Owl Moon Under the Stars!

  

 

7 PM on September 17 

(Rain Date October 1)

Bring a blanket or a chair and join us on the lawn by the Visitor Center. As the evening skies grow dim, you’ll be treated to an unforgettable presentation. The wildlife rehabilitators and educators from Secret Garden Birds and Bees will present Raptors in Fall and Winter, complete with at least five species of live hawks and owls.

Here’s your chance to come face to face with these magnificent raptors. Who wouldn’t want a selfie with a red-shouldered hawk, a kestrel or a barred owl?  You’re sure to enjoy this interesting and educational program.     

       

Everyone’s invited!  Owl Moon is open to the public and is great for all ages.

$10 – INDIVIDUALS     $20 – FAMILY     $30 – SCOUT TROOPS

You can register online here or pay when you arrive at the event.

Entrance to the park is free (no parking fee) after 6:30 pm. 

 

Enter the Friends of Mason Neck State Park

"Picture the Magic" Photo Contest

Photo by Randy Streufert

Anyone who visits Mason Neck State Park knows that it is a wonderful place with serene woods, scenic shorelines, quiet canoeing and kayak opportunities, interesting wildlife, and a dedicated Park staff.  You have an opportunity to capture your magic moments at the park and enter them into the Friends of Mason Neck State Park's "Picture the Magic" photo contest. The contest runs from August 1 until September 30, 2022, and photos taken any time in 2022 are eligible.  We'll award one $300 Grand Prize, one $200 First Prize to a photographer 18 or older, and one $200 First Prize to a photographer who is under 18.  Anyone who enters might find their photo featured in our newsletter, on our website or on the Park's viewing screen at the Visitor Center. You can learn more about the contest, including how to enter, here.

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Join the Fight Against Disposable Plastic

The Friends of Mason Neck State Park are doing their part to slow the production and disposal of plastics.  Plastic bottles take as long as 450 years to decompose in the environment.  Before they do, they break down into "micro-plastic" bits that are eaten by animals and can end up in our own bodies.  On land, plastic adversely affects soil fertility, and can choke our streams and rivers.

The Friends of Mason Neck State Park have stopped offering disposable water bottles to Park volunteers and at Friends events.  Instead, they are offering free multi-use bottles that recipients can take home with them.  Hopefully, people will use these bottles instead of buying more disposable ones.  

Mason Neck State Park also is committed to reducing the use of disposable plastic bottles and has installed water bottle filling stations at the Visitor Center and the picnic area.           

Do your part too:  find ways to limit your use of disposable plastics, including those grocery store bags that have a typical useful life of 15 minutes -- the time to get from store to home -- and take 1000 years to decompose in a landfill.