Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy

01/01/2026

𝗪𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝘂𝗽 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗩𝗶𝗿𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗮?

𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝗮 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘁.

If you missed our virtual program 𝗘𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗰𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗩𝗶𝗿𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗮 with Delegate Kathy Tran, you can now watch the full recording.

We partnered with Northern Virginia Bird Alliance for this session, where Delegate Tran shared clear, step-by-step strategies for:

✔️ Contacting elected officials

✔️ Speaking effectively at public meetings

✔️ Advocating for conservation and environmental issues in Virginia

🎥 Watch the recording here:

https://vimeo.com/1147428049?&signup=true

Your voice matters more than you realize. We hope this webinar helps you feel informed, confident, and ready to head into 2026 advocating for wildlife, healthy habitats, and strong environmental protections within your community.

Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy

This is "Effective Advocacy in Virginia with Delegate Kathy Tran" by Northern Virginia Bird Alliance on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the…

01/01/2026

News and Nature Programs: January 2026 -

The foundation for New Year’s resolutions is often regret for goals that went unachieved in the past year, but Loudoun Wildlife’s resolution for 2026 is built on the immense sense of passion and purpose we feel after a “wildly” impactful 2025.

12/29/2025

The voices in this video say it best. 💚

From protecting local wildlife to inspiring the next generation of nature stewards, Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy 𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝘆 𝘄𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗲.

As one of our volunteers in the video says, "𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘧𝘧 𝘸𝘦 𝘥𝘰, 𝘸𝘦'𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘱 𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘵."

As we head into the final days of the year, we invite you to help us continue our 30-year-old story as we welcome 2026 with a renewed sense of purpose and passion.

𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗴𝗶𝗳𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗗𝗲𝗰. 𝟯𝟭𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲 𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗖𝗛𝗘𝗗 𝗱𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗿, doubling your impact for wildlife, habitat, and environmental education right here in Loudoun County.

If these voices inspire you, take the next step and help carry this work forward.

➡️Make your double-impact gift today: https://loudounwildlife.org/join-renew/

Thank you ALL for the incredible impact we made in 2025. Together, we'll do even more in 2026. Loudoun Wildlife's next 30 years start RIGHT NOW!

12/28/2025

🐦Reminder - Monday, December 29th is the Christmas Bird Count!

Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy

🎄🐦 Central Loudoun 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗺𝗮𝘀 𝗕𝗶𝗿𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁 🐦🎄

Join Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy on Monday, December 29th as we take part in the National Audubon Society’s annual 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗺𝗮𝘀 𝗕𝗶𝗿𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁. This long-running community science project began in 1899 and continues to help track winter bird populations across North America.

Our count circle spans 177 square miles of beautiful Loudoun countryside, from Waterford to Aldie and Ashburn to Purcellville. New birders are teamed with experienced leaders, and every observation adds valuable information to this important effort.

The 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗺𝗮𝘀 𝗕𝗶𝗿𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁 is a great reason to get outside, enjoy winter wildlife and help us finish 2025 on a high note. You can participate for a couple of hours or spend the entire day in the field.

📅 Registration required by December 26th

🔗 Sign up: https://bit.ly/48zzyqE

📩 [email protected] or [email protected]

12/26/2025

💚𝗔 𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗹𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝗺𝗮𝘇𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗿𝘀...

If you have any volunteer hours from this year that haven’t been logged yet, please help us count your impact.

Every hour you contribute supports wildlife, habitat, and conservation education in Loudoun. Logging your time allows us to recognize your contributions, tell the story of what we’ve accomplished together, and strengthen future programs, including unlocking access to vital grant funding.

Thank you for all you do to protect and care for the natural spaces we share.

📝Log your hours here: https://bit.ly/3L80x3r



Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy

12/24/2025

❄️Wishing you peace and warmth this holiday season from all of us at Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy. Thank you for supporting wildlife, habitat, and the natural spaces we cherish, today and always.

📸Photo credit: Jim Clark

Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy

12/23/2025

𝗟𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁-𝗺𝗶𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗴𝗶𝗳𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗳𝘂𝗹, 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗾𝘂𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗮 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲?

𝗚𝗶𝘃𝗲 the gift of Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 to 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹. Membership supports local conservation efforts and comes with some great perks, including:

• Special members-only events, including our Annual Meeting celebration each June

• Discounts at local businesses that share and support our mission

• Eligibility to join Northwest Federal Credit Union

• The option to receive our quarterly Habitat Herald publication delivered straight to your physical mailbox.

• The sense of connection that comes from standing alongside more than 1,200 passionate Loudoun County residents united for nature

This year, our 𝟯𝟬𝟬 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝟯𝟬 campaign aims to welcome 300 new or renewed members by December 31st in honor of our 30th anniversary.

🎁𝗚𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗶𝗳𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗼𝗿 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗮𝘁: https://loudounwildlife.org/join-renew/

Because of our members, we accomplished some amazing things this year!!!

Help us make an even bigger impact for our natural world in 2026! 🎉

📸 Photo Credit: Gerco Hoogeweg

12/22/2025

🔎𝗟𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝘂𝗹𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗪𝗲𝘁𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀

This striking Wilson’s Snipe was photographed by Mike Friedman. With their remarkable camouflage and long bills, Wilson’s Snipes can be easy to miss—making sightings like this especially rewarding. These elusive birds were among the highlights on a recent walk at Dulles Wetlands, where birders also found Hermit Thrushes and Swamp Sparrows earlier this month.
➡️ 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝘀𝗼𝗻’𝘀 𝗦𝗻𝗶𝗽𝗲 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴:
https://loudounwildlife.org/2025/12/wilsons-snipes-dulles-wetlands/
➡️ Be sure to register early for our 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗯𝗶𝗿𝗱 𝘄𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝗮𝘁 𝗗𝘂𝗹𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗪𝗲𝘁𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗝𝗮𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝟭𝟭. It’s a great chance to explore this special habitat and see what species are moving through this winter. Only a couple spots left:
https://loudounwildlife.org/event/birding-dulles-wetlands-january/
📸Photo Credit: Mike Friedman
Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy eBird

12/21/2025

“𝘐 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘮𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘴.” — Anne Frank

As we celebrate this season of reflection and generosity, we’re also mindful of the challenges facing the natural world right here in Loudoun. The very force that brings us peace and grounding needs our care and protection—now more than ever.

Thankfully, our growing Loudoun Wildlife family of volunteers, donors, partners, and supporters is rising to that challenge like the force of nature we are. From connecting children to outdoor learning to safeguarding the health of our streams, protecting bluebirds, restoring native habitats we cherish, and so much more—we are making a real difference together.

➡️To see just a few inspiring examples of what our supporters made possible in 2025, visit https://bit.ly/LWC-match25. You’ll also find links to make a year-end gift that—no matter the size—will help power even more impact in 2026.

And here’s some especially exciting news: thanks to a group of generous donors who believe deeply in our mission, all gifts will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to $20,000 through December 31.

One of our volunteers sums it up beautifully in the video:

“𝘠𝘦𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘧𝘧.”

💚Thank you for being part of the good—standing with us for the natural world we love.

𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗼𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗲-𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿-𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗶𝗳𝘁 𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝘁𝘁𝗽𝘀://𝗯𝗶𝘁.𝗹𝘆/𝗟𝗪𝗖-𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵𝟮𝟱

Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy

12/19/2025

On a recent Sunday morning, 5 dedicated Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝘄 volunteers gathered for chemical monitoring training with Sophie Stern, Water Quality Monitoring Projects Manager with our partner at Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay's 𝗥𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗧𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺.

Sophie made the trip up from Richmond to lead the training, and we're incredibly grateful for her expertise and commitment to supporting our local monitoring efforts.

These volunteers are committing to assist with monthly chemical monitoring at 6 sites around Leesburg, collecting high-quality water data that's made available to the public through the 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗮𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗼𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲'𝘀 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗿: https://cmc.vims.edu/data-explorer?variant=cmc and shared with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality. During the training, they practiced the rigorous quality assurance and quality control procedures that help ensure the data meets professional standards.

💚We're so thankful for volunteers who dedicate their weekend time to get trained, certified, and show up month after month to help us better understand the health of our local waterways.

And a big thank-you to our partner at 𝗥𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗧𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀 and Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay for making this important work possible.

𝗪𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲? 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘁: https://bit.ly/4apUTUM to find out how you can get involved.

12/18/2025

🎉 𝗖𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝗺𝘆 𝗨𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱!

Join us in congratulating Amy Ulland, our Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy Board President and Stream Monitoring Program Coordinator, on completing Wild Virginia’s Clean Water Advocates program!

After 8 weeks of training and a graduation ceremony in Charlottesville this November, Amy is equipped with enhanced tools to protect Virginia's water quality-from understanding regulatory processes to writing effective public comments and engaging with decision-makers.

💚A big THANK YOU to Wild Virginia for offering such an impressive 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘 program. The engaging curriculum, knowledgeable guest speakers, and thoughtful focus on environmental justice brought together a wonderful community of people who care deeply about clean water.

Amy is excited to put what she learned into action. She plans to keep growing her advocacy work by using data from our stream monitoring program to inform regulatory decisions and empower our community to protect the waterways we all depend on. Here’s to turning good data into meaningful change for clean water!