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Educating All Ages about Our Biodiversity
The Clifton Institute: Educating All Ages about Our Biodiversity
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By Eleanor Harris, PhD, Managing Director - Just north of Warrenton sits the Clifton Institute, an environmental non-profit located on 900 acres of forests and fields. When you turn in at the driveway, you’ll want to go slowly because you never know what you’ll see along the way. If you’re lucky, you’ll spy an American Kestrel, the smallest bird of prey in North America and subject of the Clifton Institute’s latest research project. Listen, and you’ll hear the Red-Tailed Hawks soaring above and calling out with their signature whistles and squeals. You’ll pass a sign urging caution as you drive over a rat snake hibernaculum! Soon, you’ll see the lower pond edged with milkweed that attracts busy pollinators. During migration season, you’ll see Buffleheads and Wood Ducks bobbing out on the water. The industrious beavers keep the waters active, too. No matter what season, there’s something to see and do at Clifton.
Leading the operations of this gem in Fauquier County are co-directors Bert, and Eleanor Harris. Both have their doctorates in biology, and both are passionate about conserving Virginia’s biodiversity and educating people about the amazing plants and animals that live here. Every month you’ll find education programs for different ages and on different topics, from bird walks to a workshop on mathematical patterns in nature and even a book club. Every Saturday from January to October, the trails are open to Friends of the Clifton Institute (people who donate at least $40 per year to the organization).
This summer, the Clifton Institute offered an array of camps for all ages: Piedmont Polliwogs for preschool children, Young Explorers for 7-12-year-olds, and Young Scientists for 13-18-yearolds. Coming up in August, there will even be a new Nature Camp for Grownups! Every session is designed to give the campers a better understanding of our natural surroundings and the confidence to continue spending time outdoors. In the fall, children can attend biweekly Nature School classes, hike with their families during monthly Family Nature Walks, become a member of Nature Club, or come on a class trip with their schools. Adults can look forward to attending talks, walks, and workshops about wildflowers, pawpaws, raptors, nature journaling, and more.
While the education programs may be the most public-facing aspect of Clifton, its research and conservation programs are of equal importance. For over twenty years, volunteer community scientists have been helping to conduct annual butterfly and bird counts. In 2021 the Clifton Institute organized an inaugural dragonfly count, and participants documented over 50 species, many of them found in the Brookside wetlands! Anyone can contribute to the Institute’s iNaturalist project, an online database of every plant and animal found on the property so far. Nearly 2,000 species have been identified!
This year, the Institute joined with the Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation to study the nesting habitat requirements of American Kestrels. The species is declining across the country, and little is known about how to manage fields to make them hospitable for nesting kestrels. In the spring, the team attached GPS transmitters to 19 female kestrels so that they could see what kinds of fields they were foraging in. One adventurous female flew more than 11 miles from her nest to bring back food for her chicks! The results of this project will inform how the Clifton Institute manages its 100-acre native grassland and will be shared with other landowners as well.
Managing Director Eleanor Harris teaches a student how to identify tracks. Photo credit Alex Shipherd: An American Kestrel catching a mouse at the Clifton Institute Children on a family nature walk visit a beaver lodge.
Executive Director Bert Harris helps a student at the Young Scientists Research Experience survey fish in the pond.
Along with grasslands, shrublands are an important habitat for many declining species of birds, including American Woodcock, Yellow-breasted Chat, Prairie Warbler, and Field Sparrow. This habitat is disappearing due to development, invasion of non-native plants (like Autumn Olive), fire suppression, and shrublands turning into forests if left unmanaged. Clifton Institute staff and volunteers work hard every winter to remove invasive species, cut back overgrown vegetation, and conduct prescribed burns. The hard work is paying off: the Clifton Institute is home to unusually large populations of American Woodcock and Yellow-breasted Chats, as well rare plants like Green Milkweed and Rose-pink.
Visitors to the Clifton Institute watch American Woodcock display at dusk.
Become a Friend, attend a program or volunteer with the Clifton Institute. The knowledge and enthusiasm of the staff is contagious, and you’re sure to learn something new! For more information, including upcoming events, please visit cliftoninstitute.org and follow the Clifton Institute on Facebook and Instagram @clifton.institute.
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Child Tax Credit Changes expert ContriButor
By Douglas M. Marshall, III CPA, Managing Principal, Marshall Consulting Group LLC
The American Rescue Plan Act enacted in March 2021 made important changes to the child tax credit. s Amount has increased for certain taxpayers s Is fully refundable s May be partially received in monthly payments s The age of qualifying children to 17 from 16
IRS will pay half the credit in the form of advance monthly payments beginning July 15. Taxpayers will then claim the other half when they file their 2021 income tax return.
While these tax changes are temporary and only apply to the 2021 tax year, they may present important cash flow and financial planning opportunities today. The monthly advance of the credit is a significant change, and choosing to have the child tax credit advanced will affect your refund or amount due when you file your return.
The child tax credit and advance payments are based on several factors, including the age of your children and your income.
s The credit for children ages five and younger is up to $3,600 –– with up to $300 received in monthly payments. s The credit for children ages six to 17 is up to $3,000 –– with up to $250 received in monthly payments.
To qualify for the child tax credit monthly payments, you must have:
s Filed a 2019 or 2020 tax return and claimed the child tax credit or given the IRS your information using the non-filer tool s A main home in the U.S. for more than half the year or file a joint return with a spouse who has a main home in the
U.S. for more than half the year s A qualifying child who is under age 18 at the end of 2021 and who has a valid Social Security number s Income less than certain limits
For full advantage of the credit, modified adjusted gross income must be less than $75,000 for single filers, $150,000 for married filing jointly filers, and $112,500 for head of household filers. The credit begins to phase out above those thresholds.
Higher-income families (married, filing jointly with $400,000 or less in income, or filers with $200,000 or less in income) will generally get the same credit as prior law (generally $2,000 per qualifying child) but may also choose to receive monthly payments.
Taxpayers generally won’t need to do anything to receive any advance payments; the IRS will use information it has on file to start issuing payments.
Parents may use the IRS’s online portal to update any new information that might impact their child tax credit amount, such as filing status or number of children, or to elect out of the advance payments or check on the status of payments.
It’s important to revisit your full financial roadmap to determine how much credit you may be entitled to and whether advance payments are appropriate. How you choose to receive the credit (partially advanced via monthly payments or solely on your next year’s return) could have many impacts on your financial plans. A Circle of People You Can TRUST Tax Planning & Prep • Financial
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