Need Some Elective Hours? Go Batty...

Be sure to join in next Tuesday, September 18 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. ET for this live distance learning adventure. Representatives from the USDA Forest Service, Bat Conservation International, US Fish and Wildlife Service, and San Antonio Zoo will be discussing bat basics, the importance of bats in the ecosystem, threats to bats, how to help bats, and of course the amazing emergence of millions of bats from Bracken Bat Cave. Watching and participating in the live program on September 18 is easy! Just click on the webcast link that will be on the homepage: http://BatsLIVE.pwnet.org. If you can’t watch the program live, it will be archived on the web site approximately a week later (on September 25) and available as streaming video.

Also as part of BatsLIVE, a webinar about cave and karst topography will be held on October 11 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time in partnership with the National Wildlife Federation. The webinar is for teachers, non-formal educators, and others. For more information, go to http://batslive.pwnet.org/resource/webinars.php. 

Go To The Movies or a Conference!

On Tuesday, September 11, 2012 at 7:00 p.m. filmmaker Jeffrey Kimball will screen his new film: “Birders: The Central Park Effect.”  The presentation will be held in the Byrd Auditorium at the National Conservation Training Center, Shepherd Grade Road, Shepherdstown, WV 25443.  This film is co-sponsored by The American Conservation Film Festival.  It is free and open to the public. "The Central Park Effect" reveals the extraordinary array of wild birds who grace Manhattan’s celebrated patch of green and the equally colorful, full-of-attitude New Yorkers who schedule their lives around the rhythms of migration. Featuring spectacular wildlife footage capturing the changing seasons, this lyrical documentary transports the viewer to a dazzling world that goes all but unnoticed by the 38 million people who visit the park each year.   

For those of you who came to Scott Weidensaul's talk at NCTC back in May as part of International Migratory Bird Day, you heard about the importance of purchasing bird friendly coffee to protect migratory song bird habitat.  On September 15th at 6pm, Sustainable Shepherdstown and the American Conservation Film Festival will be presenting "BirdSong and Coffee: A Wakeup Call" at the Shepherdstown Opera House. The movie is free of charge.  It's not entirely about the bird conservation aspect of our coffee habit, but it's certainly touched on as part of the coffee plantation conundrum in the film.  PVAS is beginning to research ways for our members and friends to easily purchase bird friendly coffee to support the protection of migratory song birds such as the cerulean warblers we have nesting at Eidolon. Stay tuned, and in the meantime, enjoy the movie! 

The West Virgina Science Teachers Association (WVSTA) will be having its 2012 meeting in Martinsburg, November 1-3.  There will be some great speakers, topics, and workshops that can count for elective or recertification hours--especially Project Wild Aquatic.  You can register for the entire conference or just Saturday.  www.wvsta.org

Master Naturalist Annual Meeting

Our local Potomac Valley Master Naturalist Annual Meeting will be held November 10, 2012 from 11-2 p.m. at Orchard House, 4599 Shepherdstown Pike, Shepherdstown WV 25443.  This is a fun time of seeing old friends and meeting new ones from other Master Naturalist classes.  We eat well (you provide the pot luck lunch) and bid on Silent Auction items (that you donate).  Proceeds from the silent auction fund scholarships for the next year's class.

Plan also to attend the state West Virginia Master Naturalist Annual Meeting in Elkins WV, June 7-9, 2013.  Details will be posted in the future at mnofwv.org, but you can put it on your calendar now!

Volunteer Projects

Are you in need of volunteer hours?  PVAS is partnering with the Potomac Conservancy to hold a Growing Native seed-collection event at the Society's Yankauker Nature Preserve in Berkeley County on Saturday, September 22, from 10-12 noon.  It's rain or shine and is a very family friendly event!   Seed collection bags will be available and WV State Forester Herb Peddicord will be there to help with viable seed identification.  (Not every nut or seed is suitable.)  The Potomac Conservancy collects seeds of native hardwoods and shrubs and delivers them to state nurseries where they are nurtured into small seedlings.  The seedlings are then planted along rivers and streams in the Potomac watershed to help restore forests and filter pollution and run-off. 

The Jefferson County 6th Grade Science Olympiad is scheduled for September 24, 25, 26 and October 3, 4, and 5 at For Love Of Children (FLOC) Outdoor Education Center.  This is a chance for every 6th grade student in Jefferson County to spend a day outside, learning about natural topics.  They are seeking volunteers who would present a 30 minute program to small groups of students on natural history topics.  Tree ID walks, Bird programs, anything nature is a great way to share what you have learned as a Master Naturalist!  Groups are well chaperoned.  Each day has 4 groups of students who rotate among the many topics and activities offered.  You lead a different group each time, have lunch, and are done by 1 p.m.   If you would be willing to help, contact Judith Cain at jscain5@hotmail.com

 The Berkeley Springs Fall Birding Festival is scheduled for Friday September 28 through Sunday September 30.  The festival always needs volunteers to help as meeting hosts, manning booths, selling tickets, leading birding hikes, providing directions, and more!  If you could help for even a few hours, contact Master Naturalist Helen Herlocker at hherlocker@gmail.com

Paw Paw School Science Fair - Volunteer Opportunity

Those of you in Morgan County should seriously consider helping Carol Coryea with the Paw Paw Science Fair. This is an important support to students to help them in their education.  If you have never judged a science fair, it is fun!  You do not have to know anything about the subject--just ask the students about their project, listen to their answers, and decide if they have done a good, scientific project and seem to know what they are talking about.
You can contact Carol about helping at ccoryea@access.k12.wv.us.

Ellen

I am writing to see if anyone is interested in judging our school science fair on Friday December 16th, ( Snow date Jan 6th 2012). If you are available, if you would contact me at ccoryea@access.k12.wv.us to confirm that would be great.  We would ask if judges would arrive at the school at 12:30 PM.  We anticipate the fair to be approximately 2 hours.

A copy of the rubric for judges will be sent to you if you are interested.

It is a fun way to see what our students are doing in the County.  If you are not able to judge and know someone who might be able to help, please feel free to send this massage along.

The grades involved are as follows:  4-6   7-8   9-12

There are a range of topics and team projects this year. I hope you can join us for this fun activity.

Sincerely,

Carol Coryea

2012 Master Naturalist applications

News from the Potomac Valley Audubon Society:

The 2012 Master Naturalist applications are now available! They must be postmarked by January 14th, and applicants will be notified of acceptance by February 1. The fee for the entire course is $300 and is due prior to the first weekend workshop, typically held in March. Scholarships are available. To learn more about the West Virginia Master Naturalist program or how to apply, please download the following:

Master Naturalist Background Information
Master Naturalist 2012 Application
Master Naturalist 2012 Scholarship Application

First PVMN service project of 2011

The West Virginia Garlic Mustard Challenge is coming to Yankauer Nature Preserve on Saturday May 7 from 10 a.m.-12 noon! It is sponsored by PVMN and all members are encouraged to be there! There’s certainly plenty of garlic mustard to pull and it’s always more fun to have lots of volunteers helping. Bring your family and friends even if you can only stay for an hour.

This is our first PVMN sponsored service project for the year. Others are the Mile A Minute Eradication effort at Flowing Springs Park on Saturday June 4 and service projects at Cacapon State Park and Yankauer Nature Preserve later this year.

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