Tick Borne Illness and Allergies in the Piedmont Area
Join us for this free presentation: Tick Borne Illness and Allergies in the Piedmont Area:
🌿 Meet Our Speaker: Daniel Ferrell
Daniel Ferrell is the Senior Epidemiologist for the Rappahannock-Rapidan Health District and brings 16 years of experience with the Virginia Department of Health. During his career, he has worked in several areas, including emergency preparedness and response, environmental health, and epidemiology.
Daniel is a graduate of George Mason University’s School of Public Health.
When he’s not working to protect community health, Daniel enjoys spending time outdoors near his home in Hume, Virginia, and adventuring with his wife, two teenage daughters, three dogs, and two Nigerian Dwarf goats. 🐐🐐
We’re excited to have Daniel join us and share his knowledge and experience!
Birdability Bird Walk
Birdability Walk at Four Mile Run Park
The Old Rag Master Naturalists and Arlington Regional Master Naturalists will be leading a Birdability Walk on October 17, 2026, at Four Mile Run Park in Alexandria, Virginia.
Birdability is an organization of volunteer birders working to ensure that birding and the outdoors are welcoming, inclusive, safe, and accessible for everyone. Their efforts especially support people with mobility challenges, blindness or low vision, chronic illness, intellectual or developmental disabilities, mental illness, neurodivergence, hearing loss or deafness, and other health concerns.
Learn more about Birdability:
https://www.birdability.org/
Our walk will begin at 8:00 AM and last approximately 1½ hours. Four Mile Run Park offers a variety of habitats, along with a wide, paved trail that provides excellent opportunities for observing birds. Members of both Master Naturalist chapters will be available throughout the walk to help participants identify birds, bird songs, and the habitats we encounter.
October is an exciting time for birding in Virginia as fall migration is underway. We may encounter familiar year-round residents such as Northern Cardinals, Tufted Titmice, and Carolina Wrens, along with migrating birds such as warblers, hawks, phoebes, and other species heading south for the winter. We may also begin seeing winter visitors arriving from farther north, including Dark-eyed Juncos, kinglets, nuthatches, and raptors.
During the walk, we will use the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s free Merlin Bird ID app. Merlin can help identify birds by sight and sound, including recognizing bird songs and calls, and provides useful information about the species you encounter.
Download Merlin Bird ID Before the Walk
Participants are encouraged to download Merlin Bird ID to their phone before arriving. The app is free and available for both Apple and Android devices.
Download Merlin Bird ID:
https://merlin.allaboutbirds.org/download/
You can also search for “Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab” in the Apple App Store or Google Play.
Please complete this form to register for an Old Rag and Arlington Regional Master Naturalist Chapters public event.
Nature Book Club
Join the Old Rag Master Naturalists Nature Book Club for engaging reads and relaxed conversation centered on nature, conservation, and our connection to the land. All are welcome—just bring your curiosity and love of the outdoors. 📚🌿
September Book : The Earth Moved by Amy Stewart
Please read book prior to attending.
Medicinal Plants of the Blue Ridge: The Wild Wisdom that Surrounds Us
Discover the healing heritage of the Appalachian Mountains in “Wild Wisdom: Medicinal Plants of the Blue Ridge,” a visually rich presentation from Rose River Apothecary exploring the connections among plants, people, history, and medicine. Learn how Indigenous ecological knowledge shaped regional herbal traditions, meet native medicinal plants such as American ginseng, elderberry, black cohosh, goldenseal, willow, and echinacea, and explore their roles in traditional and modern medicine. The program also highlights threats facing treasured forest botanicals and the importance of conservation, responsible harvesting, and safe herbal use. Presented by an herbalist and health advocate with training in medicinal botany through Cornell University, nutritional science through Stanford University, and advanced herbal studies with Rosemary Gladstar, Wild Wisdom is ideal for gardeners, nature lovers, history enthusiasts, and anyone curious about the powerful relationship between people and plants.
Cedar Mountain Battlefield Bird Walk
Join Charlene Uhl and Linda Bueno- Virginia Master Naturalists for a guided bird walk and discover who’s singing, soaring, and hiding in plain sight.
During this approximately 1½-hour walk, participants will explore a variety of habitats, including open meadows, a stream, a pond, and wooded areas. These diverse ecosystems support an impressive variety of bird species, making Cedar Mountain Battlefield an excellent location for birdwatching.
Along the route, participants will also have the opportunity to learn about the Bluebird and American Kestrel nesting box program established and monitored by Old Rag Master Naturalists.
Whether you are an experienced birder or simply enjoy spending time outdoors, this walk offers a great opportunity to observe birds in their natural habitat and learn more about local wildlife.
We keep it relaxed, welcoming, and educational — the way nature learning should be. Bring binoculars if you have them, wear comfortable shoes, and come curious.
Spots are limited, so be sure to sign up and reserve your place. The birds won’t wait — and neither should you. 🐦🌿
Registration Required. Limit 15.
Nature Book Club
Join the Old Rag Master Naturalists Nature Book Club for engaging reads and relaxed conversation centered on nature, conservation, and our connection to the land. All are welcome—just bring your curiosity and love of the outdoors. 📚🌿
June Book : The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben
Please read book prior to attending.
Click here to register (required)
Native Plant and Pollinator Gardening Talk
Join us for a talk on Virginia Native Plant Gardening presented by Cindy Curtis, a Rapidan River Master Gardener and Old Rag Master Naturalist.
Gain insights into native plants and why they matter as well as learn how to create a pollinator garden and a habitat for native bees.
Don't miss this presentation filled with Cindy's expertise and knowledge on native plants of the Northern Piedmont area.
Nature Book Club
Join the Old Rag Master Naturalists Nature Book Club for engaging reads and relaxed conversation centered on nature, conservation, and our connection to the land. All are welcome—just bring your curiosity and love of the outdoors. 📚🌿
May Book : The Language of Butterflies by Wendy Williams
Please read book prior to attending. *Available in print and digital (Hoopla). Please visit the information desk for more information.
Registration is encouraged!
Click here to register (required)
Nature Book Club
Join the Old Rag Master Naturalists Nature Book Club for engaging reads and relaxed conversation centered on nature, conservation, and our connection to the land. All are welcome—just bring your curiosity and love of the outdoors. 📚🌿
April Book : The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben
Please read book prior to attending.
Native Bees Presentation
Native Bees Presentation
Did you know animals pollinate a third of all food crops at your grocery store? Join us to explore groundbreaking research on how human land use — from farmland to suburbs — shapes the foraging, nesting, and survival of one such pollinator, the charismatic bumble bee, and what that means for the future of conservation.
Presenter Bio
Dr. Kelsey Schoenemann (she|they) is a recent graduate from the University of Virginia’s Environmental Sciences Department, where her doctoral research combined field observations, spatial datasets, and molecular genetics to explore the linkages between land use and bumble bee foraging and fitness. Prior to UVA, Kelsey interned with Virginia Working Landscapes and the Piedmont Environmental Council, facilitating biological surveys and outreach efforts in support of native species conservation. They earned their MSc in Biology from Queen’s University in Ontario, and their BSc in Wildlife Conservation from Virginia Tech. In that time, she studied the hormone physiology of black-capped chickadees and other vertebrates, and investigated the relationship between land cover and piping plover home range size. They currently live in Charlottesville, VA, where they are applying for local jobs and attending monthly queer book club and writing group meetings. They are also known to spend time outside watching the birds, bugs, and bees, and inside watching TV shows and movies or reading non-fiction and sci-fi.
Cedar Mountain Bird Walk
Join Charlene Uhl and Alan Edmunda - Virginia Master Naturalists for a guided bird walk and discover who’s singing, soaring, and hiding in plain sight. Whether you’re brand new to birding or already carry binoculars in your car you’ll learn how to identify common species by sight and sound, understand seasonal behaviors, and pick up practical tips you can use on your own walks.
We keep it relaxed, welcoming, and educational — the way nature learning should be. Bring binoculars if you have them, wear comfortable shoes, and come curious.
Spots are limited, so be sure to sign up and reserve your place. The birds won’t wait — and neither should you. 🐦🌿
Registration Required. Limit 15.
Nature Book Club
Join the Old Rag Master Naturalists Nature Book Club for engaging reads and relaxed conversation centered on nature, conservation, and our connection to the land. All are welcome—just bring your curiosity and love of the outdoors. 📚🌿
March Book : Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton
Please read book prior to attending.
The Return of a Forest Icon: Strategies for Restoring American chestnut
This presentation will examine contemporary scientific approaches to restoration, including the application of biotechnology and breeding programs utilizing recurrent genomic selection of the American Chestnut (Castanea dentata)
Photo credit : https://tacf.org/media-library/
