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IN THIS ISSUE
PechaKucha Nature Night!
1st Thursday - Uranium Mining in Virginia?
Uranium Mining - A Risky Proposition for Virginia
Merrimac Farm Bird Walk
Nokesville Christmas Bird Count
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Between every two pines is a doorway to a new world
~ John Muir |
Species List from the Nokesville Christmas Bird Count on December 26, 2011
Total Species – 81
Cackling Goose
Snow Goose
Canada Goose
Mute Swan
Tundra Swan
Wood Duck
Gadwall
Am. Black Duck
Mallard
Ring-necked Duck
Lesser Scaup
Hooded Merganser
Common Merganser
Ruddy Duck
Pied-billed Grebe
Great Blue Heron
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Bald Eagle
Northern Harrier
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Cooper's Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Am. Kestrel
Wild Turkey
Killdeer
Am. Woodcock
Laughing Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Blck-bckd Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
E. Screech Owl
Barred Owl
Red-bell Woodpecker
Yellw-bell Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker
Blue Jay
Am. Crow
Fish Crow
Common Raven
Carolina Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-br. Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
Carolina Wren
Golden-Cr. Kinglet
Ruby-Cr. Kinglet
Eastern Bluebird
Hermit Thrush
Am. Robin
No. Mockingbird
Brown Thrasher
Eur. Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Yellow-rumpd Warbler
Pine Warbler
Eastern Towhee
Am. Tree Sparrow
Chipping Sparrow
Field Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Fox Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
White-thrtd. Sparrow
White-crwnd. Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
No. Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Eastern Meadowlark
Rusty Blackbird
Brwn-headed Cowbird
House Finch
Am. Goldfinch
House Sparrow |
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| PechaKucha Nature Night - It's Saturday Night! |
 WHEN: Saturday, Jan. 21. Doors open at 6:00 pm (dinner) and the program begins at 7:00 pm
WHERE: Bungalow Alehouse 2840 Prince William Parkway, Woodbridge
FREE - purchase your own food & drinks
PechaKucha Nights are community gatherings where creative people get together and share their ideas, works, experiences and thoughts in the PechaKucha 20x20 format - 20 images shown for 20 seconds each. Each presentation is a total of six minutes 40 seconds long.
You won't want to miss Nature Night, featuring presentations from:
Martin Jeter-Race Cars Take a Cue from Nature
John McBride -Columbia River Gorge Waterfalls
Amelia May - Natural Manmade Wonders
Rob Hartwell - The Nations River
Shirley Couteau - The Preakness
Jim Knapp - Rocky Mountains
Larry Underwood - Alaska
Harry Glasgow - WWMND
Kate Norris - Hawaii
Earnie Porta - Top Ten 2011 Astronomy Events
Judy Gallagher - Spring Comes to Prince William |
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Uranium Mining in Virginia? |
 PWCA 1st Thursday Speaker Series
WHEN: Thursday, Feb 2, 7:30-9:00pm
WHERE: Bull Run Unitarian Church, 9350 Main Street, Manassas
Speaker: Charlie Grymes, Chairman, PWCA
Virginia has a uranium deposit worth as much as $10 billion. Other uranium deposits are concentrated east of the Blue Ridge, including in Fauquier County.
The General Assembly and local officials are debating right now if mining is appropriate... or not. If we develop the natural resource, what's the threat to Lake Manassas and the Occoquan Reservoir - and to the water supply of Virginia Beach?
Is it better for the environment (and/or the pocketbook) to get electricity in Virginia from coal, natural gas, or nuclear energy? Come learn about uranium in Virginia at our First Thursday Speaker series on February 2. |
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| Uranium Mining: A Risky Proposition for Virginia |
by Bryanna Altman
 The Virginia General Assembly is expected to vote this year (2012) on whether to lift a 30-year moratorium on uranium mining in Virginia.
A company called Virginia Uranium, Inc. wants to mine a deposit known as Coles Hill site in Pittsylvania County, Virginia, the only economically viable source identified in Virginia (National Academy of Sciences report). Virginia Uranium says tests indicate there are about 119 million pounds of uranium, worth as much as $10 billion, below the surface.
Virginia Uranium, Inc. executives say the company is owned by locals who care about their community and would never risk polluting it. But behind Virginia Uranium Inc. are two Canadian corporations, Virginia Energy Resources and Sprott, which hold a 49.8% interest in Virginia Uranium, Inc.
Virginia Uranium, Inc. has been aggressively lobbying lawmakers. The company has spoken to over 100 of the 140 legislators and flew more than a dozen of them to France and Canada to visit uranium mines.
It has donated more than $150,000 to candidates in Virginia and retained five of Richmond’s most influential lobbying and public relations firms, according to the Virginia Public Access Project, a nonpartisan tracker of money in politics. Keep reading... |
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 WHEN: Sunday, Jan. 29
WHERE: Meet at the Stone House at Merrimac Farm, 15020 Deepwood Lane, Nokesville
Please join us for the regularly scheduled (last Sunday of the month) bird walk at Merrimac Farm. We travel through the uplands to the edge of the floodplain, covering a variety of habitats including open fields and woodland edges. Everyone is welcome. Dress for the weather, bring binoculars and cameras. More info and RSVP (not required) to PWCA , 703.499.4954 or alliance(at)pwconserve.org. |
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| Nokesville Christmas Bird Count |
 Warmer than previous years, temperatures ranged from under 30°F in the morning to nearly 50°F after midday. More than 30 people helped make this count a fun and memorable experience. Together we tallied 81 species.
Highlights of the day include 12 bald eagles seen at the Prince William County landfill. The Bald Eagles were watching/hunting the 1000+ gulls, mostly ring-billed, foraging through uncovered trash. One Raven was also seen at the landfill, with 2 others at MCB Quantico and 2 in Fauquier County.
A Screech Owl was in Fauquier County along with Barred Owls, which were also seen at Merrimac Farm. Woodcock were seen at MCB Quantico and in Fauquier County. There were many Eastern Bluebirds, with an impressive flock of 50+ at the Rte 234 Wetland Mitigation Area.
Foggy Bottom Wetland was the only place Tree Sparrows were seen, for the 2nd year in a row. It was also produced the only sighting of Fox Sparrow. Savannah Sparrows were spotted at Merrimac Farm and in Fauquier County. Merrimac Farm added Chipping Sparrow, Wild Turkey and Brown Thrasher to the list. Keep reading... |
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