Invasive Plant Legislation Moves Forward in the Virginia Legislature

Photo: Invasive vines, Valerie Morgan

Tom Blackburn

Anyone who walks in local parks or drives the highways can see invasive plants overwhelming trees, shrubs and meadows. Invasive plants are estimated to cost the state $1 billion per year. I am pleased to report that the Virginia legislature appears to be intent on taking steps to slow the environmental and economic harm that invasive plants are causing. State legislators introduced seven bills relating to invasive plants in the 2026 legislative session, and all of them are proceeding through the legislative process. 

Invasive vines smothering a tree. Photo: Valerie Morgan

Local government control of invasive plants: House Bill 388 and Senate Bill 89 are essentially identical bills that would permit local governments that have established service districts to use tax revenues to control the spread of plants on the state’s list of invasive plants. The House and Senate each has passed its bill by unanimous vote, meaning that it is virtually certain that the bills will be consolidated and sent to the Governor for signature. Congratulations to the Fairfax Invasive Removal Alliance, which first championed this bill and convinced other environmental organizations to support it. 

Ban on selling state-designated noxious weeds: Current law allows retailers to sell plants included on the state list of noxious weeds, even though they are the most destructive of the invasive plants, if they are commercially viable. As introduced, House Bill 109 would have banned the sale of noxious weeds outright. However, the House passed the bill by a vote of 96 to 2 with an amendment that phases in the ban over two years for grasses, forbs, and vines; four years for shrubs; and seven years for trees. The Senate Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources Committee reported the bill to the Senate, where it is awaiting final action. 

Ban on invasive plants along state highways: House Bill 88 would prohibit the Commonwealth Transportation Board and Commissioner of Highways from planting any plant on the state list of invasive plants along any state right-of-way. As introduced, the bill would have required the state to establish a plan for the removal of all invasive plants from the right-of-way, but that provision was removed from the bill before the House passed it by a unanimous vote. Two Senate committees have reported the bill unanimously, and it is now pending before the full Senate.

Civil fines for failing to notify landowners before planting invasive plants: House Bill 710 and Senate Bill 383 are essentially identical bills that establish civil penalties for tradespeople who propose or install plants listed on the state’s invasive plant list without first notifying the property owner in writing. The House bill passed with only two dissenting votes and the Senate bill passed unanimously. It is virtually certain that a consolidated bill will be sent to the Governor for signature.

Volunteers’ using herbicides on state property: In the last session of the General Assembly, the legislature passed and the Governor signed legislation permitting volunteers under supervision of a certified applicator to use herbicides on property owned by local governments. Senate Bill 163 would expand that law by making it applicable to state-owned property. The bill passed the Senate by unanimous vote and the House Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources Committee has voted unanimously to send the bill to the full House for a vote. 

Next steps: House Bills 88 and 109 must be passed by the Senate and Senate Bill 163 must be passed by the House before they can be sent to the Governor for signature. 

A big thank you to the 28 members of NVBA’s Advocacy Committee and other NVBA members who have agreed to write to their delegates and senators to support environmental legislation. We will continue to write to our legislators about these three bills and other bills that preserve and enhance our environment.

This story was updated on Wednesday afternoon, February 25. For further developments on the bills, go to the Virginia Legislative Information System and type the bill number into the search box identifying the chamber (HB or SB) and the bill number.

NVBA Helps Preserve Urban Forest in Fairfax City

Photo: View of the path of the proposed trail, Val Morgan

Tom Blackburn, Chair, Advocacy Committee

Following a long and hard-fought campaign by environmental advocates, the Fairfax City Council voted not to proceed with constructing the George Snyder Trail, which would have destroyed much of the city’s urban forest. This victory for the environment over development is a classic demonstration of the effort needed to secure an environmental “win.” 

First proposed in 2015, the George Snyder Trail project was envisioned as an at-grade natural surface or stone dust trail between Chain Bridge Road and Fairfax Boulevard costing about $200,000.  City staff revised the plans to make the trail eligible for funding from a concession payment to the state by the contractor who widened I-66. The result was a radically different asphalt trail 8 feet wide with only 1/3 of the trail on existing terrain, and the rest on boardwalks, bridges, excavations and fill dirt. The projected cost of the 1.8-mile trail exceeded $20 million. 

Despite an almost total lack of public notice, opponents of the trail, including the Friends of Accotink Creek and others, began mobilizing in 2018. Katy Johnson, who subsequently joined NVBA’s Advocacy Committee, was a key figure in organizing opposition. The opponents pointed out that the “free money” from the award of concession payment funds came with a substantial environmental cost, including the loss of 600 mature trees and thousands of smaller trees, and the destruction of much of the forest ecosystem and topsoil because of the construction and equipment needed to build the trail. They also  explained that alternatives to the trail on existing trails and low-use neighborhood streets would avoid nearly all the environmental damage.

NVBA formally joined the opposition in October 2023 when I, on behalf of NVBA, testified using as the theme Joni Mitchell’s song “Big Yellow Taxi” (“They paved paradise, put up a parking lot”). Katy Johnson, Virginia Native Plant Society’s Potowmack Chapter, A.E.R.O., Climate Action Now, many residents and NVBA joined the earlier opponents of the trail in testifying at several Fairfax City Council hearings. They explained the importance of the mature oak-beech forest ecosystem, detailed the extent of the destruction the trail would cause, analyzed the number of additional trips on the trail by people who switch from driving to biking that would be needed to offset the loss of carbon sequestration from the destroyed trees and pointed out the impact on flooding in Accotink Creek from the loss of trees that absorb groundwater. They also addressed claims that if the city canceled the project it would have to repay $4 million that the Virginia Department of Transportation had spent on project design and related costs. 

The issue was resolved on January 13, when the City Council voted on whether to appropriate an additional $4.6 million in VDOT concession funds for the trail. The appropriation was needed because the lowest bid for construction was $4.6 million higher than the previously approved appropriation. NVBA joined other environmental groups and individuals in testifying in opposition to the trail, and numerous supporters of the trail testified as well. You can read NVBA’s testimony, which includes photographs, and outlines the extent of the damage to the forest that would result from constructing the trail above and below ground here. The Council voted 3-3 on the motion to appropriate the additional $4.6 million. Because a majority vote was needed to approve the appropriation, the motion failed. The council then voted to notify VDOT that the trail had been canceled. 

The dispute over the George Snyder Trail highlights the difficulty of balancing the need for trails for recreation and commuting against protecting the environment. NVBA has attempted to address the environmental issues associated with trails through natural areas by developing criteria for evaluating bicycle and multi-use trails, which you can read here. It also demonstrates the importance of conducting careful environmental reviews of proposed trails through natural areas before substantial design work has been completed – something that was not done for the George Snyder Trail.  Finally, it serves as a reminder that continued vigilance and sustained involvement are critical to protecting our environment. 

NVBA’s Advocacy Committee and the Busy Season Ahead

Photo: Virginia State Capitol Building, Wikimedia user Skip Plitt via CC BY-SA 3.0

Connie Ericson

I have been active in NVBA’s advocacy committee since 2018 when I joined the board. I had just retired and had not been active in any of the organization’s many projects. But when a board member asked for a volunteer to draft a letter to the National Park Service about a planned activity along the GW Memorial Parkway that could potentially disturb Bald Eagles, my hand shot up. Over the years my participation has waxed and waned, but there’s always something the committee needs help with. With the 2026 Virginia General Assembly about to convene on January 14 for a fast-moving two-month session, the committee needs many volunteers to make sure its voice is heard. 

There’s more information below on how you can help, but first, here’s a little perspective on the scope of the committee’s activities. 

Much of the work of the committee naturally focuses on local issues within NVBA’s geographical area, such as urging local officials to (i) take conservation into account when proposing and developing bike paths, (ii) support more preservation and restoration of land, (iii) encourage responsible dark sky lighting practices, (iv) prevent encroachment of development on nature reserves like Occoquan Bay NWR, (v) negotiate with Dominion Energy for streetlights that minimize light pollution, and much more. Whenever possible, NVBA will join with other organizations to increase the potential impact of our efforts.

Sometimes the committee will take a stand on issues relevant to the larger area, particularly when there’s a troubling environmental or conservation impact. A current example is helping reverse the serious decline in Ospreys in the Chesapeake Bay and addressing the menhaden reduction fishery operations in Virginia.

The committee will also comment on some federal regulatory and legislative issues, such as recent proposals to reduce the effectiveness of the Endangered Species Act and the Clean Water Act. In those efforts NVBA often partners with National Audubon, the National Parks Conservation Association, and the Southern Environmental Law Center.

Focus on the 2026 General Assembly

And, there are state-level actions, which affect northern Virginia and the rest of the Commonwealth. In the regulatory arena, NVBA is promoting building code amendments to require bird-safe windows. The committee has already been taking action in advance of the upcoming session of the General Assembly. The committee cosponsored a workshop on the menhaden/Osprey problem and hosted a free online seminar with Delegate Kathy Tran, who spoke on how to be an effective advocate. You can view the recorded seminar here. 

Because the General Assembly session is only two months long, bills move quickly, and we have to act fast when bills we support or oppose are scheduled for action. We would love to have your help. We anticipate advancing positions on invasive plants, menhaden fishing, data centers, much-needed funding for state parks and other protected lands and waters, retaining the Clean Economy Act, tree preservation and more. To learn more about anticipated bills and their need, visit The Virginia Conservation Network's "Our Common Agenda.”

If you can help, send an email to advocacy@nvbirdalliance.org with your name, email address and telephone number, and we will send you an email with some suggested talking points when action on an issue is required. Because time will be short, make sure you know in advance who your Delegate and Senator are and how to contact them. You can get that information from the Virginia General Assembly website on the Who's My Legislator page. Also, many state legislators have town meetings at home during the session and that is a great, nearby opportunity to advocate for sound conservation policies.

Let’s all do what we can in 2026 to help birds, other wildlife and the environment!

Prepare for the Next Virginia General Assembly: Two Programs on Advocacy

Photo: Virginia State Capitol Building, Wikimedia user Skip Plitt via CC BY-SA 3.0

Tom Blackburn

Advocating for your legislative priorities can be intimidating. NVBA is offering two programs that will help demystify the process and provide an advance look at legislation that will be introduced in the 2026 Virginia General Assembly.

General Assembly Preview: Saturday, December 6 

We are preparing for Virginia’s legislative session by partnering with the Virginia Conservation Network, the largest conservation advocacy organization in Virginia, to host a General Assembly Preview Regional Watch Party. Join us at our offices in the National Wildlife Federation Building, 11100 Wildlife Center Drive in Reston on December 6, from 9:00 AM to noon. You’ll learn about the environmental legislation we expect to see in the upcoming General Assembly session. We’ll provide breakfast, followed by a streamed presentation from experts across the Commonwealth, and an in-person discussion about local issues.

You can register for the General Assembly Preview here. We suggest a $20 ticket price to support this event and our environmental advocacy efforts. If cost is a barrier, please use the promo code “VCNREST2025” during registration for a free ticket. 

Can’t attend in person? You can still register to stream presentations virtually from 9:15 AM-11:00 AM to hear all speaker presentations.

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Effective Advocacy with Delegate Kathy Tran: Tuesday, December 16

When: Tuesday, December 16, 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Where: Online
Fee: FREE

Delegate Kathy Tran. Photo: courtesy of Delegate Tran.

Do you want to learn how to be a more effective advocate? Join NVBA and Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy for a virtual program, “Effective Advocacy in Virginia,” with the Honorable Kathy Tran, Representative for Virginia District 18, and Majority Caucus Chair for the Virginia House of Delegates.

The recent November 4 election determined who will be the Governor of Virginia for the next four years, as well as all 100 representatives to the Virginia House of Delegates, each serving a two-year term. The Virginia General Assembly will convene for a sixty-day session on January 14, 2026. This is an excellent opportunity for you to work to enact legislation that supports and protects the environment. Consequential issues also are before our local governments, including modifications to the master plans of Fairfax and Prince William Counties, decisions on data centers in Loudoun and Prince William Counties, and much more. Delegate Tran will provide advice on how to advocate before the General Assembly and local governments, making your efforts to lobby elected officials more effective.

We’ll conclude the evening with an opportunity to sign up for alerts on important pending legislation to support communications with your elected representatives. 

This event is FREE and open to the public. You can register for this program here.

Tom Blackburn is Chair of NVBA’s Advocacy Committee, and a past President of NVBA.

Remember to Vote for Conservation

Photo: Virginia State Capitol Building, Wikimedia user Skip Plitt via CC BY-SA 3.0

It’s important to keep up with the actions (or inaction) of our federal lawmakers, but it’s equally important to take care to vote for conservation in the upcoming Virginia races. Decisions made at the local and state level have significant consequences for our environment and natural resources.

So, take a moment to review the voting record of your Virginia legislators. A helpful guide is available from Virginia’s League of Conservation Voters, which has published the 2025 General Assembly Conservation Scorecard, available here. Each year, the LCV ranks all 140 Virginia lawmakers based on their votes for or against the environment and a healthy democracy. LCV has published the Scorecard every year since 2000. Advocates look to it as a valuable tool to determine whether their lawmakers are standing up for Virginia’s environment at the General Assembly.

Another useful tool for preparing for next year’s General Assembly is the Virginia Conservation Network’s Common Agenda, with details on issues that a coalition of conservation organizations works on during the annual session of the General Assembly. NVBA works with VCN during every session.

Let’s work together to help the birds and other wildlife in Virginia!

The 2025 Virginia General Assembly Session So Far

Photo: Virginia State Capitol Building, Wikimedia user Skip Plitt via CC BY-SA 3.0

The Virginia General Assembly adjourned sine die on February 22. It is scheduled to reconvene April 2 to address actions the governor may take on legislation sent to him. The governor can sign the bill if he approves it, and the bill becomes law; he can veto it by returning the bill with his objections to the house in which the bill originated; or he can return it to the house in which the bill originated with specific recommended amendments. The legislators can override the governor’s veto and object to or adopt recommended amendments. The available options are outlined in Virginia Constitution.

There are several bills that we hope will become law:

• Budget Bill Item 367, Nesting area for seabirds: The governor included $4.4 million to create a permanent nesting area for 25,000 seabirds that had moved to a temporary location due to construction on the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel Project. None of the House or Senate budget amendments modified this provision, so it appears likely to be included in the final budget.

• HB 1941 and SB 1166, Invasive plant signage for retail sales: Both the House and Senate bills require retail establishments selling certain invasive plants to post conspicuous signs identifying the plants as invasive, educating consumers regarding invasive plant species, and encouraging consumers to ask about alternatives. The bills would require that the signs be posted as of January 1, 2027. It remains to be seen whether the Governor will veto the bills as he did last year.

• HB 2630 and SB 2638, Tree canopy fund: Both bills passed without amendment in both houses. They allow local governments to set requirements for the replacement of trees that are cut down during development. They also allow local governments to establish a tree canopy fund to collect, maintain, and distribute fees collected from developers that cannot provide for full tree canopy requirements where the development project is situated. The governor may sign, amend, or veto the bills.

There are several bills we had hopes for that failed, including HB 2059, the Great American Outdoors Act, which would have funneled money to parks.

To learn more, visit the Virginia Conservation Network, and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.

Stay tuned!

The Birds Are Coming – Will the Lights Be Out?

Photo: Baltimore Orioles, Eric Nie/Audubon Photography Awards

Migration season is approaching fast. Between March 15 and May 31, 100 million birds will pass through northern Virginia, most of them flying at night. The birds can be disoriented by bright lights from tall buildings and sky glow from light pollution. Some crash into the buildings and are injured or die. Other birds fly around the lights, exhausting themselves. It’s critical that we take steps to help protect them. 

There are three ways you can help protect migrating birds. 

Help us talk to building managers. NVBA and other members of the Bird Safe NOVA partnership will be contacting building managers in the Tysons and Reston areas to tell them how important it is to turn lights out between 11 PM and 6 AM during migration season. How effective we’ll be will depend on how many people are willing to help. If you’d like to work with us on this project, please email advocacy@nvbirdalliance.org.

Search for birds injured or killed by window collisions. We will work with the Wildlife Rescue League to train volunteers who will walk around tall buildings early in the morning during migration season to document bird deaths from window collisions. Data on bird deaths can be used to help convince building managers to turn their lights out at night. We’ll provide training on where to go and what to do and provide business cards with contact information so people can let us know when they find dead birds. Of course, if the bird needs help, call the Wildlife Rescue League at 703-440-0800.

Help build a database of bird collisions. Jeremy Andre, an alumnus of George Mason University, has developed the One Stone Bird Map, a geographic information system (GIS) visualization project designed to track and analyze avian mortality across the DC, Maryland, and Virginia (DMV) area. The project’s objective is to shed light on the under-reported issue of bird deaths in urban areas, particularly from window collisions and outdoor cats. You can learn more about the project here.

You can also report bird deaths on iNaturalist’s Bird-Window Collisions website. The project will help quantify mortality of birds due to window collisions, identify hotspots of mortality, and propose mitigation measures.

We’re joining efforts around the country to protect birds from window collisions. 

Northern Virginia is far behind other areas of the country in working to protect birds from window collisions. The District of Columbia has a well-established Lights Out DC campaign run by City Wildlife. The Cape Henry Audubon Society has spearheaded a very effective Lights Out Hampton Roads campaign. They have established teams that walk key areas of Norfolk to find and report birds killed by window collisions and have convinced building managers to turn out or dim their lights during migration. Lights Out campaigns are operating throughout the country. National Audubon Society’s Lights Out Program map documents more than twenty cities with program to reduce outdoor lighting during migration season, including Philadelphia, New  York City, and Chicago. 

It’s time for Northern Virginia to do its part to protect birds. If you’d like to help, contact us at advocacy@nvbirdalliance.org.

NVBA Initiates a Bird Safe NOVA Campaign

Photo: Purple Martins, Keith Kingdon/Audubon Photography Awards

By Tom Blackburn

Billions of birds die each year from human-made causes. NVBA, Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy, Nature Forward, DarkSky NOVA, DarkSky Virginia, Friends of Dyke Marsh, and Friends of Little Hunting Creek have formed a partnership, Bird Safe NOVA, in an effort to reduce the devastating toll on birds from excess light and window collisions.

Lights Out for Birds

More than 100 million birds migrate north through northern Virginia each spring, and 160 million birds, their numbers swelled by a successful breeding season, migrate south through northern Virginia in the fall. Most birds migrate at night to take advantage of calmer winds and lower temperatures, relying on the moon and the stars to help them navigate. The birds can be disoriented by bright lights from tall buildings and sky glow from light pollution and crash into the buildings or fly around the lights, squandering the energy needed to make their demanding journeys. 

Bird Safe NOVA’s Lights Out campaign is a voluntary program that involves turning off and/or blocking as many external and internal building lights at workplaces as possible at night to help prevent the death or injury of birds migrating through our area. The key times to reduce lighting to protect migratory birds are during peak migration, which in northern Virginia is from 11 PM to sunrise, March 15 through May 31 and September 1 through November 15. Bird Safe NOVA joins Lights Out programs throughout the United States that focus on turning off excess lights during the spring and fall bird migrations.

Restore the Night

2012 composite image published in Science News, June 10, 2016

Artificial lighting is increasing globally by about 10% per year. Light pollution -- unshielded, misaimed, too bright, too white, and on-all-night lights – causes birds to lose sleep, show signs of increased stress, and have less successful breeding seasons. It also disrupts the lives of other wildlife, from insects to mammals, as well as humans. The Bird Safe NOVA partnership will work to publicize the importance of reducing lighting and work with local organizations and governments to help reclaim the night sky.

Bird-Safe Buildings

More than one billion birds die from collisions with buildings in the United States each year. The birds mistake the reflection of trees and vegetation in a window for open space and fly into it. Among the human-made causes of bird deaths, only habitat loss and outdoor cats are responsible for killing more birds. 

Building in Reston, VA. Photo: Tom Blackburn

Houses and other buildings up to 3 stories high cause slightly less than half of the deaths, and buildings 4 to 11 stories high account for the rest. 

Bird Safe NOVA will publicize the ways homeowners can reduce the number of bird collisions with their windows and advocate for retrofitting commercial buildings and constructing new buildings with bird-friendly glass.

Bird Safe NOVA Program 

Join us at 7:30 PM on October 9 for an online kick-off program. Our speakers include Greg Butcher, the recently retired Migratory Species Coordinator for U.S. Forest Service’s International Programs; Christine Shepherd, the American Bird Conservancy’s Bird Collisions Campaign Director; and Laura Greenleaf, the volunteer leader of DarkSky Virginia. The program is free. You can register for the program here.

The Conservation Voter in Virginia: Know the Voting Records of Those You Elect

Photo: Huntley Meadows Boardwalk, Dixie Sommers

The news reports are filled with coverage about the major party conventions for the upcoming Presidential race. It’s important, but don’t let it distract you from keeping track of what’s going on in Virginia. Decisions made at the local and state level also have significant consequences for our environment and natural resources.

So, take a moment to review the voting record of your Virginia legislators. Virginia’s League of Conservation Voters (LCV) has published its 2024 General Assembly Conservation Scorecard, available here. Each year, the LCV ranks all 140 Virginia lawmakers based on their votes for or against the environment and a healthy democracy. This is the 25th edition of LCV’s Scorecard, published every year since 2000.  Advocates look to it as a valuable tool to determine whether their lawmakers are standing up for Virginia’s environment at the General Assembly.

At NVBA we are already preparing for the next General Assembly. We’re assessing past wins and losses, including the large number of bills that passed the General Assembly but were vetoed by Governor Youngkin, and discussing how to strengthen conservation policies. If you would like to help—and we can always use help of volunteers from across northern Virginia—please contact advocacy@nvbirdalliance.org. It always helps if you let us know who represents you at the local, state and federal level.

On the Virginia Conservation Network (VCN) website, you can learn about the full range of conservation issues that this coalition typically works on during the General Assembly’s annual session, generally held in January and February. NVBA works with VCN during every session.

Let’s work together to help the birds and other wildlife in Virginia!

Can you help advocate for your local government to adopt new environment-friendly legislation?

Photo: Virginia State Capitol Building, Wikimedia user Skip Plitt via CC BY-SA 3.0

Tom Blackburn

Conservation advocates lost several battles in the 2024 General Assembly, but did score a couple of wins that allow local governments to adopt some environment-friendly requirements. We can use your help in lobbying your local governments to adopt these measures.

Tree canopy funds

Governor Youngkin signed into law HB459 and SB121, identical bills that allow local governments in northern Virginia to broaden the use of dollars that developers pay to restore the tree canopy. Localities can adopt an ordinance to allow the tree canopy fund to maintain trees on public property and plant and maintain trees on private property. Before the enactment, those funds were limited to planting trees on public property. The new law also allows a locality to remove provisions that required that any funds not spent within five years be returned to the original contributor, although it maintains the five-year spending requirement. The bill also allows for expanding the canopy credit.

Herbicide application by volunteers

Governor Youngkin also signed into law HB320, which allows local governments to permit supervised volunteers to apply herbicides, a provision that can assist local programs working to push back on invasive plants. The law allows localities to authorize unpaid volunteers to use any nonrestricted herbicide to control invasive plants or noxious weeds on properties owned by the political subdivision. The unpaid volunteer would have to operate under the direct supervision of and following instruction by a certified commercial applicator. The instruction would cover

 (i) the risks associated with the herbicide utilized, (ii) the proper use of equipment used to apply the herbicide, (iii) the proper use of personal protective equipment, (iv) other information to prevent an unreasonable adverse effect on the environment, and (v) any other information relevant to the specific herbicide utilized.

Localities will have to adopt ordinances to make these new provisions effective in their jurisdictions. If you are interested in advocating for your locality to adopt the new provision, please email Tom Blackburn, ASNV’s Advocacy Chair, at advocacy@audubonva.org.

President's Corner

Photo: Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Hannah Meddaugh/Audubon Photography Awards

Libby Lyons

Hope is winning out, even as I hear chainsaws and backhoes signal the demolition of yet another neighborhood house and all of its majestic oaks. I block out those sounds of destruction by recalling four hopeful ASNV sessions from the past few weeks.

First came a Stretch Our Parks event at Monticello Park in Alexandria. More than 35 folks showed up for a damp, Sunday morning work session, including a dozen Boy Scouts from Alexandria’s Troop 129 and their parents, scores of local residents alerted by their neighborhood’s citizens’ association, and a handful of birdwatchers who love the park for its springtime warblers. Working under the guidance of Rod Simmons from the City of Alexandria’s Department of Recreation, Parks, and Cultural Activities, we spread mulch, planted native trees and shrubs, and erected natural barriers to guide people away from sensitive areas of the park. And, in keeping with Stretch Our Park’s aim to expand bird-friendly habitat beyond the park, we removed invasive plants from a neighboring property that is under a Northern Virginia Conservation Trust easement. What most struck me about that day was the volunteers’ enthusiasm and their strong connection to that tiny LOCAL park as a special place for neighbors, runners, dog walkers, and birdwatchers alike. 

The following week I attended the Advocacy Workshop that ASNV cosponsored with Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy and the Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions. Close to 50 people devoted their Saturday afternoon to learning from experts how, as constituents, to be a powerful voice for protecting wildlife and nature when their elected representatives consider policy issues affecting their cities and counties. As was the case for the event in Monticello Park, the age of the participants spanned many generations, from Ken Plum, who was first elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 1981, to the young audience and staff members. This intergenerational transfer of wisdom bodes well for our future because mounting environmental challenges will require political action at many levels, from neighborhood to city, county, and beyond. 

The next day featured our first Volunteer Appreciation Event. As the 20 or so volunteers introduced themselves, I marveled at the different ways they had contributed to so many of our activities, from advocacy, citizen science, outreach, and bird walks, to Audubon at Home and Stretch Our Parks. A singular pleasure was presenting our first Volunteer of the Year award to Bill Young, who has generously provided us with many hours of educational and entertaining bird-related programs over the years. Bill’s optimistic and proactive philosophy embodies much of ASNV’s approach: first educate people about birds and nature so that they understand them. Fondness and passion will follow and will motivate action to protect that which they love.

I next joined our training session for new bird walk leaders where we welcomed more than a dozen folks, again with ages spanning five or six decades, who want to share their passion and knowledge about birds. This session covered how to manage bird walk logistics, and, equally important, it imparted ASNV’s values. Some discussions centered on ethical birdwatching , but many more focused on how to make participants from all parts of our diverse area and across the full spectrum of birding expertise feel welcome. It was heartening to meet these new leaders and know they will multiply our impact by their thoughtful teaching.

There are many battles to fight to protect birds and their habitats in northern Virginia. The last few weeks have given me tremendous optimism that ASNV is more and more tapping into local passion for northern Virginia and its birds, catalyzing action at many levels, and welcoming new allies young and old. Please come join us in these efforts– there is much to do and we need your help!

ASNV Co-Hosts an Advocacy Forum

Photo: Virginia State Capitol Building, Wikimedia user Skip Plitt via CC BY-SA 3.0

The Honorable Kenneth (“Ken”) Plum, Member Virginia House of Delegates, District 36. Photo: Trinity Mills

ASNV’s Advocacy Committee co-hosted an Advocacy Forum with the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy and the Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions on October 21, an event that attracted close to 50 people. Delegate Ken Plum was the keynote speaker and urged all to help influence conservation policies at all levels of government. Other presenters included: 

• Mary Cortina, Fairfax County Planning Commissioner, and Kate Feingold, City of Fairfax Councilmember, on how a governing board makes policy; 

• Chris Miller, Piedmont Environmental Council, and Trinity Mills, Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy, on how to be an effective advocate; 

• Scott Peterson, Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions, Katy Johnson, Fairfax City Environmental Forum, and Michael Myers, Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy, on what we can learn from successful and unsuccessful advocacy efforts; and 

• Mary Rafferty, Executive Director of Virginia Conservation Network, on what’s ahead in the Virginia General Assembly. 

Mary Rafferty, Executive Director, Virginia Conservation Network. Photo: Trinity Mills

Representatives of all of the sponsoring organizations were encouraged by the number of attendees who signed up to work on advocacy with their organizations. All left the sessions with a new appreciation for the importance of grass roots advocacy.

ASNV Teams up with Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions and Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy for a Conservation Workshop

Photo: Martin Kraft, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Tom Blackburn

Birds, wildlife, plants, and trees can’t speak for themselves, so we need to do it for them. If we don’t, our world will continue to deteriorate as habitat is destroyed for new development, invasive species take over our neighborhoods, pollution kills wildlife, and our parks deteriorate from a lack of funding.  

You can learn how to advocate on behalf of our environment by attending a free Advocacy Forum at the National Wildlife Federation building, 11100 Wildlife Center Drive in Reston, from 1 to 4:30 PM on Saturday, October 21.  It is co-sponsored by ASNV, Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy and Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions. Speakers include Ken Plum, member of the Virginia House of Delegates; Chris Miller, Executive Director of the Piedmont Environmental Council; Michal Myers, Executive Director of Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy; and Mary Rafferty, Executive Director of Virginia Conservation Network. You can read the agenda here. The event is free, but please register here so we know how many people will attend.  

Trails Can Harm Natural Resources

Photo: Tomwsulcer, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Tom Blackburn

Trails through natural areas have undeniable benefits, including improving our mental well-being, providing access for outdoor education programs, and reducing air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions if people use them instead of driving cars. However, the environmental impacts of trails get minimal if any consideration when local, state and federal officials are planning and considering building or modifying trails.

In planning development projects like trails, the first question should be, “What’s there?” The federal National Environmental Policy Act is designed to answer that question and to evaluate environmental impacts, good and bad. That law could be a model for local and state governments for trails and other development projects.

Trails Can Have Adverse Impacts

The environmental harm caused by trails that are not properly designed or managed is not always obvious, but it can be substantial, particularly for paved and lighted trails. Trails through natural areas, including our urban forests and wetlands, can cause irreparable damage to delicate ecosystems. Construction often involves cutting down mature trees. Construction equipment damages the root systems of trees in the construction area and compacts soil, which can permanently alter the hydrology, the plant communities, and the wildlife that depends on them.

Trails also serve as a vector for the introduction of invasive species, further damaging habitat and resulting in loss of more native species. Lighted trails attract some wildlife to the lights, where they are preyed upon; they repel other wildlife, reducing the size of their habitat; and they disturb the daily rhythms of animals, resulting in loss of sleep, additional stress, and harm to their reproductive cycles.

Trails often fragment forests and other habitats. Many species need large, intact expanses of habitat. Edge habitats are “invitations” to invasive species and predators. Trail users through forests can mean more disturbance, noise and trash.

More pavement can mean more polluted runoff. A Clifton Institute Study found that if more than 30 percent of an area within 250 meters of the spotted salamander’s breeding pool is impervious, these salamanders are less likely to breed.

The lack of adequate evaluation of the environmental impact of trails through parks and natural areas before an alignment is selected has resulted in proposals to construct trails throughout northern Virginia that would cause significant environmental damage. Sometimes natural resource advocates have been able to deter construction. For instance, advocates succeeded in having Fairfax County remove from its plans a proposed bike trail through wetlands at Huntley Meadows Park that would have harmed critically important habitats and ecosystems. Some proposed trails in Arlington County would have damaged rare ecosystems. Other potentially damaging trails are still in the planning stages. A proposed segment of the Cinder Bed Road Bikeway in Fairfax County could harm rare habitat, and lights on the trail would disturb area wildlife. W&OD Trail expansions in Arlington County, still on the drawing board, threaten to destroy more habitat and potentially add lighting that can harm wildlife. Proposed trails through the remaining urban forest in Fairfax City would result in clearing 1,200 trees and cause other harm to the forest. Widening the paved trail that goes through the Dyke Marsh Wildlife Preserve could disrupt habitat, impair water quality, damage root systems, disturb nesting birds and migrating fish, and harm trees and other vegetation. ASNV has opposed each of these proposed paths as well as others whose environmental impact was not adequately evaluated.

Trails Need Stronger Environmental Requirements

A recent article in the Virginia Mercury, an independent nonprofit online news organization covering state government and policy, highlighted the need for more effective environmental oversight of recreational trails. The article, by Wally Smith, an Associate Professor of Biology at the University of Virginia’s College at Wise, pointed out that trails are often assumed to be exempt from environmental laws, and that Virginia has no requirements on how trails should be designed and managed to benefit the environment.

Virginia law and Federal regulations require environmental review of proposed bike paths that may cause significant environmental harm. The Virginia Administrative Code, 9VAC25-830-140, provides that development in Resource Protection Areas is exempt from environmental review only if it does not affect water quality, and it gives local governments authority to review exemptions from environmental review. However, the Virginia Department of Transportation appears to give bike trails a categorical exclusion from environmental oversight, even in the face of local opposition. VDOT’s policy is inconsistent with the National Environmental Policy Act and the Federal Highway Administration regulations on which VDOT apparently bases its policy. The FHWA’s regulations provide that actions that normally would qualify for exemption from environmental review but that would cause significant environmental impacts or result in substantial controversy on environmental grounds must be subjected to environmental review.

Virginia’s Wildlife Action Plan lists 883 species that are critically imperiled or in decline. “Habitat loss is the single greatest challenge impacting these species,” the plan states. More trails and fragmentation of habitat could mean more habitat loss.

ASNV will continue to weigh the benefits and environmental harms of proposed trails through natural areas, and we will oppose them if we conclude that the harms outweigh the benefits, or that redesign of the paths will reduce environmental harm. If you are aware of a proposed trail that would harm the environment, let us know.

Virginia General Assembly Passes Two Bills to Deter Invasive Plants

Photo: Porcelain Berry vine, Wikimedia Commons

Elizabeth Martin

English Ivy, Wikimedia Commons

The Virginia House of Delegates and Senate have approved two bills that can help deter the spread of invasive plants in Virginia and encourage use of native plants. The next step is to send the bills to the Governor for approval. The success of the bills so far is due to tireless efforts of two northern Virginia legislators, Delegate David Bulova (37th District) and Delegate Paul Krizek (44th District) and advocacy by conservation organizations and voters throughout Virginia. Thank you from ASNV and its members! Please take a few minutes to write each of them a personal thank you.

The Two Bills

Delegate Bulova’s HB 2096 requires the state agriculture board to develop a list of invasive plant species, and includes provisions to discourage their use. The bill directs the board to develop regulations requiring commercial designers and installers to notify property owners of proposed use of any plants on the state’s invasive plants list. Because plant retailers and customers often do not know which plants are invasives, the requirement to provide information allows customers to make better choices. The bill also prohibits state agencies from planting, selling, or propagating the plants except for scientific or educational purposes. It also authorizes the board to adopt regulations for permits to move, transport, deliver, ship, offer for shipment, sell, or offer for sale any invasive plant.

Delegate Krizek’s HB1998 directs state agencies to prioritize native plant species and to take steps to identify state properties for native plantings and prepare guidance to rehabilitate state properties degraded by invasive species. Because the state owns many large properties, such as universities and prisons, the bill would expand native plant habitat. It also provides the state the opportunity to set an example for responsible environmental stewardship by enhancing its properties’ habitats with native plants that serve Virginia wildlife.

So Why Is This Important?

Non-native plants were introduced into the United States intentionally or accidentally by people sometime after Europeans first arrived in North America. Many are important food crops or ornamental plants that do no harm. But many are harmful invasives, non-native plants that can spread out of control and overwhelm and displace native vegetation. They can spread dangerously because they have no natural predators in our ecosystem. Even if an invasive plant appears to be “under control” in a private yard, its seeds can spread and invade nearby parks and wildlife areas. Native plants co-evolved with local wildlife and provide the best food value to them. An area overrun with non-native invasives is a food desert for native wildlife that depends on native plants to survive.

Chickadees provide a good example of that dependence. Research shows that unless a yard is at least 70 percent native plant material, it cannot support even one family of chickadees. Chickadee nestlings depend on caterpillars to survive, and caterpillars eat very specialized native plant species. No native plants (or trees) means no caterpillars, and that means no birds. Our native wildlife is losing habitat not only to development but also to encroachment by invasive plants, and habitat loss is the largest cause of the decline of North American birds.

The annual cost of invasive plant species in the U.S. is estimated to be $35 billion. (Swearingen and Fulton, Plant Invaders of Mid-Atlantic Natural Areas, 2022, p. 10). Current Virginia law identifies only 14 plants on the state’s “noxious weeds list,” but the list of invasives recognized by the Department of Conservation and Recreation is much longer. Common invasive plants in Northern Virginia include English ivy, running bamboo, Bradford pear trees, tree-of-heaven, oriental bittersweet, privet, porcelain berry and stilt grass. Virginia law allows the sale of most of them, and they have invaded our parks and reserves. Change, like that called for in the Bulova and Krizek bills, is sorely needed.

What You Can Do

Here are the links to track the further progress of Delegate Krizek’s HB 1998 and Delegate Bullova’s HB 2096. If you’re interested in learning more about how to advocate for legislation to improve wildlife habitat and halt the decline in bird populations, contact the ASNV Advocacy Committee using this link]

There’s more information available about invasive species, the harm they do, and what you can do about them here. And if you’d like to tackle invasives in your own yard, request a visit here from an Audubon at Home Ambassador who can help you identify them, tell you how to remove them, and advise on native plants that will enhance the habitat value of your property.

Spend Some Time with the Bird Migration Explorer—You Won’t Be Sorry

Photo: American Kestrel, Matt Felperin

Fall migration through northern Virginia is by no means over, but the numbers of birds traveling to, as well as passing over and through, our area is on the decline. Some of us may now stop obsessively checking BirdCast daily to see what we may anticipate passing through overnight. But, that doesn’t mean that we should stop obsessing about migration and the challenges it presents to North American birds. 

The last few years have seen an explosion of data collection and data management tools that are giving us a more detailed view of migration than we have ever had before. The Bird Migration Explorer is an online guide to the journeys of 458 species of birds generated from data consolidated from multiple sources. It is available as a free interactive platform through National Audubon Society, but was developed through a partnership among Audubon and Birds Canada, Bird Conservancy of the Rockies, Bird Genoscape Project, BirdLife International, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Esri, Georgetown University, Movebank, and the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center.

Spend a little time on the site and you can see what information is available and how the information can help focus conservation and advocacy efforts in the North America. 

Look, for example, at the maps for the American Kestrel, a bird facing significant challenges in our area because of vanishing meadows. The base map that underlies the migration and connection maps shows the bird’s summer, winter, and year-round ranges, information that is generally available from field guides, both printed and online. That data for the explorer comes from eBird at the Cornell Lab, BirdLife International, and Audubon. 

American Kestrel, Matt Felperin

But the migration map provides more. Overlaid on that base, using information from the same sources, is a graphical representation of abundance of the species throughout the yearly cycle. While the map shows moderate abundance in some areas of the country, it clearly shows the perilous state of the bird in our area. And what seems almost magical, the map includes the route of tracked birds: the routes are generated from two studies that tracked 10 individual birds, data shared by researchers and stored on Movebank and Motus. There’s also a link to a 2020 article about the species’ decline. 

But there’s even more! Species connection maps show where tagged birds of one species have been re-encountered as they traveled across the hemisphere. Connections are derived from millions of re-encounter observations from tracking, banding, automated radio telemetry, and genetics data. A mouse click on a location displays the locations the species traveled to and the number of individuals that have traveled between the locations. The map shows birds from our area showing up further up the coast into Canada, down to the east coast of Florida, and inland to Georgia. The kestrel map shows connections for 1,943 individual birds, data from four studies stored on Movebank, the USGS Bird Banding Lab, Motus, and the Bird Genoscape Project. 

But how does all this information help direct our conservation efforts? Click over to the conservation challenges maps and look for our area. The data for these maps come from weekly distribution data from Cornell’s eBird. The map provides a visual image of different challenges in the area throughout the year. Conservation challenges such as suburban development, roads, and power lines fluctuate in intensity during the year depending on the relative abundance of birds in the area—showing higher exposure and higher abundance during migration as birds pass through our developing landscape. 

The data indicate that ASNV’s current focus on conservation and advocacy efforts is appropriate—that is, a focus on preserving and maintaining habitat, supporting wildlife corridors and responsibly sited bike paths, creating bird-friendly habitat in developed areas, encouraging developers to use bird-friendly glass in construction, educating the public about turning off lights during migration, and working to limit exposure of birds to predation by free-roaming cats. Those efforts can help our local wildlife as well as vulnerable migrants. 

Another takeaway from the exercise of exploring the Bird Migration Explorer is the importance of citizen science to bird conservation. Identification of the relative abundance of birds throughout the calendar year and throughout the Americas provides the base for the migratory bird initiative. Continuing development of citizen science data, as well as analysis of the available data over time, also can show important trends that can further focus all of our efforts.

On the issue of changing trends over time, you can look forward to an article in next month’s Potomac Flier on the recently-updated State of the Birds Report 2022 (released on October 12, 2022). The report is available at StateoftheBirds.org. Until then, take a look at this month’s “President’s Corner” on how ASNV can use multiple data sources to focus its efforts on behalf of the birds and our local environment.

Enjoy exploring!

Help Us Promote Stronger Conservation Policies in Fairfax County

Photo: Huntley Meadows fog, Dixie Sommers

We’re looking for volunteers to help ASNV contact members of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors from time to time. Depending on the issue, we may ask you to call, email, or request a meeting with your district’s supervisor. We will help research the issue and develop key points to make.

Local elected officials make many decisions affecting how and where we live, work, and recreate. At times, issues arise that affect individual districts, such as planned changes to parks. Some issues affect the entire county, such as the county’s budget. These decisions can have a substantial effect on the natural resources that ASNVers care about, such as wildlife, habitat, tree preservation, clean air, and water quality. Elected officials need to hear from their constituents and are often responsive to constituents’ concerns.

If you are uncertain who your supervisor is, you can find out by entering your address in the box at the top of the map here.

Please let us know today if you can help by providing your name and the name of your Fairfax County Supervisor. Contact our advocacy committee via our website here. We hope to hear from you soon.

Don't Pave this Paradise

Photo: Pileated Woodpeckers, Sylvia Hunt/Audubon Photography Awards

From The Washington Post, July 27, 2021, Letters to the Editor:

Opinion: Before Fairfax paves Justice Park, it ought to know what it would lose

The July 23 Metro article “Fairfax high school’s parking expansion idea draws anger from neighbors” included several perspectives but scrimped on the value of Justice Park’s natural resources, especially the park’s woodland.  

In most land-use decisions in Fairfax County, the question of “What is there?” rarely gets asked. A brief, informal survey by volunteers from the Audubon Society of Northern Virginia in early June identified 30 species of birds at Justice Park, even though spring migration was over. A thorough bird survey would require observations in all seasons. A comprehensive biological assessment, including plants, insects, reptiles and amphibians, could inform decision-making even more. It could help preserve what’s there and enhance the park’s biodiversity, for example, by guiding removal of invasive plants and addition of plants that support wildlife. Maintaining and restoring natural resources would create a more ecologically healthy environment and an outstanding outdoor classroom. 

Reducing park acreage contradicts the goal of remedying park deficits in underserved areas such as Bailey’s Crossroads. Green space and natural resources bolster our physical and emotional well-being. Northern Virginia localities have a long history of shaving off chunks of natural areas, a few acres here and another few acres there, death by a thousand cuts. Those decisions rarely consider the cumulative losses that occur over time — not just losses in actual parkland, but losses in the ecological services that nature provides.  

By all means, Fairfax County should provide quality educational facilities, but the county also must protect and restore its natural resources, goals generalized in many county pronouncements, including its environmental vision and comprehensive plan. 

Connie M. Ericson, Reston 

The writer is advocacy chair for the Audubon Society of Northern Virginia.

You can also view this article online here.

Pandemic Pollution: More Trash

Photo: Glenda Booth

Anyone who has been outside recently on trails and in developed areas has noticed the increasing amount of trash on the ground. Glenda Booth, a member of our Advocacy Committee, wrote an article about this “Pandemic Pollution” for The Connection Newspapers. 

“Plastic bottles, bags, stirrers, straws, six-pack rings, yoghurt cups, lighters and dental flossers; aluminum cans; cigarette butts; Styrofoam pieces; bottle caps; carryout food packaging; balloons; fishing line; bait cans. People find these along the Potomac River shoreline regularly.

And now, added to that is a torrent of pandemic trash: masks, rubber gloves, wipes and more takeout food debris.” Read more here.

Cats and Birds – An Unnatural Mix

Photo: stock.xchng

By Lisa Mackem

Last month, the Potomac Flier article “Three Billion Birds” summarized the alarming decline of birds in the US and Canada since 1970.

Habitat loss is the biggest driver of that decline.

The second biggest driver is free-roaming domestic and feral cats.

Cats are not a native American species – the colonists brought the first cats to the US as pets. Free-roaming cats threaten birds and other wildlife, disrupt ecosystems, and spread diseases. The American Bird Conservancy estimates that 100 million cats live in the U.S. and that free-roaming cats kill approximately 2.4 billion birds in the U.S. annually, making cat predation the largest human-caused mortality threat to birds. Researchers estimate that a single free-roaming pet cat kills up to 34 birds annually, and a single feral cat kills 23-46 birds annually.  

ASNV, American Bird Conservancy, and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) oppose free-roaming cats and TNR (Trap, Neuter, Release) programs for feral cats. PETA opposes TNR programs when the released cats are left to fend for themselves, because in addition to allowing cats to harm native wildlife, living outdoors harms cats. Indoor cats have a substantially longer life expectancy and better quality of life. ASNV has urged all local jurisdictions to initiate public information campaigns to encourage cat owners to keep their cats indoors. ASNV members have met with Fairfax County animal welfare representatives, members of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, Arlington County’s Joint Natural Resources Committee, and others to discuss this critical issue for birds and small mammals. 

ASNV’s membership materials include messaging about the importance of keeping cats indoors, and the American Bird Conservancy has published ideas for exposing cats to the outdoors without allowing them unlimited roaming. A “catio,” an outdoor enclosure that allows a cat to move outside within a sheltered and secure space, is one such option. Another option is modifying an existing fence to be cat-safe, allowing a cat to roam within a private yard, possibly with visual or audio alerts and mechanical obstructions to protect birds. Some cats can be trained to walk on leashes or with harnesses or can be restrained in a backpack or stroller. Indoor-only cats need entertainment, and there are numerous options for feline indoor play.

For more detailed information about keeping pet cats and wild birds safe, including suggested products and tips to transition an outdoor cat to indoor life, see the American Bird Conservancy’s Solutions for Pet Cats.