Plant Society. It is free and open to the public. An informal social, beginning at 6:30, will precede the presentation.

Help FODM remove invasive plants, July 8th & 22nd

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Dyke Marsh Wildlife Preserve
Haul Road Trail
Mondays, 8 July and 22 July 2019
9 am

Friends of Dyke Marsh must remove plants like mile-a-minute, Japanese stiltgrass and garlic mustard so that these invasives do not outcompete the more than 3,500 plants FODM put in in 2018. They will help you identify the target plants (no more than 5) and show you what to do. Volunteer whatever time you can and if the heat becomes unbearable, we can stop.

Please let them know if you can help. They will have some gloves and tools, but it would be helpful if you could bring your own gloves, clippers and loppers. Bring water, wear sturdy shoes, long sleeves and pants and sun protection. You might want to bring insect repellent. Meet at the native plant site along the Haul Road trail just past the second bench on the west side of the trail.
Please RSVP to [email protected].

Sea Level Rise, Its Impact on the Potomac River Shoreline Ecosystems, May 15th

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Norma Hoffman Visitor Center, Huntley Meadows Park
3701 Lockheed Blvd., Alexandria Virginia 22306
Wednesday, 15 May 2019
7:30 pm
FODM will host an informal social gathering at 7:00 p.m. before the event.

Join the Friends of Dyke Marsh to hear Geoffrey Sanders, a National Park Service (NPS) biologist, give a presentation on the impact of sea level rise on Dyke Marsh and other shoreline communities based on modeling of several scenarios. His study concluded that “significant habitat changes are likely at Dyke Marsh as a result of rising water levels,” including changes in vegetation.

From 1900 to 2017, sea levels rose about a foot and a half along the Chesapeake Bay, according to scientists at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. An Old Dominion University study, “Climate Change, Global Warming and Ocean Levels,” assumes a mid-range estimate of a 3.7-foot increase in sea level rise by 2100. Former Governor Tim Kaine’s Commission on Climate Change in 2008 predicted that sea levels in the Chesapeake Bay region will be 2.3 to 5.2 feet higher by 2100.

The program is sponsored by the Friends of Dyke Marsh and cosponsored by the Environmental Council of Alexandria, the Northern Virginia Conservation Trust, the Four Mile Run Conservatory Foundation, and the Potomac Riverkeeper Network.

Raptor Rapture

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Belle Haven Park, Alexandria VA
Saturday, 20 April 2019
10 am – 12 pm

Friends of Dyke Marsh, Secret Gardens Birds and Bees, and the National Park Service will “host” live raptors.  Free. Learn more.