Preserve Assistant Deneith Reif and I recently had the opportunity to join ornithologist Jacob Saucier on a birding hike around the Preserve’s south section. Jacob is a long-time friend of the Preserve and museum specialist at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. Between his travels to record bird songs and calls all over the…
The Preserve’s brilliant and talented cultural history interpreter Barinaale Dube recently graduated from the prestigious Howard University! In celebration of this fantastic achievement, we are happy to share the completed report on her fellowship work, co-authored by Barinaale and Preserve staff. Click Here to Read Barinaale’s Fellowship Report: Black and African American History of the…
The Preserve is blessed with an impressive array of research associates from all kinds of specialties. Today we are highlighting Michael J.W. Carr, who has made a huge contribution to understanding some of our smallest mountain residents. A graduate of George Mason University’s conservation biology program, Michael is an accomplished naturalist and entomologist. Over the…
Please help us officially welcome VOF Herpetological Field Intern, Erica Lyon!Erica joined VOF this season to assist our VOF Herpetological fellow, Lauren Fuchs with her field work investigating the Ophifiomyces ophiodiicola fungus in Bull Run Mountains’ snake populations Before coming onto this project Erica earned her dual bachelors degrees in Environmental Science and Psychology…
A hearty congratulations are in order for Preserve Research Associate, Shawn Smith! Shawn is a PhD candidate at George Mason University’s environmental science and policy program, and recently won best student speed talk for his presentation for the Virginia chapter of The Wildlife Society. We are so proud of Shawn and the important work he…
Scolopax minor, or the woodcock, is a quirky, enigmatic little bird with a variety of different names throughout its range – the timberdoodle, the hokumpoke, the bog sucker, the Labrador twister. Whatever you chose to call it, our native woodcocks have successfully performed their entrancing mating displays and peented their annual PEENT’s and as a…
Please help us welcome Sydney Jackson, who was selected to be our five week research student as part of our partner organization Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation’s (@smconservation) Endangered Species Conservation program Sydney discovered her love for the environment in high school after taking AP Environmental Science and after graduating from George Mason University this summer,…
The Preserve is thrilled to welcome our new Preserve Assistant, Deneith Reif! Hailing from sunny Florida originally, Deneith comes to us via the National Park Service where she worked as both a biological technician and trail maintainer. She also spent time in the AmeriCorps program where she learned valuable techniques in ecological restoration. In addition…
As preserve specialist here at Bull Run Mountain Natural Area Preserve, people often ask me what my favorite aspect of the job is. My answer is always the same—the variety! I get to wear so many different wonderful hats depending on the needs of the preserve and the visiting fellows…
Yesterday I was made aware of a 10 year old boy with autism who ventured away from his uncle’s home that borders the preserve’s Jackson Hollow section.The kid left home early afternoon with the family dog, a large mastiff, and ultimately got lost. The neighborhood, Prince William County Police Department, and VOF Preserve staff & associates…