Tag Archives: stewardship

ARMN Members Help Rebuild Grass Enclosure in Belmont Bay

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By Kasha Helget

In response to a request from the staff of Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF), ARMN members Melissa Perez and Kasha Helget got their feet (legs, and knees) wet on Friday, May 10th to assist in the reconstruction of a celery grass enclosure on the Potomac River’s Belmont Bay at Mason Neck Park in Lorton.

Perez is a grass grower and Helget is a regional coordinator in CBF’s “Grasses for the Masses” program. In this program, Virginia residents grow underwater celery grass (Vallisneria americana) in their homes or schools during winter, and then plant the grasses during spring in Belmont Bay at Mason Neck Park or in James River. The aquatic grasses filter nutrients and provide important habitat for fish and other aquatic creatures, and help restore the health of the Chesapeake Bay.

The grass plantings take place on several days between mid-May and early June; however, CBF staff was notified that the enclosure at Belmont Bay was destroyed by some errant driftwood and needed to be rebuilt before the grass installations could be done there.

Bare enclosure for celery grass prior to installation of new screening to protect the new plantings. (No, the driftwood in the foreground is not a shark. :-)

Bare enclosure for celery grass prior to installation of new screening to protect the new plantings. (No, the driftwood in the foreground is not a shark.) :-)

So, a group of seven CBF staffers and volunteers jumped (waded) in to replace screening around the enclosure and anchor it to the sand for better support, and to prevent turtles and other large interlopers from entering the enclosure and destroying the grasses.

Master Naturalist Melissa Perez holds up a support post while awaiting additional cable ties for the screen.

Master Naturalist Melissa Perez holds up a support post while awaiting additional cable ties for the screen.

 

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Homeowners save wildlife by creating a green network across Northern Virginia

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By Leigh Pickering

In the past month, seven local properties have joined the ranks of homeowners creating a green network for wildlife in Arlington and Alexandria. This critical work is intended to blunt the impact of habitat loss in our area by providing small sanctuaries desperately needed for the survival of wildlife in our increasingly urban environment. The properties range in size and style from a narrow lot in Old Town Alexandria to a wooded ravine and intermittent stream just above Chain Bridge.

The Audubon at Home program seeks to make every home a wildlife sanctuary by certifying that each property works to achieve the goals stated in the Healthy Yard Pledge. The Healthy Yard Pledge is an amalgamation of many of the topics covered in our Master Naturalist Training. The five points of the pledge include:

1. Remove invasive exotic plants.
2. Reduce or eliminate pesticide and fertilizer use.
3. Conserve and protect water, waterways and water quality.
4. Install native plants to support the local food chain.
5. Support wildlife with water, cover and food to the extent possible.

Moss Phlox (Phlox subulata) is a great evergreengroundcover for a hot sunny area. Here, on a south- facing slate patio. groundcover for a hot sunny area. Here, on a south- facing slate patio.

Moss Phlox (Phlox subulata) is a great evergreen groundcover for a hot sunny area, shown here on a south- facing slate patio.

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English Ivy Removal at Tuckahoe Park in March 2013

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By Mary McLean

On March 16 a sturdy group of volunteers participated in the March Habitat Restoration of Tuckahoe Park.The volunteers warmed up in the cold, damp morning by pulling up English Ivy. Along with ARMN members, volunteers include young women from Arlington’s Career Center’s ROTC unit, Yorktown’s NHS, and Marymount University. Volunteers rescued 25 mature White Oak, Red Oak, and a young Beech tree from being strangled by English Ivy.

tuckahoe park english ivy

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Barcroft Park Habitat Restoration Work Party April 20

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By Marion Jordan

Join us for the next Barcroft Park Habitat Restoration Work Party on Saturday morning April 20th at 9:30 am. For the first time, we will focus on tagging invasive shrubs for treatment by Arlington County’s contractor, IPS.  We will have an opportunity to use and learn plant ID skills to identify the invasive shrubs that have escaped earlier treatment. This event is sponsored by the Arlington Regional Master Naturalists.

We will meet at the picnic pavilion in Barcroft Park at 9:30 am. If you park in the Barcroft recreational area parking lot, walk past the soccer fields, bear right and then cross the stream on the wood and steel bridge. Wear long pants and long sleeves. Bring gloves and field guides if you have them. We will also supply gloves and tools, and garbage bags for trash pick-up.

This project needs you! Every pair of hands makes a difference for this valuable ecological site. Enjoy the satisfaction of clearing invasive plants to encourage growth of native plants which provide habitat for birds and other wildlife.

This is a wonderful opportunity to see the results of the work done so far in Barcroft Park, and observe a park on its way to natural health. If you have worked with us in the past come see the results of your hard work and the significant investment by Arlington County. If you are new to Barcroft join us to see the park that has been designated as a top priority for Arlington due to its unique habitat.

If you have questions, please contact Marion Jordan at mcjordn@verizon.net.

Barcroft Park Habitat Restoration Work Party in March

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By Marion Jordan

Join us for the next Barcroft Park Habitat Restoration Work Party on Saturday morning, March 16th at 9:30 am. Our focus will be to clear ivy off the trees and the ground in an area that the county’s contractor will not cover. Join us and enjoy the satisfaction of clearing one of the final areas infested with ivy in the park. This event is sponsored by the Arlington Regional Master Naturalists.

We will meet at the picnic pavilion in Barcroft Park at 9:30 am. If you park in the Barcroft recreational area parking lot, walk past the soccer fields, bear right and then cross the stream on the wood and steel bridge. Wear long pants and long sleeves. Bring gloves as well as handsaws and pruners if you have them. We will also supply gloves and tools, and garbage bags for trash pick-up.

This project needs you! Every pair of hands makes a difference for this valuable ecological site. Enjoy the satisfaction of clearing invasive plants to encourage growth of native plants which provide habitat for birds and other wildlife.

Come back to Barcroft and see a park on its way to natural health. If you have worked with us in the past come see the results of your hard work and the significant investment by Arlington County. If you are new to Barcroft join us to see the park that has been designated as a top priority for Arlington due to its unique habitat.

If you have questions, please contact Marion Jordan.

“Grasses for the Masses” workshops

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By Kasha Helget

ARMN volunteers conducted two “Grasses for the Masses” workshops at the Fairlington Community Center in February, 2013 in a program sponsored by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation for Virginia residents all over the state. During the workshops, a total of 35 individuals, families, and teachers received simple kits and instructions to grow underwater celery grass (Vallisneria americana) in their homes or schools for 10-12 weeks during the winter/early spring months. At the end of the grow period (late April to early May), the growers will gather to plant their grasses in the Potomac River at Mason Neck Park. These aquatic grasses filter nutrients and provide important habitat for fish and other aquatic creatures, and help restore the health of the Chesapeake Bay.

For more information on the program, see: http://www.cbf.org/grasses

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All photos courtesy of Master Naturalist Leigh Pickering.

Seed Cleaning Begins

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By Rodney Olsen

On Monday, Feb. 4, master naturalists and sundry others gathered at Long Branch Nature Center for the first Earth Sangha seed cleaning of the winter season. Fourteen people in all enjoyed conversing while preparing Common milkweed, Deertongue grass, and Virginia wild rye seeds for spring planting.

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For those of you who wish to become intimate with seeds, the next seed cleaning at Long Branch will be Feb. 11, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Eight large bags of mixed Goldenrod seeds, Solidago juncea, Solidago graminifolica, Solidago rugosa, and Solidago nemoralis, will be awaiting you.

Cleaning Virginia wild rye.

Cleaning Virginia wild rye.

Photos by Rodney Olsen.

ARMN sponsors third annual seed-cleaning extravaganza

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By Rodney Olsen

On Feb. 4, Feb. 11, and Feb. 25, from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm,

at Long Branch Nature Center,

ARMN will sponsor the equivalent of a quilting bee or a barn-raising.

THE EXTRAORDINARY THIRD ANNUAL EARTH SANGHA SEED-CLEANING EXTRAVAGANZA

ARMN-sponsored seed-cleaning event at Long Branch Nature Center. Photo by Rodney Olsen.

ARMN volunteers help with seed cleaning at Long Branch Nature Center.                      Photo by Rodney Olsen.

Please join the Monday gatherings of Master Naturalists for this vital service in support of our partner Earth Sangha.

  The experience will be educational and fun for all!

A fun day battling against English ivy

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By Sue Dingwell

Who would have thought that on a freezing day in January on a bare-tree, brown slope of an urban park you would find an occasion for laughter, joy, and triumph? Not me.

I had dressed for the weather in my waterproof boots, and brought along my ivy-fighting tools to join the ARMN Master Naturalists in the mighty battle against English ivy at Barcroft Park on the MLK Day of Service.

On the Barcroft Park website, twenty-two lines are given to the description of amenities at the park, which include playing fields, picnic tables, and so on. What they don’t mention is that the park is also the site of several 200-year-old trees, more than 45 acres of native woodlands, and a magnificent magnolia bog with several species of endangered plants.

On this wintry morning, our little group was surprised to find an unexpected flood of participants pouring in to our meeting site. We were suddenly a crowd of unfamiliar faces, children, and older folks!  What had happened? It turned out that these new volunteers had found us by typing their zip codes into the search box on the MLK Day of Service website. Wow! The power of the mighty Internet! Continue reading →

Join ARMN for MLK National Day of Service events

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Throughout the year, ARMN volunteers contribute to a myriad of service activities that benefit our neighborhoods and communities. For Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend, ARMN inivites you to join our dedicated volunteers to honor Dr. King’s legacy by participating in two of our focus service projects to restore habitat in Barcroft Park and in Tuckahoe Park.

Barcroft Park
 January 19th at 9:30 am

Farrah and Brooke Alexander can barely be seen waving at the base of this "broccoli tree" that probably only had a few more years left before final choking.

Farrah and Brooke Alexander can barely be seen waving at the base of this “broccoli tree” that probably only had a few more years left before final choking. Autumn 2012, Barcroft Park.

Our main focus will be to clear ivy off the trees so that IPC (Invasive Plant Control), Arlington County’s contractor, will be able to efficiently treat the ivy remaining on the ground. After the clearing, Jim Hurley, ARMN Vice President and Chair of the Service Committee, will lead a walk to view the new plantings done in December and results of work done over the past year.

We will meet at the picnic pavilion in Barcroft Park at 9:30 am. If you park in the Barcroft recreational area  parking lot, walk past the soccer field, bear right and then cross the stream on the wood and steel bridge. Wear long pants and long sleeves. Bring gloves as well as handsaws and pruners if you have them. We will also supply gloves and tools, and garbage bags for trash pickup. If you are a little late and do not see us at the picnic pavilion, look for us near the bike path towards George Mason Drive past the power line. Continue reading →