On the morning of April 29, 2016, 24 students and three teachers from Alexandria’s T.C. Williams High School’s International Academy visited Dyke Marsh to observe in action some of the lessons of their biology class and to try their hand at suppression of invasive plants.
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At FODM’s October 2, 2016, 40th anniversary celebration, Virginia Senators Adam Ebbin and Scott Surovell and Delegates Paul Krizek, Mark Levine and Mark Sickles presented a resolution honoring FODM’s 40 years of stewardship. The Virginia General Assembly (building, photo) passed the resolution on March 10, 2016.
Volunteers began lepidoptera and odonata surveys in Dyke Marsh on April 20, 2016, led by Jim Waggener. On the 20th, surveyors identified five butterfly species in a brief span. The peak time for surveys is May through September. This work helps identify and save critical habitat that preserves biodiversity in our region.
Under a steady drizzle, a steady stream of raptor fans attended the annual Raptor Rapture in Belle Haven Park on April 23, 2016, sponsored by FODM, the Raptor Conservancy of Virginia and the National Park Service.
Kent Knowles (pictured) and Gabby Hrycyshyn of the Conservancy brought an Eastern screech owl (gray morph), an American kestrel, peregrine falcon (photo), red-tailed hawk, barn owl and Harris’s hawk. These birds cannot live on their own in the wild.
As the weather warms, birds are busy breeding in the Dyke Marsh Wildlife Preserve. In April, FODMers observed red-bellied woodpeckers and northern flickers investigating potential nest cavities, despite facing stiff competition from European starlings. Observers have seen Carolina chickadees and fish crows carrying nesting material in the Belle Haven picnic area and along the Haul Road.
On April 16, 2016, 66 enthusiastic volunteers of all ages turned out on a beautiful spring day and collected trash along the Potomac River and Dyke Marsh shoreline. The group found plastic bottles, aluminum cans, fast food boxes and wrappers, plastic bags, pieces of Styrofoam, at least two tires and more – too much.
