December Stream Monitoring, Citizen Science Events, and Learning Opportunities!

December 2020

Watershed Calendar

Hello ,

We hope that you're using this holiday season to take care of yourself and your health. If you are interested in using some of your time to make a difference in your local community, this edition of the Watershed Calendar features several opportunities for you to engage in volunteer and citizen science opportunities around the area.

For the safety of our staff and volunteers, NVSWCD will not be offering public stream monitoring workshops in December and January. We plan to reopen the program very early next spring, or when circumstances allow. In the meantime, we'll continue to share great local events and opportunities, like the announcement of our 2021 Seedling Sale below!

As you've heard many times before, wash your hands, stay home, and take care of yourself. Keep in touch with NVSWCD on our Facebook and Instagram. Your friendly neighborhood stream monitors will be very happy to welcome you back in the spring!

Ashley Palmer

Stream Monitoring Coordinator

ashley.palmer@fairfaxcounty.gov

703-324-1423

Stream Monitoring

Citizen Science & Training Opportunities

Friends of Accotink Creek Stream Monitoring Workshop

When: Saturday, December 12, 9:30-11:30am

Where: Parking lot behind Lake Accotink Park Administrative Building, Lake Accotink Park, Springfield VA

Volunteers assess ecological conditions in streams, based on the presence and abundance of bottom-dwelling invertebrates. Learn more and RSVP. See Friends of Accotink Creek for additional stream monitoring information.

Izaak Walton League Stream Monitoring Certification Training

Want to become a certified Save Our Streams monitor? Start the certification process from the comfort of your home with online interactive webinars! Simply watch the video versions of in-person training lectures: Introduction to Water Quality and Introduction to Macroinvertebrates. See all the information you need here!

Creek Critters

Collect bugs by following simple step-by-step instructions, and identify your bugs with an interactive identification key. Once you’ve identified your bugs, Creek Critters does the rest! The app automatically calculates your Stream Health Score based on your findings. This score can tell you how healthy your stream is! Learn more and get started!

Virginia Save Our Streams Photo Contest

Save Our Streams is hosting their second annual photo contest this fall! Submit your best photos in the following categories:

Macroinvertebrates
Monitoring in Action
Community
Pets and Streams
Nature and Wildlife

VASOS will announce 1 Grand Prize and 5 Category Winners in early 2021, all winning a variety of monitoring-related prizes! Submit your photo now! Contest ends December 31, 2020.

Community Events & Webinars

Naturally Latinos Conference

When: Wednesday, December 2 - Friday, December 4

Join the Audubon Naturalist Society and their partners and become inspired to use the many strategies and tactics you will learn to transform your local community. You will have the opportunity to virtually and interactively network with leading nature professionals. To see the 2020 Naturally Latinos Conference Agenda & Schedule, click here.

Friends of Accotink Creek Kudzu Klub

When: Wednesday, December 2, 12:00-3:00pm at Americana Drive

Join the Fairfax County Park Authority at this invasive plant removal. Learn more.

School-Age Green Educators (SAGE) Meetup

When: Wednesday, December 2, 4:30-5:30pm

Join SAGE and NoVA Outside virtually to tour the grounds at Lorien Wood School and explore various outdoor learning spaces. We'll discuss the importance of place and share ideas about educational activities for various ages (PreK-12th). Come and join other outdoor and environmental educators to share ideas and discuss the power of nature-based settings. RSVP to info@novaoutside.org.

Invasive Removals at Lake Accotink Park

When: Saturdays, December 5 - 26 , 9:00-11:00am

Where: Lake Accotink Park Marina, Springfield VA

Did you know that invasive plants are a huge threat to local wildlife, including migrating birds? Help out these creatures by volunteering to remove exotic invasive plants at Lake Accotink Park! Join the Fairfax County Park Authority at these invasive plant removals on Saturdays. Learn more.

Swanfall: All About Foxes

When: Sunday, December 6, 2:00pm

Join the Friends of Mason Neck State Park for Swanfall, the annual holiday celebration. Erin Thady, a Wildlife Biologist with Fairfax County, will entertain and inform us with a presentation about foxes. Erin will discuss the natural histories of red foxes and gray foxes and their unique adaptations for survival in a dynamic landscape. Learn more and register.

Invasive Removals at Chapel Road Park

When: Mondays, Dec 7 - 28, 1:00-3:00pm

Join the Fairfax County Park Authority at these invasive plant removals on Mondays. Learn more.

Birding Banshee

When: Saturday, December 12, 8:00am

Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced birder, this birdwalk at the Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve is sure to interest you. The preserve is a diverse 695-acre treasure in the heart of Loudoun County with streams, trees, shrubs and fields that attract lots of species, making it a birding hotspot. This is a regular outing that takes place the second Saturday of every month. Bring binoculars if you have them. Registration is limited and required.

Invasive Removal at Cunningham Park

When: Sunday, December 13, 11:00am - 2:00pm

Join the Fairfax County Park Authority at this invasive plant removal. Learn more.

Central Loudoun Christmas Bird Count

When: Monday, December 28

Join Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy as we participate in the National Audubon Society’s annual Christmas Bird Count. The count circle has a 15-mile diameter and covers 177 square miles of Loudoun’s countryside: north to Waterford, south to Aldie, east to Ashburn, and west to Purcellville. LWC will not be holding an in-person Tally Rally this year but may do something virtual. If you are interested in participating for just a couple of hours or the entire day, sign up here.

Reston Association's Winter Bird Count

When: Saturday, January 2, 7:00am-12:00pm

Half-day annual bird count throughout Reston natural areas. Meet local bird experts, obtain tips on identification, and help with collecting vital information about our feathered friends. Register by Dec 31.

2021 Native Seedling Sale

Orders open February 2, 2021

https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/soil-water-conservation/native-seedling-sale

In Sustainability News

CALLING ALL FILMAKERS!!

The Virginia Environmental Film Contest deadline is December 31st!

Berries an Beyond: 6 ways your garden can help wildlife survive the cold

By Edamarie Mattei, Potomac Conservancy

Befriending the Butterflies All Winter

by Janet Quinn, Fairfax Master Naturalist

Report the Trees You've Planted to Help VDOF !

Trees play an important role in keeping our local waterways healthy - yes, even the one tree in your backyard! When it rains, trees can reduce the amount of pollution that eventually washes into our streams.

Learn More about Forests and the Bay.

The Winter Salt Watch program is in full swing! Excess road salt runs off into our beloved waterways, poisoning aquatic life and endangering our drinking water. Help us track this problem across the country as we work to encourage less road salt use while still keeping drivers safe!

Get your free Salt Watch kit.

Starting to Feel the Cabin Fever?

Take advantage of these activities designed to get all your kids' wild energy out in the wild winter landscapes!

Learn Outside, Learn at Home

by Chesapeake Bay Foundation

Go Wild: Things Your Kids Can Do Outside

By Karren Rent, Harris Center for Conservation Education

Project WILD

By Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies

Photo by Mathilde Langevin on Unsplash

Looking for a gift for a budding scientist?

Do you like scavenger hunts? How can you tell if creek water is clean and healthy? Join Lucas and his sister as they act like scientists looking for certain kinds of stream bugs (aquatic macroinvertebrates) that need clean, unpolluted water to survive. What will they find as they turn over rocks, pick up leaves, and sort through the mud? Read Creek Critters (ages 7-11) to discover how stream bugs are the storytellers of our streams.