Continuing Education Fieldtrips
Upcoming ORMN CE Field Trips
Registration for field trips is required. To register for a field trip, please click the button below, fill out the registration form, and submit.
Upcoming ORMN CE Field Trips
Registration for field trips is required. To register for a field trip, please click the button below, fill out the registration form, and submit.
Past Field Trips - See What You Missed
FIELD TRIP
Audubon at Home Wildlife Sanctuary –Certified Properties
On November 13, seven certified properties were on the ORMN Audubon at Home Wildlife Sanctuary tour. The field trip sites will offer properties that differ in habitat, size, and goals of the sanctuary. You may visit all or some of the properties. Parking will be available at or adjacent to each property.
Properties include:
FAUQUIER COUNTY
#1 - Renee Witt
Suburban: 0.66 acres (no HOA)
18 year old habitat
Renee has been actively removing and managing non-native invasives and planting native gardens since moving into her home in 2003. Most of the property is an example of restoring understory and shaded areas. In 2020 she installed a 4,000 square feet understory planting area that is 99.9% Fauquier County native plants. This is a good opportunity to learn about inception to implementation and see a garden in the early stages. Renee created a website that accompanies her native plant garden project - www.ahimsanativeplants.com.
RAPAHANNOCK COUNTY
#2 - Gail Swift
Suburban: 2 acres
4 year ago habitat
Gail’s wildlife sanctuary creation began with the removal of 100 box woods. She continues to expand her diverse, native-rich gardens by reducing the lawn to include a wildflower meadow and trees. The home includes the Miller family historic cemetery which she plans to restore to its natural beauty.
#3 – Rappahannock County Park
Park: 7.3 acres
Overseen by the Park Authority since 1978. The current effort to create a wildlife sanctuary began in 2018. The Park includes an area with a pavilion and sports facilities, and 5 bluebird boxes on the upper level. Three parallel trails cross a slope through a wooded area that leads to the Rush River. Since 2018, the Park board has worked to clean out extensive invasive growth, replant trees to restore the forest canopy, and created a Virginia bluebell trail along the river and 2 pollinator gardens for public enjoyment and education. Currently they are working on planting a native low growth understory trees and shrubs under the REC right of way.
#4 – Bonnie Beers
Rural: 56 acres
3.5 year old habitat
The Beers are in the process of converting 20 acres of former hay fields into forestland, managing a low-growth grass-pollinator meadow, planting native understory trees, shrubs and forbs to reduce mowed areas and provide wildlife habitat and food sources, and battling invasive growth throughout. The Beers have extensive plans to continue to improve and regenerate a rich and diverse environment from meadows and forest areas to numerous garden beds.
CULPEPER COUNTY
#5 - Barry Buschow
Boston
Rural: 4 acres
3 year old habitat
The Buschows have created a wildlife sanctuary and are looking to further the process of creating a sanctuary by planting pollinator mini meadows that will eventually connect and replace the current fescue lawn.
#6 – Cindy Colson
Suburban: 4 acres
18 month old habitat
The Colsons are in the process of creating and expanding their wildlife sanctuary. They are reducing lawn, preserving wooded areas, and enhancing established habitat. They have created garden rooms including an outdoor sculpture gallery. Future plans include converting an adjacent one acre lot into a woodland park to be enjoyed by the neighborhood.
MADISON COUNTY
#7 – Charlene Uhl
Rural: 24 acres
10 year old habitat
The Uhls’ property was originally a hay field surrounded with woods on three sides. Two years prior to building their home, they created a 12’ walking perimeter of trees. They have planted over 30 sizable native trees in their front yard. In addition to adding native trees and plants, the Uhls have been removing invasive plants, notably tree of heaven. A large portion of the land is cleared and they have started breaking up the clearing into hedgerows of pollinator plants and shrubs. Plans include an installation of a pond.
Audubon at Home Wildlife Sanctuary –Certified Properties
On November 13, seven certified properties were on the ORMN Audubon at Home Wildlife Sanctuary tour. The field trip sites will offer properties that differ in habitat, size, and goals of the sanctuary. You may visit all or some of the properties. Parking will be available at or adjacent to each property.
Properties include:
FAUQUIER COUNTY
#1 - Renee Witt
Suburban: 0.66 acres (no HOA)
18 year old habitat
Renee has been actively removing and managing non-native invasives and planting native gardens since moving into her home in 2003. Most of the property is an example of restoring understory and shaded areas. In 2020 she installed a 4,000 square feet understory planting area that is 99.9% Fauquier County native plants. This is a good opportunity to learn about inception to implementation and see a garden in the early stages. Renee created a website that accompanies her native plant garden project - www.ahimsanativeplants.com.
RAPAHANNOCK COUNTY
#2 - Gail Swift
Suburban: 2 acres
4 year ago habitat
Gail’s wildlife sanctuary creation began with the removal of 100 box woods. She continues to expand her diverse, native-rich gardens by reducing the lawn to include a wildflower meadow and trees. The home includes the Miller family historic cemetery which she plans to restore to its natural beauty.
#3 – Rappahannock County Park
Park: 7.3 acres
Overseen by the Park Authority since 1978. The current effort to create a wildlife sanctuary began in 2018. The Park includes an area with a pavilion and sports facilities, and 5 bluebird boxes on the upper level. Three parallel trails cross a slope through a wooded area that leads to the Rush River. Since 2018, the Park board has worked to clean out extensive invasive growth, replant trees to restore the forest canopy, and created a Virginia bluebell trail along the river and 2 pollinator gardens for public enjoyment and education. Currently they are working on planting a native low growth understory trees and shrubs under the REC right of way.
#4 – Bonnie Beers
Rural: 56 acres
3.5 year old habitat
The Beers are in the process of converting 20 acres of former hay fields into forestland, managing a low-growth grass-pollinator meadow, planting native understory trees, shrubs and forbs to reduce mowed areas and provide wildlife habitat and food sources, and battling invasive growth throughout. The Beers have extensive plans to continue to improve and regenerate a rich and diverse environment from meadows and forest areas to numerous garden beds.
CULPEPER COUNTY
#5 - Barry Buschow
Boston
Rural: 4 acres
3 year old habitat
The Buschows have created a wildlife sanctuary and are looking to further the process of creating a sanctuary by planting pollinator mini meadows that will eventually connect and replace the current fescue lawn.
#6 – Cindy Colson
Suburban: 4 acres
18 month old habitat
The Colsons are in the process of creating and expanding their wildlife sanctuary. They are reducing lawn, preserving wooded areas, and enhancing established habitat. They have created garden rooms including an outdoor sculpture gallery. Future plans include converting an adjacent one acre lot into a woodland park to be enjoyed by the neighborhood.
MADISON COUNTY
#7 – Charlene Uhl
Rural: 24 acres
10 year old habitat
The Uhls’ property was originally a hay field surrounded with woods on three sides. Two years prior to building their home, they created a 12’ walking perimeter of trees. They have planted over 30 sizable native trees in their front yard. In addition to adding native trees and plants, the Uhls have been removing invasive plants, notably tree of heaven. A large portion of the land is cleared and they have started breaking up the clearing into hedgerows of pollinator plants and shrubs. Plans include an installation of a pond.
Pollinator/wildflower walk
Dana Squire hosted three separate walks through her 5-acre pollinator meadow located outside the town of Madison: July 29th, August 30th, and September 10th.The land was converted from a fescue hayfield to a native warm season grass and wildflower meadow 8 years ago.
Dana co-led the walks with experts on pollinators. The July and August walks were led by Alex Newhart, an entomologist and biochemist who is a member of the Shenandoah Chapter of the Virginia Master Naturalists. Alex’s masters and doctoral research focused on defensive compounds used by aquatic beetles to protect themselves from predation by fish and amphibians. He has conducted pollinator surveys as a volunteer for the Virginia Working Landscapes (VWL) project. While conducting a survey at Sky Meadows State Park in 2014, Alex trapped a very rare pollinator. The Rusty-Patched bumblebee had seen dramatic decline in the eastern United States, and the one Alex found was the first sighting since 2009. The specimen is now in the Smithsonian collection.
The September walk was led by Celia Vuocolo, Private Lands Biologist with the Natural Resource Conservation Service and Quail Forever. Prior to her current position, Celia was a Wildlife Habitat and Stewardship specialist with the Piedmont Environmental Council and also a Grassland Plant and Pollinator Survey Coordinator with the VWL program.
Participants of the pollinator/wildflower walks saw an amazing array of plants and animals. The walks held in July and August featured a colorful diversity of flowering plants and butterflies, while the September walk was ablaze with sunflower and goldenrod blooms covered with bumblebees and other pollinators. Dana shared many of her experiences with installing the meadow and shared her continuing challenges and advice for participants who are considering installing a pollinator garden.
Click here to see the slide show below for what you missed!
Dana Squire hosted three separate walks through her 5-acre pollinator meadow located outside the town of Madison: July 29th, August 30th, and September 10th.The land was converted from a fescue hayfield to a native warm season grass and wildflower meadow 8 years ago.
Dana co-led the walks with experts on pollinators. The July and August walks were led by Alex Newhart, an entomologist and biochemist who is a member of the Shenandoah Chapter of the Virginia Master Naturalists. Alex’s masters and doctoral research focused on defensive compounds used by aquatic beetles to protect themselves from predation by fish and amphibians. He has conducted pollinator surveys as a volunteer for the Virginia Working Landscapes (VWL) project. While conducting a survey at Sky Meadows State Park in 2014, Alex trapped a very rare pollinator. The Rusty-Patched bumblebee had seen dramatic decline in the eastern United States, and the one Alex found was the first sighting since 2009. The specimen is now in the Smithsonian collection.
The September walk was led by Celia Vuocolo, Private Lands Biologist with the Natural Resource Conservation Service and Quail Forever. Prior to her current position, Celia was a Wildlife Habitat and Stewardship specialist with the Piedmont Environmental Council and also a Grassland Plant and Pollinator Survey Coordinator with the VWL program.
Participants of the pollinator/wildflower walks saw an amazing array of plants and animals. The walks held in July and August featured a colorful diversity of flowering plants and butterflies, while the September walk was ablaze with sunflower and goldenrod blooms covered with bumblebees and other pollinators. Dana shared many of her experiences with installing the meadow and shared her continuing challenges and advice for participants who are considering installing a pollinator garden.
Click here to see the slide show below for what you missed!
EDDMapS training
DATE AND TIME
Monday, September 20th 6-8 p.m.
EDDMapS is an internet based web application for reporting, mapping and managing data on invasive species designed for easy use in the field by citizen-scientists with a smartphone equipped with a working camera.The EDDmapS application is widely used across the country by community scientists, conservation organizations, and land managers for determining where to direct resources for the control of invasive plants, insects and animals as well as diseases and pathogens that threaten the health of our ecosystems. ORMN member Rebeca Sanchez Burr has completed the statewide training on EDDMapS and will be the instructor for this training. This training will focus on learning the EDDmapS tool for the purpose of reporting invasive plant species. For more information about EDDMaps, click here.
EDDmapS is an internet based application that requires a smartphone or digital camera as well as basic photography skills. In order to participate in this project, ORMN members must have access to high speed internet to submit reports; a mobile device such as a smartphone or tablet; or alternatively, a laptop or desktop computer that can be used in combination with a digital camera. Participants must become registered users at EDDMapS.org and become proficient in creating and submitting reports. This training assumes that participants have a basic working knowledge of a subset of invasive plant species in the mid-Atlantic region, a minimal proficiency in plant identification and access to references sources and tools for plant identification. However, novices are warmly welcome to participate.
Note: Basic participation in this project at the citizen science level can be achieved with only a smartphone equipped with a working camera as these devices are ideal for fieldwork. Participation in the EDDmapS project with a smartphone is highly recommended but not required though participants must possess a digital camera.
For the training, participants should bring a mobile device such as a smartphone or a tablet or a laptop with internet capability as well as any necessary power cords and extension cords. Please bring a smartphone if you have one. It is not necessary to bring a laptop in addition to a smartphone.
To save time, it is highly recommended that participants become registered users at https://www.eddmaps.org in advance of the training and locate and download the free application to their smartphone. To become a registered user, go to https://www.eddmaps.org , then to the “ABOUT” section and find the link “Register and Report Now” and follow the website prompts.
DATE AND TIME
Monday, September 20th 6-8 p.m.
EDDMapS is an internet based web application for reporting, mapping and managing data on invasive species designed for easy use in the field by citizen-scientists with a smartphone equipped with a working camera.The EDDmapS application is widely used across the country by community scientists, conservation organizations, and land managers for determining where to direct resources for the control of invasive plants, insects and animals as well as diseases and pathogens that threaten the health of our ecosystems. ORMN member Rebeca Sanchez Burr has completed the statewide training on EDDMapS and will be the instructor for this training. This training will focus on learning the EDDmapS tool for the purpose of reporting invasive plant species. For more information about EDDMaps, click here.
EDDmapS is an internet based application that requires a smartphone or digital camera as well as basic photography skills. In order to participate in this project, ORMN members must have access to high speed internet to submit reports; a mobile device such as a smartphone or tablet; or alternatively, a laptop or desktop computer that can be used in combination with a digital camera. Participants must become registered users at EDDMapS.org and become proficient in creating and submitting reports. This training assumes that participants have a basic working knowledge of a subset of invasive plant species in the mid-Atlantic region, a minimal proficiency in plant identification and access to references sources and tools for plant identification. However, novices are warmly welcome to participate.
Note: Basic participation in this project at the citizen science level can be achieved with only a smartphone equipped with a working camera as these devices are ideal for fieldwork. Participation in the EDDmapS project with a smartphone is highly recommended but not required though participants must possess a digital camera.
For the training, participants should bring a mobile device such as a smartphone or a tablet or a laptop with internet capability as well as any necessary power cords and extension cords. Please bring a smartphone if you have one. It is not necessary to bring a laptop in addition to a smartphone.
To save time, it is highly recommended that participants become registered users at https://www.eddmaps.org in advance of the training and locate and download the free application to their smartphone. To become a registered user, go to https://www.eddmaps.org , then to the “ABOUT” section and find the link “Register and Report Now” and follow the website prompts.
Monarch Larva Monitoring – field data collection and larva nursery
On August 25, another 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. This 130-acre farm has several meadows where milkweed grows naturally, as well as two areas where milkweed was planted. Two sites will be open for observation: a wild site with established common milkweed plants that is mowed only once a year; and a cultivated garden patch that has five native milkweed species as well as a wide variety of nectar plants for monarchs. Participants will have the opportunity to examine milkweed for eggs and caterpillars and learn how data are compiled for a national database that has been active since 1997. The monarch nursery will also be open, where participants will be able to see monarch caterpillars and chrysalids as well as videos of a caterpillar pupating and a butterfly eclosing.
See the slide show below for what you missed. Don't miss the next CE field trip.
On August 25, another 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. This 130-acre farm has several meadows where milkweed grows naturally, as well as two areas where milkweed was planted. Two sites will be open for observation: a wild site with established common milkweed plants that is mowed only once a year; and a cultivated garden patch that has five native milkweed species as well as a wide variety of nectar plants for monarchs. Participants will have the opportunity to examine milkweed for eggs and caterpillars and learn how data are compiled for a national database that has been active since 1997. The monarch nursery will also be open, where participants will be able to see monarch caterpillars and chrysalids as well as videos of a caterpillar pupating and a butterfly eclosing.
See the slide show below for what you missed. Don't miss the next CE field trip.