Program and Event Descriptions:

Discovering the Wild in Winter ― Saturday, February 4, 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.  Join Phil Daley, Paul Miller, and Jim McWalters as they explore the Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship (BRCES) during winter. While many people stay indoors during the cold months, others enjoy the beauty of a season when the sky can be so clear you can see forever and the sun casts the longest shadows. During this free winter hike, watch for the many birds, insects, and mammals that overwinter here and examine some of the plants to see how they adapt to temperatures that dip below freezing. The BRCES comprises 900 acres in northwestern Loudoun County, just north of Neersville, at 11611 Harpers Ferry Road, Rte 671. Meet at the Education Center.  Detailed directions can be found at www.brces.org. Registration Required: Sign Up Online or contact Phil Daley at pdaley@loudounwildlife.org or 540-338-6528.

The Geology of Loudoun County ― Wednesday, February 8, 7:00 p.m.  Location Rust Library.  Dr. Scott Southworth of the U.S. Geological Survey will describe Loudoun County’s geology and how it affects us in ways we never imagine. It has a tremendous impact on the flora and fauna that surrounds us and helps determine the quality of our watersheds. Because it stretches from the eastern Piedmont to the Blue Ridge Mountains, Loudoun County incorporates a wide variety of fascinating geological features. Dr. Southworth will explain how, because of plate tectonics, parts of Loudoun County have traveled thousands of miles. Studies of the county’s geology assist in locating water sources, help keep our waters clean, and prevent building on unstable soils. This program will be followed by an all-day field trip on Saturday, February 11.

Birding Banshee― Saturday, February 11, 8:00 a.m. Join the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy and the Friends of Banshee Reeks at the Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve for the monthly bird walk. Because of its rich and varied habitat, this part of the county is a birding hot spot. Please bring binoculars. Questions: contact Joe Coleman at 540-554-2542 or jcoleman@loudounwildlife.org.

Field Trip to Explore Loudoun County’s Geology ― Saturday, February 11, 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.  Join Dr. Randy Orndorff of the U.S. Geological Survey for a field trip exploring various aspects of the county’s geology. We’ll meet in the Leesburg area and visit various outcroppings and other geological features that demonstrate Loudoun County’s unusual geological features. Registration Required [Field trip is full but we can add you to the wait list] Sign Up Online or contact Joe Coleman at jcoleman@loudounwildlife.org or 540-554-2542.

"Bag It" ― Wednesday, February 15, 6:30 p.m. Join us at the Tally Ho Theatre for the award-winning film, "Bag It!". The event starts at 6:30 pm with refreshments and conversation and the film will begin at 7:30 pm. By attending the event you will be supporting environmental film in Loudoun County as well as directly funding our local environmental non-profit organizations.  Tickets to the event will cost $10.00 and all money from the ticket sales will be donated equally to five local environmental nonprofits: Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy, the Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship, Keep Loudoun Beautiful, Sustainable Loudoun, and the Friends of Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve. The film series, organized by Greenflik, will run monthly from February to June of this year with hopes of starting back up again in the Fall.  If you can't make the film, you can send a high school or college student to the films in your place by purchasing tax-deductible tickets online.  Preview the movie and find out more details about the February event at http://ow.ly/8q2j2

Great Backyard Bird Count ― February, the 17th through the 20th. The Great Backyard Bird Count is a joint project of the National Audubon Society and Cornell Lab of Ornithology. This important citizen science project helps ornithologists take a snapshot of wintering bird populations throughout North America year after year. Additionally, this event is open to bird counters of all ages and experience levels, so please join in! For more information, see http://birdsource.org/gbbc. If you do participate in the count, we'd love to receive your data for the Loudoun County Bird Atlas -- Every bird counts! Send your data to Spring Ligi at sligi@loudounwildlife.org

Frogs: The Thin Green Line ― [Rescheduling to late March].  Join us for a great film on frogs! This film takes us from a global perspective of frogs and their populations around the world right down to our Loudoun frogs. Frogs have been around for over 250 million years, evolving in some of the most amazing ways, in a great diversity of colors and specialties. Yet today, they are at the center of one of the greatest mass extinctions since the dinosaurs, and this story is playing out right in our own backyards. Learn about what is happening globally and then discuss what we can do locally to not only monitor these trends through our amphibian monitoring program but also take action by protecting and restoring their habitats. Handouts will be provided. Registration Required: Sign Up Onlineor contact Nicole Hamilton at nhamilton@loudounwildlife.org.

Sunday in the Preserve ― Sunday, February 19, 1:00 p.m.  Join a naturalist from the Friends of Banshee Reeks and Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy for a free informal, family walk around the preserve. Search for the many natural wonders that make this a special place. For information call the Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve at 703-669-0316.

Birding the Blue Ridge Center ― Saturday, February 25, 8:00 a.m. On the fourth Saturday of each month (except December) the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy leads a bird walk at the Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship (BRCES). This beautiful 900-acre preserve is located on Harpers Ferry Road, Rt. 671, in northwestern Loudoun County. Only a few miles south of Harpers Ferry and the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers, the property includes meadows in the valley and heavily forested slopes on the Blue Ridge. Meet at the Education Center. The Blue Ridge Center is located just north of Neersville, at 11611 Harpers Ferry Road (Rt 671). Detailed directions can be found on the website, www.brces.org. Questions: contact Joe Coleman at 540-554-2542 or jcoleman@loudounwildlife.org

Bluebird Monitoring Program Orientation ―Saturday, February 25, 2:00 p.m. Janet Locklear will discuss bluebirds, nestbox monitoring, and the protocol used in Loudoun for collecting and reporting data. She will present information on the current trails being monitored, give tips on gardening for bluebirds, and demonstrate a typical nestbox system with predator guards. Those interested in joining a monitoring team for the 2012 season can sign up during the meeting. Those interested in monitoring a home nestbox or trail and providing data to Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy can register their trails/boxes as well. Location for the kickoff is the Purcellville Library, Robey Room. Registration Required: Sign Up Online or contact Janet Locklear at jlocklear@loudounwildlife.org.

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