On June 18, 2022, the Friends of Dyke Marsh again participated in the annual Gum Springs Community Day and celebrated Juneteenth with our friends.
Many people have been captivated by owls in Dyke Marsh this spring. Several people have confirmed a barred owl (Strix varia) pair raising two young and a great horned owl pair (Bubo virginianus) with one young. It’s parenting at its best.
In late May, several people observed a wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) on and near the Haul Road trail. Our FODM breeding bird survey leader Larry Cartwright reported on May 29, 2022, “A hen wild turkey strolled down the path near the Haul Road entrance. The turkey was icing on the cake.”
The next day, FODMer Ed Eder snapped a photo and speculated, “The well-fed turkey is probably consuming a lot of insects in the native planting area.” On May 30, 2022, Leila Saldanha took several photos of “our” turkey.
On May 24, 2022, partnering with National Park Service Ranger Douglas Breton, the Friends of Dyke Marsh welcomed 60 curious, second-grade students and their teachers from Alexandria’s St. Stephens and St. Agnes School to Dyke Marsh.
From plastic bottles to plastic straws, fishing lines, clothing, carpets and diapers, plastic in the environment is ubiquitous. Sarah Kollar from Ocean Conservancy and Kurt Moser from the Four Mile Run Conservatory Foundation discussed both the challenges of and solutions to plastic pollution in presentations at a May 19, 2022, FODM meeting.
