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Unintended Consequences

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Many of our Fairfax County parks, NoVA Parks, and even our local state park (Mason Neck) have active Trail Steward Programs. They vary in responsibilities from physical trail maintenance to passive monitoring and reporting on trail conditions and nature interpretation for park visitors.

Photo – FMN Jerry Nissley

Trail Stewardship is one way to provide a greatly valued service to your favorite park. Our parks appreciate the efforts of their volunteers and most parks REALLY appreciate VMN/FMN volunteers because they have gone through training in conservation of natural resources and they tend to have a genuine passion for nature.

FMNs interested in Trail Steward or Trail Monitoring programs in the Fairfax County Park system can simply call your local park or search the Volunteer Fairfax opportunities site. For NoVA Parks, there are a few existing programs and you may contact Rachel Doody, Park Manager Potomac Overlook Regional Park & Winkler Botanical Preserve – rdoody@nvrpa.org for more details. For Mason Neck, please call the park and ask for the Volunteer Coordinator. A few stalwart FMN even volunteer as trail crews on segments of the Appalachian Trail via the Appalachian Trail Club. And yes, FMN has service codes for each opportunity.

So you may be wondering why this article is titled, Unintentional

Huntley Meadows Mushrooms – photo FMN Jerry Nissley

Consequences? Primarily, because I find that for every intentional action taken  volunteering with nature projects there are potential unintentional consequences that manifest by developing a deeper appreciation of  a specific “place”. Volunteering at one or two parks on a consistent basis, experiencing seasonal change, immersed in multiple ecosystems, the volunteer learns the phenological cycles of the park – the heart beat. For example, Fall reveals the glorious pallet of natural colors, and up sprout fungi – nature’s decomposer. The pulse slows.

Winter bares the bones of the forest and marks a period of rest for much of the flora and fauna. Reserving energy, blood flow, to sustain itself through the cold. Spring ushers in an explosion of  new life to wetlands, meadows, and forests showing us ephemeral plants, the migratory patterns of birds, micro-fauna, and the treasures found in vernal pools. The pulse quickens.

Thunderstorm over Barnyard Run, Huntley Meadows – photo FMN Jerry Nissley

Summer displays lush growth and the ability of nature to flourish through heat and harsh environmental events. The beat is strong.

I am fortunate, and at times blessed, to participate in various Stewardship and Educational programs at Mason Neck and, admittedly my favorite park, Huntley Meadows. Each park offers beauty, serenity, solitude, and an inner satisfaction that reaches new heights of appreciation as more time is spent understanding the heart beat of each.

Mason Neck offers Trail Steward programs that include clearing trails and reporting large trail obstructions to park staff in addition to the more casual Trail Monitoring.

Bumble bee and clear wing hummingbird moth – photo FMN Jerry Nissley

Huntley Meadows offers Trail Monitoring, designed more as an interpretative trail service for visitors. We count visitors, report trail conditions, answer ad hoc visitor questions, and provide interpretation of nature within the park. Huntley is a unique FCPA park, in that it has three ecosystems – hardwood deciduous forest, meadows, and a non-tidal, hemi-marsh wetland. The boardwalk snakes its way around the wetland with additional trails that lead through the forest and around the meadows.

Green Heron ready to strike at Huntley Meadows – photo FMN Jerry Nissley

Being there on average six or seven times a month all year long provides such insight into the various macro- and micro-cycles of a living park land.

For example, my most recent trail monitoring report to the park included visitor engagement and general observations:

Miscellaneous Discussions: 

  • General discussion on the resurrection of a fallen owl’s nest (replaced by WRL with a cool basket) and the rescue of two owlets.
  • Frog discussion with a group inquiring about different species at HMP
  • Eagle vs Osprey discussion – aerial conflict, nesting, feeding at HMP
  • New beaver dam in barnyard creek watershed – new family in town??
  • Consistency of otter scat on the boardwalk (they eat freshwater mussels and clams, so shell fragments our found mixed in).

River Otter lounging at Huntley Meadows – photo FMN Jerry Nissley

Daily Observations:
Air still; sunny; warm; 81°

– Birds: Downey wood peckers; mallards; wood ducks; ravens; Canada geese; great horned owlet on nest; black vultures; pileated WP; red shouldered hawk; Cooper’s hawk; Osprey; Bald Eagle
– Mammals: muskrats
– Arthropods: blue azure butterflies on trail; damselflies; giant centipede
– Herps: snappers; painted turtles; several species of frogs; spotted turtle; black rat snake; northern water snake
– Fish – spawning carp
– Plants: aquatic grasses, cattails emerging; spring beauties have sprung; Sweet Cicely; May apple in flower; cinnamon ferns unrolling; dogwood.

Kane’s Creek, Mason Neck State Park – photo FMN Jerry Nissley

What is the adage we all learned in our cohorts?
“Awareness leads to knowledge, knowledge leads to understanding, understanding leads to appreciation, and appreciation leads to conservation.” 

Give Stewardship a try. Reap the rewards of unintended consequences.

Grasses for the Masses

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Photo: Courtesy of the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation – Grasses
When:

Jan. 24, 2026. 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Additional dates:

Grasses For The Masses – Jan. 25, 2026. 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Grasses For The Masses – Feb. 7, 2026. 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Grasses For The Masses – Feb. 8, 2026. 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Where:

Mason Neck State Park, 7301 High Point Rd., Lorton, VA 22079. Visitor Center


Other Details:

Standard parking or admission fee applies: No.
Extra fee: $25 cash only.
Registration required: Yes.
Children welcome: Yes.
Phone: 703-339-2385
Email Address: MasonNeck@dcr.virginia.gov

 

You can help restore the health of the Chesapeake Bay and Virginia’s rivers by participating in Mason Neck’s Grasses for the Masses program.

Volunteers in the program grow wild celery, an important underwater grass, in their homes and then plant their grasses at the park to help bolster underwater grass populations.

Combined with efforts to reduce pollution in the Bay, the grasses restoration program helps to improve the Bay’s filtering system and overall health.

To participate in the program all you need to do is to attend an orientation at the park and pick up your supplies. There is a $25 cost for the Grasses Kit, which can be paid in cash on the orientation day. All supplies must be returned to the park on Planting Day.

There is a maximum of 10 people per orientation. Registration is required. Please call the Visitor center to register, or email Ranger Meg  at meg.doppee@dcr.virginia.gov

Please call the Visitor Center at 703-339-2385 or email MasonNeck@dcr.virginia.gov if you have any questions or would like to participate but cannot make an orientation time.

 

For FMN members:

Check BI Calendar for dates. However, please call the Park to register.

FMN hours may be recorded using – ‘C015: Grasses for the Masses – DCR’

Mason Neck Kayak Adventures – 2025

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Announcing the ‘FMN only’ summer Kayak Tours at Mason Neck State Park!

June Evening: Saturday, 6/28/25, 6:00-8:00 PM
July Evening: Friday, 7/25/25, 6:00-8:00 PM
August Morning: Sunday, 8/24/25, 9:00-11:00 AM
September Afternoon: Sunday, 9/07/25, 1:00-3:00 PM

The 2 hour tours guide paddlers out into Belmont Bay and up Kane’s Creek into the heart of the park that can only be seen via the water. Explore the plants and animals found along the way; discuss the importance of wetlands; learn the history of Manson Neck peninsula; and enjoy the beauty and serenity of floating among the lilly pads, surrounded by forest.

*Guests please arrive 30 minutes prior to start time to gear up*

These are FMN only tours. Limit 10 per tour.
Registration is free and must be done via BI calendar.
Once the tour fills, registration auto-locks and it disappears from the Opportunities Calendar but remains on the Opportunities List.

All guests are required to use park provided kayaks and paddles.
PFDs are provided but you may bring your own. Personal PFDs must be Coast Guard approved/labeled Type III or better.

Appropriate clothing for the weather, activity level, and closed-toe shoes are encouraged. Below is a park provided link to a guide for recommended kayak-clothing. https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/kayaking-what-to-wear.html

To register:
1. Login to BI and click on your ‘Opportunities’ tab.
2. Select ‘Opportunity Calendar’ from the pull-down menu.
3. Find event in the displayed calendar; Click it to see event details.
4. To sign up, Click the ‘Sign Up’ box in the lower right. This automatically signs you up and puts the event on your personal calendar.
5. To claim 2.5 CE hours: please use All Continuing Education -> FMN All other Chapter Training, as the Approved Org.

Mason Neck Kayak – photo JaneEllen Saums

A thought provoking prose to encourage this tour is Charles Dickens’ luminous writing about the beauty of the natural world – “The freshness of the day, the singing of the birds, the beauty of the waving grass, the deep green leaves, the wild flowers, and the thousand exquisite scents and sounds that floated in the air— deep joys to most of us, but even more so to those whose life is in a crowd or who live solitarily in great cities as in the bucket of a human well—sunk into their breasts and made them very glad.”

As you push off from the shore, inhale deeply, relax, immerse yourself in the natural world, and become “very glad”.

27th Annual Eagle Festival, May 10th

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Photo: Courtesy of Eagle Fest at Mason Neck State Park

May 10, 2025
10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Mason Neck State Park,
7301 High Point Rd.,
Lorton, VA 22079.
Visitor Center Lawn

All events for the festival are free for everyone to enjoy!
Click here for additional information.

Join this full day of live animal shows, hands on educational opportunities, and outdoor recreation clinics that all aim to highlight the rich natural history of Northern Virginia and foster stewardship of our environment.

 See live wildlife up close

 Learn about our resident bald eagles and see them fly overhead

 Visit exhibits from our many conservation partners

 Enjoy live music, food, and more

Special thanks to the Friends of Mason Neck State Park for their continued support of the park and this event, and thanks to all our Peninsula partners and sponsors that make this event possible.

Parking for this event will be located off site and free shuttles provided to the festival. 

A Rewarding Day

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National Public Lands Day at Mason Neck State Park (MNSP) was rewarding in more ways than one. The day saw a service commendation presented to our chapter president and the initial planting of a major pollinator garden.

Senator Pekarsky and FMN Sarah Mayhew –  photo FMN Rob Warren

Virginia State Senator Stella Pekarsky (36th district) presented Sarah Mayhew with a volunteer commendation (Senate Resolution number 161). Senator Pekarsky, a member of the Senate Agriculture, Conservation, and Natural Resources committee, presented Sarah with a conservation award recognizing her 20+ years of conservation service in Fairfax County.

Sarah has been the Virginia Master Naturalist – Fairfax Chapter president

FMN crew planting the garden – photo Rob Warren

since 2023 and championed our chapter project at MNSP. The project commits 5 years of service to restore and maintain two large pollinator gardens and the native plants surrounding the visitor’s center. For the Public Lands Day event, 23 FMN gathered to plant the ‘Forest Edge’ garden with native plants appropriate for that specific area. Of course, the pot-luck picnic prior to the work shift, coordinated by FMN Mike Walker, made for happy laborers. The chapter project maintenance phase will continue for the next 3 years. Volunteers can sign up for work days via the BI calendar.

FMN Stephanie Johnson – photo Rob Warren

FMN Stephanie Johnson (owner Green Steeze Landscaping) and landscape architect, designed the garden with Jim McGlone, purchased all the native plants with funds from Friends of Mason Neck State Park, and volunteered many of her own hours along with some of her crew’s hours to help plant it. A very generous contribution of time and resources. Thank you Steph! You’re the best!

Acknowledgments:
– Thanks to Jamie Leeuwrik, Chief Ranger for Visitor Experience at MNSP and a Fairfax Chapter co-advisor, for supporting the chapter project.

– FMN Mike Walker – kudos for coordinating and setting up the picnic.

– Jim McGlone’s significant contributions to the project.

– The Friends of Mason Neck State Park for a wonderful project partnership and major contributions of time and resources.
– FMN Rob Warren for photos of the day.

FMN CE Kayak Tours – 2024

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FMN and Mason Neck State Park are happy to announce the ‘FMN only’ summer CE Kayak schedule for 2024. All dates are on Sundays.

Adventures launch from the MNSP car-top boat launch and paddle from Belmont Bay into Kane’s Creek wetlands. The 3 mile round trip takes approximately 1 hour and a half. Stopping along the way to point out various plants, birds, and animals encountered along the way. All tours are led by water safety certified state park kayak guides who also happen to be FMN interpreters.

July Twilight tour: 7/21/24, 6:30-8:30PM, depart park by 9PM.
August Morning tour: 8/18, 9-11AM, depart park by 11:30AM
September Evening tour: 9/1, 5:30-7:30PM, depart park by 8PM.

*Guests – please arrive 30 minutes prior to tour start to gear up*

These are FMN only tours. Limit 12 per tour.
Registration is free and must be done via BI calendar.
Once the tour fills, registration auto-locks and it disappears from the Opportunities Calendar but remains on the Opportunities List.

All guests are required to use park provided kayaks and paddles.
PFDs (vests) are provided but you may bring your own. Personal PFDs must be Coast Guard approved/labeled Type III or better.

Appropriate clothing for the weather, activity level, and closed-toe shoes are recommended. Below is a park provided link to a guide for recommended kayak-clothing. kayaking-what-to-wear

To register:
1. Login to BI and click on your ‘Opportunities’ tab.
2. Select ‘Opportunity Calendar’ from the pull-down menu.
3. Find event in the displayed calendar; Click it to see event details.
4. To sign up, Click the ‘Sign Up’ box in the lower right. This automatically signs you up and puts the event on your personal calendar.
5. To claim 2.5 CE hours: please use All Continuing Education -> FMN All other Chapter Training, as the Approved Org.

Come to the Mason Neck State Park for Guided First Day Hikes, January 1st

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Monday, January 1, 2024

Mason Neck State Park
7301 High Point Rd, Lorton, VA 22079

 

Join Park Staff on a guided hike this January 1. First Day Hikes are the perfect way to start the year! Each trail is unique, and the leaders will offer information about the park and its plants and animals along the way. The Visitor Center will be open for more hands on activities, and to warm up if needed!

9:30 am: Kane’s Creek to Eagle Spur trail. Roughly a 3.8 mile hike. Packed dirt trail with stairs and roots. Not wheelchair or stroller friendly.

11:30 am: Tundra Swan Hike at the Woodmarsh Trail at Elizabeth Hartwell Refuge.  Approximately 2.5 miles loop. Not wheelchair friendly, Limited space available for this hike only. Recommended for ages 8 and up. Registration is required. Register at https://mnsp.eventbrite.com

12:00 pm:Dogue Trail hike and roll. Wheelchair accessible. Approximately 0.85 miles, packed gravel trail.

3:00 pm: Family-friendly hike on Bay View Trail. Approximately 1.25 miles, with stops and hands on opportunities for adventure and exploration. Packed dirt surface trail with boardwalks and exposed roots.

The Friends will provide hot coffee and cocoa from 9:00 to 11:30 AM.

Admission and parking are free on January 1. 

Bench Dedication Honors McGlone

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Photos and Article By FMN Susan Laume

A group of Fairfax Master Naturalists gathered on Saturday afternoon, December 2nd, to recognize the contributions of retired Virginia forester Dr. Jim McClone.  A bench was dedicated in his honor on a Mason Neck State Park trail, where McClone regularly took naturalists in training to learn tree identification.

Bench plaque expresses gratitude for McGlone’s many years of service to the FMN chapter

Recently retired in June, McGlone is credited with working to establish the Fairfax County chapter, serving as chapter advisor, and teaching dendrology to hundreds of Virginia Master Naturalists students.

Attending with his wife, who McGlone credits with steering him toward his long time career. McGlone also received the thanks of Officer Taylore Willis, representing the State Park. Following the remarks, McGlone again led a winter tree identification; perhaps proving his gum balls don’t yet fall far from his favorite Black Gum trees.

Fairfax Master Naturalists gather to recognize retired forester Jim McClone

 

Officer Taylore Willis makes remarks on behalf of Mason Neck State Park

McGlone and his wife, who he thanked during the dedication, look forward to spending retirement time together

 

Fairfax Master Naturalist Chapter Project Update

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Photo credits:  Overgrown Woodland Edge Garden picture by Paul Van Rjin, Friends of Mason Neck State Park

FMN Chapter Project Update by Sarah Mayhew

The pollinator gardens at Mason Neck State Park remain a work in progress.  Some of them are looking beautiful and others are still looking neglected.  That is because we are responsible for reclaiming 6 different pollinator garden beds.  Five of them are looking good.  The sixth one is the largest — the Woodland Edge Garden is 56 ft x 52 ft or almost 3000 sq. ft.  Our two July workdays focused on getting 1/3 of the Woodland Edge Garden cleared for “smothering” the Japanese Honeysuckle under black plastic.  Here are the before, during, and after pictures of that work:

Photo credits Overgrown Woodland Edge Garden by Paul Van Rjin, Friends of Mason Neck State Park

 

Photo credits Smothering Woodland Edge Garden by Paul Van Rjin, Friends of Mason Neck State Park

 

Photo by Sarah Mayhew, FMN Gerald Rob Warren with weed whacker Mason Neck Chapter Project

 

Photo by Sarah Mayhew, FMN Chapter Project mowed Woodland Edge Garden

As you can see, there was a lot growing and then we cut it all down to ground level.  The next workday our volunteers laid down the black plastic, creatively repurposing the chicken wire we removed from the fence to help weigh down the plastic!

Our August workdays will be on Tuesday, August 8, and Saturday, August 12, 2023.  We have moved the start time to 9:00 a.m. to avoid the heat.  Our goal for these two days is to remove a large multiflora rose bush and selectively weed some invasives from the remaining two thirds of the garden that is in much better shape.  We will be identifying many native plants as we go, so you will have a good opportunity to learn new plants, too.  You can sign up to help us here:  Mason Neck State Park Pollinator Garden

 

There is one more update to the Chapter Project schedule.  We discovered in July that our “second Saturday” schedule conflicts with the Green Breakfasts.  We are moving our workdays to a “third Saturday and third Tuesday” schedule beginning in September.  We don’t want to deprive any member of the Continuing Education opportunity the Green Breakfasts provide.  Keep learning!

Great News to Share About the FMN Chapter Project at Mason Neck State Park – Volunteers Are Still Needed

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FMN Chapter Project update and photo from Sarah Mayhew, President, Fairfax Chapter Virginia Master Naturalists:

After three very busy workdays, the Mason Neck State Park Pollinator Gardens are looking great. Fairfax Master Naturalists, working with volunteers from the Friends of Mason Neck State Park, have weeded four flower beds around the Visitors Center building. They installed 50 plants into rock hard ground. Finally, the beds were aerated with garden forks and top dressed with a 5-inch-thick layer of compost.  June 17th marked the last scheduled workday. The volunteers cleaned out two of the rain barrels and sat up soaker hoses in two of the beds in front of the Visitors Center. A third rain barrel was examined to figure out why it wasn’t holding water.  Now, it is time to switch to a “maintenance” schedule. The project will need volunteer support on the second Saturday and the second Tuesday of each month.

The project also has a focus on the Meadow or Circle Garden, which is a fenced area in the middle of the road when you drive up to the Visitors’ Center. This garden has well-established sun-loving flowers, shrubs and trees. A volunteer from the Friends has been spreading arborist wood chips in this area for several weeks. There is a need to spread some compost around the established plants to give them a boost as well as a need to help the Friends finish spreading the wood chips.

Helpful tools for this work include shovels, pitch forks, and rakes to spread the compost and wood chips. If you have a wheelbarrow or cart, please bring it to carry the compost and wood chips short distances to the Meadow Garden. Seeing a finished flower bed at the end of two hours brings great satisfaction. PLEASE, come join us, and become a part of this wonderful FMN Chapter Project!  Sign up is easy; just click this link:  https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0c4ba9a72fa6fc1-mason#/

In addition to the regular workdays, volunteers from both organizations have watered every other day to keep the seedlings alive (there are slots on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and a weekend day). This is an easy job, as the hose is right in front of the Visitors’ Center and reaches to all the beds. The Friends have done most of the watering so far. FMN volunteers are needed to help support watering the beds during weeks in July and August. It would be best to have someone claim a slot for a month, this would give the volunteer time to become familiar with the gardens. However, feel free to volunteers as your schedule will allow.  Please contact Sarah Mayhew at sarah.mayhew@yahoo.com to volunteer for watering. When you volunteer you get free entrance into the park and can spend the rest of the day kayaking, hiking and birding. Or you can just sit, listen to the birds sing, read a good book, and admire the view across Belmont Bay. The park even provides rocking chairs!