Continuing Education Programs
2025
FrogWatch Training - May 10, 2025
The warble of Bluebirds and the peeps of Spring Peepers are two of the most memorable harbingers of Spring!
As mentioned during our April member meeting, we welcome anyone interested in frogs and toads to join us for a basic training on Anurans and an introduction to FrogWatch.
You will learn a little about wetlands, anurans in general, and how to identify the calls of frogs and toads. As citizens scientists you can enter this information into FrogWatch.
Monitoring is required only once per month but more frequently is welcomed. The total time required for each monitoring session is about 15 minutes. More details can be found on our ORMN FrogWatch USA project page.
Class details and signup:
Hope you can hop on over and join us! :-)
The warble of Bluebirds and the peeps of Spring Peepers are two of the most memorable harbingers of Spring!
As mentioned during our April member meeting, we welcome anyone interested in frogs and toads to join us for a basic training on Anurans and an introduction to FrogWatch.
You will learn a little about wetlands, anurans in general, and how to identify the calls of frogs and toads. As citizens scientists you can enter this information into FrogWatch.
Monitoring is required only once per month but more frequently is welcomed. The total time required for each monitoring session is about 15 minutes. More details can be found on our ORMN FrogWatch USA project page.
Class details and signup:
- The training will run from 10am - 2pm on May 10th, at the Gathering Room of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, Culpeper Va. Please bring a lunch and drink, there will be a short lunch break.
Hope you can hop on over and join us! :-)
Vernal Pool Field Trip - April 7, 2025
Join us for an opportunity to learn about vernal pools, the temporary bodies of water that serve as essential breeding habitat for salamanders, wood frogs and other species. Mike Hayslett, an expert in wetland ecology, will be in our area on April 7 and will take us on a walk to see various types of wetlands, vernal pools and the creatures that are now laying eggs in them. Mike is the founder of Virginia Vernal Pools and has constructed hundreds of pools in his career. https://www.virginiavernalpools.com/about-us
The field trip will run from 3:30-5:00 pm on April 7 on private property in Rappahannock county 3 miles south of Sperryville.
Register Here on the ORMN website.
Join us for an opportunity to learn about vernal pools, the temporary bodies of water that serve as essential breeding habitat for salamanders, wood frogs and other species. Mike Hayslett, an expert in wetland ecology, will be in our area on April 7 and will take us on a walk to see various types of wetlands, vernal pools and the creatures that are now laying eggs in them. Mike is the founder of Virginia Vernal Pools and has constructed hundreds of pools in his career. https://www.virginiavernalpools.com/about-us
The field trip will run from 3:30-5:00 pm on April 7 on private property in Rappahannock county 3 miles south of Sperryville.
Register Here on the ORMN website.
5th Annual ORMN Wildflower Walk - April 10 and 13, 2025
Carolyn Smith will lead the annual ORMN wildflower walk at her farm in Madison on two days in April. The walk will feature a wide variety of wildflowers and is open to ORMN members and Class XIV students as a Continuing Education event.
The wildflower walk features early blooming spring ephemerals, including bluebells, rue anemone, trillium, trout lily, toothwort, wood poppies and many more. Planting started over 50 years ago by the owner’s parents and has been continued since then.
Click here to register.
Join Us for Great Backyard Bird Count
Each February, for four days, the world comes together for the love of birds. Over these four days the Cornell Lab of Ornithology invites people to spend time in their favorite places watching and counting as many birds as they can find and reporting to Cornell. These observations help scientists better understand global bird populations before one of their annual migrations.
Launched in 1998 by the Cornell Lab and the National Audubon Society, theGreat Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) was the first online participatory science projects to collect data on wild birds and to display the results in near real time. Birds Canada jointed the project in 2009 to provide an expanded capacity to support participation in Canada. In 2013 the project became global and started to
enter data into eBird, the world’s largest biodiversity-related participatory community science project.
This event is a 20+ year tradition and helps provide scientists with a snapshot of bird populations. This 4-day count is held over a long weekend in February each year.
Old Rag Master Naturalists will be hosting a bird count at and the Hoover Ridge Park and Cedar Mountain Battlefield
walk as part of the annual Great Backyard Bird Count.
Date: Saturday, February 15, 2025
Time: 8:30-10:30 am
Location:Cedar Mountain Battlefield, 9465 General Winder Rd, Rapidan, VA 22733
Registration is required. There is a limit of 15 participants.
Group leaders: Lynda Davis and Charlene Uhl
Date: Sunday, February 16, 2025
Time: 9:00-10:30 am
Location: Hoover Ridge Park, 1-199 Primary School Drive, Madison, VA 22727
Registration is required. There is a limit of 10 participants.
Group leaders: Alan Edmunds and Judy Edmunds
Registration will open on Friday, January 31, 2025
Click link below to register:
www.oldragmasternaturalists.org/ce-ft-gbbc25.html
Accessibility: The walk will be on trails that are on the grass or through the woods. Trail conditions vary from flat to uneven ground. The first part of the walk will be accessible for people who may use a cane, walking poles, crutches or a motorized wheelchair. There will be areas that would not be considered accessible to some folks.
October 12: October Big Day Bird Walk at Cedar Mountain Battlefield
Date: Saturday, October 12, 2024
Time: 8-10 am
Location: Cedar Mountain Battlefield, 9465 General Winder Rd, Rapidan, VA 22733.
Group leaders: Lynda Davis and Charlene Uhl
Participation: REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED!
October Big Day is an annual citizen science celebration of birds, coordinated by the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society. The goal is to count as many birds as possible and report them on Cornell’s eBird platform.
Join us on October 12 when Old Rag Master Naturalists is sponsoring a bird walk on October Big Day at Cedar Mountain Battlefield.
Accessibility: The walk will be on trails that are mowed. Trail conditions vary from flat to uneven ground. The first part of the walk will be accessible for people who may use a cane, walking poles, crutches or a motorized wheelchair. There will be areas that would not be considered accessible to some folks. Bathrooms are available at the Visitors Center.
Join us on October 12 when Old Rag Master Naturalists is sponsoring a bird walk on October Big Day at Cedar Mountain Battlefield.
Accessibility: The walk will be on trails that are mowed. Trail conditions vary from flat to uneven ground. The first part of the walk will be accessible for people who may use a cane, walking poles, crutches or a motorized wheelchair. There will be areas that would not be considered accessible to some folks. Bathrooms are available at the Visitors Center.
Registration is CLOSED.
Monarchs and Milkweed (August 24, 2024)
On August 24, a CE Field Trip was conducted at Carolyn Smith's farm on the Monarch larva monitoring project. Milkweed is the exclusive plant on which monarch butterflies lay their eggs. The iconic and endangered monarch butterfly makes an amazing journey from its summer breeding grounds to its overwintering grounds in the mountains of Mexico. Our area of the Piedmont is on the southbound flyway and in August, thousands of monarchs will be lay eggs all around us, which will hatch, metamorphose and fly to Mexico.
This 130-acre farm had sites open for observation. Participants examined milkweed for eggs and caterpillars and learned how data are compiled for a national database that has been active since 1997. The monarch nursery was also open.
This 130-acre farm had sites open for observation. Participants examined milkweed for eggs and caterpillars and learned how data are compiled for a national database that has been active since 1997. The monarch nursery was also open.
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Reptile and Amphibian Nature Walk at Germanna Foundation/Siegen Forest (June 8, 2024)
ORMN member, Deanne Lawrence and local snake expert, Melissa Kovach, led an educational walk at the Siegen Forest to talk about Virginia’s native snakes and other reptiles and amphibians encountered along the trail. The walk was jointly sponsored by ORMN and Friends of Wildlife at the Lake (FOWL). The hike, for children and adults -- started at the Germanna Foundation Visitor's Center and covered 2.5 miles on Siegen Forest's Red Trail. |
Harmless Northern Watersnake (Nerodia sipedon) in the Rapidan River, April 2024; Credit Deanne Lawrence
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Global Big Day, (May 11, 2024)
Every year, on Global Big Day, bird enthusiasts and nature lovers pause to observe and record birds in their corners of the world. Their observations help scientists and researchers monitor bird populations, track migration patterns, and identify habitats that require conservation attention. This event, organized by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and eBird, encourages participation by individuals of all ages and skill levels. Old Rag Master Naturalists hosted birding at Rappahannock County Park and Cedar Mountain Battlefield in Culpeper County.
Every year, on Global Big Day, bird enthusiasts and nature lovers pause to observe and record birds in their corners of the world. Their observations help scientists and researchers monitor bird populations, track migration patterns, and identify habitats that require conservation attention. This event, organized by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and eBird, encourages participation by individuals of all ages and skill levels. Old Rag Master Naturalists hosted birding at Rappahannock County Park and Cedar Mountain Battlefield in Culpeper County.
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Siegen Forest Bluebell Walk (April 5, 2024)
 Bluebells at Siegen Forest (2022); Credit: Deanne Lawrence
The arrival of bluebells is a sign that spring has arrived! Virginia bluebells typically grow in moist woodlands and river floodplains, flowering in late March and throughout the spring.
On April 5, 2024, ORMN team leaders Deanne and Bob Lawrence and Phoebe Muenger led a bluebell walk in the 170-acre Siegen Forest. They followed the Red Trail along the Rapidan River to view bluebells, along with yellow trout lily and other spring ephemerals. Torrential rain and wind caused the cancellation of the April 12 walk with reptile and amphibian enthusiast Melissa Kovach. |
4th Annual ORMN Wildflower Walks (April 10 and 14, 2024
The 4th annual ORMN Wildflower Walks at the Smith family farm in Madison County were held on April 10 and 14, 2024. Walk leader, Carolyn Smith, highlighted a wide variety of early blooming natives, including bluebells, rue anemone, trillium, trout lily, toothwort, and wood poppies. Planting started over 50 years ago by the owner’s parents and has been continued since then. The walks also offered the opportunity to see a lodge built by the resident beaver on one of the farm’s ponds. |
Great Backyard Bird Count (February 16-19, 2024)
ORMN sponsored three bird walks as part of the annual Great Backyard Bird Count in February 2024. This annual community science project--sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in partnership with the Audubon Society and Birds Canada--invited bird watchers to count birds and help create a “real-time” snapshot of bird populations around the world. Our bird walks featured Lenn Park/Culpeper County; Siegen Forest/Orange County; and the Davis and Sycamore Grove Farms in Madison County.
ORMN sponsored three bird walks as part of the annual Great Backyard Bird Count in February 2024. This annual community science project--sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in partnership with the Audubon Society and Birds Canada--invited bird watchers to count birds and help create a “real-time” snapshot of bird populations around the world. Our bird walks featured Lenn Park/Culpeper County; Siegen Forest/Orange County; and the Davis and Sycamore Grove Farms in Madison County.
2023 Field Trips
October Big Day at Cedar Mountain Battlefield (October 14, 2023)
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October Big Day is Cornell Lab of Ornithology's annual celebration of fall's return of birds that migrated north to breed. Bird-watchers nationwide collect data on the birds they see and report it to the Cornell Lab. The Old Rag Master Naturalists, Cedar Mountain Battlefield and Wild Birds Unlimited/Culpeper collected data on birds at the battlefield and learned more about the Civil War and the battle at Cedar Mountain.
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Fall Tree Identification Walk (October 16, 2023)
Paul Guay, award winning landscape designer, naturalist and author, conducted a group walk to observe a second growth forest, a riparian buffer zone and a forest edge habitat. The walk, hosted at the Davis Farm in Rochelle, VA, featured identification of 20 native tree species and other flora, as well as information on their wildlife value, traditional uses, etymology, folklore and stories.
 Collapse breccia from the Staunton Fault Zone
The Rock and Mineral Garden (June 9, 2023)
Geology and Mineral Resources Program Headquarters, Charlottesville Dorothy Tepper led a field trip highlighting Virginia's rocks at the outdoor Educational Rock and Mineral Garden in Charlottesville, VA. The garden includes igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks. The group also toured the library adjacent to the Garden, viewing additional geological specimens on display. Wendy Kelley, a geologist with the Geology and Mineral Resources Program, gave presentations about geology, geologic time and Earth’s geologic history. |
Reptile and Amphibian Nature Walk at Germanna Foundation/Siegen Forest (June 10, 2023)
ORMN member, Deanne Lawrence and local snake expert, Melissa Kovach, led an educational walk at the Siegen Forest to talk about Virginia’s native snakes and other reptiles and amphibians encountered along the trail. The walk was jointly sponsored by ORMN and Friends of Wildlife at the Lake (FOWL). The hike, for children and adults -- started at the Germanna Foundation Visitor's Center and covered 2.5 miles on Siegen Forest's Red Trail. |
ORMN birding team at Stony Brook Farm on Global Big Day 2023; Credit: Sue Weis
Global Big Day (May 13, 2023)
This year’s Global Big Day was held at Stony Brook Farm in Madison County on May 13, 2023. Walk leader, Charlene Uhl, led a team that identified 44 distinct bird species on the farm's diverse habitats, including forest, meadows, streams, pastures, a pond, and a fruit tree orchard.
Big Day is an annual event that celebrates the spring migration of birds around the world. ORMN’s earlier field trip as part of the Great Backyard Bird Count established a “baseline” of the birds that have been with us through the winter. Global Bird Day helps us recognize and record the birds that are starting to appear as part of the year’s spring migration. The bird observations were submitted to The Cornell Lab for Ornithology and support conservation worldwide.
This year’s Global Big Day was held at Stony Brook Farm in Madison County on May 13, 2023. Walk leader, Charlene Uhl, led a team that identified 44 distinct bird species on the farm's diverse habitats, including forest, meadows, streams, pastures, a pond, and a fruit tree orchard.
Big Day is an annual event that celebrates the spring migration of birds around the world. ORMN’s earlier field trip as part of the Great Backyard Bird Count established a “baseline” of the birds that have been with us through the winter. Global Bird Day helps us recognize and record the birds that are starting to appear as part of the year’s spring migration. The bird observations were submitted to The Cornell Lab for Ornithology and support conservation worldwide.
Rain, Rain, Stay in My Rain Garden (May 5, 2023)
Alex and Linda Bueno hosted a tour of their rain garden with Richard Jacobs, Professional Engineer, Urban Program Manager from the Culpeper Soil and Water Conservation District. In summer 2022, the Buenos worked with Richard to design a terraced rain garden with native pollinator plants. The program addressed the design and installation process for the rain garden and then followed with a tour of the completed project. The group also made a site visit to the bioretention pond at the Little Fork Fire Station near the house.
Alex and Linda Bueno hosted a tour of their rain garden with Richard Jacobs, Professional Engineer, Urban Program Manager from the Culpeper Soil and Water Conservation District. In summer 2022, the Buenos worked with Richard to design a terraced rain garden with native pollinator plants. The program addressed the design and installation process for the rain garden and then followed with a tour of the completed project. The group also made a site visit to the bioretention pond at the Little Fork Fire Station near the house.
Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis); Credit: Carolyn Smith
3rd Annual ORMN Wildflower Walks (April 13 and 19, 2023)
The 3rd annual ORMN Wildflower Walks at the Smith family farm in Madison County were held on April 13 and 19, 2023. Walk leader, Carolyn Smith, highlighted a wide variety of early blooming natives, including bluebells, rue anemone, trillium, trout lily, toothwort, and wood poppies. Planting started over 50 years ago by the owner’s parents and has been continued since then. The walks also offered the opportunity to see a lodge built by the resident beaver on one of the farm’s ponds.
The 3rd annual ORMN Wildflower Walks at the Smith family farm in Madison County were held on April 13 and 19, 2023. Walk leader, Carolyn Smith, highlighted a wide variety of early blooming natives, including bluebells, rue anemone, trillium, trout lily, toothwort, and wood poppies. Planting started over 50 years ago by the owner’s parents and has been continued since then. The walks also offered the opportunity to see a lodge built by the resident beaver on one of the farm’s ponds.
 Swimming beaver; Credit: Human-Beaver Coexistence Fund
Beaver Habitat and Lodge at Clifton Institute (April 7, 2023) On April 7, 2023, we celebrated International Beaver Day with the Human-Beaver Coexistence Fund (HBCF) and The Clifton Institute. We partnered on an evening trail walk at Clifton Institute to explore the human-made ponds and adjacent wetlands created by the preserve’s resident beavers and to look for evidence of beaver activity. |
Siegen Forest Bluebell Walk (April 8, 2023)
The arrival of bluebells is a sign that spring has arrived! Virginia bluebells typically grow in moist woodlands and river floodplains, flowering in late March and throughout the spring.
ORMN team leaders Deanne Lawrence and Phoebe Muenger led a bluebell walk in the 170-acre Siegen Forest. They followed the Red Trail along the Rapidan River to view bluebells, along with yellow trout lily and other spring ephemerals. |
Features of karst hydrology can be observed in Dream Lake in Luray Caverns, VA; Credit: Dorothy Tepper
Hydrogeology, Flooding and Debris Flows (March 25, 2023)
ORMN's Dorothy "Tepp" Tepper provided a general introduction to groundwater and surface water concepts, including interactions between groundwater and surface water. Tepp worked for the US Geological Survey (USGS) for 30 years as a hydrogeologist. Her program addressed:
ORMN's Dorothy "Tepp" Tepper provided a general introduction to groundwater and surface water concepts, including interactions between groundwater and surface water. Tepp worked for the US Geological Survey (USGS) for 30 years as a hydrogeologist. Her program addressed:
- development of caves and other karst features produced by groundwater flow;
- landforms associated with streams, such as waterfalls, floodplains, and meanders;
- floods, including flash floods and areal floods; and
- historic debris flows caused by extreme weather events in Virginia's Nelson County (1969) and Madison County (1995).
Great Backyard Bird Count: ORMN Highlights (February 18, 2023)
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Our chapter was an active participant in the 26th Great Backyard Bird Count sponsored by the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, the Audubon Society and Birds Canada.
While one location canceled due to weather, the Siegen Forest team (cosponsored by the Central Rappahannock MN chapter) and the Sycamore Grove Farm team identified and reported a substantial number of species on eBird: 18 at Siegen and 24 at Sycamore Grove. Both sites had numerous woodpeckers, including pileated, hairy, and red-bellied woodpeckers. We also had bluebirds, titmice, chickadees, white-throated sparrows, dark-eyed juncos and nuthatches. The Siegen team spotted a bald eagle in its nest above the Rapidan River, while the Sycamore Grove team recorded Eastern Meadowlarks which are found in grasslands. If you didn’t get to participate this year, mark your calendar now: the 2024 GBBC starts on February 16! 
Sycamore Grove Farm team; GBBC 2/18/23; Credit: Scott Uhl
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Madison County: Sycamore Grove Farm -- Team leaders Charlene Uhl and Alan Edmunds (ORMN). Orange County: Siegen Forest –- Hosted by the Germanna Foundation and led by Joella Killian (Central Rappahannock MN chapter) and Deanne Lawrence (ORMN). 
Siegen Forest team, GBBC 2/18/23; Credit: Deanne Lawrence
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2022 Field Trips
Collapse breccia from the Staunton Fault Zone
The Rock and Mineral Garden (December 9, 2022)
GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES PROGRAM HEADQUARTERS, CHARLOTTESVILLE
Dorothy Tepper led a field trip highlighting Virginia's rocks at the outdoor Educational Rock and Mineral Garden in Charlottesville, VA. The garden includes igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks that represent the diversity in geologic terrains and geologic provinces across the commonwealth. Participants received a guidebook titled A Guide to the Educational Rock and Mineral Garden: Samples of Virginia’s Geological Diversity, which contains brief descriptions and pictures of all the rocks for reference. The group also toured the library adjacent to the Rock and Mineral Garden where there are additional interesting geological specimens on display.
GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES PROGRAM HEADQUARTERS, CHARLOTTESVILLE
Dorothy Tepper led a field trip highlighting Virginia's rocks at the outdoor Educational Rock and Mineral Garden in Charlottesville, VA. The garden includes igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks that represent the diversity in geologic terrains and geologic provinces across the commonwealth. Participants received a guidebook titled A Guide to the Educational Rock and Mineral Garden: Samples of Virginia’s Geological Diversity, which contains brief descriptions and pictures of all the rocks for reference. The group also toured the library adjacent to the Rock and Mineral Garden where there are additional interesting geological specimens on display.
Geology Of Shenandoah National Park (November 3, 2022)
This field trip included 6 stops at overlooks along Skyline Drive. At most of the stops, participants looked at outcrops in the overlook parking area. At others, they walked a short distance from the overlook to look at outcrops along Skyline Drive.
The viewing sites highlighted Precambrian igneous and metamorphic rocks that range from 1.2 billion years old to 570 million years old. Highlights of the field trip included examining well-developed columnar jointing, locating a feeder dike, finding garnets in a 1.2 billion-year-old gneiss, identifying different volcanic layers in the profile of Stony Man, and a discussion of the uniqueness of the Old Rag Granite.
This field trip included 6 stops at overlooks along Skyline Drive. At most of the stops, participants looked at outcrops in the overlook parking area. At others, they walked a short distance from the overlook to look at outcrops along Skyline Drive.
The viewing sites highlighted Precambrian igneous and metamorphic rocks that range from 1.2 billion years old to 570 million years old. Highlights of the field trip included examining well-developed columnar jointing, locating a feeder dike, finding garnets in a 1.2 billion-year-old gneiss, identifying different volcanic layers in the profile of Stony Man, and a discussion of the uniqueness of the Old Rag Granite.
FOWL Fest (October 22, 2022)
Friends of Wildlife at the Lake (FOWL) hosted its first Wildlife Education Festival at the Lake of the Woods Community Center in Locust Grove, VA. This free event featured state and non-profit professionals who lead wildlife conservation and inspiring people to value the outdoors and their role in nature, caring for sick, injured and orphaned wildlife, and providing educational opportunities and resources to the public.
Festival guests included a Department of Wildlife Resources Conservation Officer; Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources Conservation Wildlife Biologist; Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary, Interim Director; Chief Ranger from Lake Anna State Park;
Orange County Animal Control Officer; Dispatches from the Forest nature-based education; and Virginia Native Plant Society
Friends of Wildlife at the Lake (FOWL) hosted its first Wildlife Education Festival at the Lake of the Woods Community Center in Locust Grove, VA. This free event featured state and non-profit professionals who lead wildlife conservation and inspiring people to value the outdoors and their role in nature, caring for sick, injured and orphaned wildlife, and providing educational opportunities and resources to the public.
Festival guests included a Department of Wildlife Resources Conservation Officer; Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources Conservation Wildlife Biologist; Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary, Interim Director; Chief Ranger from Lake Anna State Park;
Orange County Animal Control Officer; Dispatches from the Forest nature-based education; and Virginia Native Plant Society
Monarchs and Milkweed (August 23, 2022)
On August 23, a CE Field Trip was conducted at Carolyn Smith's farm on the Monarch larva monitoring project. Milkweed is the exclusive plant on which monarch butterflies lay their eggs. The iconic and endangered monarch butterfly makes an amazing journey from its summer breeding grounds to its overwintering grounds in the mountains of Mexico. Our area of the Piedmont is on the southbound flyway and in August, thousands of monarchs will be lay eggs all around us, which will hatch, metamorphose and fly to Mexico.
This 130-acre farm had sites open for observation. Participants examined milkweed for eggs and caterpillars and learned how data are compiled for a national database that has been active since 1997. The monarch nursery was also open.
This 130-acre farm had sites open for observation. Participants examined milkweed for eggs and caterpillars and learned how data are compiled for a national database that has been active since 1997. The monarch nursery was also open.
iNaturalist Basics and Skill Building (July 29, 2022)
This field trip combined “classroom instruction” and field application of the iNaturalist app. ORMN member Rebeca Sanchez-Burr discussed the major functions of iNaturalist, including taking and uploading photographs, recording sounds, connecting with experts who can identify organisms and how to connect with other naturalists. Held at the home of ORMN member Jere Willis in Culpeper, the group explored the different habitats on the property, including cultivated areas and natural areas, forest and waterfront habitats.
Global Big Day: ORMN Field Trip Highlights (May 14, 2022)
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The annual Global Big Day recognizes World Migratory Bird Day by inviting people, individually or in groups, to report citizen science bird observation data for scientists at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology and other organizations.
Two field trips celebrated this year’s Global Big Day in Central Virginia. Sycamore Grove Farm offered birders the opportunity to observe grassland birds as well as bird species that live on the margin of woods. Siegen Forest provided birders a mature forest habitat that runs along the Rapidan River. The two groups logged more than six hours in the field and reported a combined total of 67 species and 321 total birds. Both field trips were sponsored by Old Rag Master Naturalists, Central Rappahannock Master Naturalists and the Germanna Foundation. Orange County: Siegen Forest –- Hosted by the Germanna Foundation and led by Joella Killian (Central Rappahannock MN chapter) and Deanne Lawrence (ORMN Class XI). Madison County: Sycamore Grove Farm -- Hosted and led by Charlene Uhl (ORMN chapter). |
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Photo Highlights: Smith Farm Wildflower Walk (May 10, 2022)
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Hydrology, Floods and Debris Flows (April 9, 2022)
ORMN's Dorothy Tepper will provide a general introduction to concepts on groundwater, surface water and their interactions. She will also address:
Hydrology, Floods and Debris Flows (April 9, 2022)
ORMN's Dorothy Tepper will provide a general introduction to concepts on groundwater, surface water and their interactions. She will also address:
- development of caves and other karst features produced by groundwater flow;
- landforms associated with streams, such as waterfalls, floodplains, and meanders;
- floods, including flash floods and catastrophic flooding that can produce debris flows; and
- historic debris flows caused by extreme weather events in Virginia's Nelson County (1969) and Madison County (1995).
Great Backyard Bird Count (February 18, 19, 20, 21, 2022)
The Great Backyard Bird Count is an annual international event sponsored by The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the National Audubon Society, and Birds Canada. Volunteers spend time in their favorite places watching and counting as many birds as they can and reporting them. These observations help scientists to better understand global bird populations before one of their annual migrations. ORMN groups conducted bird counts at single locations in Rappahannock, Culpeper, Fauquier, Orange and Madison counties.
The Great Backyard Bird Count is an annual international event sponsored by The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the National Audubon Society, and Birds Canada. Volunteers spend time in their favorite places watching and counting as many birds as they can and reporting them. These observations help scientists to better understand global bird populations before one of their annual migrations. ORMN groups conducted bird counts at single locations in Rappahannock, Culpeper, Fauquier, Orange and Madison counties.
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ORMN sponsored birding groups across five of our chapter counties, with a total of thirty-seven volunteers. The participants included ORMN members, Class XI students and others from the northern Piedmont area. Even on the days that were blustery and cold, the participants were enthusiastic and excited by the birds they observed and the natural environment through which they traversed. Below is the summary of their observations:
Lenn Park/Culpeper County Leaders: Alex & Linda Bueno
Sycamore Grove Farm/Madison County Leader: Charlene Uhl
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Buzz Van Santvoord farm/Orange County
Leader: Buzz Van Santvoord
Eldon Farms/Rappahannock County Leaders: Patty Lane & Sara Lawrey
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Sky Meadows State Park/Fauquier County
Leaders: Lynne Leeper & Linda Lowery
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