Today is Thursday, November 21, 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’ll be helping another site leader with her workday pulling invasive plants. Come and join the fun! 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, November 15, 2024, 1:00-4:00 p.m.
- Where: Royal Lake Park, Main Parking Lot
Royal Lake Park, 5344 Gainsborough Drive, Fairfax, VA 22032. GPS coordinates: 38.804722, -77.289972. We meet by the tennis courts. https://www.google.com/maps/place/38%C2%B048’17.0%22N+77%C2%B017’23.9%22W/@38.804722,-77.292166,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x0!8m2!3d38.804722!4d-77.289972
- 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. Leave the umbrellas at home. 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: Remove invasive plants. 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 snow/ice-covered roads, 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.
