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Beyond the Spray: Protecting Wildlife and Biodiversity with Safer Mosquito Control Solutions,

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Image: Courtesy of the Northern Virginia Bird Alliance – Beyond the Spray

Saturday, April 25, 2026
2:00 PM 3:00 PM

Mount Vernon Unitarian Church
1909 Windmill Ln Alexandria, VA 22307United States (map)

FREE, but registration is required 

Liz Train, NVBA’s Fairfax County Wildlife Sanctuary Program Coordinator, will give a presentation on mosquito control solutions that avoid pesticides. She will review the research on harms to wildlife caused by broadcast spraying for mosquitoes and talk about alternative (and more effective) methods to reduce mosquito populations. NVBA urges homeowners to consider the long-term health of their yards, ecosystems, and communities, and “Say No to the Spray.” The Wildlife Sanctuary Program promotes healthy, pesticide-free habitats that nurture biodiversity from the soil up.

Wildlife Sanctuary Presentation Hosted by the Native Plant Circle, December 13th

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Photo: North American Bird Alliance, Certified Wildlife Sanctuary

 

Saturday, December 13, 2025
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM

Mount Vernon Unitarian Church,
1909 Windmill Lane, Alexandria, CA 22307

Fee: FREE

Registration is required – Click here for details.

Are you intrigued by observing wildlife in your own yard? Do you want to contribute to the environmental health of our planet?

If so, come learn about the Wildlife Sanctuary program and how you can transform your yard to create habitat, attract beneficial wildlife, and get your yard certified as a Wildlife Sanctuary. You’ll learn about habitat best practices and receive tips to help you select native trees and plants that suit the conditions in your yard. A FREE redbud seedling will be available as a gift from the Wildlife Sanctuary program to those who register early!

This event will take place in the Meeting House of the Mount Vernon Unitarian Church, 1909 Windmill Ln, Alexandria, VA 22307, on Sunday, September 21, 1:00 -2 pm after coffee hour. Program is free but registration is requested. The event is open to the public.

 

Backyard Bird ID Workshop, March 20th

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Photo: Cerulean Warbler by Matt Felperin

Thursday, March 20, 2025
7:00 PM – 8:00 PM

Virtual

Free – RSVP now and start birding!

Sign-up for this exciting backyard bird identification workshop, where you will dive into the fascinating world of local birds and seasonal visitors! Whether you’re watching from your window, patio, or garden, you’ll gain the confidence to identify and appreciate the birds around you.

During this workshop, we’ll cover:

  • Common backyard bird species you’re likely to see year-round

  • Migratory warblers that might pass through your yard this Spring

  • Essential birding tools—from field guides to apps and binoculars

  • How to use Merlin to identify unfamiliar birds

  • How to use e-bird to report birds you observe

  • Tips for creating a team and participating in Birdathon

This is also a great opportunity for Wildlife Sanctuary Program participants to brush up on how to identify the Sanctuary Species that visit their yards. You need to document 10 sanctuary species to get your certification! Board Member Betsy Martin will join workshop to speak about that program and how you can make your yards friendlier to birds.

Training for new Audubon at Home Ambassadors, December 6th

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Photo courtesy of audubonva.org

Sunday, December 6, 2020
2 pm
Register here.
Note: This training is for those interested in volunteering as Ambassadors, not a program for those wanting to learn how to landscape with native plants in their own yards.

Tami Sheiffer, Audubon at Home Coordinator for Fairfax County, will be holding virtual training for new volunteers interested in becoming Audubon at Home Ambassadors in Fairfax County.

Ambassadors are knowledgeable volunteers who expand quality wildlife habitat in Northern Virginia by sharing their knowledge of native plants and ecosystems with homeowners. As an Ambassador, you will conduct site visits, provide personalized advice to homeowners, and certify yards as wildlife sanctuaries. (The personalized recommendations are provided to the homeowner via email after the site visit so you will not be on the spot to provide all recommendations during the site visit.)

We have successfully resumed site visits since July with COVID-19 safety precautions in place. Site visits take place entirely outdoors, one on one or in small groups. Clients and Ambassadors must wear masks and fill out an online form prior to the site visit stating that no one in their families has symptoms. Followup communication with the recommendations is done through email.

Being an Ambassador is rewarding because you’re guiding people to make changes in their yards that noticeably improve wildlife habitat, as evidenced by the presence of sanctuary species. And, volunteering as an Ambassador is convenient because you schedule the site visit for a day and time that fits in your schedule. Clients are assigned based on proximity so you will usually not have to drive more than 15 minutes to a client’s house, and you can accept or decline clients based on your availability.

Learn about Audubon at Home, May 9th

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Photo by Barbara J. Saffir (c)

Green Spring Gardens
4603 Green Spring Road, Alexandria, VA
Thursday, 9 May 2019
7:30 – 9 pm
Program and talk with Betsy Martin & Alda Krinsman

The Audubon at Home program was created to make a difference by supporting the efforts of property owners and managers to become better stewards of nature in their own outdoor spaces. It embraces the principles of the National Audubon Society’s Bird-Friendly Communities and promotes citizen participation in conserving and restoring local natural habitat and biodiversity.

The Wildlife Sanctuary Program brings trained naturalists together with property owners and managers on a mission to restore natural habitat. The program offers information, on-site consultation and recommendations to help you establish and nurture sustainable natural habitat in your backyard, neighborhood, school, church, park or business in spaces that range from a small corner of your yard to many acres. Results-based sanctuary certification depends on the success of the habitat to attract and support wildlife. The program seeks to expand wildlife habitat in the area and fosters appreciation for the value of native plants and all the wildlife that depend on them.