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NOVA’s Annual Green Festival 2020, Waste and its Impact on Habitats, October 28th

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Photo by Gary Robinette

Wednesday, October 28, 2020
10:15 am – 3 pm
Online – Via Zoom

Free! More information and registration here.

Keynote Speaker: Chad Pregracke – 10:15 a.m.
Cleaning America’s Rivers

Everything Counts / Waste Prevention / Habitat Loss – 11:30 a.m.

Richard Reynolds, Wildlife Biologist, DWR — 1:00 p.m.
Bats and Wind Energy Development

Raptor Lecture / Live Birds – 2:00 p.m.
Secret Garden Birds and Bees

Virginia Waterways Cleanup Events for Fall 2020

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Clean Virginia Waterways is promoting volunteer-led cleanups in September and October as part of the International Coastal Cleanup. Volunteers can participate by (1) looking for and participating in a local cleanup event that is already scheduled (see the website for the listings) or (2) becoming your own Site Captain and organizing a small-scale cleanup with friends or community members. If you are scheduled for an in-person event with other people, just make sure to follow the VCE Phase 3 COVID-19 checklist guidelines and the safety guidelines from Clean Virginia Waterways.

More information on the Clean Virginia Waterways website.

5th Annual Watershed Cleanup in April

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April 4, 5, 11 and 18th
9am – 12pm
Over 20 local parks—find one near you!

The Nature Conservancy is partnering with the Fairfax County Park Authority to host their Fifth Annual Watershed Cleanup at parks throughout Fairfax County. This spring cleaning will remove tires, plastic bottles, can and other debris from local waterways, preventing trash from reaching the nation’s largest estuary, the Chesapeake Bay. One thousand volunteers are needed!

Online registration is available starting March 16th.

Questions? Contact Holly Lafferty, AmeriCorps Volunteer Coordinator for The Nature Conservancy.

Help clean up Fairfax County parks this fall

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Clean-up events run throughout the Fall at park locations around the county. The sites include:

Saturday, October 5: Ossian Hall Park, 8-11 am

Saturday, October 12

  • Huntley Meadows Park, 9-11:30 am
  • Lake Accotink Park, 9 am-noon
  • Lake Fairfax Park, 9 am-noon
  • Riverbend Park, 10 am-noon
  • Scott’s Run Nature Preserve, 9-11:30 am

Friday, October 18: Providence RECenter, 9-11 am

Saturday, October 19: Ellanor C. Lawrence Park, 9-10:30 am

Saturday, October 26

  • Backlick Park, 9-11 am
  • Hidden Pond Nature Center, 9 am-noon
  • Cub Run RECenter, 9-11:30 am

Saturday, November 2: South Lakes Drive Park, 9 am-noon

Saturday, November 16: John Byers Park, 8 to 11 a.m.

For a complete listing and to sign up to volunteer, visit Volunteer. Groups, and then please call the site of your choice to make arrangements.

For more information, contact the Public Information Office at 703-324-8662, or e-mail [email protected].

Canoe/Kayak clean up, Sept. 28th

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Belle Haven Marina
George Washington Memorial Pkwy, Alexandria, VA 22307
Saturday, 28 September 2019
10am – 3pm

Thanks to funding from TransUrban ExpressLanes Community Grant program Northern Virginia Conservation Trust will be holding a second Canoe/Kayak Cleanup this year!

This time they will be launching from Belle Haven Marina and will provide a free lunch for our volunteers at Belle Haven Park afterwards!

This will be a great time to both do your part to clean up our waterways and also to make some new friends!

Click here to register!

Virginia Waterways Cleanup Events for Fall 2019

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YOU can make a difference!

Various dates and locations

On the 25th anniversary of this clean-up, be one of over the 104,000 volunteers who have, in that time, helped keep our beloved rivers and beaches clean. 

Since 1995, Clean Virginia Waterways, located at Longwood University, has organized the annual “International Coastal Cleanup in Virginia.” Volunteers pick up litter AND collect valuable data that are used by local and state governments to address litter.

The following is from Katie Register, Executive Director of Clean Virginia Waterways of Longwood University (with slight editing):

We know you care about our environment, so please do three little things:

1. Pick a cleanup (or two!) and volunteer for a few hours. You will FEEL GREAT when you see the contribution you have made to cleaner water.

2. Encourage your friends, family, and everyone else to participate in this annual statewide volunteer effort to remove litter and debris.

3. “Like” Clean Virginia Waterways on Facebook. There, you can share photos from your cleanup, and get information about worldwide efforts to keep waste and litter out of our oceans.

https://www.facebook.com/Clean.VA.Waterways

AND every time you pick up a piece of litter, you can record it using the smartphone app “CleanSwell” by the Ocean Conservancy. This helps us collect valuable data about the types of litter out there…and helps us form litter prevention strategies. Thank you!

 

Are you a leader? If so, please lead a cleanup! Learn how HERE. Clean Virginia Waterways will send you supplies.

Please join the effort in September and/or October! Cleaner rivers and oceans depend on us. Check it out and register for one near you (move down to see locations):

http://www.longwood.edu/cleanva/CleanupEvents2019.html

If you have questions, contact Katie Register, 434-395-2602, [email protected]

Revitalize, Restore, Replant (R3) seeks volunteers

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Fairfax County Stormwater division is seeking plant-knowledgeable volunteers (on a one-off or recurring basis) to help thin/weed native plant gardens installed on school properties around the county through their “Revitalize, Restore, Replant! (R3) program“.

Each school’s garden has been documented with the species planted, and your skill comes in to help remove plants that aren’t those desirable plants as well as to thin natives that have made the garden look “messy”. Volunteers can work with Stormwater to even take some natives home, if that is of interest. Additionally, if you know of better species that you’d recommend for a certain garden, suggestions are welcome! The spreadsheet (R3 Plantings and Survivorship) has school names, locations (city/zip), and types of plants included to make the task even easier.

How often would you need to visit? Overall, it would be great to get volunteers (not necessarily the same one) to visit each garden 3-4 times a year, with a few times during the growing seasons and then a March visit to help prep the site for spring growth.

If you’re interested in helping one-off or on a recurring basis, please contact [email protected].

This project qualifies for service hours as Project S224, Stewardship projects for Fairfax County Public Schools.

Stream monitoring and stream clean up events, June 15th, 22nd and 29th

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Photo (c) by Barbara J. Saffir

Potomac Cleanup at the Long Branch Community Center
8700 Piney Branch Rd., Silver Spring MD
Saturday, 15 June 2019
9 am-12 pm

Join Potomac Conservancy, The Office of Congressman Jamie Raskin, and Montgomery Parks in a stream and park cleanup at the Long Branch Community Center in Silver Spring, MD! They’ll be collecting trash, beautifying the community, and fighting for clean water on a beautiful summer day! Potomac Conservancy will provide trash grabbers, gloves, bags, and all other materials for a successful cleanup. Register here.

Difficult Run Stream Valley Park Monitoring Workshop
Leigh Mill Rd., Great Falls, VA
Saturday, 22 June 2019
10 am-12:30 pm

Join Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District (NVSWCD) as they discover aquatic life in Difficult Run! This official NVSWCD stream monitoring workshop covers watershed health, what macroinvertebrates tell us about stream quality, and what you can do to prevent pollution in your local stream. This workshop will also help to prepare you to become a certified stream monitor. Registration is limited. Send questions to Ashley Palmer and RSVP here.

Prince William Water Quality Monitoring
Powells Creek, Along 15601 Northgate Dr., Montclair, VA
Saturday, 29 June 2019
10 am-12:30 pm

Join Buck Arvin and the Merrimac Master Naturalist Team in monitoring the Powell’s Creek in the Montclair area. Residents are welcome to come support the data collection of this stream and learn more about the water quality in their local stream.
For directions RSVP to Buck Arvin at [email protected].

Hunting Creek clean-up with canoe & kayak, June 8th

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Hunting Creek, Hunting Creek, Virginia, USA
Saturday, 8 June 2019
11 am

Join the Northern Virginia Conservation Trust on June 8 for a canoe/kayak cleanup at Hunting Creek in Alexandria, VA! The goal is to remove debris and trash from Hunting Creek – a tidal wetland which flows directly into the Potomac River and on to the Chesapeake Bay. Help them support a healthy and thriving environment for all the plants and wildlife who rely on this habitat. If you’re interested in attending, please RSVP to Emily Bowman at [email protected] or 703-559-3620. Click here to learn more.

A free cookout will take place after the cleanup for all attendees.

Volunteers Needed – Fairfax County Watershed Cleanups, Apr. 27th

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Photo (c) by Barbara J. Saffir

Due to the weather and flooding this past Saturday, cleanups at four parks have been rescheduled to this coming Saturday, April 27. Over 100 volunteers are needed to finish up this year’s Fairfax County Watershed Cleanups with The Nature Conservancy and Fairfax County Park Authority.

If you can help at any of these parks, please let Maggie Hankerd know and she’ll send complete confirmation details.

April 27th from 9-11:30 a.m.
• Arrowbrook Park, Herndon
◦ 35 volunteers needed
◦ Meet at 13391 Sunrise Valley Drive, Herndon, VA

• Dulles Rock Hill Park, Herndon
◦ 35 volunteers needed
◦ Meet in the parking lot located at 2343 Dulles Station Blvd, Herndon, VA

• Merrybrook Run Stream Valley Park, Herndon
◦ 30 volunteers needed
◦ Meet at the trail entrance directly across from Lutie Lewis Coates Elementary School, 2480 River Birch Rd, Herndon, VA 20171

April 27th from 8-11 a.m.
• Royal Lake Park, Fairfax
◦ 6 volunteers needed
◦ Meet at Royal Lake Park near the Tennis Courts or meet at the Picnic Tables at Lakeside Park a little before 8 a.m. in order to sign-in, get trash bags, and receive further instructions. It is important to arrive on time so you don’t get left behind. Royal Lake Park is located at 5344 Gainsborough Dr., Fairfax, VA 22032.