In case you haven’t heard the news, Cool Spring Preserve is now solar-powered. We welcome you to monitor our solar production through Solar Edge. Below is the backstory on how the solar panels came to be… On an ordinary December day, the extraordinary happened: Bill Anderson of Milestone Solar flipped the switch and made the Cool Spring Nature Center solar-powered! […]
by KC Walters, PVAS Conservation & Land Manager In recent years, my dad, grandmom and I have started taking a winter vacation. Last month, we flew to Wyoming, spent a few days in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks and then went skiing in Jackson Hole. It was amazing! My camera was glued to my side as I scouted out […]
On February 27th, Deb Hale led a morning bird walk on Virginius Island in Harpers Ferry. Deb wrote the following report after the walk, which yielded many sightings. The report has been lightly edited. The promise of mild weather brought folks out this morning, but guess what? Despite the relatively late start time of 8:30, the cold air lingered, temps never […]
by KC Walters, PVAS Conservation & Land Manager When I was 16, I attempted to ferment food waste to produce ethanol as an alternative fuel. This project took me all the way to victory with a shiny blue ribbon in chemistry at the Virginia State Science Fair. Years later, I realized all I had produced was glorified moonshine. However, this […]
PVAS has a new app! Our new progressive web application (PWA for short) allows users to conveniently access our website from their phone, without opening a browser and typing in the web address every time. Use the PWA as shortcut to stay up to date with our calendar of programs and access other website features. Once the PWA is installed, […]
Alex Tsiatsos’s well-written and beautifully-illustrated article on birding with PVAS offers a glimpse into the allure of the practice. Featured are anecdotes of PVAS-affiliated birders like William Telfair, who has had a lifelong interest in birds and has taken birding trips around the world. PVAS is pleased to count bird walk leaders Christine Densmore and Beth Poole among the ranks […]
The Migration: September is here and the fall migration is about to start. Since August 15, newly eclosing monarchs were in sexual diapause, putting off reproduction until next spring. Some monarchs that eclosed prior to mid-August, were still depositing their eggs, but we are near or at the end of that generation This is probably the fourth generation of monarchs, starting […]
James Dillon of Native Havens, LLC has shared his Design Considerations-Functionality of Plants in a Garden presentation and his plant list. Thank you James! James Dillon, PCH has been studying plants and working in the landscaping industry for over 15 years. He studied Biology at East Carolina University gaining a B.S. in Biology and Chemistry. In his studies he developed an appreciation for the benefits of diverse plantings and how they foster […]
We are pleased to announce that Ariana Hagenau has joined us as a VISTA and Garret Wren and Emily Noel are joining us thorugh Lifebridge AmeriCorps.