Fairfax County Parks

March 11, 2012

The next Audubon Afternoon will be held on March 11th from 3-5 PM at the beautiful Huntley Meadows Park in Alexandria. 1,400 acres of fresh water wetlands, smooth walking paths, and a great boardwalk extending out into the marshes so bring the kids and have a great afternoon. Another reason for bringing the kids and yourselves is because we are going to be talking about parks in Fairfax County because it is a serious issue for you and your kids. The issue is how to use our finite amount of green space in Fairfax County, and our featured speaker is known to many of you.

Charles Smith is a senior naturalist with the Fairfax County Park Authority who will discuss the state of our parks and their future. So, if you've ever wondered about, or been annoyed at some development with a local park, this is your opportunity to learn or ask about it but to also enjoy Huntley Meadows.

Programs are held Sunday afternoons at varying locations in Fairfax.

Past Events

Cerulean Blues

December 11, 2011

Author Katie Fallon will present a program on the Cerulean Warbler at the
December Audubon Afternoon. The meeting will be held at Potomac Overlook Regional Park on December 11 from 3 - 5 PM. The address is:

2845 North Marcey Rd.
Arlington, VA

More information about Katie and her book, Cerulean Blues, can be found here.

Bob, Bob White!

September 2011

David Bryan, a Private Lands Biologist from Virginia Tech and the USDA Center in Fredericksburg, discussed the status of Quail in Virginia and what a number of organizations are doing to bring the Quail back to reasonable numbers. David also spoke about other familiar species suffering from habitat loss.

Living Planet, Nuclear Planet? Gaia Theory and Our Energy Future

June 2011

Martin Ogle, Chief Naturalist of the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority, gave a multi-media presentation exploring the implications of Gaia Theory/Earth systems science on our energy future. Two realizations about our planet have burst on the scene in recent years: that Earth is a single, living system, and that human energy use is having huge impacts on that living system.

Shooting in the Wild: An Insider’s Account of Making Movies in the Animal Kingdom

April 2011

Chris Palmer, talked about his book, Shooting in the Wild: An Insider’s Account of Making Movies in the Animal Kingdom. Chris shared the adventures of the daring and creative people who make these films and TV shows. He also also pulled back the curtain on the dark side of wildlife filmmaking, revealing an industry driven by money, sensationalism, extreme risk-taking, misrepresentation, staging, fabrication, and even abuse and harassment of animals.

From the Gulf to the Arctic

December 2010

Taldi Walter gave a presentation to ASNV with an update on what the National Audubon Society has been doing and continues to do in the Gulf region to help birds and other wildlife following the Gulf oil spill. She talked about the spill's impact and how the spill provides a cautionary tale about energy development.

Children Spending Time Outdoors

September 2010

Dr. Laurie Harmon from George Mason University, talked about where children spend their time these days and the outcomes of spending time outdoors.

Bird Songs

June 2010

Andrew Dolby, Vice President and President-elect of the Virginia Society of Ornithology, provided some insight when he spoke at Audubon Society of Northern Virginia's Nature Night on June 27. Dolby spoke about the form and function of songs and calls and how ornithologists study avian vocalizations.

Dolby is Associate Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg. He is currently working on new ways to measure stress in birds.