In 2018, Reston became part of the worldwide Biophilic Cities Network. To help residents identify specific actions that will protect Reston's natural resources, Reston Association's Environmental Advisory Committee is now deploying a Reston Biophilic Pledge.
Audubon at Home ambassadors gathered on February 1 for their annual – and delicious – brunch, at which AAH co-directors and county coordinators updated them on the program's progress over the past year. It has now been 10 years since AAH first certified a Wildlife Sanctuary, as of the brunch, the program has certified 683 properties on over 6300 acres.
The 38th Annual Manassas-Bull Run Christmas Bird Count on December 15, 2019 had the highest total of participants yet at 137 and counted over 20,000 birds of 86 avian species. The conditions were favorable, so there were many more walking miles than during the saturated conditions on last year’s count.
Save the Date! On March 21st, Betsy Martin of The Audubon Society of Northern Virginia’s Audubon at Home Program and Linda Beaty of Plant NOVA Natives will join forces to provide a special program on how to make your yard more attractive to wildlife.
The November Potomac Flier article “Three Billion Birds,” shared 7 Simple Steps to help birds published by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Smithsonian National Zoological Park and Conservation Biology Institute. The 7th step, “Watch Birds, Share What You See” encourages birdwatching and citizen science. Data collected through simple observation can have profound results.
In celebration of the natural connection between birding and photography, Audubon Society of Northern Virginia will co-host the 2019 Audubon Photography Awards Traveling Exhibition with Walker Nature Center in Reston between February 5 and February 26, 2020 and again with Huntley Meadows Park in Alexandria between March 4 and March 25, 2020.
Wild bird populations in the continental US and Canada have declined by almost 30% since 1970, representing a loss of nearly 3 billion birds. This loss astounded Cornell Lab of Ornithology conservation scientist, Ken Rosenberg. Rosenberg led an international team of scientists from seven institutions in the analysis of population trends for 529 bird species. The journal Science published the study results in September.
Winning Birdathon teams traveled out to the Oak Spring Garden Foundation in Upperville, Virginia on September 17 to view some rare books, including a John James Audubon folio, and the grounds of the estate of Rachel "Bunny" Mellon, who designed the White House Rose Garden.
Each spring and fall Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts hosts two campouts for Fairfax County 5th and 6th grade students sponsored by Friends of Wolf Trap. The campouts give young people an opportunity to develop meaningful connections to the natural world, learn outdoor skills, make new friends, and have fun.
National Audubon has asked its members to advocate for the federal Bird-Safe Buildings Act NAS Bird Safe Windows, and ASNV wants to address the issue on a local level. If you have expertise in architecture, city planning or bird-safe building measures, the Advocacy Committee would like to hear from you.
