--By Rick Brown, VMN-Historic Rivers Chapter

The Bassett Trace Nature Trail is a 1.4-mile out-and-back trail found within the 585 acre Bassett Woodlands at Colonial Williamsburg. The trailhead is located at the Griffin Hotel Gold Wing parking lot continuing to the Green Course Golf Clubhouse. The Historic Rivers Chapter first formed a continuing partnership with the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation in 2018 that resulted in the reopening of the trail with added improvements that created a natural outdoor learning venue in a woodland setting in the historic colonial capital of the Commonwealth. 

This project offers a unique variety of volunteer opportunities for our members by providing the means to fulfill all of the three core missions of the Virginia Master Naturalist program: 

• Citizen Science – Volunteers identify and photograph fauna, and tag flora species found within the boundaries of the tract. The data is recorded on a public webpage that they created. 
• Education & Outreach – Trail Guides, trained by Colonial Williamsburg, lead guided tours for the public three times per week between March and December each year. In addition, special tours are provided upon request for school groups, and a variety of interested organizations. 
• Stewardship – Our members also serve as Trail Stewards performing assigned trail maintenance and weekly walks twelve months of the year. They correct or report any issues that need to be addressed to keep the trail open, clear of trash and obstacles, and safe for the enjoyment of our visitors.

Our members who participate in this project also become Colonial Williamsburg Volunteers. 

Hundreds of visitors to Colonial Williamsburg have discovered, enjoy, and return to this naturally preserved habitat thanks to the good works of the Virginia Master Naturalist volunteers in the Historic Rivers Chapter. 

A new feature that has recently been added to the Nature Trail project involves the cooperation of numerous volunteers of our Chapter over the past 6 years. We now have an active Friends’ group webpage that is a chronicle of the natural world that can be found on a visit to this trail. This all began when our volunteer Trail Stewards began sharing photos of things they found along the trail. We know that all Master Naturalists have a pathological compulsion to take pictures and document what they see, and so naturally, these 800+ pictures found their way into collections that kept growing over the years. 

Originally the Colonial Williamsburg Arboretum, of which the Bassett Trace is a part, created a webpage on a site hosted by PlantsMap, a cloud-based data storage website. That site linked to the CW webpage and had active links to QR codes on the tree tags we placed all along the trail.  That worked pretty well so we also began adding our nature photos to that webpage. However, in June 2022, PlantsMap crashed and for a time we had no access to our photos or data. Subsequently, the data and domain name were assumed by Plantsoon, another cloud-based web service located in Belgium. We quickly began working with them to recover and migrate our data from their site to a new webpage we created dedicated solely to Bassett Trace and our project. The result is that we now have recovered all of our original information, and we are adding even more features to make this a virtual educational tool for the public.

The new Plantsoon site is constantly being updated to meet the needs of users like us. New features are being explored to expand our virtual footprint. One of our volunteers, Leisa Clark, has single-handedly taken upon herself the task of identifying and documenting the native plants that flourish along the trail. If you hike along the trail you will see her handiwork in small ground-level cards that identify the plants by common and Latin name. These signs appear, move, and disappear just as the plants do. And she is constantly expanding her inventory. A new feature this year is the addition of QR codes on each sign that link back to the Friends’ webpage thereby providing hikers with additional information to educational resource websites, such as the Digital Atlas of the Virginia Flora, Virginia Tech Dendrology, and other botanical educational sites. This provides learning opportunities at all levels for interested users.

​We also have over 200+ photos of birds, insects, mosses, fungi, ferns, mammals, and random trail scenes that we are working with the Plantsoon developers to add to the webpage to expand the Bassett Trace inventory even further. Storing our data in this way allows us to have a dynamic teaching tool that can be used by our members, casual visitors, and those whom we encounter on the weekly nature walks led by our Trail Guides. It provides a valuable resource of the natural inventory of living things that can be found on Bassett Trace. 

Here is a link to explore our site on Plantsoon.

You will find descriptive links to the history of Bassett Hall and the surrounding woodlands, maps, videos, our collections, and of course lots of photos. The pictures you see on our webpage have been contributed over the years by our volunteers: Seig Kopinitz, Nancy Barnhart, Claire White, Judy Jones, Leisa Clark, Jim Webb, Jim Easton, Glenda White, Cheryl Roettger, Shirley Devan, and many others, to all of whom we are eternally grateful. This is a true collaborative volunteer effort. 
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It is entirely possible that our webpage may also have application to other Chapters’ projects, such as wildlife mapping, trail developments, parks, bird walks, etc. The Plantsoon website is now being used locally by the Williamsburg Landing Arboretum, and the Williamsburg Botanical Garden at Freedom Park to store and display their own collections. I would be glad to tell you how we are able to make it work for us. 
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Come for a visit. We now have over 30 regular volunteers who monitor and maintain the trail with scheduled weekly walks. There are 9 Trail Guides who began leading 3 free public tours per week beginning on March 4th, and continuing every Tuesday, at 9:30 AM, with 2 additional tours weekly at 9:30 & 10:30 AM, every Saturday. This fall Nancy Barnhart, one of our expert birders, will lead monthly bird walks for interested guests. Our project is a busy place and a great  opportunity for Outreach. 

​By Linda Hughes, VMN-Historic Rivers Chapter

Like our nation’s Native American peoples, Virginia Master Naturalists have a goal of building communities of people committed to harmony and healing our ecosystems.

In collaboration with the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation (JYF), an educational agency of the Commonwealth of Virginia, Linda Hughes & Dan Foster, Historic Rivers Virginia Master Naturalists, established the Paspahegh Demonstration Garden in December 2024. The project will educate school groups & visitors on the plants used at “Paspahegh Town,” a Powhatan Indian outdoor interpretive site at Jamestown Settlement.

The Paspahegh were a tribe within the Powhatan Confederacy. Their territory was located on the James River near the English settlement of Jamestown. 

Our goal was to show how indigenous inhabitants used wild & cultivated plants pre-1607 and during the early colonial years. 

Like many indigenous cultures, the Paspahegh tribe considered plants to be gifts from nature. They used those gifts for food, medicine, building, hunting & ceremonies. They also “manipulated” their environment and encouraged useful plants in and around their campsites, including conducting controlled burns. 

Our Demonstration Garden will reflect a naturalized woodland atmosphere. We’ve left fallen leaves & existing natives to benefit pollinators & wildlife, and to suppress invasive, nonnative plants. 

Just as any pocket of native plants can serve as a bridge in a habitat corridor that supports pollinators, native plant demonstration gardens can be a steppingstone to build interconnected communities of people who are committed to harmony and healing our ecosystems, a practice valued by Native Americans. 

We hope it may inspire others to transform their own gardens on sustainable, low maintenance landscaping practices and encourage dialogues around our own food & medicine sources. 

So far, our team has identified and mapped Invasive and Native plants at the site using the Flora of Virginia app & iNaturalist. We’ve confirmed invasive plant identifications with Blue Ridge Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management (PRISM), and fact sheets from the Virginia Department of Forestry and Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation.

We’ve also developed an Invasive Management Calendar with multiple control strategies, including engaging JYF’s licensed pesticide applicators for herbicide control of invasives in places where physical removal isn’t feasible, to avoid soil disturbance, and minimize re-growth. 

Additionally, we investigated land use history to check for lurking invasive seed beds and conducted a soil test.

Our big deliverable, however, was researching historically used natives suitable for our site’s part shade conditions. Dan & I aimed for an historic basis for determining the plant usage based on archaeological findings nearby, oral tradition from Virginia's state & federally recognized tribes, and descriptions & illustrations recorded by English colonists in the 17th century. 

Our Jamestown-Yorktown partners Bain Schultz, landscape supervisor & Carol Weirs, historical interpreter, contributed to the list and shared it with the regional Tribal Council. A member of the Monacan tribe also reviewed it (see sidebar).

With our JYF partners, Dan and I etched out a very rough scaled planting plan to guide our efforts: 
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• Loosely divided the garden into sections: Edible, Medicinal, Ceremonial & Utilitarian.
• Allowed for natural foot paths for maintenance & regular invasive removal. 
• Used onsite logs & rocks to break up the eyeline, prevent erosion, establish pedestrian boundaries, and create pockets for planting. 

We began planting in March and will continue through early May and again in the Fall. In addition to buying some plants locally, we transplanted plants from areas around JYF lands. We’ll maintain the demonstration garden with regular watering and invasive removal.

Currently, the team is investigating signage to fit with the historical context of Jamestown Settlement. A native landscape may look weedy and unmaintained during its first year or two while plants are maturing. A Pollinator-Habitat-in-Process sign may educate visitors that native plants put their energy into growing deep roots during their first years, rather than into blooming paying off in long-term resiliency. 

Signage can also help people understand that a “messy” winter garden doesn’t mean it’s neglected. “Leaving the leaves” provides winter forage & nesting sites. For insects, birds, and other wildlife they provide essential host plants, nesting materials, and nectar. 

The team is also considering QR codes on signs linking to more in-depth information. The challenge is how to make this work with a “Living History Museum” atmosphere.

To further help guide the Historic Interpreters, we’re creating a detailed plant factsheet.
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To work out challenges, our vision will be implemented in phases over several growing seasons. Over time, we’ll expand our landscape area as knowledge & resources grow. 

Building welcoming & inclusive spaces for people of all abilities, race, ethnicities, and socioeconomic status is one of the core values of Virginia Master Naturalists. So, following in the footsteps of the Native American people, the Paspahegh Demonstration Garden’s goal of building communities of people committed to harmony & healing our ecosystems is a valuable starting point.

​Paspahegh & Monacan: Tribes with Much in Common

The Paspahegh people were a part of the Powhatan autocracy and spoke the Algonquin languages. The Monacan peoples were Siouan-speakers who were originally from the western part of the country and moved east to the Blue Ridge Mountains’ Piedmont area down to the Fall line at Richmond. 

The two First American "tribes” traded with each other and some accounts (English) say they occasionally skirmished. But they had much in common: Similar dome-shaped village structures, getting from the wild (berries, nuts, animals), and domesticating a wide variety of plants for food. Their semi-permanent villages were also on the James River, though the upper portion. Many of the plants they used from the wild and domesticated at their village were the same and for similar purposes (food, medicine, ceremonial & utilitarian).

In November, Linda met Victoria Ferguson, Program Director Solitude, Presidential Ambassador to Native Nations, Office for Inclusive Strategy and Excellence at Virginia Tech. She is a member of the Monacan tribe and author of "Food Practices of Eastern Woodland/Eastern Siouan of the Interior Mid-Atlantic: Living Off the Land, published in the Quarterly Bulletin of the Archaeological Society of Virginia, June 2024. They talked about our Demonstration Garden project at Paspahegh Town. The Monacans had a similar-type re-creation at Natural Bridge.

Ferguson suggests the coastal tribes probably grew a different corn than her people, likely the Virginia Gourd seed variety (still available). She also said the Paspahegh people had access to Tuckahoe (Peltandra virginica), a plant of the arum family known as green arrow arum, and her people did not. 

Arlington Regional Master Naturalist Ozone Bioindicator Garden

2025 marks the fifth year that the Arlington Regional Master Naturalist chapter has been operating an ozone bioindicator garden at Walter Reed Community Center in Arlington. This project is a collaboration with Arlington County, NASA, and the Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics Science Education, and it is part of a nationwide project to monitor the impact of ozone air pollution on plants. Gardens in the network have genetically identical plants from species and cultivars that are known to exhibit observable characteristics resulting from ozone air pollution. This year, the volunteer team monitoring the garden was selected as a "Snap Bean Group" by the National Ozone Garden Network. This recognition provides the opportunity to participate in workshops at the National Science Foundation National Center for Atmospheric Research and to receive funds to support their bioindicator garden and related public engagement activities.

​Tidewater Master Naturalist, Jody Ullmann, wins coveted Mary Reid Barrow Wildlife Advocate Award

Jody Ullmann, a member of the Tidewater Master Naturalist chapter since 2007, was awarded the Mary Reid Barrow Wildlife Advocate Award. This prestigious award, named for a former environmental reporter for the Virginian- Pilot and lifelong advocate for the environment, is given every year to someone in the Tidewater area that works to educate, celebrate or advocate for wildlife in the community. The announcement stated “Her work has empowered young people to become stewards of the environment and has brought local wildlife into focus for countless families.”  Through her work with organizations like the Tidewater Master Naturalists, Lynnhaven River Now (LRnow) the Virginia Living Museum and her company Mud Puddle Science, Jody has consistently worked to engage diverse audiences to foster a deep connection with wildlife. 

While working at the Virginia Living Museum caring for the non-live collection, Jody used the collection as a vehicle to allow people to make a personal connection with the animals and deepen their understanding of the importance of wildlife conservation, highlighting animals such as the endangered red wolf and the under-rated horseshoe crab.
As the Education Coordinator for LRNow, Jody developed environmental education programs for audiences pre-K through adults.  Her ability to tailor these programs to different age groups ensured that participants gained a deeper understanding of local wildlife and the steps they could take to protect it.  Her programs, which won national and international awards, celebrated the biodiversity of Hampton Roads and involved students in hands-on stewardship projects like building habitat for diamondback terrapins. 
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Jody’s recent venture into independent work with Mud Puddle Science reflects her continued commitment to educating the next generation about wildlife. Through creative, adventure-based programs, she brings nature directly to children across the region and pushes the boundaries of environmental education.
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Jody’s career of more than 40 years has always been about more than just teaching.  It’s about fostering a deep love for the environment and inspiring others to take action.  Her commitment to creating future wildlife advocates shone through in her work with teens in the Junior Master Naturalist Program that she ran for 5 years and in her current work with younger children and families through her Master Naturalist programs. Whether through summer camps, sailing expeditions, hands-on programs with animal ambassadors or training classroom teachers, Jody consistently embodies the values this award seeks to honor.

Fairfax Master Naturalists Partner with the American Horticultural Society's River Farm

In 2024, the American Horticultural Society (AHS) contacted VMN - Fairfax Chapter (FMN) to volunteer and help rebuild the nest boxes along their blue bird trail. VMN volunteer Susan Farmer became the FMN liaison for this and other activities on location. She organized a team of stalwart FMN volunteers to help River Farm rebuild their bluebird box trail. Eight boxes were replaced and, ten sad boxes were removed and salvaged for parts. She then organized trail monitoring training and managed the seasonal monitoring schedule. The monitors observed/reported 11 eggs. Eleven volunteers reported 90+ hours to River Farm opportunities.

In 2025, River Farm asked FMN to continue trail support, which started in March. FMN was also invited to set up a chapter table and participate with approximately 35 vendors and organizations at their annual showcase event, “River Farm Spring Garden Market” April. We were able to provide information on VMN, the bluebird trail, and Northern Virginia Bluebird Society (NVBS) in general. We emphasized the importance of native plant habitat, and enlightened the community to VMN’s mission of conservation of natural resources in Virginia, Fairfax County, and the Potomac River.

The weather could have been better but we were honored to be part of River Farm’s showcase spring event - and the grounds were spectacular with seasonal blooms. It was encouraging to see the plant vendors offer only organic starter vegetables, Virginia native flowers, shrubs, and trees. In addition, several artisans were on site selling crafts, nature photography, herbalists, soaps, and even a mystery writer with his new novel of intrigue in Old Town Alexandria.

Thank you to the following FMNs for their continued contributions at River Farm:
Susan Farmer, Donna Stauffer, Sarah Glassco, John Fagan, Monica Hoffman, Rachel Roll, and Jerry Nissley

Newly Planted Pines Will Protect Water Quality

Historic Southside Master Naturalist volunteers joined with the Virginia Department of Forestry and Isle of Wight County Parks and Recreation to plant 700 loblolly pine trees in Nike Park. The trees will increase wildlife habitat and provide a riparian buffer to protect the nearby creek. 

Sierra Club Recognizes Susan McSwain

Through their Earth Flag awards, the Piedmont Group of the Virginia Chapter of the Sierra Club recognizes volunteers who make a difference in protecting nature in Central Virginia. On May 1, 2025, Virginia Master Naturalist volunteer (Central Blue Ridge Chapter) Susan McSwain was awarded an Earth Flag for her many contributions to sustainability and environmental education. Susan is part of the VMN Golden Circle, having completed more than 5,000 hours of volunteer service as a VMN volunteer, including many leadership roles in her chapter, leading a long-running butterfly count in the area, and monitoring bluebirds. Susan also has promoted land conservation, solid waste reduction, the creation of a new Nelson County park, and habitat protection for chimney swifts. Congratulations, Susan! 
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Read more about Susan and see a video of her receiving the Earth Flag

Get Financial Help to Protect Ash Trees from the Invasive Emerald Ash Borer
--Contributed by Lori Chamberlin, Forest Health Program Manager, Virginia Department of Forestry

Enrollment for DOF’s Ash Treatment Cost-Share Program opened April 21. This program provides financial assistance to landowners and organizations treating ash trees to protect them from the invasive emerald ash borer. Eligible ash trees must be at least 12 inches in diameter with no more than 30% canopy dieback. If approved, cost-share payment is 70% of direct project costs.
 
Emerald Ash Borer Cost Share Program Factsheet

All information can be found on the Virginia Department of Forestry website.

DEQ Educational Series: Chesapeake Bay Protection and Restoration
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Join the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality for a free webinar on Tuesday, June 10, from 6:30-8 p.m., to learn about the activities DEQ engages in to protect and restore the Chesapeake Bay. During the presentation, DEQ staff will discuss the Commonwealth’s participation in the Chesapeake Bay Program, how the agency implements monitoring activities, and the activities DEQ regulates under the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act. Each of these efforts relies on the support and engagement of all stakeholders in Virginia – this means you! Use the link below to register for this virtual presentation and learn more about how we can protect the Bay together.  

Registration link for the DEQ Chesapeake Bay Protection and Restoration webinar

VIMS Marine Science Day 2025
 
The 23rd annual VIMS Marine Science Day open house will be held Saturday, May 31, 2025, at the Gloucester Point, VA campus. For one day a year, nearly every corner of the campus is open to the public to speak to VIMS scientists and students while getting a behind-the-scenes look at the important research and advisory services VIMS provides. This free event features children’s activities, a marine life costume contest, seining in the York River, lab tours, demonstrations, and much more.  The Middle Peninsula Master Naturalists will be volunteering and celebrating the Teaching Marsh 25th anniversary.  VMN volunteers will also have stations at the VIMS Pollinator Garden and Coastal Forest Boardwalk. Come find us, we always enjoy meeting fellow VMN members from across the state. Food and beverages will be available for purchase on site. Advance registration is encouraged. Visit the web site for more details and the registration link. 

VIMS After Hours Lectures
 
Free public lectures are hosted by the Batten School of Coastal & Marine Sciences & VIMS.  Each lecture begins at 7pm in-person on the Gloucester Point campus and online as a live-streamed webinar. 
 

• April 24 Searching for Sturgeon by  Dr. Angelina Dichiera
• June 26 Ospreys of the Chesapeake by Dr. Bryan Watts
• July 17 The National TRAP Program: Tackling derelict fishing gear from coast to coast! by Noah Tait and Renee Sanders
• August 21 Celebrating 25 Years of the VIMS Teaching Marsh by Karen Duhring

 
Registration is required for each lecture.   https://events.wm.edu/index.php/go/vimsafterhours

Throughout 2025, we are celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Virginia Master Naturalist program. We'll be having special events and communications to highlight some longstanding volunteers and projects. We also are celebrating with a statewide volunteer service theme of trees and forests (Treemendous 20th!) You can learn more about our plans from the recording of our January 2025 webinar.

We encourage every VMN volunteer to do at least one service activity in 2025 that relates to and benefits trees and/or forests across Virginia. At the end of the year, we would like to report our collective positive impact. We hope to have measurable positive impacts such as increasing tree canopy cover, improving forest health, increasing public knowledge and appreciation of forest resources, increasing Virginians' skills related to tree identification and care, and improving knowledge and data related to forests for use by natural resource managers and scientists.

Report your Treemendous 20th tree or forest focused service activities as you normally would in Better Impact, attributed to the correct activity for your chapter. To help us more easily identify your Treemendous 20th hours entries, please put #Treemendous20th (spelled and written just like that!) in the description field when you enter hours into Better Impact for any activity that relates to trees and forests. You can also enter #Treemendous20th for continuing education hours you do that relate to trees or forests. 

We also encourage volunteers to put any measurable impacts into the "impact" field in Better Impact when reporting their hours. Examples could include number of trees planted, quantity of invasive plants removed or size of area cleared of invasive plants, evaluation results from educational programs, or pounds of acorns collected.