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Starting your own non-profit in Virginia

  Steps to create a non-profit organization in Virginia: A general guide  Selecting a name The name should not contain phrases or words that imply that your organization was formed for any other purposes other than what they’ve been authorized to conduct The Virginia nonprofit name should not contain the word “redevelopment.” The only exception is if it complies with Chapter 190 of the 1946 Acts of Assembly The name should not include an organizational designation like Ltd, Inc, Company, or Incorporated Nominate a Virginia Registered Agent All businesses in Virginia, be it for-profit or nonprofit organizations, are required to have a registered agent. A registered agent is often referred to as a service of process or statutory agent. Their primary role is to accept legal papers on the nonprofit’s behalf in the event that it is sued. Therefore, registered agents are responsible for receiving official mail and service of process documents on behalf of the nonprofit organization. Recruit
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Local Non-Profit Highlight: Alliance for the Shenandoah Valley

 
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The Groundhog

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Below is an in depth look into the classification of the Groundhog.  Kingdom: Animalia - multicellular, eukaryotic organisms that consume organic material, breathe oxygen, and are able to move. Phylum: Chordata - animals that have a notochord, dorsal hollow nerve cord, endostyle or thyroid, pharyngeal slits, and a post-anal tail. Class: Mammalia -Chordates that have mammary glands that produce milk for feeding young, a neocortex of the brain, fur or hair, and three middle ear bones. Order: Rodentia - characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. Family: Sciuridae - includes small or medium-size rodents Genus: Marmota - These herbivores are active during the summer, when they can often be found in groups, but are not seen during the winter, when they hibernate underground. Scientific Name: Marmota monax Common Name: Groundhog  Pictures from The New York Times and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel 
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Significant Trees of Rockingham County, Virginia

 Highlighted in the slides below are some significant trees in my study area that I encounter on a daily basis working for the Natural Resource Conservation Service. 
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App Review: Seek by iNaturalist

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Seek by iNaturalist is an app I regularly use while on the job as a technician for the Natural Resource Conservation Service. Being able to identify the numerous species of forage grasses takes time to learn and this app has made me better at identification. Being able to quickly pull out my phone and take a photo of the seed head of a grass and get a fairly accurate identification has come in handy more times than I would like to admit. While the identification provided by the app is broad, it still gives me enough information to make forage recommendations for overseeding and even establishing more diversity in species.   Occasionally if the picture taken is not crystal clear, the identification can be broad to the point where it is not helpful at all. Below is an example of a out of focus picture of Brome Grass that Seek identified as "grasses". 
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Invasive Species in Rockingham County: The Tree of Heaven

 When thinking about relevant invasive species in Rockingham, the first that came to my mind was the Tree of Heaven. This tree is a regular issue on many properties throughout the county and through my work with NRCS, we have planned herbicide then mechanical removal of this species. Providing in the slides below is an overview, tips if identification, and tips for removal. 
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USDA Web Soil Survey

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 For the purposes of this post, instead of focusing in on the entirety of Rockingham County, I picked a focus area in the Smith Creek Watershed near Keezeltown. I did this for two reasons; the Area of Interest must be under 100,000 acres and Smith Creek is classified as an impaired watershed in Virginia so providing insight into this area and its issues could help foster remediation not just in water quality but in biodiversity.  Since I current work for NRCS, this post will be from the perspective of a professional and I will highlight two soil types and how biodiversity can have a positive impact on the area.  The first thing I looked into is what soils is majority of the AOI mapped as? The first and largest majority of the AOI is mapped as Frederick and Lodi silt loams, 7 to 15 percent slopes, eroded at 17.8% of the total AOI. These soils are generally well drained but do hold the potential for low to high run-off and erosion. They are suitable for Corn and cereal grain production.
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