From kathy at fred.net  Tue Oct  9 19:58:22 2018
From: kathy at fred.net (Kathy Bilton)
Date: Tue, 9 Oct 2018 20:58:22 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [BSW] November meeting: Dr. Anne Frances
Message-ID: <alpine.BSF.2.20.1810080713170.20928@shell.xecu.net>


Date: Tuesday, November 6 at 7 pm
Speaker: Dr. Anne Frances
Topic: Plant Conservation Trends in North America North of Mexico

Flier can be found here:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_SdQdP4d4OHTFpSMi1yaHZsWld0SmJyNk13WnNINVBDMFc4



From kathy at fred.net  Thu Oct 11 13:16:10 2018
From: kathy at fred.net (Kathy Bilton)
Date: Thu, 11 Oct 2018 14:16:10 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [BSW] Idea for an October 13 walk and conservation day
Message-ID: <alpine.BSF.2.20.1810111413450.70284@shell.xecu.net>

Impromptu field trip this Saturday, October 13 at 10 a.m.

Contact Rod if you have questions.
Rod Simmons <simmons22041 at gmail.com>

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Thu, 11 Oct 2018 13:42:47 -0400
From: Rod Simmons <simmons22041 at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: Idea for an October walk and conservation day

No worries for size limits - all are welcome!? These sites can easily
accommodate large groups.? We used to use these areas for the Arlington
Regional Master Naturalist fall training classes.

On Thu, Oct 11, 2018 at 1:39 PM Rod Simmons <simmons22041 at gmail.com> wrote:
       How about an impromptu field trip this Saturday, October 13 at
       10:00 am at Daingerfield Island?? Meet at the large south
       parking lot just south of the marina.? The weather is supposed
       to be gorgeous.

This is a beautiful area with tremendous native biodiversity.? We can
walk along the Daingerfield Island freshwater tidal marsh to the tidal
channel at the boardwalk and see the tidal channel flow under the
GWMP.? Then we can simply walk across the GWMP to Potomac Greens Park
and walk the?old tidal channel up to the boardwalk loop at Potomac
Greens Park.? From this point, I can get us out to the GWMP and across
to Daingerfield Island near the?cove and not far from the parking lot.

Elaine and I checked?the west side wetlands out last Friday and?there
was a lot of diversity, tons of lepidopteran pollinators, and
some?plants needing documentation.

Saturday's field trip, if we do it, could be a jointly sponsored
Virginia Native Plant Society, Potowmack Chapter; ECA,?Botanical
Society of Washington, and Four Mile Run Conservatory Foundation?field
trip.??

On Wed, Oct 10, 2018 at 5:16 PM Erin Winograd <Erin at winograd.us>
wrote:

       Hi, everyone.? As we're closing in on October's second
       weekend, I wanted to check whether we're going to do the
       three-location walk & invasives pull this month.?

       If possible, I'd like to do it before October 29, when
       VDEQ's public comment period on Alexandria's request to
       destroy the Potomac Greens Park wetlands expires.? My hope
       is that exposing people to Potomac Greens Park will
       inspire them to tell VDEQ that they oppose the city's
       plans.? With that in mind, it also would be great to make
       Potomac Greens the first stop on the trail.

       No worries if our experts' October schedules can't fit
       this excursion.

       Cheers,
       Erin? ?


       -------- Original Message --------
       Subject: Idea for an October walk and conservation day
       From: Dean Arkema <jdarkema at gmail.com>
       To: Rod Simmons <cecropia13 at msn.com>, Rod Simmons
       <Rod.Simmons at alexandriava.gov>, Kurt Moser
       <ecomoser at gmail.com>, Donna Murphy <d at mmurphy.net>, Kurt
       Moser <kmoser at fourmilerun.org>, Erin Winograd
       <Erin at winograd.us>, Margaret Chatham
       <margaret.chatham at verizon.net>, Laura Beaty
       <laurabeaty at mac.com>, Alonso Abugattas
       <alonsolucy at aol.com>
       Date: Sun Sep 23 2018 21:25:34 GMT-0400 (Eastern Standard
       Time)
       Hi, all--Rod mentioned some ideas for the October
       walk, and I'd like to keep the ball rolling on that.
       He thought of something that combined three of the
       (smaller, in some cases) areas in Alexandria along
       with some of the invasives pulling that we missed bc
       of the rain today.? Dyke Marsh, another shot at Four
       Mile Run, etc.

The idea would be that we would start at 9 or so, spend an
hour here, a couple hours there, etc., combining a
perspective on some of the overlooked areas with hands-on
for some of the invasives.

Alonso, is there a place that you would like to add for
Arlington?? I was thinking of asking Matt Bright about an
activity at Marie Butler Leven Preserve, but also no
reason to cram too much into one day. We would give folks
the option of signing up for one or more of the sites, to
spread people out a bit, too.

Thoughts?

Dean




From kathy at fred.net  Fri Oct 12 15:33:41 2018
From: kathy at fred.net (Kathy Bilton)
Date: Fri, 12 Oct 2018 16:33:41 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [BSW] =?utf-8?q?Directions_to_Daingerfield_Island/Potomac_Greens?=
 =?utf-8?q?_Park-GWMP_field_trip_Saturday=2C_October_13=2C_2018_=E2=80=93_?=
 =?utf-8?q?10=3A00_am?=
Message-ID: <alpine.BSF.2.20.1810121633030.81624@shell.xecu.net>


Directions to Daingerfield Island/Potomac Greens Park-GWMP field trip 
Saturday, October 13, 2018 ? 10:00 am.

Take the George Washington Memorial Parkway (GWMP) to Marina Drive, the 
sole entrance and exit to Daingerfield Island (see attached and below). 
Park in either the small upper parking lot or the larger lower lot on the 
south side of Marina Drive (both are marked with a ?P? in the below 
image).  We will meet at the lower parking lot at 10:00 am.

Map: 
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1AgZP9_xt8lPQ8HWwmSfhD6JU9ayC11-1/view?usp=sharing

From kathy at fred.net  Mon Oct 22 10:56:13 2018
From: kathy at fred.net (Kathy Bilton)
Date: Mon, 22 Oct 2018 11:56:13 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [BSW] Two stalwart local environmental organizations working hard
 defending native forest, trees, wetlands,
 and wildlife - please support them! (fwd)
Message-ID: <alpine.BSF.2.20.1810221146570.33645@shell.xecu.net>

>From Rod:

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Sun, 21 Oct 2018 23:24:44 -0400
From: Rod Simmons <simmons22041 at gmail.com>
Subject: Two stalwart local environmental organizations working hard defending
     native forest, trees, wetlands, and wildlife - please support them!

Two stalwart local environmental organizations are working hard defending
wetlands,?forests and native tree canopy, critical wildlife?habitat, and our
dwindling natural resources?- please support them!

The following are easy ways you can help support these good folks (also links to
them from state organizations like MNPS, VNPS, and others):

Environmental Council of Alexandria:


Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Please send your name to Andrew Macdonald?at ahmacdonald at mac.com?if you wish to
sign the letter that the Environmental Council of Alexandria will send to the
Virginia Dept. of Environmental Quality (DEQ) asking them to reject the City's
permit to fill in the wetlands at Potomac Yard, and to hold a public hearing on
the matter.

At least 100 signatures are urgently needed on our letter, so please consider
signing.? One does not need to be an Alexandria resident to sign the letter.?
Spouses and partners to be listed as separate signatories.?

Additionally, be sure to like us on?Facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/ECA2018/?

If you have any questions, please call or email Andrew Macdonald:
ahmacdonald at mac.com?

(603) 512 9379

Sincerely,

ECA Board Members:

Andrew Macdonald?
Katy Canady
Vineeta Anand
Jeremy Flachs
Erin Winograd
Hal Hardaway



Arlington Tree Action Group - http://arlingtontreeactiongroup.org?:?

"John Vihstadt underscored the seriousness of the loss of Arlington?s tree
canopy by getting out of County Staff the statistic that equivalent of the
Pentagon?s footprint (~29 acres) is lost in Arlington to impervious surface
every 3-4 years."

-----Original Message-----
From: JH7?
To: Josh Handler?
Sent: Sat, Aug 4, 2018 9:27 pm
Subject: Upton Hill - NOVA Parks Ignoring Natural Resource Inventory
Recommendations; Who is Misleading Whom? July 14 County Board Meeting; Twitter -
Update

Dear Friends,

At the July 26 Urban Forestry Commission meeting somebody mentioned approvingly
that NOVA Parks had referred to a natural resource inventory of the park in
developing its plans.? The natural resource inventory that most refer to is one
done in 2007 by Arlington County and given to NOVA Parks.? A FOIA request to
NOVA Parks led to a copy just arriving. ?NOVA Parks? plan is contrary to the key
recommendations of the inventory report, which say under Management
Recommendations:
?
?Based on the data collected for this survey, and field observations at the
site, the following natural resource management recommendations are offered.
  1. Tree Protection. Documented large trees at the site should be protected from
     future park development or redevelopment, including the construction of
     facilities and trails.
  2. Champion Trees. Documented champion trees should be periodically monitored
     for health and protected from development. It was noted by the field team
     that in at least two locations, park staff or contractors have stacked piles
     of vegetative debris close to the base of large trees, including the
     runner-up County Champion Pignut Hickory. Allowing heavy vehicles to drive
     within the drip-line (crown spread) of a tree can cause unseen damage to the
     root structure. It is recommended that a central debris collection site be
     established somewhere in the park in an already disturbed and open site.
  3. Protection for significant plant communities and rare plants / features. The
     Acidic Seepage Swamp and associated vegetation represent the most
     ecologically sensitive natural feature within the park. Two short-term
     threats are evident to the continued existence of the high quality remnant
     wetland ? generalized invasive plant infestation and storm water erosion?.??
The new parking lot and road for the playground in the lower park that NOVA
Parks plans to build abuts the RPA that contains the acidic seepage swamp, the
most ecologically sensitive feature.? Construction and stormwater runoff could
degrade it or even ruin it. ?The whole report plus maps and some photos from it
is on www.friendsofuptonhill.org at:?https://sites.google.com/view/friends-of-upton-hill/home/spoiling-natural-resou
rces.
?
On the theme of information and recommendations, NOVA Parks wrote a letter to
Nextdoor.com seeking to clarify the ?mis-leading? information about the project
that is circulating.? We responded that NOVA Parks just continues to muddy the
waters on the impact of what is being cut and replanted, and the Sun Gazette
continues to mis-report that neighboring communities support the project in its
current form ? which is not the case.? Some people in those communities do ? and
some don?t.? See:?https://sites.google.com/view/friends-of-upton-hill/home/who-is-misleading-whom
.
?
July saw a lot of other activity in Arlington to save our trees.? ATAG and
Friends of Upton Hill appeared before the County Board on July 14 to defend the
red dawn and the many trees that NOVA Parks will cut down at Upton Hill Park for
its ?renovations.? ?Please see www.friendsofuptonhill.org for the list of latest
developments.?? At the County Board meeting, John Vihstadt underscored the
seriousness of the loss of Arlington?s tree canopy by getting out of County
Staff the statistic that equivalent of the Pentagon?s footprint (~29 acres) is
lost in Arlington to impervious surface every 3-4 years.? NOVA Parks? plans will
make a notable contribution to that.? See:https://sites.google.com/view/friends-of-upton-hill/home/stop-paving-over-arlin
gton.
?
The County permit process for Upton Hill still seems to be ongoing, so let us
hope all come to their senses soon and this ugly project gets turned into
something more appealing.? The project needs cutting back, not the trees.
?
Friends of Upton Hill is now on Twitter.? Prove NOVA Parks wrong.? At least four
of you may have a Twitter account and can follow us.? There likely won?t be too
many tweets over the few weeks, but if we don?t succeed, we will be tweeting
about the clear-cutting Arlington style going on at Upton Hill in the fall.?
Also, look for the ATAG booth at the Arlington County Fair 15-19 August.?
?
Thanks again for everybody?s support!
?
www.friendsofuptonhill.org
?
https://twitter.com/FriendsUH
?
?
https://i2.wp.com/treestewards.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/2011-02-26-arl-ridge-3.jpg?resize=640%2C480
Clear-Cutting Arlington-Style
?



From kathy at fred.net  Tue Oct 23 18:05:26 2018
From: kathy at fred.net (Kathy Bilton)
Date: Tue, 23 Oct 2018 19:05:26 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [BSW] 2 weeks from tonight - Meeting reminder: November 6 - 7 pm +
 Misc.
Message-ID: <alpine.BSF.2.20.1810181808040.33645@shell.xecu.net>

Next meeting: Tuesday, November 6 at 7 P.M.
Topic: Plant Conservation Trends in North America North of Mexico
Speaker: Dr. Anne Frances, Lead Botanist, NatureServe

A flyer for the meeting is here: http://botsoc.org/nov18.pdf

Location: VZ Conference Room (WG 33)
Ground Floor of the West Wing, National Museum of Natural History,
Smithsonian Institution, 10th St. and Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, 
DC.

Please email Rob Soreng at the address sorengr at si.edu 
to arrange for a pass to get to the meeting room.

Pre-meeting dinner: 5:30 P.M. at the Elephant & Castle Pub and Restaurant, 
1201 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W., Washington. Phone 202-347-7707. The 
restaurant is diagonally across from the Old Post Office Pavilion at 12th 
and Pennsylvania, a few blocks from the Museum, with Federal Triangle the 
nearest Metro station, and Metro Center also nearby.

-----------------------------------------------

A number of upcoming MNPS fieldtrips and programs can be found here: 
https://mdflora.org

And VNPS activities can be found here - including a propagation party at 
Green Spring Gardens tomorrow morning from 10 to 12:30pm.

---------------------------------------------------

Extreme Botany: The Precarious Science of Endangered Rare Plants 
https://e360.yale.edu/features/extreme-botany-the-precarious-science-of-saving-rare-endangered-plants

?Hyperalarming? study shows massive insect loss
https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2018/10/15/hyperalarming-study-shows-massive-insect-loss/?utm_term=.a05e427eda17

From kathy at fred.net  Sat Oct 27 09:02:31 2018
From: kathy at fred.net (Kathy Bilton)
Date: Sat, 27 Oct 2018 10:02:31 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [BSW] The Dept. of the Interior's Records Destruction Request
Message-ID: <alpine.BSF.2.20.1810270957480.33645@shell.xecu.net>


Via Rod:

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Sat, 27 Oct 2018 00:58:14 -0400
From: Rod Simmons <simmons22041 at gmail.com>
Subject: Almost interchangeable with Russia and China's way of business - thanks
      to jackasses in federal govt.

"New world order" - if allowed:

>From the Maryland Native Plant Society (MNPS) Facebook page - thanks MNPS for
the timely, always engaged, and on-the-mark world perspective!
?
"The Dept. of the Interior's Records Destruction Request (which would include
records of endangered and non-endangered species, critical habitats, land
acquisition, and much more) is detailed here by the Flora of North America
Association.? Do you know how bad it has to get for the Flora of North America
Association to get involved in?public policy?!??

"The Dept. of Interior is asking for permission to destroy records about oil and
gas leases, mining, dams,? wells, timber sales, marine conservation, fishing,
endangered species, non-endangered species, critical habitats, land acquisition,
and ...lots more.? Basically records from every agency within the Interior
Department, including the Bureau of Land Management, National Park?Service, US
Fish & Wildlife Service, US Geological Survey, Bureau of Safety and
Environmental Enforcement, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and others.? This is all
content that would normally go to NARA for collection and preservation.? This is
disturbing because previous administrations would obfuscate records by
classifying/reclassifying?records.? This administration is basically just
destroying records so they?ll never be accessible."?

Too bad this generation - and us?older, idealistic folks - are now living
Orwell's "Animal Farm" and "1984".? Maybe though it's?justly
deserved?comeuppence?for all the self-centered choices made in the gas-guzzling
vehicles purchased, unsustainable-carbon-footprint?McMansions
constructed,?etc.??

There?s an October 29 deadline for comment to NARA:
request.schedule at nara.gov<mailto:request.schedule at nara.gov><mailto:request.sche
dule at nara.gov<mailto:request.schedule at nara.gov>> /// fax: 301-837-3698 /// NARA
(ACRA), 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park MD? 20740-6001. (Be sure to say that
you?re referring to? DAA-0048-2015-0003.) Please forward to your networks and
researchers?who may be effected."

More information: https://altgov2.org/doi-records-destruction/

https://www.federalregister.gov/?/records-schedules-availab?

NARA?s appraisal memo
https://altgov2.org/?/uploads/DAA-0048-2015-0003_Appraisal_

See More
altgov2.org
Dept of the Interior: Records Destruction Request ? AltGov 2
Dept of the Interior: Records Destruction Request by Russ Kick ? Published
October 16, 2018 ? Updated October 25, 2018 NEW PDF: Department of the Interior:
Request for Records Disposition Authority [correct version] NEW PDF: Department
of the Interior: Crosswalk (i.e., detailed guide to the docume..."