The program was singled out for outstanding conservation impact among the 80 similar programs that comprise an international conservation network across the United States, Canada and Latin America. In addition, the program’s 25-year director, Tom Smith, was presented with NatureServe’s first-ever Lifetime Achievement Award.

Lockheed Martin-Manassas has joined Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay as a Businesses for the Bay Founding Gold Member. The organization is a partnership of large and small businesses in the Chesapeake Bay watershed undertaking voluntary actions to improve the health of the bay and its watershed, rivers and streams.

On the afternoon of Jan. 3, Karen Shumake, a senior park ranger with the Prince William County Department of Parks and Recreation Department, heard police dispatch go out about an injured hawk located at the intersection of U.S. 29 and University Blvd. Immediately, Shumake realized that she didn't have a safe way to safely capture the hawk that could do real damage with its beak and talons. Fortunately, she got some help from a passing motorist and Steven Neff, a county animal control officer.

Effective on January 1, 2016, the National Park Service will no longer be charging an entrance fee for visiting Manassas National Battlefield Park.

A free Wildlife Habitat workshop will be held on Friday, May 1, 3-7 p.m., at Windy Knoll Farm, 11602 Kettle Run Road, Nokesville, VA. Want to increase species richness of your property? A wealth of wildlife love quail habitats! Come learn how to make it happen at this free workshop.

Gardeners considering adding English ivy, golden bamboo or Japanese barberry to their yards in Virginia may want to reconsider. These plants — and 87 others — are on the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation’s (DCR) new list of non-native invasive plants of the state, according to a news release.

Woodbridge’s new Gander Mountain, outdoor specialty store, will feature celebrities, special demos and giveaways with events and activities all day Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 5, 6 and 7, to celebrate the store's opening its newest Virginia location.

“While a new law allowing hunting in Virginia on Sundays went into effect July 1st, that law applies only to private lands,” said Gary Heiser, manager of Virginia’s 24 State Forests. “Hunting on Sunday is still prohibited on public lands, including the State Forests.”