PWCAAnnual Bluebell Festival at Merrimac Farm WMA!
Sunday, April 9, 10am to 4pm
15014 Deepwood Lane, Nokesville
Newsletter Archive
Falcate Orangetip
BluebellePlease join us to welcome spring, celebrate nature close to home, and meet local organizations and people who are working to improve our community. Also, Falcate Orangetip butterflies, which have only one flight and, so far always make an appearance at the Bluebell Festival.

Some of the best Northern Virginia naturalists are leading tours. We're looking forward to a fun family-friendly day at an outstanding natural area.

At the Bluebell Festival

PWCAPrince William Conservation Alliance
Find out who's living in nearby ponds. Discover local aquatic critters, from insects to frogs.

Virginia Native Plant SocietyPrince William Wildflower Society
Try your hand at orchid-gami! Discover more about the parts of flowers with a fun 3D model and pick up a NoVA Natives Guide.
DGIFVirginia Dept. of Game & Inland Fisheries
Discover mammal characteristics with skulls and pelts. Learn more about hunting in Virginia.
PWC Forest Pest Mgt.PWC Forest Pest Management
Meet a friendly snake and more while you learn about threats to our local forests and how you can help
Bull Run Mountain ConservancyBull Run Mountain Conservancy
Discover mountain ecosystems and meet local wildlife, from insects to mammals.
MCB QuanticoMCB Quantico Natural Resources
With about 7,000 acres in the Coastal Plain and 52,000 acres in the Piedmont, Quantico covers diverse habitats. Learn more about their efforts to protect natural resources.
PWSWCDPrince William Soil & Water Conservation District
Learn about the Adopt a Stream program and how you can be a water quality monitor. Have fun with an interactive watershed model.
VCE PW Master GardenersVCE PW Master Gardeners
Discover nature in your own back yard!
Plant NoVA Natives
PWC Regional BeekeepersPrince William Regional Beekeeping Association
Promoting Responsible and Sustainable Beekeeping
NVCTLearn about land preservation through conservation easements
Historic Prince WilliamHistoric Prince William
Discover historic sites and cemeteries close to home.
Master NaturalistLearn about local programs

RAFFLE!
Hand-Painted Rain Barrel2017 Rain Barrel Raffle!
Hand-painted by local artist
James Gallagher. They're getting better every year!
Tickets are $5/each or 5 for $20. To purchase tickets before the Bluebell Festival, send your check to PWCA, PO Box 6351, Woodbridge, VA 22195 and we'll send your tickets in the mail.
Drawing is 3:30pm at the Bluebell Festival. You do not need to be present to win.
Proceeds benefit locally grown stewardship programs.

Questions? Contact PWCA at alliance@ pwconserve.org or 703.499.4954
Tour Schedule
Tours last about 90 minutes and take an easy one-mile walk through the floodplain. Each has a special focus, although leaders will cover other interesting sights you encounter along the way. Bring binoculars, cameras and the kids!
10:20am Dave Larson
PWCA		 Birding the Bluebell Trail
10:40am Ernie Sears
Conserve PW Today/PWCA		 Visit the best places for photos with camera and guide
11:00 AM Charlie Grymes
PWCA		 The story of Merrimac Farm
11:20 AM Charles Smith
VNPS/PWCA		 Native Plants interaction with wildlife and role in the floodplain environment
11:40 AM  Bill Olson
Historic PW/PWCA		 History in the woods at the Green Level Cemetery
12:00 PM Larry Meade
Northern Virginia Bird Club		 Things that fly -- Birds, butterflies and dragonflies
12:20 PM Valerie Huelsman
PWC Forest Pest Management		 Urban Forests and Pest Management
12:40 PM Julie Flanagan
New Earth Photography		 Native trees, forest ecosystems
1:00 PM Kevin Parker
PWCA		 A Home for Every Bird
1:20 PM Tom Dombrowski
PWC Watershed Mgt.		 Floodplain Wetland Values and Interactions
1:40 PM Nancy Vehrs
VNPS/PWCA		 Woodland wildflowers and other native plants
2:00 PM Janis Stone
PWCA		 Life Under Rocks and Logs and in the Soil
2:20 PM Judy Gallagher
PWCA/VA Master Naturalists		 Bees & other pollinators that make wildflowers possible
3:00 PM Jim McGlone
VA Dept. of Forestry		 Forest Ecosystems
3:30 PM Harry Glasgow
PWCA		 Birding the Bluebell Trail

Exhibits and sales by local artists

New Earth Photography by Julia Flanagan
Blackburnian Warbler by Julia Flanagan

Never Lost PotteryPottery
by Christy Boltersdorf and Brian Grow

Good Gribbin
Food available for purchase



Merrimac Farm Wildlife Management Area is 302 acres of floodplain wetlands, fields and hardwood forest that was permanently protected on January 16 2008 and opened for public use on March 31 2008 through a conservation partnership between Marine Corps Base Quantico, the Virginia Dept. of Game & Inland Fisheries and the Prince William Conservation Alliance.

Merrimac Farm includes more than one mile of frontage along Cedar Run, a 7-acre island and boasts one of the largest patches of Virginia Bluebells in the Northern Virginia region. It includes more than 100 acres of contiguous wetlands protected by 200 acres of hardwood forests and upland meadows along Cedar Run, in the upper reaches of the Occoquan Reservoir watershed.