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Volunteer for children’s program at Hidden Oaks, 8 Sept

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Hidden Oaks Nature Center needs a naturalist to assist with a program for children and their parents on Saturday, September 8, 6:30-8:15 pm.  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, [email protected] or 703-941-1065.

(If you’re recording your service hours, use E110: FCPA Nature Programs. Include the number of attendees in the Contacts field.(

Join the Fairfax Master Naturalist chapter workday at Hidden Oaks, September 8!

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Hidden Oaks graciously allows Fairfax Master Naturalists to host chapter meetings in their nature center at no cost. Each season, the chapter expresses its appreciation by sponsoring an FMN Chapter Work Day.

Join FMN members as they manage invasives, maintain trails by spreading wood chips, and plant natives in the wildflower garden.

Coffee, juice, and bagels served. Please park at the Packard Center lot. Participants will be meeting at the Native Wildflower Garden. Eligible for service hours (S109).

Saturday, 8 September, 9.00AM-Noon

Questions? Email Bob Dinse or call 201 738-4560

Find service opportunities with the Fairfax County Parks

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New education, stewardship, and citizen science projects for Fairfax Master Naturalists have just been added to the Service Project Calendar. (If you are reading this and are not yet a naturalist, please consider applying for basic training.) You can also find opportunities by contacting the parks directly: Hidden Oaks, Huntley Meadows, Riverbend, Ellanor C. Lawrence, Frying Pan, Green Spring Gardens, Hidden Pond, and Cub Run RECenter all have opportunities for FMN members. Here’s a small sampling:

Spring-Fest at Historic Sully, 21 April, 9:45am–4pm – assist with interactive nature experiences at FCPA table

Meaningful Watershed Education Experiences, Hidden Oaks, 3, 4, 5, 6, 27 April; 1, 2, 3, 4 May 9:15am -1pm – assist at stations including stream studies, stewardship, benthic macroinvertebrate study or live animal exhibits for 7th grade classes

My Sky Tonight Campfire, 7 April, 7-9:30 pm, Hidden Oaks – assist with family campfire program about constellations

Touch this Fox, 28 April, 12-2:30, Hidden Oaks – assist with family program where participants can touch real specimens and bones, educate about taxidermy and specimen care, dissect an owl pellet

Habitat and Parkland Management, dates & times flexible – perform maintenance of trails and other natural resource protection projects, such as with native wildflower garden or storm damage cleanup

Animal care, dates & times flexible – feed and care for animals on exhibit.  Animal care volunteers are needed at Hidden Oaks, Hidden Pond, Ellanor C. Lawrence and Riverbend.

To volunteer for Hidden Oaks programs, contact Suzanne Holland, [email protected] or 703-941-1065.  For other locations, contact the nature center or park.

Did you miss the FMN March chapter meeting? Gotcha covered

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The crowd at the 19 March chapter meeting at Hidden Oaks asked and got the answer to an important question: Can you eat the

mushroom called Amanita bisporigera (Destroying Angel)? The answer: Only once.

We can’t help with the voice track for the rest of the Q&A, but Penny Firth and Robin Firth have graciously allowed us to share their presentation, What’s That Mushroom?

Enjoy the fungi pix, and be sure not to miss the next FMN chapter meeting: Sunday, 20 May, 4.30-6 pm, St. Dustan’s Episcopal Church, 1830 Kirby Road, McLean. We’ll congratulate the spring 2018 graduates and hear from our community.

Hidden Oaks Nature Center Needs Volunteers for Family Activities in March

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Hidden Oaks Nature Center has many opportunities for volunteers. Here are a few:

Full Moon Hike and Campfire

2 March, 7-8.45 pm

Help the resident naturalist with an outdoor hike and campfire prep and clean up. You have the option to lead part of the program at campfire, including story telling.

Flying Squirrels Gliding in Tonight

11 March, 6.15-8.00 pm

Help a naturalist with a program on gray vs. flying squirrels and see live squirrels at the feeders.

Dinosaur Egg Hunt

25, 29, 30 March, 1 April, 9.30-4.00 pm

Come help with one or more of their dinosaur egg hunts, each 45 min. Volunteers will help lead a short indoor presentation, and/or the craft and/or the egg hunt in Nature Playce. This event enjoys a highly-diverse audience. No candy distributed.

For all activities, contact Suzanne Holland at [email protected] for details and to volunteer.

Hidden Oaks Nature Center, 7701 Royce ST., Annandale, VA 22003