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.
FODMers, guided by Dan Schwartz, soil scientist, Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District, conducted biological water quality testing on two unnamed streams flowing into the western part of Dyke Marsh on April 2 and June 11, 2016.
The findings are disappointing, but not surprising. Most streams in Fairfax County are impaired.
Thanks to members Laura Sebastianelli and Deborah Hammer, FODMers are conducting a frog and toad survey in Dyke Marsh and other areas, as part of the FrogWatchUSA national monitoring program. People living near Dyke Marsh West have heard fewer frog and toad calls in recent years and FODM would like to document species and trends.
FODM Board member Jessica Strother, a forester, led a walk on February 27, 2016, and described three of the ecotones of the preserve: the swamp forest, the floodplain forest and the tidal marsh. She explained that trees breathe through their leaves and root system. Trees like the pumpkin ash tolerate water, but cedars like drier, upland soil.
On February 28, 2016, Dr. David Luther, George Mason University biology professor, gave a presentation to FODMers and friends on his research analyzing the effects of noise on birds’ communication, a field called “acoustic ecology.” Generally, birds sing to attract mates, to defend territories and to establish “social status,” he told the 75 attendees. In urban areas, anthropogenic noise, like the noise from traffic or gardening tools, can cause birds to change their behavior and their songs.
On February 22 at Belle Haven Park, several members of the Friends of Dyke Marsh attended and helped release 21 Canada geese that had been oiled and cleaned by staff of Tri-State Bird Rescue and Research of Newark, Delaware.
FODMers and others reported to local, state and federal authorities on February 3 that an oil sheen was in the water at the Belle Haven Marina. Two people photographed an oil sheen that day, one at the marina and one at 7831 Southdown Road, almost a mile south of Dyke Marsh. Tri-State staffers said they were called on February 4 and that they and others caught birds for a week at Roaches Run, Hains Point and Gravelly Point.
