 Black Bears in Northern Virginia
WHEN:
Thursday, December 4 from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m.
WHERE: Bull Run Unitarian Universalist Church, 9350 Main Street, Manassas
Wow, black bears in Northern Virginia? Although most black bears live in the mountains or the Dismal Swamp black bears have been spotted in most Northern Virginia localities with increasing frequency. Please join us on the First Thursday in December when Virginia Dept. of Game & Inland Fisheries biologist John Rohm will share information about black bears and their Northern Virginia habitats! Read more...
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 Dove's Landing Named a Top Conservation Priority by Smart Growth Alliance!
On October 22, the Washington Smart Growth Alliance announced that Dove's Landing in Prince William County is a top environmental target of the Regional Conservation Priorities, recognizing the local values and regional significance found at this 225-acre property along the Occoquan River. According to Sam Black, president of the Alliance, “Dove’s Landing was selected because it has been publicly owned for more than a decade but is not fully protected or available for general use.” Read more...
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 Preliminary Plant List for Merrimac Farm Now Available
Merrimac Farm, best known for the Virginia Bluebells that carpet nearly one mile of Cedar Run shoreline, is home to a myriad of plants. It is fun to know their names, although some can be difficult to identify. A list of plants that people have seen at a particular site helps narrow the search and confirms the presence of specific plants. We put together a list of the plants we and others have seen during tours of Merrimac Farm. The list is not complete, but it is a pretty good start and we hope it helps you learn more about the interesting and beautiful plants at Merrimac Farm and throughout Northern Virginia. View the plant list... |
 Students Discover Nature Close to Home at Merrimac Farm
Marsteller Middle School seventh grade science students joined PWCA naturalists helped us discover more about the plants and animals at Merrimac Farm. Spring is an exciting time and Merrimac Farm is a great place to watch wildlife. We saw several species of frogs and some of us were lucky enough to observe mating American Toads lay eggs in the pond. Read more... |
Click here for Quick Facts
The Occoquan Watershed covers 590 square miles and includes the Occoquan Reservoir, which serves as the boundary between Fairfax and Prince William counties. The Occoquan Reservoir is a drinking water supply for more than 1.2 million people who live and work in Northern Virginia. Over half Prince William's total county population depends on the Occoquan Reservoir for about 17 million gallons of clean drinking water each day. Read more about the Occoquan Reservoir... or click here to learn more about how impervious surfaces degrade local waterways... |
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 Nearby Nature: Wildlife in Northern Virginia
You don't have to visit a rain forest or huge wilderness area to see cool critters. Some pretty amazing animals can be found right here in Northern Virginia.
You can find nearby nature everywhere… in your garden, along the stream corridor behind your house, watching your kids play ball and when visiting local parkland. To help highlight the diversity of wildlife that still frequents Northern Virginia habitats – and to help narrow your search for cool critters close to home – we've created an online resource for Northern Virginia wildlife. Or, more accurately, we're creating an online resource. There's so much out there, this is a project with no end in sight! Read more...
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 Nokesville Christmas Bird Count
WHEN: December 14 beginning at 6:30 a.m., Registration required.
For more than 100 years, citizen scientists throughout the United States have volunteered their time to count birds for the Audubon Christmas Bird Count. Their efforts provide important information about wintering bird populations, distribution, and changes over time. We had a great time last year, when volunteers observed and recorded 15,873 individual birds representing 82 different species for the Nokesville Circle (survey area). Read more...
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 Silver Lake: Opportunities Lost
October 20 2008 -- The Bull Run Mountain Conservancy (BRMC) today announced the withdrawal of their proposal to partner with Prince William County to open Silver Lake as a park for public use.The County has kept Silver Lake closed while debating who should manage it. The core issue was land ownership, with some insisting that PWCPA ownership of the entire site was non-negotiable. Read more...
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Every five years, the County reviews and updates the Comprehensive Plan, the key document intended to shape future development in the county. For the 2008 update, Supervisors appointed two separate committees to recommend changes to the Transportation and Land Use Chapters. Except for one all-day joint seminar, the Land Use Advisory Committee and the Mobility Committee developed their recommendations separately. The recommendations in each chapter reference the same "smart growth" principles, but the draft chapters have significantly different approaches on where to encourage new development. Read more... |
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is currently proposing to construct a Visitor Center at the Occoquan Bay Refuge. The building would cover one-quarter acre, and a new parking lot would be needed for most of the sites being considered. The Service's preferred location is in the deciduous woods along Marumsco Creek, which would also require construction of a new road from the front gate. Read more...
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