Our apologies - this is our November newsletter, not October as we had previously sent. Thanks!

Thank you to all who joined us in stream monitoring and our other outreach programs this year! Registration is now full for our last two stream monitoring workshops of the year, and we look forward to sharing some data that we've collected this year in next month's newsletter.

Many of our outreach programs are beginning to close for winter, but we're excited to share the winners of the 2024 Conservation Poster Contest below! We're also looking for high school students interested in natural resources to join Envirothon teams, so please spread the word!

Yours in conservation,

The NVSWCD Communications Team

Are you interested in obtaining a Virginia Save Our Streams Stream Monitoring certification? This certification is not required for our workshops, but it allows you to monitor your own site if you wish. The certification consists of three parts - watching online webinars, passing an online macroinvertebrate ID exam, and taking an in-person field protocols exam. Our next field protocol exam will be held in March 2025. Please reach out to our stream monitoring coordinator, Ashley, with any questions.

We're very excited to contribute our stream data to state and national datasets. If you'd like to see data from all the NVSWCD regional stream monitoring team's active sites, you can find our organization on the Clean Water Hub.

Green Breakfast

When: Saturday, November 9, 2024

Where: Virtual

In the wild and in our yards, the conservation of native bees depends on native flowering plants. Native bees are picky about which plants they pollinate, with some relying on a single species of flowering plant. The more specialized a bee species is, the more likely it will be of conservation concern.

Join Sam Droege, Wildlife Biologist with the US Geological Survey, to learn about the interdependence of native bees and native flowering plants, and how you can help by planting the right flowers and flowering bushes.

NVSWCD's popular Green Breakfasts are now virtual! All Green Breakfast programs begin at 9:00am and are hosted on Teams. No prior registration is required. Visit our website to join the meeting.

Do you know a high school student interested in natural resources? Envirothon is a team-based natural resources competition for high school students. Students who participate learn stewardship and management concepts and work to solve real-world environmental problems. The program is field-oriented, community-based, and gives students an opportunity to work with natural resource professionals.

Envirothon teams are comprised of five students, up to two alternate members, and at least one advisor/chaperone. Teams can be created through school clubs, classes, home school groups, 4-H groups, scout troops, local nature centers, etc. Each group is also permitted to have more than one team.

Throughout the school year students prepare to compete at the local level, qualify to then compete at the area level, then state level. These teams of high school students are tested on their knowledge of natural resources-soils, forestry, wildlife, aquatics and a current environmental issue. Students visit five “in-the-field” test stations where written and hands-on problem solving is required along with an oral presentation formulating a strategy to address a specific environmental issue they’ve been presented with. The event is competitive, but education and fun are our biggest goals!

Want to learn more about Envirothon? You can learn more details about the program here. NVSWCD coordinates Envirothon teams in Fairfax County.

Interested in getting your hands dirty and feet wet? We will have a hands-on Envirothon training for all Envirothon teams in Area II at Graves Mountain Farm and Lodges in Syria, VA on Saturday, November 23 from 9am-4pm. Registration is required in advance and costs $25/person, although NVSWCD covers registration fees for Fairfax County teams. The local Envirothon competition will be held in March, and final team rosters are due in February. NVSWCD will also offer additional training opportunities in the spring.

To learn more about our local Envirothon program, or join our Envirothon mailing list, please email the Fairfax County/NVSWCD Envirothon program coordinator, Ashley. See you in the field!

Congratulations to the winners of the Conservation Poster Contest! We received 42 entries into this year's competition, "May the Forest Be with You, Always." We've loved seeing all the creative entries from our young artists and we hope you love seeing them too!

Keep an eye out for next year's competition, "Home is Where the Habitat Is" which will celebrate 70 years of Stewardship Week! More information will be available in early 2025 on our conservation poster contest webpage.

Peter K., K-1st grade winner

McKenna C., 2nd-3rd grade winner

Sarah S., 4th-6th grade winner

Anna D., 7th-9th grade winner

Olivia G., 7th-9th grade digital art winner

Melinda N., 10th-12th grade digital art winner