Elective and Volunteer Opportunity

Wednesday, August 25, 2010 - By Stephanie
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Hi Everyone-
If you are in need of MN class hours for elective credit (or you just can’t quit taking nature classes!), you have a great opportunity the last weekend of September. This will be the Berkeley Springs Fall Birding Weekend—it’s the third year! The brochures will be out soon, but you have advance notice!

You can get 3 hours of elective credit by attending the Saturday night sessions. There are 2 and both sound really interesting. Tickets for the entire evening are only $10 (both speakers and dessert)! The programs are described below. To reserve your tickets (early, before they disappear), contact Judy Webb (judy@natureniche.biz) or call her at 304 258-0992.
There are also shorter programs on Friday night (7:30 p.m. “Name That Bird” with Dr. Scott Shalaway) and Saturday (1 p.m. “The Joys of Backyard Birding” with Betty Harmison) that count as recertification hours. No ticket is required for those.
In addition, if you need more VH for this year, the festival needs help with the registration booth at The Old Country Inn in Berkeley Springs. Help is need on Friday September 24 from 3-9 p.m. and Saturday September 25 from 8-10 a.m. and 1-9 p.m. If you only have a few hours to spare, you can help for only a part of the time. If you can help, email Judy Webb at judy@natureniche.biz and tell her what times you are available.

Ellen


Saturday Night Programs


7:00 pm Behind the Scenes Investigations Marcy Heacker, Forensic Ornithologist at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History will share her research investigations into the mysteries of aviation bird strikes. (Remember the Hudson River Crash?) and the searches for possible elusive survivors of extinct species—notably the Ivory Billed Woodpecker. The Garden Room is the location for the Saturday evening events.

Following Marcy’s presentation, enjoy dessert and coffee in the Garden Room.
 
8:15pm The Enchanted Island Dr. Scott Shalaway will share his Galapagos adventures with photos taken during a recent birding trip on which he served as group leader.

Watershed Volunteer Opportunity

Sunday, August 22, 2010 - By Stephanie
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PVAS is looking for volunteers who might be able to help at any of several programs scheduled for the fall!


 
On October 22, we will have the Ranson 4th grade watershed field trip to Flowing Springs Park (next to Home Depot in Ranson). The stations will be collecting macroinvertebrates, water quality testing, and planting pine seedlings. We may also have another station, depending on volunteer availability.

 
Programs at Yankauer for the fall are:

 
  • September 24: Morgan Academy (grades 1-8)
  • October 8: 2nd graders from Ranson Elementary
  • October 13: 1st graders from Ranson Elementary
  • October 29: 3rd graders from Ranson Elementary
  • October 15 OR 22: 6th graders from Martinsburg South Middle

 
Thanks for considering one of our programs with your schedules!

Mile A Minute Volunteer Opportunity

- By Stephanie
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The Mile A Minute at Flowing Springs Park (next to Home Depot in Ranson) is about to go to seed, so we need to do another removal project.


The next date is Friday August 27 (this Friday) from 10-12 noon. I know that the majority of you work, but we’re trying this for whoever can show up.

Wear dark clothes (the weed will stain it) and leather gloves are best (horrid thorns). If you don’t know where to go, come to the Home Depot parking lot (southern edge, where the “green” begins over the guardrail) and look for us.

Please reply to Susan Marklin (smarklin@juno.com) if you even THINK you can help.

Leave No Trace elective

Monday, August 16, 2010 - By Stephanie
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PVMN is sponsoring at Leave No Trace trainer workshop on September 11-12. This is a great opportunity that you may want to take advantage of—it counts as 4 hours of MN workshop credit. The course will be held September 11-12 at "For Love of Children" (FLOC) Outdoor Education Center located in Shannondale (off Mission Rd off Route 9 east outside of Charles Town).


This class is open to the public so you are welcome to refer others to it or bring a friend to join you at the training.

Normally the training involves camping in a tent, but if you prefer to sleep at the FLOC lodge, there are limited rooms available for $30 a night. That is in addition to the course fee.

We need to know if you are planning to sign up by August 25 so that all arrangements can be finalized. If you are thinking you will take the class, but have just not gotten around to signing up, please go ahead and do so. In fact, send me an email saying you are signing up; then send the registration form and fee to Leigh Jenkins.

The Leave No Trace (LNT) program emphasizes skills and techniques essential to LNT minimum impact outdoor ethics and education. This training course consists of a total of 16 hours of experiential instruction, 10 hours of which must be conducted in the field and one night of camping. Topics covered during the course include the role and function of an LNT Trainer; the principles and ethics of LNT; teaching skills and techniques and student learning LNT program; the role and function of the non profit organization LNT, Inc. Each participant will understand, demonstrate, and be able to teach minimum impact techniques for friends, family, sponsoring organization and other community groups and lead a discussion on outdoor ethics and help others explore their own personal outdoor ethic. A student who completes this course will become a qualified LNT Trainer.

More information and a detailed schedule with a list of items to bring will be provided upon registration.
The registration fee for the course is $35.00 per participant. To register, download the MN workshop form at www.potomacaudubon.org
If you have any questions, please contact Clark Dixon at dixonconsultants@aol.com

More Habitat Improvement Class sources

Tuesday, August 10, 2010 - By Stephanie
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How exciting that Eldon Winston will be helping out Virginia for Saturday's class on Habitat Improvement! He's the "go to" guy for pollinators and you'll leave ready to establish pollinator habitats! Below is a list of resources that he has provided..

POLLINATOR WEB SITES and Other things.


 
An interesting web site that can give you some information on planting guides for pollinators for the Central Appalachian region is: www.Pollinator.org

 
Another link with significant information is: www.fws.gov/pollinators


 
For access to more information on bee blocks and some versions of them try the Idaho site which offers both blocks for sale as well as some downloadable flyers on pollinators. www.Pollinatorparadise.com

For a bee block with holes for both Orchard Mason bees and leafcutter bees in the same block try Pine Tree Seeds at www.supergardenseeds.com or www.fedcoseeds.com I had the page numbers from 2009 but haven’t looked up the page numbers for 2010.

 

While I will include links to other sites here I don’t know if they have plans for a bumblebee nest box. If you would like the plans I can forward the email to you which I received from Alex Surcica and you can take another step in enhancing pollinators. Bumblebees don’t make honey either. Sorry.. email eldon@winstongardens.com

 
Websites:

 

 
While the web is wonderful if you like to read a real book try The Forgotten Pollinators by Stephen L Buchmann and Gary Paul Nabhan. This book spells out some very strange relationships between plants and pollinators and implicitly shows us that we have already lit the fuse on the dynamite of ecological collapse. I enjoyed it.

  
Finally, for a look at what has happened in the past though not referred to the pollinator level why not try the book Collapse by Jared Diamond. Makes me glad to be as old as I am.

Habitat Improvement Class sources

Monday, August 9, 2010 - By Stephanie
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The afternoon class this coming Saturday deals with Habitat Improvements and there are several websites or publications that you may want to take note of, before or after the class. (The first one listed is from Maryland’s DNR, but what the heck—the info is great! It’s just too large a file to send as an attachment.) Also, some attachments that are in pdf format.


MD “Bay Smart” Backyard Makeover Guide
http://dnr.maryland.gov/criticalarea/pdfs/backyardmakeover.pdf

WV Wildyards Program
http://wvdnr.gov/wildlife/landscape.shtm

West Virginia Native Plant Society
http://dir.gardenweb.com/directory/wvnps/

The National Wildlife Federation
www.nwf.org/wildlife

USFWS Native Plants for Wildlife Habitat and Conservation Landscaping: Chesapeake Bay Watershed
http://www.nps.gov/plants/pubs/chesapeake/


3 attachments have also been emailed to you:
Build your own rain garden..pdf
Native Planting Guide.pdf
Rain Garden Brochure.pdf
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