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We have some changes in our office.
Katie Busch
, part of our stewardship team, has accepted a position with Fairfax County as an elementary school science resource specialist. We'll miss her! Shannon O'Neil continues to be available for questions and landowner assistance at [email protected] or 703-354-5093.
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Share YOUR view of Nearby Nature
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Don't forget to send us your photos! This year's competition is open to the larger community, but we especially encourage conservation easement landowners to share your favorite shots from all seasons. Check out the details below, and have fun!
- Categories: Juxtaposition, and Your Vision of Home
- When: Submit photos by Nov. 2, 2015
- How to enter: Email your photos (up to 5 per photographer) with the Photograph Release Form
- Why: To share the nearby nature you treasure, and to win great prizes from local businesses.
- Important information: Property addresses will not be used to identify pictures in any publications. See the details and competition guidelines on out website,
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Fall lawn care
Getting the most grass for your cash
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Most of us
have grass,
cut grass, and
bemoan the state of our grass. But do you know the basic
dos and don'ts of fall lawn care? Read below for the steps to the healthiest grass for the least cost (of both effort and money).
Do's:
- Raise your mower blade
- Put a nutrient-rich fertilizer on your lawn by the end of October
- Aerate your soil
- Over-seed
- Water in the morning to reduce evaporation, 1 to 2 times a week.
- Target weeds in the fall before they drop seeds
- Don't guess; soil test. Contact your local Virginia Cooperative Extension for a soil test kit at a nominal cost
- Leave grass clippings and SHREDDED leaves on your lawn to replenish nutrients naturally
- Written by Katie Busch
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Batten down your hatches!
Wildlife-proof your home for peace of mind
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Putting on the storm door, securing the hoses, and mulching your garden may be part of your fall routine. Another activity that can (and probably should) go hand-in-hand with these tasks is wildlife-proofing your home. Wildlife enjoy dry, warm places, just like we do. If there are holes in your roofing, a loose screen on a window or chimney, or cracks in the walls or foundation, you might be sharing your living space with more than you realize. Click here for resources on how to wildlife-proof your home, and what to do if you find out that you are the landlord of some four-footed or winged guests.
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How Not to Kill Your Trees!
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Learn how to put the right tree in the right place and how to care for your trees after they are planted - everything from proper mulching and pruning to pest management.
Join us for a special program with Adria Bordas, Virginia Cooperative Extension, and Jim McGlone, Virginia Department of Forestry, on
How Not to Kill Your Trees!
Click for a flyer.
Tuesday, Oct. 27
7 to 8:30 p.m.
Woodrow Wilson Library
6101 Knollwood Drive, Falls Church, VA
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Sept. 13 NVCT will have a display at the Grand Opening of MOM'S Organic Market in Woodbridge, 14779 Smoketown Rd.
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Oct. 11 Clifton Day Festival A fun family event. Stop by NVCT's booth to say hello, and take a walk on the Clifton Trail that goes on our conserved land.
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Sept. 26 Historic Oak Hill Open House
This beautiful conserved property was once part of the Fitzhugh family's 22,000-acre Ravensworth estate in Fairfax County. NVCT and the county hold the easement on this private home that is graciously opened to the public each year. Visit noon-4 p.m., 4716 Wakefield Chapel Road, Annandale.
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Oct. 17 Leopold's Trail 5K and 1-Mile Fun  Run. Enjoy the fall foliage, scenic views, and rolling hills of Leopold's Preserve for a 5K or a 1-mile fun run. The trail course is on the natural pedestrian trails that run through the 380 acres surrounding the Villages of Piedmont community. See the website
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Sept. 26 National Public Lands Day
 Join NVCT in this one-day volunteer event on public land.
Alexandria Polk Ave. Park: 5325 Polk Ave., 10 a.m. to noon.
Stafford County, Boat Launch at Crow's Nest:
2500 Brooke Road, noon to 2 p.m.
See our website for more information:
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Have you seen our new website?
Let us know if there are conservation resources you would find useful.
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Goat-Scaping:
An eco-friendly way to deal with invasive plants
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Looking for a sustainable way to remove invasive plants from your yard? Why not hire goats to do the job! An alternative to herbicides and hand-pulling, goats are an eco-friendly and budget conscious way to rid your property of invasive plants. They consume a number of invasive and weedy plants, including tree of heaven, wineberry, kudzu, Japanese stiltgrass, honeysuckle, and a favorite--English ivy.
Charlotte Del Duca, owner of
Scapegoats LLC, and her herd of seven goats have set out to consume these invasive plants that plague many Northern Virginia properties. American Nubian goats, like Alvin, Beau, Cyrano, Ivy, Chuck, Tippy, and Valentino, are effective weed-eaters, preferring brush and shrubs to grasses, and consume plants from the top down, so as not to leave seeds behind. They do however, leave behind fertilizer, up to 1.5 tons per year! The Prince William County Department of Public Works has put their work to the test.
Check out this video from Prince William County to see how they did.
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A great way to savor nearby nature is to experiment with new or favorite foods, and there's a lot to choose from!
This month's recipes are a special treat from Avis Renshaw, also known as Mom's Apple Pie Company with locations in Leesburg and Occoquan. Avis and her husband, Steven Cox, have a conservation easement on their Loudoun County property--Lost Corner Farm--where they grow as much of the high quality fruit as possible for Mom's.
Enjoy this pumpkin pie made with two kinds of squash.
Pumpkin Pie
Open-Faced Blackberry Pie
If you have recipes to share, please send them to
Shannon O'Neil
.
NVCT is
happy
to taste and share local produce ideas, favorite family gems, and even new tastebud ticklers. Please let us
know if we can include your name with your recipes.
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What we've seen on your land
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Rain barrel on a conservation property
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Meadow and trees
in Loudoun County
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Conservation easement landowners
protect valuable places forever. Thanks for sharing in the vision of
saving nearby nature. P
lease contact us with any questions: 703-354-5093, [email protected], or our website,
www.nvct.org.
And look for us on Facebook. We welcome comments on this newsletter and story ideas for future editions.
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