News & Updates
Check back here regularly to read the latest VWL news updates and to read our past newsletters.
About our Newsletter | This Month in Conservation Science is a VWL newsletter designed to inform the public of the latest advances in land conservation science from researchers around the world. We will send these newsletters every 2nd Monday of each month. If you would like to receive these newsletters, sign up for our mailing list at the link below.
- This Month in Conservation Science: April 2026March was filled with site visits, events, and early signs of spring! This is just a sample of our monthly newsletter, read the full one here and stay up to date on events, programming, and more by subscribing! Following Flight Paths: Tracking Grassland Birds A story recently published on the National Zoo’s website featured VWL research. Click here to step into the field with […]
- This Month in Conservation Science: March 2026
In February, our team prepped for spring and participated in outreach events! This is just a sample of our monthly newsletter, read the full one here and stay up to date on events, programming, and more by subscribing! Two New VWL Positions Two VWL team members were promoted this month! Erin Shibley now serves as Program Manager and Lead of Biodiversity Monitoring, guiding […] - This Month in Conservation Science: February 2026
January was full of planning for the year ahead and taking time to enjoy the winter landscape. This is just a sample of our monthly newsletter, read the full one here and stay up to date on events, programming, and more by subscribing! We are excited to share The Farm Beneath Our Feet, a film series exploring the science that happens across working […] - This Month in Conservation Science: January 2026
In December, our team gathered for winter hike and holiday lunch to celebrate a year full of accomplishments and to gear up for the year ahead! This is just a sample of our monthly newsletter, read the full one here and stay up to date on events, programming, and more by subscribing! VWL Updates We are thrilled to share that VWL Survey […] - This Month in Conservation Science | December 2025
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Read the newsletter! - Field Trip, Rewilded: A Day of Discovery on a Regenerative Farm
An average high school field trip usually involves a visit to a museum or historic location; it doesn’t typically involve regenerative farming, bird banding, and tree plantings. But that is just what 40 students from the International High School at Largo, Prince George’s County Public School, MD. experienced on Tuesday, June 10th. The field trip was co-hosted by Eldon Farms, […] - This Month in Conservation Science | June 2025
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Read the newsletter! - 2025 Virginia Working Landscapes Annual Meeting
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Read the newsletter! - 2024 Reflections
As 2024 draws to a close, we’re filled with gratitude for a truly remarkable year. At Virginia Working Landscapes, our team has been reflecting on the milestones we’ve achieved together—thanks to the incredible support of our partners, community members, and donors like you. This video captures some of the highlights that made this year so impactful. We hope it brings […] - This Month in Conservation Science | December 2024
Read the newsletter! - Community: the fuel to ignite conservation action
A StoryMap by Janna Knight. Read below or here! - This Month in Conservation Science | November 2024
Read the newsletter! - Emerging Scientist Lecture | Grassland Bird Conservation: Applying Research to Develop Practical Solutions
Virginia Working Landscapes’ Graduate Research Fellow Bernadette Rigley shared preliminary findings from her research on the behavioral ecology and conservation of grassland birds. Bernadette, a PhD candidate at George Mason University and VWL Graduate Research Fellow, is studying the seasonal behaviors of grassland birds—including how they live, breed, and migrate—and how these behaviors are shaped by land management practices. Her research […] - This Month in Conservation Science | October 2024
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- Emerging Scientist Lecture: Recognizing and Restoring Virginia’s Northern Piedmont GrasslandsJoin Virginia Working Landscapes’ Graduate Research Fellow Jordan Coscia as she reveals preliminary findings from her research on recognizing and restoring Virginia’s Northern Piedmont Grasslands. Jordan, a PhD student at Virginia Tech and VWL Graduate Research Fellow, is conducting research on the impacts of grassland establishment and management on native plant communities. In addition, Jordan is building collaborations with partners […]
- This Month in Conservation Science | April 2024Read the newsletter!
- This Month in Conservation Science | March 2024Read the newsletter
- A New Event to Facilitate Conservation Stewardship At Virginia Working Landscapes (VWL), we strongly believe that a tenet of conservation is sharing information and offering opportunities to facilitate connections. Our team is consistently looking for new and improved ways to offer those opportunities to our community. As such, we launched the Virginia Grassland Bird Initiative (VGBI) in collaboration with The Piedmont Environmental Council in 2021 to combine expertise, […]
- This Month in Conservation Science | February 2024Read the newsletter
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- This Month in Conservation Science | December 2023Read the Newsletter
- This Month in Conservation Science | November 2023Read the Newsletter
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- This Month in Conservation Science | August 2023Read the Newsletter.
- 2023 Earth Optimism Webinar | “Virginia Working Landscapes: Connecting with Communities to Inform Research and Conservation” by Dr. Amy JohnsonIn this webinar presented by the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, VWL’s Program Director Dr. Amy Johnson provides an overview of VWL research projects with case studies demonstrating how our program is working with community partners to co-develop programs that bridge the gap between science and conservation implementation. Dr. Johnson also highlights breakthrough findings from a social science study conducted by […]
- This Month in Conservation Science | July 2023Read the Newsletter.
- VWL Article Release: When A Farm Becomes a Classroom…”When a Farm Becomes a Classroom: Cultivating Conservation Leaders at the Eldon Farms Field Day By Caitlyn Dittmeier, Communications and Development Assistant, Smithsonian’s Virginia Working Landscapes At Smithsonian’s Virginia Working Landscapes (VWL), we know that engaging communities in conservation is key to improving the health and resiliency of our local landscapes. More specifically, finding new ways to involve youth in […]
- This Month in Conservation Science | June 2023Read the Newsletter.
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- This Month in Conservation Science | December 2022Read the Newsletter
- This Month in Conservation Science | November 2022Read the Newsletter
- 2022 TEDx Talk | “A Wilder Way: How Plants Can Guide Our Future” by Charlotte LorickWatch Conservationist and Naturalist Charlotte Lorick’s TEDx talk about how paying closer attention to plants in our local environment can lead to profound ecological benefits. Are we plant blind? Do we notice what’s growing in our backyards, along the roads, in our local parks? Plants are critical to the functioning of ecosystems and life on Earth and yet most of […]
- This Month in Conservation Science | October 2022Read the Newsletter
- This Month in Conservation Science | September 2022Read the Newsletter
- The Piedmont Grassland Bird Initiative Undergoes an Exciting Name ChangeCaption: From left to right: Celia Vuocolo, Private Lands Biologist (Quail Forever), October Greenfield, VGBI Co-Coordinator (The Piedmont Environmental Council), Jacob Gilley, Mid-Atlantic Sustainable Grazing Manager (American Farmland Trust), Amy Johnson, Program Director (Smithsonian’s Virginia Working Landscapes), and Justin Proctor, VGBI Coordinator (Smithsonian’s Virginia Working Landscapes). Photo by Hugh Kenny/PEC. We’ve renamed the Piedmont Grassland Bird Initiative! Now officially the […]
- This Month in Conservation Science | August 2022Read the Newsletter
- Join our Team! | Communications and Development AssistantWe’re excited to announce that we are now accepting applications for a Communications and Development Assistant until August 15, 2022. Please see below for more details, and feel free to pass this announcement on to anyone who might be interested in applying. Communications and Development Assistant Location: Front Royal, VA Closing: August 15, 2022 Virginia Working Landscapes (VWL), a program of […]
- This Month in Conservation Science | July 2022Read the Newsletter
- Join our Team! | Smithsonian Environmental Justice Postdoctoral FellowWe’re excited to announce that we are now accepting applications for a Smithsonian Environmental Justice Postdoctoral Fellow, starting on or before March 1, 2023. Please see below for more details, and feel free to pass this announcement on to anyone who might be interested in applying. Smithsonian Fellowships Focus on Climate Change and Environmental Justice Our planet faces unprecedented and […]
- This Month in Conservation Science | June 2022Read the Newsletter
- 2022 Webinar | The Human Dimensions of ConservationThank you for joining us on May 25th for our 2022 Emerging Scientist Lecture: “The Human Dimensions of Conservation: How Private Lands Conservation Research Impacts Behavior.” This webinar featured Rachael Green, Smithsonian Research Fellow and Graduate Research Assistant at the Dayer Human Dimensions Lab at Virginia Tech, as she shared new research exploring the human dimensions of private lands conservation. […]
- This Month in Conservation Science | May 2022Read the Newsletter
- 2022 Webinar | Conserving Endangered Plants with Scientific CollectionsThank you for joining us on April 28, 2022 for the webinar: “Conserving Endangered Plants with Scientific Collections” with guest speaker Gary Krupnick, Ph.D., Head of the Plant Conservation Unit in Dept. of Botany at Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History. Museum scientific collections are remarkable and irreplaceable sources of information about biodiversity and the history of life on Earth, […]
- This Month in Conservation Science | April 2022Read the Newsletter
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VWL is supported 100% by grants and donations and our work is made possible by the generous contributions from our community.
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Virginia Working Landscapes
Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute
1500 Remount Road, MRC 5537
Front Royal, Virginia 22630
SCBIVWL@si.edu
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