SLF-spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) winged adult 4th instar nymph (red body) in Pennsylvania, on July 20, 2018. USDA-ARS Photo by Stephen Ausmus. Eliminating the Spotted Lanternfly from our area may be an impossible feat at this point. However, any efforts to reduce the population of this pesky invasive bug are still worthwhile. Essentially, we are buying time for our native...
We want to highlight other organizations doing great work in the Eastern Panhandle and beyond! Read on to learn about Farmland Protection Boards and the work they do to preserve land in our area. County Farmland Protection Boards – Protecting Important Natural Resources Forever By F. Mark Schiavone, chairman of the West Virginia Association of Farmland Protection Boards Land conservation...
Ellie George: PVAS Americorps service member since Fall 2022. Ellie shared and applied her many skills and abilities during her time with PVAS. Ellie is deeply curious about the world and how we understand it through science and is highly skilled at sharing that with others. At one moment, Ellie (who has a degree in chemistry) might be making chromatography both...
We are excited to announce our slate of fall youth and family programming! Wee Naturalists This preschool program is designed for children ages 3-5 and their adult guardians to explore nature together. In addition to our Cool Spring monthly programs, we are now offering the program monthly at Yankauer. Programs will include story-time, a small hike, and crafts! Outdoor School...
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...