November 2019
Watershed Calendar
|
|
Hello
,
November marks the second half of the fall stream monitoring season which ends on November 30th. In this month's watershed calendar, be sure to volunteer at the last few stream monitoring workshops of 2019, check out upcoming events where you can visit NVSWCD staff, and join the Izaak Walton League in their Winter Salt Watch Program!
Ashley Palmer
Conservation Education Specialist
ashley.palmer@fairfaxcounty.gov
703-324-1423
|
|
|
|
Cedar Run Stream Monitoring Workshop
When
: Saturday, November 2, 10:00am-12:30pm
Where
: Nokesville VA
Access this beautiful 3/4 miles long stretch of Cedar Run in the Evergreen Acres Farm for citizen science stream monitoring in the Nokesville area. Come learn more about water quality and how it interacts with agriculture. To register, email Veronica Tangiri at
waterquality@pwswcd.org.
Cannon Branch Stream Monitoring Workshop -
Perfect for home-school students!
When
: Thursday, November 7, 9:00-11:30am
Where
: Manassas VA
The Prince William Soil & Water Conservation District's Water Quality Monitoring program has established a new monitoring site for home-school students who would like to learn more about water quality monitoring in Prince William County. Join certified monitor Diane Behm at this newly adopted site along the beautiful Cannon Branch ne
ar the Manassas Airport. Residents are also welcome!
For more information about the event please contact Diane Behm at
diane_sim@yahoo.com
.
Bull Run Watershed Stream Monitoring Workshop
When
: Saturday, November 9, 10:00am-12:30pm
Where
: Manassas VA
Join Jess Cushman and the Merrimac Master Naturalists along the Bull Run trail at the Historic Ben Lomond/Splash Down Water Park in Manassas. Volunteers will be meeting at the picnic area close to the sports field. RSVP to Jess Cushman at
cushman.jess@gmail.com.
Reston Association Stream Monitoring Workshop
When
: Saturday, November 16, 11:00am-2:00pm
Where
: Reston VA
What better way to enjoy the changing seasons than to get your feet wet in one of Reston’s streams? RA welcomes new volunteers to assist with stream monitoring at several locations. Get involved with a small team to collect data and identify insects with the goal of assessing the health of Reston’s streams. Not only do you get to learn about streams, it also provides an opportunity to make new friends!
Learn more and register
.
Accotink Creek Stream Monitoring Session
When: Saturday, December 14, 9:30am-11:30am
Where: Lake Accotink Park, Springfield VA
Join Friends of Accotink Creek for a rewarding and fun time for adults and children who enjoy helping our parks and environment by identifying and counting stream critters to document the health of the stream. See upcoming Accotink Stream Monitoring events
here
.
|
|
Fall Stream Cleanup Events
|
|
|
Friends of Dyke Marsh Trash Cleanup
When
: Saturday, November 2, 9:00am
Where
: Alexandria VA
Join the FODMers for a trash cleanup on the western edge of Dyke Marsh. Meet at the River Towers condominium, 6631 East Wakefield Drive, Alexandria, VA 22307. Park in the visitor lot on Wakefield Drive. Bring water and gloves; wear long pants and sleeves and sturdy shoes. We will have some “grabbers” and waders. If the weather is questionable, check the
website
or
Facebook page
. Sponsored by the Friends of Dyke Marsh and National Park Service. This event will occur unless we have heavy rain and/or lightning.
|
|
HOAs and Condo Associations: Sustainable solutions to landscaping headaches
When
: Saturday, November 2, 9:30 am – 1 pm.
Where
:
Northern Virginia Community College, Annandale Campus, Annandale VA
Are you involved in planning the landscaping for your HOA or Condo Association? Board members, landscape committees, property managers, and landscape maintenance companies are particularly encouraged to attend, but everyone is welcome. Come visit the NVSWCD table to learn more about the CAP/VCAP program, rain barrels, composting, storm drain labeling, and much more!
See details and sign up here
.
Project FeederWatch Workshop
When
: Saturday, November 9, 9:00-11:00am
Where
: National Wildlife Federation, Reston VA
Project FeederWatch is the easiest citizen science you will ever do! From the comfort of your home, you simply count the winter birds that visit your feeders and report your data to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. This free workshop will cover a bit of the history and purpose of Project FeederWatch, tips for identifying birds, and the protocols to be followed while counting. Some time will be spent practicing with the birds on the Audubon Society of Northern Virginia's feeders. Light refreshments will be served.
Register for the workshop here
.
Wildlife Conservation in a Changing Climate
When
: Wednesday, November 13, 7:00pm
Where
: Huntley Meadows Park Visitor Center, Alexandria VA
Climate change on its own, and in combination with other stresses, is adversely affecting wildlife, for example, by disrupting timing and life cycles of interdependent species. Rising coastal waters flood nesting sites and too little or too much precipitation stresses whole ecosystems. Biologist Dr. Sally Valdes will explore how climate change is affecting wildlife and offer some steps for addressing this threat.
This free, public program
will begin at 7:30 p.m., preceded at 7 p.m. by an informal social, at Huntley Meadows Park, Visitor Center, 3701 Lockheed Blvd., Alexandria, VA 22306. If you use a GPS device to find the park, enter the street address, not the park’s name. The program is sponsored by the Friends of Dyke Marsh, the Friends of Huntley Meadows Park, the Friends of Little Hunting Creek, and the Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions.
Water Chestnut Program Meeting
When
: Friday, November 15, 10:00am-2:00pm
Where
: Twin Lakes Golf Course, Clifton VA
The water chestnut program (WCP) would be an early detection and rapid response project for naturalists who would like to identify, verify, map and remove a novel species of water chestnut (Trapa bispinosa) before it becomes established. The focus area is within the Potomac River watershed in Virginia. This species was discovered in 2014 in the tidal Potomac River at Pohick Bay. All are welcome: Virginia Master Naturalists, Natural Resource managers, Pond owners, Gardeners, Naturalists, Invasive Species Managers, Pond Management companies, and other interested parties. The meeting is open to the public.
Learn more, view the agenda, and register.
2nd Annual Mount Vernon Environmental Expo
When
: Saturday, November 16, 8:00am-12:00pm
Where
: Walt Whitman Middle School
This event will educate and inform local residents on environmental challenges that we face on a daily basis, including ones that are unique to the Mount Vernon area given our proximity to water and the many industrial facilities nearby. Attendees will leave the Expo with simple actions you can take to make an impact on climate change. Highlights include and Electric Vehicle Showcase, Exhibit Hall, Workshops and Film Screening. Please share information about this event with your family, friends and neighbors!
Learn more.
|
|
With a chill in the air and snowstorms already blowing through some parts of the country, we know that ice, snow, and salt aren’t far behind. It’s time to gear up for Winter Salt Watch!
Last year Winter Salt Watch volunteers helped us learn more about chloride levels in 17 states across the country. Volunteers and community groups took more than 300 readings using their Salt Watch kits! You can join this nationwide citizen science project and find out how road salt is affecting your local waterways.
Order your FREE Winter Salt Watch kit today
– even if there’s no snow on the ground yet. You can use your kit right away to take a reading before the road salt starts to pile up. We call these readings “baselines”, and they give you a number against which to compare your winter chloride readings. Without a baseline, you can’t effectively track changes in chloride levels and what’s causing these changes, such as road salt application. Aquatic life is affected by chloride when levels exceed 230 ppm (parts per million). And water treatment plants are not equipped to filter out extra salt, so it can end up in your tap water and even corrode your pipes.
|
|
 |
By Willis Kliefoth, Potomac Conservancy
|
|
|
|
Article and photo by Jerry Nissley, Fairfax Master Naturalist
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
