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 Please join the Monday gatherings of Master Naturalists for this vital service inContinue reading “ARMN sponsors third annual seed-cleaning extravaganza”
Tag Archives: restoration
A fun day battling against English ivy
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 toContinue reading “A fun day battling against English ivy”
Join ARMN for MLK National Day of Service events
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 Our main focus will be to clear ivy off the trees so that IPC (Invasive Plant Control), Arlington County’s contractor, willContinue reading “Join ARMN for MLK National Day of Service events”
ARMN celebrates successes in 2012
By John Bernard and Jim Hurley The Arlington Regional Master Naturalists (ARMN) had our monthly Board meeting and end-of-year Chapter meeting on Wednesday, December 5, 2012 at the Fairlington Community Center. The Chapter meeting also included an art show and party. Over 60 people attended, including at least 54 ARMN members. ARMN members brought and displayed their artwork which included photograph porfolios and other creations. After the businessContinue reading “ARMN celebrates successes in 2012”
Rod Simmons on ecological restoration
By Monique Wong How useful is the idea of planting on public lands as a part of ecological restoration? How do we create a solid conservation agenda for a natural area that is degraded in various ways? How do we know that we are getting it right? What are the pitfalls of using cultivars? What are theContinue reading “Rod Simmons on ecological restoration”
Happenings in Tuckahoe Park
By Mary McLean Thanks to four volunteers, we cleared invasive plants from the edge of the Sycamore and Lee Highway on Nov. 17. This project is part of Arlington County sponsored Habitat Restoration. Master Naturalist, Melanie La Force, is working on her own to remove porcelain berry and English Ivy on the Sycamore Road sideContinue reading “Happenings in Tuckahoe Park”
Autumn 2012 Invasive Work in Barcroft Park
By Jim Hurley Master Naturalists continued our work improving the quality of the natural areas in Barcroft Park, with three three-hour work sessions on great-weather Saturdays in September, October and November. Our mission for all three sessions was cutting English Ivy from trees in heavily infested areas of the park. As noted in previous posts,Continue reading “Autumn 2012 Invasive Work in Barcroft Park”
Power of Passion and Persistence
By Sue Dingwell The power of passion and persistence brought to life a new wetland last Saturday at Campbell Elementary School, a Title One, alternative school bordering Long Branch Park in Arlington. Two and a half years in the planning and fund-raising stage, the garden was installed by an all-volunteer crew at an event they calledContinue reading “Power of Passion and Persistence”
Barcroft Park Focus Project Update
By Jim Hurley It is now early September, 2012, following the extreme extended heat wave in the Washington DC region, and a walk around Barcroft Park will reveal whole swaths of brown, dead plants at ground level, and many dead tree stems, still upright, listing, or lying on their sides, leaves crisping. It wasn’t theContinue reading “Barcroft Park Focus Project Update”
Everyday is Earth Day for ARMN Volunteers
By Monique Wong “Everyday is Earth Day for ARMN volunteers,” Robin Davis, ARMN Outreach Committee Chair, remarked at the April ARMN Board Meeting. How right she is! Since ARMN’s mission is to provide environmental education, research, citizen science, outreach, and stewardship of Virginia natural resources and public lands, everyday is indeed Earth Day for all ARMN members. Wherever youContinue reading “Everyday is Earth Day for ARMN Volunteers”