Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy

Environmental Education and Advocacy: One of the most important services Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy provides is its series of educational programs and field trips. These events provide a rich source of information on everything from environmental issues to education about local wildlife and habitat sustainability. The quality of our programs and field trips is enhanced through community partnerships that provide access to properties for our trips and occasionally speakers for our programs. In return, Loudoun Wildlife provides valuable services to these organizations by assisting with educational programs, nature walks, and resources, all of which are offered free of charge, or a nominal fee. Additional components of our Environmental Education program include our quarterly print newsletter, Habitat Herald, which is distributed to members and the public. Our Youth & Family Programs provides formal and informal education and experiences to children and families to inspire future generations of environmental stewards. The Peterson Young Naturalists Program trains teachers to implement a nature journaling program in their classrooms to develop students' naturalistic intelligence. The Dulles Greenway Eagle Cam program brings the awe and wonder of bald eagles into homes and classrooms around the world. Advocacy - Loudoun Wildlife has taken on the role of being a voice for wildlife. Working with a number of local partners including members of the Loudoun County Preservation and Conservation Coalition we have presented data and concepts on how the County government and other agencies can work together to sustain wildlife and human life. Examples of our work include: Promoting a Fresh Approach to Lyme Disease; Raising Awareness of Vultures; Promoting Limits on Light Pollution; Protecting Sensitive Habitats; Speaking Up for Loudoun's Natural Resources. We partner with national organizations like Izaak Walton League of America and regional organizations like Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay that promote clean streams and rivers for a cleaner Chesapeake Bay.

Habitat Conservation projects vary with each year depending upon opportunities that arise and where there is a need. In addition to specific habitat restoration projects and programs to protect pollinators, Loudoun Wildlife also supports several on-going programs that promote healthy habitats both at home and in our natural places and open spaces. Our specific projects have included buffer restorations along important water corridors as well as the planting of pollinator gardens and meadows on private and public properties. Our programmatic areas include the Audubon at Home program that is designed to conserve and expand healthy habitats needed to sustain native plants and wildlife in Loudoun County. We are assisting Audubon to map certified properties in Northern Virginia using GIS and hope to show the emergence of wildlife corridors. In addition, we offer two Native Plant Sales annually to make native plants readily available to the community, host one Milkweed Sale with a partnering organization, and we actively participate in the Plant NOVA Natives marketing campaign.

Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy's vision for JK Black Oak Wildlife Sanctuary is to forever preserve and enhance its globally rare wetlands by protecting the sensitive vernal pools, unique geologic setting, and the rich amphibian and wildlife populations. Additionally, to serve as a model and catalyst to conserve adjacent lands, and to create an ecologically significant sanctuary for the conservation and study of native flora and fauna. This 89-acre parcel owned by Loudoun Wildlife is managed by volunteers in accordance with our management plan, and this program collaborates and contributes to many of our other programs.

Citizen Science: Amphibian monitoring begins in March when we hold workshops and conduct field trips to find, identify and count our amphibian friends including all the frogs, toads, salamanders and newt species found in Loudoun County. During the field sessions we focus on the vernal pools in a variety of sites that include both suburban and unaltered habitats to find marbled salamander tadpoles, fairy shrimp, wood frogs egg masses and Jefferson Salamander egg masses. Birds - Loudoun Wildlife birders who participate in our bird monitoring and bird count activities play a key role in identifying and monitoring important bird areas that will allow Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy and other local conservation groups to design strategies to protect the birds and other wildlife within these areas. Through numerous bird walks, programs and special undertakings, such as the recent completion of the Loudoun County Bird Atlas, we have provided field tools, reported sightings and worked with other bird organizations to understand the issues facing our bird populations. We hold an annual Central Loudoun Christmas Bird Count (CBC) every year in December.Bluebird Program - We manage a Bluebird Nest Monitoring Program. Our volunteers monitor over 50 public and private trails of boxes located throughout Loudoun County. Their work is part of critical conservation efforts conducted throughout the county. Our efforts are in coordination, and shared, with the Virginia Bluebird Society. Butterflies - Every year Loudoun Wildlife holds a butterfly count across the county during the height of summer. Our volunteers organize into teams and head out for a day of counting. These counts are tallied and compared each year to access the health of the species see what unique butterflies may have been uncovered and what trends are occurring in our area. Stream Monitoring - In the Spring and Fall of every year, volunteer teams monitor stream health by conducting surveys counting benthic macroinvertebrates following Virginia Save our Stream protocol. The health of the streams can be identified by the macroinvertebrates present. Our data is used to recommend streams for further monitoring by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality. Our ongoing program is able to help identify trends and degraded streams in need of greater conservation efforts. Volunteers also collect data on local salt levels by contributing data to Salt Watch. Volunteers also collect monthly chemical data at six benthic sites in partnership with RiverTrends, and this data is submitted to the Chesapeake Monitoring Cooperative.