Today is Saturday, May 18, 2024
Recruiting Additional IMA Site Leaders
Would you like to help restore the habitat and lead a volunteer team to rid our parks of non-native invasive weeds? The Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA) is recruiting additional Invasive Management Area (IMA) site leaders. FCPA provides you with training, material support, and all required permits to work in the park. You can tag-team with Greg Sykes on his current sites, work on new areas around Royal Lake, Lakeside or other neighboring parks, or ask about additional parks within the FCPA’s jurisdiction. For more information, visit https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/invasive-management-area.
NEW IMA WORKDAY
We are on the finishing stretch to completing garlic mustard for 2024. Will you help us close out the season? Here are the details! Read every word of these instructions! Those who fail to follow these instructions arrive at the wrong place or come unprepared!
- When: Saturday, May 11, 2024, 8:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
- Where: Royal Lake Park, Dundalk Street Entrance
- Side entrance located at 10101-10103 Dundalk Street, Fairfax, VA 22032. GPS coordinates: 38.809023,-77.296725. This spot is NOT the parking lot by the tennis courts. Street parking only. https://www.google.com/maps/place/38%C2%B048’32.5%22N+77%C2%B017’48.2%22W/@38.809023,-77.298919,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x0!8m2!3d38.809023!4d-77.296725
- Who: People in good health and 16+ years old. Volunteers aged 11-15 years must be accompanied by a parent. Parents who volunteer will also be required to pull up invasive plants.
- What to bring: Dress for the weather and working in woods. VERY IMPORTANT: Wear long pants, long-sleeved shirt and sturdy boots. Regardless of the temperature, shorts are unacceptable at IMA workdays. Bring comfortable, heavy leather work gloves. All tools will be provided. Buy a bottle of Tecnu and have it at home to wash off any poison ivy oils. It works great to remove the oils before a rash sets in.
- What We Will Do: Pull garlic mustard. Be ready for anything including working amongst thorny branches.
- Be prepared for stream crossings! There is a storm drain outfall in this area and pockets of standing water.
- IMA workdays are a “go” rain or shine; delayed or canceled if there is lightning; in case of another major weather event where there are massive power outages, lines are down and trees obstruct roads, consider the workday cancelled.
- Arrive on time or a little early. You can leave early if you cannot stay the whole time. If you need those hours documented, bring the proper paperwork with you.
- Be sure to RSVP by replying to this message (to greg@grsykes.com) if you can make it.
