Local Pollinators Volunteer Opportunity

This spring, I am enlisting the help of interested volunteers to observe local pollinators of spring beauty (Claytonia virginica and Claytonia caroliniana). I thought you all might be interested in observing and learning about the pollinators of these native plants!

This project aims to document changing pollinator populations - by monitoring the insects that visit spring beauty throughout the eastern US, we can determine how pollinator communities change depending on the year, the location, and the season. This information will help us better understand the biology of native pollinators, as well as help us determine the best way to evaluate their value for native plant reproduction. At the same time, you will learn more about the native bees and flies visiting our early spring flora, and spend some time outdoors during the lovely spring weather.

To help, you need to be able to get to a patch of our study plants, Claytonia virginica and Claytonia caroliniana, which are easily found throughout the Eastern US and southeastern Ontario. We'll help you learn to distinguish the plants and pollinators, and assist you with questions along the way. We ask for about 2 hours of observations over the course of three weeks, all during sunny weather. As you observe, you'll fill out data sheets (which we will provide), which you will then mail or email to us along with any comments or concerns.

For more information, visit http://springbeauties.wordpress.com. To volunteer, please email spring.beauty.pollinators@gmail.com with your name and location. We'll get in touch with you soon with more information!

Thank you very much,
Alison Parker

Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
University of Toronto

Frog eggs

Did you know that frogs tend to lay their eggs in masses, while toads tend to lay them in long chains? This photo, by 2010 classmate Scott MacKinnon, taken at Sleepy Creek on March 12th, shows a typical mass of frog eggs. It takes anywhere between 6-21 days for the eggs to hatch, after being fertilized. Scott said he visited the small pond again just this week and most of the frogs have hatched and are now little pollywogs.

Here's a link I found on the Wisconsin DNR site to help you identify frog spawn that you find this Spring. Click here.

Thanks Scott!

Eagle Cams

We have posted 2 links to the right of this post under Interesting Links. The links are for local eagle cams.

Unfortunately there has been some disturbance at the nest on the NCTC eagle cam and much discussion in regards to the happenings, of which you can read about here. The eagle chick, which hatched on March 17th, survived only a few days and it is unlikely to see any additional chicks hatch this season. There are high hopes to see the eagles nesting again next season. Stay tuned and you can keep a lookout yourself on the NCTC eagle cam here.

However the Norfolk Botantical Garden has a pair of eagles that began building their nest in 2003 and are being filmed beautifully along with their eaglets. Check out the Norfolk Botantical Garden eagle cam here.

Feathers in Flight: A Birding Seminar at Ivrine Nature Center

Join Irvine for its first annual birding seminar, Feathers in Flight, scheduled for Saturday, April 9, 2011. The exciting new event will feature a keynote from nationally known naturalists Clay & Pat Sutton. This is a great opportunity for beginner, intermediate and advanced birders to increase their knowledge and skills.

Below is a brochure for the event, including a pricing information, times and a registration form. Contact Courtney Sagal if you have any questions.


Courtney Sagal
Education Administrative Assistant
Irvine Nature Center
11201 Garrison Forest Road
Owings Mills, MD 21117
443-738-9224
SagalC@ExploreNature.org
http://www.explorenature.org/

Woods in Your Backyard

Below information promoting a workshop program in May called "Woods in your Backyard". This program would count for recertification hours if you have not already taken the class. Information times and cost are on the brochure.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact Jennifer Garlesky below.

Jennifer Garlesky
Conservation Specialist
West Virginia Conservation Agency
Eastern Panhandle Conservation District
151 Aikens Center, Suite 1
Martinsburg, WV 25401
Office: 304-263-4376 ext. 118
Cell: 304-951-1776
Fax: 304-263-4986

Small Woodlots are a Big Deal

The West Virginia Division of Forestry and Forestry for the Bay will host a two part Woods in Your Backyard workshop for landowners in Berkeley & Jefferson Counties on May 5th & 12th.
Small lots, such as the one you may own, are a big deal. The vast majority of landowners in West Virginia have less than 10 acres. This land wooded or not is a vital for all. By enhancing wooded areas or creating natural areas on your lot, you can enjoy recreation, aesthetics, wildlife, improved water quality and more.

The Woods in your Backyard program was collaboratively developed by cooperative extension educators in the Mid Atlantic region to help meet the natural resources needs of a growing number of smaller acreage landowners. Owners of even just a few acres can make a positive difference in their environment through planning and implementing simple stewardship practices outlined in this program. Each workshop is two sessions one week apart. The time in-between is for the purpose of applying lessons. The sessions are designed to go over the program manual and provide guidance on how to use the resources.

Topics will include:

• Forest ecology & woodland management principles
• Tree identification techniques
• Wildlife habitat projects
• Converting lawn to natural areas
• Invasive species control

When:
Thursdays, May 5th & 12th
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Where:
Faith Christian Academy
138 Greensburg Road
Martinsburg, WV 25401

Cost for Workshop:
$15 individual or $20 family
Fee includes a book & light refreshments.

For more information, please contact
Craig Highfield, 410-267-5723, chighfield@chesapeakebay.net
Or visit: http://www.forestryforthebay.org/files/WBYBrochureWV1.pdf

GLOBE at Night: March 22 - April 4

GLOBE at Night 2011
Less of Our Light for More Star Light!
Join the 6th worldwide GLOBE at Night 2011 Campaign

22 March to 4 April 2011: Northern Hemisphere Leo Observation Campaign

With half of the world’s population now living in cities, many urban dwellers have never experienced the wonderment of pristinely dark skies and maybe never will. This loss, caused by light pollution, is a concern on many fronts: safety, energy conservation, cost, health and effects on wildlife, as well as our ability to view the stars. Even though light pollution is a serious and growing global concern, it is one of the easiest environmental problems you can address on local levels. Participation in the international star-hunting campaign, GLOBE at Night, helps to address the light pollution issue locally as well as globally.

This year, 2 sets of campaigns are being offered. For the first campaign from February 21 through March 6, 2011, everyone all over the world is invited to record the brightness of the night sky. The second campaign runs from March 22 through April 4 in the Northern  Hemisphere and March 24 through April 6 in the Southern Hemisphere. The campaign is easy and fun to do. First, you match the appearance of the constellation Orion in the first campaign (and Leo or Crux in the second campaign) with simple star maps of progressively fainter stars found. Then you submit your measurements, including the date, time, and location of your comparison. After all the campaign’s observations are submitted, the project’s organizers release a map of light- pollution levels worldwide. Over the last five annual 2-week campaigns, volunteers from more than 100 nations contributed 52,000 measurements, one third of which came from last year’s campaign.

To learn the five easy steps to participate in the GLOBE at Night program, see the GLOBE at Night website. You can listen to last year’s 10-minute audio podcast on light pollution and GLOBE at Night. Or download a 45-minute powerpoint and accompanying audio. GLOBE at Night is also on Facebook and Twitter. The big news is that children and adults can submit their measurements in real time if they have a smart phone or tablet. To do this, you can use the web application. With smart phones and tablets, the location, date and time are put in automatically. And if you do not have a smart phone or tablet, there are user friendly tools on the GLOBE at Night report page to find latitude and longitude. For activities that have children explore what light pollution is, what its effects are on wildlife and how to prepare for participating in the GLOBE at Night campaign, see the Dark Skies Rangers activities. Monitoring our environment will allow us as citizen-scientists to identify and preserve the dark sky oases in cities and locate areas where light pollution is increasing. All it takes is a few minutes during the 2011 campaign to measure sky brightness and contribute those observations on-line. Help us exceed the 17,800 observations contributed last year. Your measurements will make a world of difference. 

Star Maps: http://www.globeatnight.org/observe_magnitude.html

Submitting Measurements: http://www.globeatnight.org/report.html

GLOBE at Night: http://www.globeatnight.org/

Audio Podcast: http://365daysofastronomy.org/2010/02/03/february-3rd-the-globe-at-night-campaign-our-light-or-starlight/

Powerpoint: http://www.globeatnight.org/files/NSN_GaN_2011_slides.ppt

Accompanying Audio: http://www.globeatnight.org/files/NSN_GaN_2011_audio.mp3

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/GLOBEatNight

Twitter: http://twitter.com/GLOBEatNight

Web App for Reporting: http://www.globeatnight.org/webapp/

Dark Skies Activities: http://www.darkskiesawareness.org/DarkSkiesRangers/

Flowing Springs Volunteer Opportunity

The first all-PVMN volunteer project of 2011 is at Flowing Springs Park (next to Home Depot in Ranson) on Saturday April 2. The event time is 11 a.m.-4:00 p.m. but you can volunteer for only an hour if that meets your schedule better. This event is one that all Master Naturalists and current students should consider a priority to help with. We will be having other “all PVMN” volunteer projects this year as well because the purpose of being a Master Naturalist is to give back to the community.

Master Naturalists are particularly needed to help with leading walking tours of the property showing various highlights such as the source area of the spring, invasives that we are trying to eradicate, identifying plants, looking for animal signs, sharing the future vision of park for trails, etc. Now quit thinking you don’t know anything about those things—you are Master Naturalists and can share your interest in discovering nature if nothing else!!! You don’t have to be an expert to share your interest in nature with others.

Help is also needed with invasive removal (that doesn’t require that you talk to anyone!!), stream exploration in the water, and at the “meet and greet” table.

Contact Ellen ellen.l.murphy@comcast.net or Kristin Alexander (pvasmail@aol.com) to set up the time and activity you can help with.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Virgina Winston has passed on this information about the annual Native Plants in the Landscape Conference held at Millersville Univ, PA (Lancaster area) June 2-3-4 this year. They have attended this conference several times in the past and it is really well done, we have always learned a lot. Our own Wil Hershberger will be one of the featured speakers at this year's event. The website is http://www.millersvillenativeplants.org// It looks quite interesting!

Bird Walk Volunteer Opportunity

Sandy Sagalkin has taken the lead in organizing and providing adult birdwalks in the Eastern Panhandle. If you would like to help with them, contact him. Working with Sandy would be a great way to learn more about birds yourself and become more confident as a Birding Master Naturalist.

Help in Leading PVAS Birdwalks. PVAS conduct 3-4 birdwalks each month at various locations in Jefferson, Berkeley, Morgan and Washington counties. If you would like to lead birdwalks or help the trip leaders, contact Sandy Sagalkin at monsansagalkin@myactv.net or 240-291-6465

Horn Point Laboratory Lecture for MN Credit

If you are looking for a reason to go to the Eastern Shore, you can get MN class hours by attending a lecture on the Chesapeake Bay!

Click here for additional information.

2011 Citizen Science Projects

Below is a list of Citizen Science projects that you may be interested in.

POTOMAC VALLEY MASTER NATURALISTS

Citizen Science Projects 2011

West Virginia Citizen Science Opportunities

Crayfishes in WV: Zach Loughman, Natural History Research Specialist at West Liberty State College, is running a statewide survey of the Crayfishes found in WV and would appreciate any help in collecting. Contact him at: Zachary J. Loughman, Natural History Research Specialist, Campus Service Center Box 139, West Liberty State College, West Liberty, WV, 26704, Phone: (304) 336-8923, Fax: (304) 336-8266, zloughman@westliberty.edu .

WVDNR Research Projects: Contact Keiran O’Malley at Romney and volunteer to help on any surveys or other projects. (He teaches the PVMN Reptiles and Amphibian Class.) Contact him at kieranomalley@wv.gov

Bird Banding: Contact Bob Dean who bands locally and volunteer to help him. Contact Bob
at 304-754-3042 or BobDean52@gmail.com .

Fish Research Projects: Contact Vicki Blazer at the USGS National Fish Health Research Lab in Kearneysville WV. You’ll start out recording notes during research field work, but as you gain knowledge and experience, you can do more. Contact Vicki at fishdoc322@frontiernet.net .


Citizen Science Opportunities

Astronomy and Weather

The Milky Way Project www.Milkywayproject.org
The Milky Way Project is currently working with data taken from the Galactic Legacy Infrared Mid-Plane Survey Extraordinaire (GLIMPSE) and the Multiband Imaging Photometer for Spitzer Galactic Plane Survey (MIPSGAL). We're looking for bubbles. These bubbles are part of the life cycle of stars. Some bubbles have already been found - by the study that inspired this project - but we want to find more! By finding more, we will build up a comprehensive view of not only these bubbles, but our galaxy as a whole. We're asking you to help us map star formation in our galaxy.

Galaxy Zoo www.galaxyzoo.org
Your job is very simple! When classifying you will be shown an image of a galaxy and be asked a series of questions about it. All you need to do is to look for features that mark out different types of galaxy and answer the questions as well as you can. This is a job that humans are much better at than computers, so most of the questions should be fairly easy. If you find it hard to decide upon the answer to a particular question, don't worry! There often won't be a 'correct' answer. Just pick the one that seems best and move on to the next question. By looking at all the answers given for each galaxy the Galaxy Zoo scientists will be able to work out which is most likely to be the right one, and how sure we can be about it. Your individual opinion is extremely important to making that possible.

The Old Weather Project www.oldweather.org
The Old Weather project isn't about proving or disproving global warming. We need to collect as much historical data as we can over the oceans, because if we wish to understand what the weather will do in the future, then we need to understand what the weather was doing in the past. Help scientists recover worldwide weather observations made by Royal Navy ships around the time of World War I. These transcriptions will contribute to climate model projections and improve a database of weather extremes. Historians will use your work to track past ship movements and the stories of the people on board.

Moon Zoo www.moonzoo.org
The aim of Moon Zoo is to provide detailed crater counts for as much of the Moon's surface as possible. Unlike here on Earth where weather quickly erodes any signs of all but the most recent impacts, craters on the lunar surface stay almost until eternity. That means that the number of craters on a particular piece of the surface tells us how old it is. This technique is used all over the Solar System, but the Moon is particularly important because we have ground truth — samples brought back by the Apollo missions — which allow us to calibrate our estimates. Planetary scientists have always carried out this kind of analysis on large scales, but with your help and the fabulous LRO images then we should be able to uncover the finer details of the Moon's history. We need your help to explore the lunar surface, by answering a series of questions about what you see.

Snow Core http://snowcore.uwaterloo.ca/snowtweets
Contribute to cryosphere research! Snow and cryosphere researchers at the University of Waterloo ask you to tweet snow depths in your area. Sign in to your Twitter account (or sign up, it’s free!) and write a message that looks like this: #snowtweets at
We’ll be using your contributions to help us verify satellite observations around the world.

Students’ Cloud Observations On-Line (S’COOL)
http://science-edu.larc.nasa.gov/SCOOL/index.php
Students’ Cloud Observations On-Line (S’COOL) is a citizen science project in which volunteers make and report cloud observations from sites of their choosing, such as a field trip, vacation, or even a backyard. The project aims to collect data on cloud type, height, cover, and related conditions from all over the world. Observations are sent to NASA for comparison to similar information obtained from satellite. The S'COOL observations help validate satellite data and give a more complete picture of clouds in the atmosphere and their interactions with other parts of the integrated global Earth system.

Insects, Arthropods, and Arachnids


Firefly Watch https://www.mos.org/fireflywatch /
Firefly Watch combines an annual summer evening ritual with scientific research. Boston's Museum of Science has teamed up with researchers from Tufts University and Fitchburg State College to track the fate of these amazing insects. With your help, we hope to learn about the geographic distribution of fireflies and their activity during the summer season. Fireflies also may be affected by human-made light and pesticides in lawns, so we hope to also learn more about those effects.

Odonata Central http://www.odonatacentral.org
OdonataCentral is a website designed to make available what we know about the distribution, biogeography, biodiversity, and identification of Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) worldwide. The photographic records submitted by amateur natural historians and citizen scientists help generate a large database of distributional records. OdonataCentral makes its database available to researchers to dynamically generate maps, checklists, and accompanying data.

Monarch Watch http://www.monarchwatch.org/waystations /
Monarch butterflies need our help. You can aid them by creating "Monarch Waystations" (monarch habitats) in home gardens, at schools, businesses, parks, zoos, nature centers, along roadsides, and on other unused plots of land. You can certify your new or existing monarch habitat to show that you are contributing to monarch conservation. Upon certification your site will be included in the International Monarch Waystation Registry, an online listing of Monarch Waystations. By creating and maintaining a Monarch Waystation you are contributing to monarch conservation, an effort that will help assure the preservation of the species and the continuation of the spectacular monarch migration phenomenon.

Monarch Larva Monitoring Project www.mlmp.org. The overarching goal of the project is to better understand how and why monarch populations vary in time and space, with a focus on monarch distribution and abundance during the breeding season in North America. As an MLMP volunteer, you'll conduct weekly monarch and milkweed surveys, measuring per plant densities of monarch eggs and larvae. You'll also be able to participate in more detailed optional activities, such as measuring parasitism rates and milkweed quality. Your contributions will aid in conserving monarchs and their threatened migratory phenomenon, and advance our understanding of butterfly ecology in general.

Monarch Tagging Program www.monarchwatch.org ($15 for tags and record forms).
The purpose of monarch tagging is to associate the location of capture with the point of recovery for each butterfly. The data from these recaptures are used to determine the pathways taken by migrating monarchs, the influence of weather on the migration, the survival rate of the monarchs, etc. Tags are purchased in kits. Each kit contains a premigration newsletter, datasheet, instructions and a multiple of 25 tags, depending on how many are ordered in that kit. With tags and datasheets in hand, participants tag as many monarchs as they are able and record the date, location and other information onto their datasheets and return the information so that when monarchs are collected the information you recorded will be in the data base.

Bee Hunt http://www.discoverlife.org/bee /
Bee Hunt participants use digital photography to record and study the interactions between plants and pollinators, following rigorous protocols to ensure high-quality data. The data collected will help provide a better understanding of pollinators' importance in growing food and maintaining healthy natural ecosystems. Bee Hunt is open to anyone, anywhere, whenever pollinators are flying. In North America, depending upon your location, you can start as early as March and go as late as November.
There are four ways to participate in Bee Hunt:
1. Inventory pollinators at your site with photographs
2. Compare species in two patches
3. Provide nesting sites for mason bees and study when they are active
4. Use bowls and soapy water to collect insects for a more complete inventory of species

Viburnum Leaf Beetle Project http://www.hort.cornell.edu/vlb/
Participants in this project monitor gardens, parks, or school yards throughout the spring and summer to identify viburnum leaf beetles. As a citizen scientist, you gather data that researchers can use to help stop the spread of this pest, reduce the damage it causes, and help us all be better prepared for future invasions by exotic pests. The viburnum leaf beetle is an invasive, non-native beetle that first appeared in New York State along Lake Ontario in 1996, and has steadily spread. It has been reported in Maine, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and parts of Ohio, as well as Ontario, the Canadian Maritime Provinces, and British Columbia. It is a voracious eater that can defoliate viburnum shrubs entirely. Plants may die after two or three years of heavy infestation. (Although WV is not listed, the surrounding states probably put us at risk.)

Lost Ladybug Project http://www.lostladybug.org/index.php
The Lost Ladybug Project asks citizen scientists to find, collect, and photograph the native species of ladybugs that have become quite rare in recent years. Ladybugs are important and beneficial predators because they eat harmful insects like aphids that damage plants. To help ladybug species, scientists need detailed information on which species are still out there and how many exist.

Spider Web Watch http://www.spiderwebwatch.org /
Spider WebWatch is a biodiversity monitoring effort for biologists, naturalists, educators, students, and anyone else with a strong interest in spiders. Learn to identify nine species of spiders and make your own submissions.

Birds

Nest Watch http://watch.birds.cornell.edu/nest/home/index
NestWatch teaches people about bird breeding biology and engages them in collecting and submitting nest records. Such records include information about nest site location, habitat, species, and number of eggs, young, and fledglings. “Citizen scientists” submit their nest records to our online database where their observations are compiled with those of other participants in a continent-wide effort to better understand and manage the impacts of environmental change on bird populations.

Great Backyard Bird Count http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/
The Great Backyard Bird Count is an annual four-day event during which bird watchers count birds to create a real-time snapshot of where birds are located across the continent. (In 2011, dates are February 18-21). Anyone, from beginning bird watchers to experts, can participate. It takes as little as 15 minutes on one day, or you can count for as long as you like during each day of the event. Yearly data collection makes the information more meaningful and allows scientists to investigate far-reaching questions.

Project Feeder Watch http://www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw /
Project FeederWatch is a winter-long survey of birds that visit feeders at backyards, nature centers, community areas, and other locales in North America. FeederWatchers periodically count the birds they see at their feeders from November through early April and send their counts to Project FeederWatch. FeederWatch data help scientists track broadscale movements of winter bird populations and long-term trends in bird distribution and abundance. Project FeederWatch is operated by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Bird Studies Canada.

Plants

Project BudBurst http://budburst.org/
Project BudBurst engages the public in making careful observations of phenophases such as first leafing, first flower, and first fruit ripening of a diversity of trees, shrubs, flowers, and grasses in their local area. Project BudBurst has targeted 75 native trees, shrubs, wildflowers, and grasses to monitor throughout the year. With the help of citizen scientists, the project will compile valuable environmental information that can be compared to historical records. By recording the timing of the leafing and flowering of native species each year, scientists can learn about the prevailing climatic characteristics in a region over time.

Global Garlic Mustard Field Survey
http://scienceforcitizens.net/project/168/www.GarlicMustard.org
Help scientists gather much-needed data on the abundance and distribution of an invasive plant called 'garlic mustard' (scientific name: Alliaria petiolata). Many invasive species, like garlic mustard, are quickly changing North America's ecosystems, but scientists still don't understand why or how this happens. To figure this out we need sample data from all over the world, but that requires a large group effort. Fortunately, it does not require specialized training because plant performance can be reliably quantified with simple measurements such as height and seed production of individuals, as well as area of coverage and density of plants. By spending as little as a single day on this project, you could help scientists to come to a new understanding about invasive species. This in turn could ultimately lead to important new management strategies.

Animals

Project Squirrel http://projectsquirrel.org/index.shtml
Project Squirrel is calling all citizen scientists to count the number of squirrels in their neighborhoods and report their findings. The goal is to understand urban squirrel biology, including everything from squirrels to migratory birds, nocturnal mammals, and secretive reptiles and amphibians. To gain data on squirrel populations across the United States, citizen scientists will also be asked, when possible, to distinguish between two different types of tree squirrels - gray and fox. Anyone can participate in Project Squirrel. No matter where you live, city or suburb, from the Midwest to the East Coast, Canada to California, if squirrels live in your neighborhood, you are encouraged to become a squirrel monitor.

Project NOAH http://www.networkedorganisms.com/
Noah is a mobile phone app that allows nature lovers to document local wildlife and add their observations to a growing database for use by ongoing citizen-science projects.
Using the Noah mobile application, users take a photograph of an interesting organism, select the appropriate category, add descriptive tags, and click submit. The application captures the location details along with the submitted information and stores all of it in the species database (You do need an iPhone with the app installed.)

Reptiles, Amphibians

Frog Watch USA http://www.aza.org/frogwatch /
FrogWatch USA is the Association of Zoos and Aquarium’s (AZA) flagship citizen science program that allows individuals and families to learn about the wetlands in their communities and help conserve amphibians by reporting the calls of local frogs and toads. For over ten years, volunteers have been trained to enter their FrogWatch USA information and ongoing analyses of these data have been used to help develop practical strategies for the conservation of these important species.

General Nature

Picture Post http://picturepost.unh.edu/
Picture Post invites everyone with a digital camera to become an environmental monitor. All you have to do is place a 4-inch-by-4-inch wood or plastic post in the ground, with the top at chest-height. Then, resting your camera on the top of the post, take a series of nine photographs: eight to cover a panoramic view of the surrounding landscape and a ninth of the sky directly over the post. Upload your photos to the Picture Post website, and you’ve just helped track our changing environment. Sponsored by NASA and housed at the University of New Hampshire.

Nature’s Notebook http://www.usanpn.org/how-observe
Nature's Notebook is a national plant and animal phenology observation program. You can join thousands of other individuals who are providing valuable observations that scientists, educators, policy makers, and resource managers are using to understand how plants and animals are responding to climate change and other environmental changes. Your observations will make a difference! Phenology is the study of recurring plant and animal life cycle stages, or phenophases, such as leafing and flowering of plants, maturation of agricultural crops, emergence of insects, and migration of birds. Many of these events are sensitive to climatic variation and change, and are simple to observe and record. As a USA-NPN observer, you can help scientists identify and understand environmental trends so we can better adapt to climate change.

Wildlife Watch http://www.nwf.org/wildlifewatch/
Wildlife Watch is a national, nature-watching program created for people of all ages. When you record your observations, National Wildlife Federation and Wildlife Watch partners collect and review your findings to track the health and behavior of wildlife and plant species.

World Water Monitoring Day
http://www.worldwatermonitoringday.org/About/About_Main.html
World Water Monitoring Day is an international program that encourages citizen volunteers to monitor their local water bodies. An easy-to-use test kit enables everyone from children to adults to sample local water bodies for basic water quality parameters: temperature, acidity (pH), clarity (turbidity), and dissolved oxygen. Though World Water Monitoring Day is officially celebrated in September, the monitoring window is usually extended to cover the period from March 22 (World Water Day) until December 31. Participants are encouraged to make their observations at anytime within that extended window.

Don’t like any of these suggestions? Find your own! Work just needs to be in West Virginia to qualify for Master Naturalist Volunteer Hours. http://scienceforcitizens.net/finder /

2011 Volunteer Opportunities

Below is a list of projects and activities where Potomac Valley Master Naturalists will be this spring! You should plan to make sure you are involved in one or more of them! Remember the whole point of being a Master Naturalist is GIVING BACK to the community through volunteer time.

POTOMAC VALLEY MASTER NATURALISTS

Volunteer Opportunities-2011

PVAS Sponsored Events

Saturday April 2, PVAS is hosting an Open House at the NEW Flowing Springs Park in Ranson (near Home Depot). Many different activities are planned and we need volunteers to help with all of them! Activities include helping with tree plantings, leading bird/nature walks, stream sampling demonstrations, and possible invasive removal. There will also be a PVAS/PVMN contact table which will need volunteers to greet visitors, help providing refreshments, and talking about both organizations. Gloves, tools and refreshments will be provided to volunteers (and a t-shirt to thank you for all your hard work!) Hours are 11:00-4:00 p.m. and you can volunteer for all or part of that time. Contact Kristin Alexander to help: 304-274-0509.

Saturday, April 16, PVAS will be hosting a Wildflower Festival at the Yankauer Preserve
in northeast Berkeley County. We'll need some folks to help with children's activities, lead
walks, and lend a helping hand as required. Training in wildflowers is available before the big
day. The walks will be held on the hour from 11-3. Contact Kristin Alexander for more
information: 304-274-0509.

Sunday April 17, PVAS’s Annual Egg Hunt, 2-4 p.m. Help is needed in:
• putting out the eggs about 12:30 p.m.
• assisting with some of the activities (egg games, reading books, playing games, etc)
• baking cookies! We need several people to make 3 dozen cookies (your choice) and
drop them off at Yankauer Sunday morning. (The kids will be trading in their eggs for cookies and lemonade and there are lots of parents to feed.) Contact Ellen Murphy at 304-676-8739.

Saturday May 7, PVAS is participating in the Boonsboro GreenFest which is one of the best Earth Festivals in this area! Everything from solar energy systems to composting to fair trade products to heirloom tomato plants to special children's activities to recycling opportunities to clothing and children's book swaps will be featured throughout the park. We need volunteers to help with our contact booth. Time is 10:00-5:00 p.m. Contact Kristin Alexander to volunteer: 304-274-0509.


PVAS Educational Programs

Watershed Field Trips are scheduled for March and early April. All times are 8:30-1 p.m. We
need help with doing water quality testing, streambank assessment, and looking for critters in the water. We provide training, but this is not hard and it is fun!! Bring your own lunch. Contact Ellen Murphy at 304-676-8739

March 29 and March 31-Flowing Springs Park, Ranson WV
April 1-Mill Creek (across from Mountain Ridge Intermediate School), Inwood WV
April 5, 6, and 7-Cacapon River, near Great Cacapon WV
April 12 and 13-Back Creek (at Tomahawk Intermediate School), Hedgesville WV
April 8 and 14-Tuscarora Creek on E. John Street, Martinsburg WV
Watershed Planting Projects are the final service project for students in some watershed education programs. This year, we are planting at Mussleman, Martinsburg, and Jefferson
High Schools and in Berkeley Springs and Paw Paw! Contact Ellen Murphy: 304-676-8739.

April 14, Musselman High School Envirothon (7:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.)
April 25, 26, 28 Warm Springs Intermediate School, Berkeley Springs (1:30-3:00 p.m. each day)
April 27, Paw Paw Schools (8:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.)
May 6, Martinsburg High School (7:30-9:30 a.m.)
May 6, Jefferson High School (1:30-3:00 p.m.)

School Programs at Yankauer Programs are generally 8:30-1:30 p.m. We need 2 volunteers for EACH program. Contact Ellen Murphy: 304-676-8739.

Tuesday and Wednesday April 12 and 13, 2nd grade program (Plants vs. Animals)
Tuesday April 26, Kindergarten program (Insects)
Friday April 29, 1st grade program (Insects)
Thursday May, middle school hike, 2:00-3:30 p.m.


PVMN Sponsored Volunteer Opportunities

Saturday May 7; 10 a.m.-12 noon. Garlic Mustard Challenge at Yankauer You can be part of the Garlic Mustard Challenge sponsored by the US Forest Service. West Virginia is out to pull 20,000 pounds of the invasive weed. Contact Nan Johnson at gabbyvanv@frontier.com

Saturday June 4; 10 a.m.-12 noon. Mile-A-Minute Eradication (part 3) at Flowing Springs Park in Ranson Mile-A-Minute is a major invasive that we are trying to prevent from spreading. The new Flowing Springs Park is next to Home Depot in Ranson. Bring leather gloves and long pants as the weed is also called “Devil’s Tear-Thumb” for good reason! Contact Ellen Murphy at 304-676-8739.

Volunteer at Yankauer Nature Preserve or Eidolon Nature Preserve: There are always "self scheduled" projects as an option such as pulling invasives at Yankauer or Eidolon, adopting a flower garden at Yankauer, trimming trails, etc. Once you’re “up and running” with knowing what to do (and where), you can do projects as often as you li.ke to suit your own schedule
At Yankauer contact Tim Murphy at timurf@comcast.net for projects at Yankauer.
For Eidolon projects, contact Joe Gentile at 304-258-3197.
Kristin Alexander at pvasmail@aol.com can also answer questions.


West Virginia Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteer at the Peter Burr Farm near Bardane/Kearneysville Volunteers are needed to: Conduct a plant species inventory; Identify invasive species; Remove invasive species; Develop a plan to introduce native species to be added over time to increase plant diversity; Remove some old fencing and piles of debris; Construct wire fence along Warm Springs Rd; Developing a plan and creating a nature trail. Regular work days are scheduled. Contact Nan Johnson at
gabbyvanv@frontier.com

Volunteer at the Cacapon State Park Nature Center Kelly Smith, Park Naturalist can use help doing everything from manning the nature center to feeding the snakes and turtles to leading hikes to helping with other projects that are going on. You can arrange a specific time during the week or on weekends, year round. Kelly can be reached at CacaponNaturalist@wvdnr.gov or by calling her at 304-258-1022 x5209.

WV Raptor Rehabilitation Centers: West Virginia’s two raptor rehabilitation centers in the
state occasionally need help working at their facilities constructing flight cages and performing
other tasks. If any MN student would like to earn more volunteer hours, he or she should
contact these centers.
West Virginia Raptor Rehabilitation Center, P.O. Box 333, Morgantown, WV 26507. Phone 1-800-540-6390, (304)-366-2867, Fax (304) 592-1482, email: raptor@wvrrc.org . Website: www.wvrrc.org .
Three Rivers Avian Center, HC 74 Box 279, Brooks, WV 25951, (304) 466-4683, email: ron@tracwv.org. Website: www.tracwv.org . Both raptor centers would appreciate any volunteer service you could provide.

Crayfishes in WV: Zach Loughman, Natural History Research Specialist at West Liberty State College, is running a statewide survey of the Crayfishes found in WV and would appreciate any help in collecting. Contact him at: Zachary J. Loughman, Natural History Research Specialist, Campus Service Center Box 139, West Liberty State College, West Liberty, WV, 26704, Phone: (304) 336-8923, Fax: (304) 336-8266, zloughman@westliberty.edu .

WVDNR Research Projects: Contact Keiran O’Malley at Romney and ask if he needs help on any surveys or other projects. (He teaches the PVMN Reptiles and Amphibian Class.) Contact him at kieranomalley@wv.gov

Bird Banding: Contact Bob Dean who bands locally and volunteer to help him. Contact Bob
at 304-754-3042 or BobDean52@gmail.com .

Fish Research Projects: Contact Vicki Blazer at the USGS National Fish Health Research Lab in Kearneysville WV. You’ll start out recording notes during research field work, but as you gain knowledge and experience, you can do more. Contact Vicki at fishdoc322@frontiernet.net .


Working With Children Volunteer Opportunities

Science Olympiad in Loudoun County VA: This event will take place in the school yard, classrooms, hallways, gymnasium and offices of Mountain View School (Purcellville VA) on June 7, 2011, 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Students attending the programs will be fourth and fifth graders. Presenters are asked to conduct four 50-minute, hands-on/active learning sessions. A gourmet lunch will be provided by the PTA. Contact Jim Jenkins at jenkinsjim@att.blackberry.net. (Although this opportunity does not qualify for Volunteer Hours for WV Master Naturalists, it is an important even. Jim Jenkins is a Certified WVMN and a member of PVMN, so volunteer to help just to be nice!)

Tigers on the Trail at Harpers Ferry: This program with students at Harpers Ferry Middle School is designed to get the students outside and physically active by using the trails around Harpers Ferry National Historic Park. Volunteers lead the hikes and can choose the trail, theme, and the date. The park will find a classroom that matches your availability, trail difficulty level, and theme. Themes can be anything from physical fitness to history to natural history to recreation. The focus is not content, but to get the kids outdoors, get students active, introduce them to the resources in their backyard, and give them a positive experience in nature. Of course Master Naturalists will have LOTS to share along the way, and for your volunteer hours, some sort of natural history theme would be appropriate. For more information about the program, contact Amber Kraft, Education Specialist at Amber_Kraft@nps.gov or 304-535-6293.