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NVSWCD Seedling Sale is Coming!

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Photo:  Francesco Gallarotti on Unsplash

The Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District is excited to share another year of seedlings with you! This year they are featuring a Nectar Lovers package and a Songbird Friendly package. Descriptions and pictures of the seedlings in each one are available on our website.

They understand that their seedlings are very popular and sell out quickly. To address some of the ordering challenges from past years, they will have a staggered release of seedlings. Seedling packages will be made available on the sales website at 10am, 2pm, and 6pm on Thursday, March 14, 2024 and will remain available until sold out. If you miss the 10am seedlings, check back later in the day at 2pm or 6pm after the inventory has been replenished. The seedling sale pickup dates are Friday, April 19, from 9am-4pm and Saturday, April 20, from 9am-12pm at the Sleepy Hollow Bath and Racquet Club in Falls Church.

Don’t want to miss the sale? You can sign up for their seedling sale emails by clicking here and they’ll send you reminders.

Image: Courtesy of Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District

Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District: Soil Your Undies Campaign

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Article and Images Courtesy of The Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District

 

Soil Your Undies Campaign

Soil Your Undies Challenge

The Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District is challenging residents all across Fairfax County to bury a pair of cotton underwear as part of a campaign to promote soil health awareness. How does it work? Just bury a pair of cotton underwear and dig it back up after at least 60 days. It’s the quick and dirty way to test the microbial activity in your soil. The more the underwear is deteriorated, the healthier your soil!

Although you can use the Soil Your Undies Challenge to check your soil health at any time, the most microbial activity occurs during the warm summer months, making this an easy and fun addition to your summer break plans!

Soil Your Undies Challenge Steps

Join the Challenge!

Step 1: Look for a place where you want to study the health of the soil. Make sure you are only studying sites on your property or with the permission of the landowner.

Step 2: Bury a pair of white cotton undies (or any white cotton clothing item) 3 inches under the soil’s surface. Be sure to take a “before” photo.

Step 3: Don’t forget to mark your study site with a flag or other easily-identifiable marker!

Step 4: Wait at least 60 days (this is the hard part…)

Step 5: Locate your marked study site and dig up your cotton undies. Be sure to take an “after” photo.

Step 6: How healthy is your soil? Healthier soils have a lot of microbial activity, and the healthy fungi and bacteria in the soil will break down your cotton undies. The more degraded your undies are, the more microbial activity you have in your soil, and the healthier your soil is.

Step 7: Share the results of your citizen science project! Email your photos and any notes you may have to [email protected], and share your results with us on Facebook @nvswcd and on Instagram @NorthernVirginiaSWCD. We’ll be sharing our results with you, too!

About Soil Health

Healthy soil contains billions of microbes that consume organic material (in this case, cotton underwear). In fact, one teaspoon of healthy soil contains more microbes than there are people on the planet. In addition to chowing down on organic matter like cotton, they also help soil resist erosion, cycle nutrients, and store water.

As world population and food production demands rise, keeping our soil healthy and productive is of paramount importance. By farming using soil health principles and systems that include no-till, cover cropping, and diverse rotations, more and more farmers are increasing their soil’s organic matter and improving microbial activity. As a result, farmers are sequestering more carbon, increasing water infiltration, improving wildlife and pollinator habitat—all while harvesting better profits and often better yields. In backyards, healthy soil can promote the growth of a healthy lawn and landscaping, as well as help water infiltrate and prevent erosion.

You can improve soil health by following these four steps:

  1. Avoid soil disturbance wherever and whenever possible.
  2. Maximize soil cover with living plants and residue.
  3. Maximize biodiversity by growing a variety of plants and managed integration of livestock.
  4. Maximize living roots in the soil throughout the year.

Stream Monitoring Citizen Science & Training Opportunities, March and April

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Photo: Hidden Pond stream monitoring by J. Quinn

Below is a list of the stream monitoring workshops and training opportunities located throughout the county:

Accotink Creek Stream Monitoring Session

Saturday, March 11, 2023
9:30-11:30am

Lake Accotink Park Administrative Building, Springfield

Join the Friends of Accotink Creek as they monitor Accotink Creek at this long-standing monitoring site. Learn more, register, and see past results at this site here.

 

Pohick Creek Stream Monitoring Workshop

Saturday, March 11, 2023
1:00pm-3:30pm

Pohick Creek Stream Valley Park, Springfield

This site along Pohick Creek runs adjacent to the Cross County Trail and features a family- and pet-friendly walking trail in addition to cool stream critters. Learn more and register for this workshop and others here.

 

Cub Run Stream Monitoring Workshop

When: Sunday, March 19, 2023
9:30am-12:00pm

Cub Run Stream Valley Park, Centreville

This spot is known for the beautiful Virginia bluebells that bloom at our stream site each spring. We often see a lot of mayflies too! Learn more and register for this workshop and others here.

 

Horsepen Run Stream Monitoring Workshop

Sunday, April 9, 2023
1:00-3:30pm

Horsepen Run Stream Valley Park, Herndon

This site has faced challenges in recent years including erosion and invasive bamboo. Join the NVSWCD as we monitor Horsepen Run to assess stream health and learn about the environmental impacts on this stream. Learn more and register for this workshop and others here.

 

Sugarland Run Monitoring Workshop

Saturday, April 15, 2023
9:30am-12:00pm

Sugarland Run Stream Valley Park, Herndon

This stream site is known for the large number of Great Blue Herons that visit the site as well as a large number of crayfish found in our collection nets. Learn more and register for this workshop and others here.

 

More Training and Stream Monitoring Opportunities

PocketMacros App – macroinvertebrate ID on Android and Apple

Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District (NVSWCD) is very excited to contribute their stream data to state and national datasets. If you’d like to see data from all the NVSWCD regional stream monitoring team’s active sites, you can find our organization on the Clean Water Hub.

Native Seedling Sale sponsored by the Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District (NVSWCD)

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Orders for the 2023 Native Seedling Sale open on Tuesday, March 7, 2023 at 9:00am.
The order site will be linked from this page.

The seedling sale pickup will be Friday, March 31, 2023, from 9am-4pm and Saturday, April 1, 2023, from 9am-12pm at Sleepy Hollow Bath and Racquet Club, 3516 Sleepy Hollow Road, Falls Church VA 22044. Any seedlings not collected at pickup will be donated to a reforestation project in Fairfax County. Seedlings must be purchased in advance; no day of sales or extras will be offered.

NVSWCD’s understands this is an unusual time. Please contact NVSWCD prior to the seedling sale date should you require accommodations. NVSWCD looks forward to seeing you at the 2023 seedling sale!

Green Breakfast Events – Medicines from the Soil, presented by Dan Schwartz, Soil Scientist at NVSWCD, January 14th

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Image: Courtesy of the NVSWCD

Saturday, January 14, 2023
9:00AM

Virtual Event

Did you know that many (if not most) of our medically important antibiotics are derived from soil organisms? With antibiotic-resistant “super bugs” becoming an increasingly common and worrying problem, researchers are digging through the soil again in the hopes of discovering the next blockbuster antibacterial. Please join us for the January Green Breakfast, Medicines from the Soil, with guest speaker Dan Schwartz to learn more about these exciting advances in soil science!

Dan Schwartz holds a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in environmental science from the University of Maryland and Virginia Tech, respectively. Since 2003, Dan has worked as a soil scientist for the Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District (NVSWCD). His first years with the District were spent outdoors doing field work to update the Fairfax County soils map. Since then, his work responsibilities broadened to include outreach and education, technical consultation to county agencies, soil and stormwater research, erosion and drainage assistance to Fairfax County homeowners, and implementation of the District’s residential cost-share programs.

No registration is required, you can join the webinar here

Address questions to [email protected]

To receive updates about Green Breakfast speakers or join an upcoming virtual Green Breakfast, please register for the Green Breakfast newsletter. Please direct questions to NVSWCD.

You can view the Green Breakfast YouTube playlist here.

NVSWCD Seeking Spring 2023 Environmental Outreach Intern

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Image: Courtesy of the NVSWCD

This spring internship position will support the Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District’s (NVSWCD) award-winning spring outreach programs. NVSWCD programs reach thousands of people and have a deep impact on many youth and adults. The spring intern will support the volunteer stream monitoring and storm drain labeling programs, represent NVSWCD at outreach events and programs, participate in field trips and other youth education, and gain hands-on experience in the field of environmental science. In addition, the intern will support the development of outreach and informational material for delivery through social media (Facebook and Instagram), webinars, and printed material.

This part-time internship runs late-January through late-June, 20 hours per week. For more information on this role, please see the full position description. Interested applicants should email their resume, cover letter, and 2-3 references to [email protected] by Friday, January 13, 2023.

Latino Conservation Week Celebrates Community and Nature, July 16th – 24th

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Image: Courtesy of the Fairfax County Park Authority

Latino Conservation Week is from July 16-24, 2022. Fairfax County will be celebrating the Latino community’s love of nature. Modeled after the Hispanic Access Foundation’s Latino Conservation Week, the Fairfax County Park Authority together with Providence District Supervisor Dalia Palchik, Defensores de la Cuenca, Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District, and other community partners will provide free bilingual (English/Spanish) conservation-themed programs, nature activities and recreational opportunities at parks around the county throughout the week.

To kick off the week, there will be activities at three parks on July 16, 2022, including Hidden Oaks Nature Center, Frying Pan Farm Park and Eakin Park. There will be a capstone event at Justice Park on July 24, 2022. Other Fairfax County Park Authority parks and partners will also offer programs that embrace Latino Conservation Week themes, while working with the Latino community.

Highlights include:

To find additional information about the Latino Conservation Week events, please visit the Latino Conservation week webpage.

Click here for event flyer in Spanish. 

Click here for event flyer in English.

NVSWCD Seedling Sale Opens March 1st at 10am!

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The Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District 2022 bare-root seedling sale features shrubs and small trees which are valuable to native bees and bear gorgeous flowers and fruits, and display beautiful colors. The fruits and flowers that these plants grow are important food sources to birds and pollinators! By planting these native species, you are directly contributing to the betterment of our environment. The plants in each package clean our water and air, prevent soil erosion, provide valuable habitat, and add beauty to your property. You can see this year’s seedling ribbon colors and learn tips and tricks for planting your seedling in the Fairfax County Tree Basics Booklet from NVSWCD and the Fairfax County Tree Commission. They hope you will also explore other native plant sales occurring throughout the Northern Virginia region this spring, like those promoted by Plant NOVA Natives.

View the seedling package contents, prices and ordering information here.

Pick up information and more here.

A World of Bugs

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Feature photo by J. Quinn

Photos and article by FMN Steve Tzikas

Upon following an approved sampling protocol,
a net is ready for examination, collection, and identification of the macroinvertebrates captured on it.

As kids, we all had a fascination with bugs. If we owned a microscope, inevitably a few bugs would be examined close-up. We would be fascinated by the insects at natural history museums, even as an adult. Some of us would decide to make a career around bugs. With a vocational education leading to certification and licensing, one can become a pesticide applicator to protect homes and properties against harmful insects. With a little more education one can get a 4-year entomology BS degree. Personally I went into engineering, but it would not be the last time I encountered insects in some other than ordinary fashion. When I was Chief of the US Army’s Environmental Office in Japan, I had a program to control pine beetles on forested property overseen by the Army. There too were those pesticide applicators and any issues that I may have had to address with environmental and safety concerns. At another point in my career, with Ports-of-Entry programs, I was one of many who occasionally offered support to ensure our Agricultural Specialists had the resources they needed to secure America from deadly pests that could enter the country. In fact, there are many opportunities for aspiring students when it comes to insects. For those aspiring students, and for that matter curious adults, there are opportunities to get up close to insects, but in a more friendly manner, because these insects help us monitor the health of streams.

I just entered the Fairfax Chapter of the Virginia Master Naturalist (VMN) course program, and one of the classes covers entomology and invertebrates. The VMN program is a great way to offer community service, get some exercise, and learn something that might be beneficial for a future goal. When I retire I would like to take some graduate level courses in GMU’s environmental science program, which has a biology/ecology component.

A large Hellgramite found by one of the sampling teams.

One of those local volunteer opportunities is with the popular stream monitoring program managed by the Northern Virginia Soil and Conservation District. It’s a chance to learn about watersheds, the basics of stream ecology and monitoring, the sampling and identifying of benthic macroinvertebrates, and the recording of that data for use by researchers and professional decision makers. For more information about this program, visit https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/soil-water-conservation/volunteer-stream-monitoring.

If this is something that appeals to your inner scientist, certifications are also offered once you accumulate some field experience. Part of that certification journey begins with this weblink: https://www.iwla.org/water/stream-monitoring/upcoming-water-monitoring-workshops.

This biological stream monitoring is great fun. People of all ages attend, not just teenagers. Like myself, there are also a lot of professionals – university graduates seeking new experiences, retired professors, and others who have an interest in life-long learning. Why not discover a whole new world of bugs? I hope to see you at one of the streams monitored in Fairfax County.

Nonpoint Source Pollution & Labeling Stormwater Drains, a Gold Award Project

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Article by FMN & Gold Award Girl Scout Mackenzie Nordai
Photos courtesy of Mackenzie Nordai

My Gold Award* aimed to address the issue of nonpoint source pollution’s effect on Pohick Creek Watershed which includes Hidden Pond Park in Springfield, Virginia. As the leader of the project, I led groups of volunteers through three communities adjacent to this watershed and labeled stormwater drains to alert people about where these drains lead. I also communicated awareness to the communities around Hidden Pond through a community newsletter, Fairfax Master Naturalist social media, and postings on bulletin boards at Hidden Pond Nature Center about the negative effects that nonpoint source pollution has on the environment. Nonpoint source pollution has the largest impact on our water quality, because it comes from many sources like our suburban neighborhoods. Some examples include fertilizers, pesticides, dog waste, car soap, oil, grease, antifreeze, paints, sediment, and excess salt from salting the roads. When it rains, the runoff from our neighborhoods enter our stormwater drains dispersing different pollutants into our ponds, lakes, streams, and rivers leading to the Chesapeake Bay and eventually into the Atlantic Ocean, which can hurt the ecosystem and marine life.

Did you know that a single six pack plastic ring can last 400 years before it finally can decompose? And paints, oils, and grease can pollute the waters through dissipation. These pollutants along with various others can impact different wildlife through suffocation and by changing the environment’s carrying capacity to a level that the wildlife can no longer sustain. Amphibians, for example, have thinner skin than most animals and are affected by water and air pollutants, so imagine what a drop of oil or grease is going to do to a whole population of organisms.

I selected my issue, because I care about the environment, plan to pursue a related field in college, and have already begun educating others on this topic during my coursework to become a certified Fairfax Master Naturalist. While doing so I was inspired to spread the knowledge about how to prevent nonpoint source pollution and the impacts that it has on our watersheds. As I delved into research, I felt a passion in understanding the impacts of pollution and I felt driven about educating others on what society can do to help prevent it.

In conclusion, there are ways that we all can help our environment by preventing nonpoint source pollution. First, you can contact the Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District (NVSWCD) and label the stormwater drains in your neighborhood to increase awareness. Next, you could work on establishing native plants in your landscaping and minimize fertilizers and pesticides, or by purchasing household detergents and cleaners that are low in phosphorus. Also, you can dispose of used oil, antifreeze, paints and other household chemicals properly. Lastly, you can properly dispose of dog waste and litter. All of these actions help to protect the environment and our local watershed.

* The Girl Scout Gold Award is the highest award a Girl Scout Senior or Ambassador can earn. A Gold Award Take Action Project has national and/or global links, is sustainable, takes approximately 80 hours and addresses an issue the Girl Scout cares about.