On March 11th , the new cohort of the Potomac Valley Master Naturalists (PVMN) attended their first day of classes at the National Conservation Training Center. The students started out the day with an introduction of the PVMN Coordinating Committee, their positions and responsibilities. Students then went into “community building” exercises, led by Jeff Feldman, where they were given the...
The Master Naturalists held an open house on January 11th at the Hospice of the Panhandle. Among the many Master Naturalists, including members of the Coordinating Committee, there were interested community members in attendance. The president of the committee, Rich Brager, introduced the program. Master Naturalists shared what they enjoyed about being a member as well as information on classes...
On a sunny day, the first Saturday of 2023, the Potomac Valley Master Naturalist Coordinating Committee had the pleasure of gathering in person for our monthly meeting at Yoga and Aerial Studio 214 in Martinsburg. The studio itself is housed at a historical site built in the 1900’s. Upon entering the building there were ten dark brown hammocks that flowed...
Photo by Greg Rosenke on Unsplash February 8th was a BEAUTIFUL birding morning! Wil and KC couldn’t have asked for a better morning to conduct their semi-annual Climate Watch survey of the 00560 square which includes survey points at Cool Spring and Claymont. They saw and heard so much more than just their target species. In the 6 sites surveyed...
by Jeff Feldman I’ve always liked Groundhog Day. I mean the 1993 Harold Ramis film starring Bill Murray, not the “holiday” celebrating a large rodent’s supposed ability to predict the weather. This latter tradition, held every February 2nd , has never been more than a mere curiosity to me. Until recently anyway. Groundhog Day the film tracks the predicament of...
Photo of Eastern phoebe by Patrice Bouchard on Unsplash The weather was calm, chilly, and cloudy for the 70th edition of the Inwood Christmas Bird Count. Twenty participants took to field, farm, and forest to take a snapshot of the winter bird population within the 7.5 mile radius that inscribes the Inwood CBC circle. We totaled 59.75 party/hours while covering...
One group of birders looking for birds by the Potomac River, taken by PVAS Staff Member Thirty-three intrepid birders made their way into the field on Dec. 17th to participate in the Charles Town Christmas Bird Count. Their efforts were fairly fruitful as they tallied a total of 6,670 birds comprising 74 species. The total time and mileage spent...
See the article in the Martinsburg Journal Celebrate our 40th Birthday and Save the Dates! Come celebrate PVAS — all we have accomplished and all we continue to do as we strive toward our mission to “preserve, restore and enjoy the natural world through education and action.” There are lots of birthday events coming up and there’s something for everyone! BioBlitzes! Join scientists...
On October 27, six homeschool students, ages 8 – 12 joined education lead Laurel Schwartz and Amy Moore Thomas at at Cool Spring Preserve to capture the changes we see in nature with the coming of autumn. Students were prepared with the technical basics of using a DSLR camera, and explored the artistic elements of composition, contrast, and color. After...
On September 29th, PVAS offered our fall Nature Photography program at Cool Spring Preserve. Homeschool students aged 8-12 joined Americorps Educator Gus Rasich and Lead Naturalist/Teacher Amy Moore to learn how to capture the flora and fauna of the preserve and gain hands-on experience. Students were prepared with the technical basics of using a DSLR camera, and explored the artistic...
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