Speaker: Martin Ogle, Chief Naturalist, Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority

Speaker: Charlie Grymes, Chair of the Prince William Conservation Alliance

Led by Kevin Parker, we'll travel through a variety of habitats, including open fields, woodland edges and bottomland forest. Everyone is welcome! We hope you can join us for an exciting morning discovering more about the birds that visit and live at Merrimac Farm.

Dress for the weather, bring binoculars and cameras. In case of rain (not a drizzle), the walk will be rescheduled. Questions? Contact PWCA at 703.499.4954 or alliance(at)pwconserve.org.

Open to the public and free of charge. RSVP appreciated. For more information and to register, please email us at alliance(at)pwconserve.org or call 703.499.4954.

Don't sit at home on this teacher work day for Prince William public school students! Youth ages 4 through 12 are invited to join us at to explore habitats and animal homes at Merrimac Farm.

Animal homes are specific to the needs of individual species - each is unique and special. We'll expore the area around the Stone House Visitor Center, home to a variety of wildlife species that live in spaces small and large, from crevices and holes in the ground to nests and burrows.

After our outdoor exploration, we'll return to the Stone House where youth will design and create an animal habitat using provided craft supplies.

Suggested contribution is $10/participant. RSVP please to alliance@pwconserve.org or 703.499.4954.

Opening Remarks - What is Congress doing?
Christina Yagjian, National Organizer for Global Warming Programs, Sierra Club

Workshop I: Working with the Press, Tony Iallonardo, Director of Communications, National Wildlife Federation

Workshop II: Building a Relationship with Government Officials, Glenda Booth, Virginia Outreach Coordinator, National Audubon Society

Workshop III: Advocacy for the Active Person, Lauren Glickman, Virginia Campaign Coordinator, CCAN

Sponsoring Organizations: Prince William Conservation Alliance, Virginia Native Plant Society, Sierra Club, Audubon Society of Northern Virginia, Friends of Potomac River Refuges, Chesapeake Climate Action Network, Audubon Naturalist Society, Arlingtonians for a Clean Environment, Sustainable Loudoun

Have your ever taken a great hike and wished you had a way to remember what you saw and heard? 

Nature journals are a great way to record your personal reflections and observations about the great outdoors. There's no shortage of subject matter! Join PWCA's Linda Johnston to explore some creative ways to record your reflections about the natural world. 

We'll take a short walk and return to the Stone House to explore various ways of putting observations from our minds eye to paper. 

All ages welcome! This program is free of charge. RSVP appreciated to PWCA, alliance@pwconserve.org or 703.499.4954

This panel presentation and community discussion explores new tools and ideas that can help communities make smart investments, use resources wisely and improve quality of life while reducing our footprint on the earth.

As the days grow shorter, the weather colder and leaves fall from the trees, we stay warm and snug inside our homes, but how do animals survive?

Join Linda Johnston to learn more about adaptations that help animals survive the winter! We'll be inside and out, so dress for the woods!  All ages welcome.

Birders will depart from the Stone House Nature Center. Led by Harry Glasgow, we'll travel through a variety of habitats, including open fields, woodland edges and bottomland forest. Everyone is welcome! We hope you can join us for an exciting morning discovering more about the birds that visit and live at Merrimac Farm.

Dress for the weather, bring binoculars and cameras. In case of rain (not a drizzle), the walk will be rescheduled. Questions? Contact PWCA at 703.499.4954 or alliance(at)pwconserve.org.

Open to the public and free of charge. RSVP appreciated. For more information and to register, please email us at alliance(at)pwconserve.org or call 703.499.4954.

From the White House to Northern Virginia backyards, beekeeping is gaining popularity as a great way to eat locally and help the plight of honeybees, where colonies are declining for reasons that are still unknown.

Join us on October 1 when the Prince William Regional Beekeepers share the latest buzz about honeybees to learn more about honeybees and find out how you can help.

Their presentation, followed by a Q&A, will include information on:

• Beekeeping Basics
• Honey Bee Seasons
• Regional Nectar Sources
• What the group is doing to be more sustainable beekeepers
• How to become a beekeeper

Before the program, you can check out the PW Regional Beekeepers website here and watch their clip from CBS News here.

This program is open to the public and free of charge. For more information please email us at alliance@pwconserve.org or call 703.499.4954.

Early Explorers, for ages 4 to 6 years, meets on Tuesday mornings. Two different class times are offered, each meets for 90 minutes.

The next session begins on Sept. 22 and runs for six weeks.

This six-week session introduces children to the natural world beyond their backyard. Classes will create and encourage a connection to the outdoor world by examining a fun and unique topic each week including trees, animal homes, birds, the forest floor, and seasonal changes.

Registration Required: Click here for more information or contact PWCA at alliance@pwconserve.org or 703.499.4954.

Birders will depart from the Stone House Nature Center. Led by Harry Glasgow, we'll travel through a variety of habitats, including open fields, woodland edges and bottomland forest. Everyone is welcome! We hope you can join us for an exciting morning discovering more about the birds that visit and live at Merrimac Farm.

Dress for the weather, bring binoculars and cameras.

In case of rain (not a drizzle), the count will be cancelled and rescheduled. Questions? Contact PWCA at 703.499.4954 or alliance(at)pwconserve.org.

Open to the public and free of charge. For more information please email us at alliance(at)pwconserve.org or call 703.499.4954.

Butterflies are fun and easy to observe. They can be found everywhere from your back yard to stream banks, forests and fields. Warm sunny days are especially good times to hunt for butterflies. The flight periods of some species last only a few weeks, so it helps to look often.

Merrimac Farm is a great place to watch butterflies. To date we've sighted two species that are seldom seen in Prince William -the American Snout and Carolina Satyr. Click here to view the entire list.

We'll explore some likely spots, considering what most butterflies like: sunshine and flowers. We'll visit open areas and wander through the dappled light along forest edges, especially where flowers are in bloom. Join tour leader Kim Hosen to learn more about butterflies that live in Northern Virginia... then start looking in your own backyard!

Open to the public and free of charge. For more information please email us at alliance(at)pwconserve.org or call 703.499.4954.

Join PWCA Chairman Charlie Grymes for a tour of Merrimac Farm. We'll start at the Stone House Visitor Center and hike upland, traveling from field to forest.

Along the way we'll look for the birds, butterflies and other wildlife that frequent these habitats, and talk about the value of edge habitats. 

Preferred attire includes sturdy hiking shoes, long socks, long pants, hat and light colors. Bring water to drink, binoculars and cameras.

Open to the public and free of charge. For more information please email us at alliance(at)pwconserve.org or call 703.499.4954.

A deer in the garden, a mouse in the pantry, or a raccoon rummaging through our garbage doesn't exactly elicit delight. Still our wild mammals are important, interesting, and sometimes fun to have around.

The diversity of mammals in Northern Virginia is surprisingly high. Although not as frequently seen as our birds and butterflies, mammals are an important part of our wild community.

Wild mammals are very common but often so secretive that we do not see them much. Also, most are active at night (when we are not). They live in a variety of habitats and are remarkably diverse in appearance. Some mammals fly, some live in trees or underground, and some never leave the water.

Different species employ a variety of strategies for survival. Some depend on sheer numbers while others have special characteristics such as a fierce demeanor or bad odors and yet others rely solely on their intelligence to avoid enemies.

Please join us on April 2 when Dr. Larry Underwood, a board member of the Friends of the Potomac River Refuges and retired biology professor from Northern Virginia Community College and Friends of the Potomac River Refuges board member, will share information about the fascinating wild mammals of our region.

Join Julia Flanagan and PWCA naturalists to explore signs of spring at Merrimac Farm. At first glance our forests and wetlands may appear dull and dreary in very early spring, but in reality they are hotbeds of activity.

Wood frogs have already laid their eggs in vernal pools and other wetland areas. Leaves are ready to burst out of tiny buds lined up along tree branches. Virginia Bluebells have surfaced after the winter's cold, anticipating full bloom in mid-April. Winter birds are heading out as migratory warblers and summer residents work their way back to Northern Virginia.

Please join us on Saturday, March 28 - before the long nights of winter's slumber are fully spent and before the exuberance of May colors the land in green - to explore the subtle beauty of early spring at Merrimac Farm.

Stream conditions along most of Neabsco Creek are poor and in need of restoration. Stream channels are degraded, which compromises wildlife habitat and may threaten the stability of sanitary sewers, bridges and other infrastructure.

Beginning in April, Prince William County Watershed Management Branch will be rehabilitating three areas of Neabsco Creek at Leitch Park. Using Natural Stream Design Methods, this project will stabilize the stream channel to prevent further degradation, improve habitat conditions for aquatic wildlife, replace invasive plants with native species to attract wildlife, and reconnect the floodplain to the stream.

While before and after images of the stream are easy to imagine, most of us are not familiar with what happens in between. Please join us on March 17 when Project Leader Tom Dombrowski will share information on this exciting project. This will be a presentation followed by a community discussion, so bring your questions!

Volunteers are needed to help staff the Stone House on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays to greet visitors, provide information about trails and programs, and help develop educational displays.

Qualifications include a cheery personality and an interest in developing a working knowledge of Merrimac Farm habitats and wildlife.

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO LET US KNOW YOU'RE COMING:

Call Kim Hosen at 703.499.4954 or email alliance@pwconserve.org. Please include your name, address, phone number.

You can help keep Bluebird common and make a real difference in maintaining biodiversity.  The newly established Bluebird trail on Merrimac farm needs volunteer monitors. Responsibilities include working with other volunteers to check the nesting boxes each week and gather data about what's happening at each box.

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO LET US KNOW YOU'RE COMING:

Call Kim Hosen at 703.499.4954 or email alliance@pwconserve.org. Please include your name, address, phone number.

Before the long nights of winter's slumber are fully spent, before the exuberance of May colors the land in green, the subtle beauty early spring quietly waits to be enjoyed.  This timely talk will draw you into a closer examination and appreciation of the awakening of the land to a new day.

Please join us on March 5 when arborist and nature photographer Julie Flanagan will share images, ideas and information on the great outdoors as wildlife and wildflowers prepare for the sunny days of spring.

This program is open to the public and free of charge. For more information please contact the Prince William Conservation Alliance at alliance@pwconserve.org or 703.499.4954.

Green is in and the benefits of acting locally have never been more apparent. From the Obama administration to the state's Renew Virginia initiative, there's lots of noise and even a few details on how we can really make a difference. There's a huge variety of good things to do... from low impact development to energy efficiency, protecting natural resources in our communities and creating wildlife habitats in our backyards.

Even though times are tight, we value our community and remain committed to acting locally to ensure a bright green future. We hope you will join your conservation-minded friends and neighbors on February 28 at Wetland Studies green building for a great breakfast, good conversation and to learn more about how we can act to create healthy communities close to home.

Program Agenda:

• Welcoming Remarks - Honorable Tom Davis, Congressman, 11th District, 1995-2008
• From Your Backyard to the Bay - Charles Smith, Natural Resource Specialist, Fairfax County
• Wrap Up - Occoquan District Supervisor Mike May, Prince William Conservation Alliance Board
• Green Building Tour - Mike Rolband, President, Wetland Studies & Solutions

To register, please mail your check and contact information to the Prince William Conservation Alliance at PO Box 6351, Woodbridge, VA 22195 OR click here to register online using our secure server.

Alonso Abugattas, Acting Manager of Long Branch Nature Center in Arlington, will share information about the most common species found in NoVA, their importance and what you can do to keep them around. We'll also have many live species on hand for you to meet up close and personal!

Although amphibians have been around for about 350 million years, their numbers have been dropping worldwide... a decline that's directly related to humans and our increasing influence on the environment.

Amphibians are bio-indicators, critters that tell you more about the area where they live. They spend part of their life on land and part in the water. Their skim is permeable so pollutants and other substances can move freely into their bodies and absorb, toxins can concentrate in their fatty tissue. Also, since most populations are localized, changes to the environment can result in dramatic changes to populations.

Virginia has 27 native species of frogs and toads. Of these, 13 can potentially be found in Northern Virginia. Join us on February 4 to find out more about these cool critters that live in our own backyard.

Presentation followed by a community discussion. Bring your questions!

This program is part of PWCAs First Thursday Nature Tales series. It is open to the public and free of charge. For more information please email us at alliance(at)pwconserve.org or call 703.499.4954.