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A Community-Based Natural Resources Volunteer Program

Virginia Master Naturalists are volunteer educators, citizen scientists, and stewards helping Virginia conserve and manage natural resources and public lands.

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VMN Volunteers Invited to Submit Mammal Artwork for 2023 Recertification Pin

6/21/2022

 
The 2023 recertification pin, earned by VMN volunteers who complete at least 40 hours of approved volunteer service and 8 hours of approved continuing education during 2022, will be an image of a Virginia mammal. Which mammal it will be and the artwork for the pin will be determined through an artwork contest. VMN volunteers are invited to submit their own artwork according to the guidelines below. The winning artwork will be selected by a team of judges that will include the VMN program staff and wildlife experts from our sponsoring agencies.

Contest Guidelines
  • The artwork must be original artwork created and submitted by a currently enrolled VMN volunteer.
  • Please limit submissions to one submission per volunteer.
  • The artwork may be a drawing, painting, or photograph, but it must be submitted as a digital file, such as a PDF, JPG, PNG, or GIF file.
  • The artwork must be of a non-marine mammal species that is considered native to Virginia. Below, we have provided the names of the non-marine mammals on the most current, official List of Native & Naturalized Fauna of Virginia, provided by the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources.  Naturalized species are marked with an asterisk and do not meet the qualification of “native” for the purposes of our artwork contest.
  • The artwork should not be of a bat species, for the simple reason that we had a bat pin in 2011 featuring the Virginia Big-eared Bat, which is Virginia’s State Bat.
  • We greatly prefer artwork that allows us to create a pin in the shape of the mammal, rather than having to be an oval or rectangular pin. Keep this preference in mind when creating your artwork, and imagine a pin cut in the shape of the animal. Pins cannot easily have very finely detailed edges, so it is helpful if the animal’s shape is a smoother line.  See the frog, turtle, and oyster pins on our recertification pin artwork history page as examples of artwork that were easily converted to pins. 

To Submit Your Artwork for the Contest
If you want to submit your artwork for the contest, please complete the online contest survey no later than 5:00 pm on Friday, August 19. You will be asked to provide your name, email, VMN chapter, 1-2 sentences about why you think that mammal species should be featured, and your permission to use the artwork. Have your digital artwork file ready; you will be need to upload it within the survey.

Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources List of Native and Naturalized Fauna of Virginia - Mammals (Non-Marine)
April 2022

*denotes naturalized species that would not qualify for this recertification pin contest
Allegheny Woodrat, Neotoma magister 
American Beaver, Castor canadensis
American Beaver, Castor canadensis carolinensis
American Black Bear, Ursus americanus 
American Mink, Neovison vison mink
American Mink, Neovision vison vison
American Pygmy Shrew, Sorex hoyi 
American Water Shrew, Sorex palustris 
Appalachian Cottontail,  Sylvilagus obscurus 
Big Brown Bat, Eptesicus fuscus fuscus 
Black Rat *, Rattus rattus * 
Black-tailed Jack Rabbit *, Lepus californicus * 
Bobcat, Lynx rufus floridanus
Bobcat, Lynx rufus rufus
Brazilian Free-tailed Bat, Tadarida brasiliensis cynocephala 
Carolina Northern Flying Squirrel, Glaucomys sabrinus coloratus 
Carolina Red-backed Vole, Myodes gapperi carolinensis 
Cloudland Deermouse, Peromyscus maniculatus nubiterrae 
Common Gray Fox, Urocyon cinereoargenteus 
Common Muskrat, Ondatra zibethicus macrodon 
Cotton Deermouse, Peromyscus gossypinus 
Coyote, Canis latrans 
Delmarva Peninsula Fox Squirrel, Sciurus niger cinereus 
Dismal Swamp Bog Lemming, Synaptomys cooperi helaletes 
Dismal Swamp Meadow Vole, Microtus pennsylvanicus nigrans 
Dismal Swamp Short-tailed Shrew, Blarina brevicauda telmalestes 
Dismal Swamp Southeastern Shrew, Sorex longirostris fisheri 
Eastern Chipmunk, Tamias striatus fisheri 
Eastern Chipmunk, Tamias striatus striatus 
Eastern Cottontail, Sylvilagus floridanus mallurus 
Eastern Cottontail, Sylvilagus floridanus mearnsii 
Eastern Fox Squirrel, Sciurus niger niger 
Eastern Fox Squirrel, Sciurus niger rufiventer 
Eastern Fox Squirrel, Sciurus niger vulpinus 
Eastern Gray Squirrel, Sciurus carolinensis carolinensis 
Eastern Gray Squirrel, Sciurus carolinensis pennsylvanicus 
Eastern Harvest Mouse, Reithrodontomys humulis humulis 
Eastern Harvest Mouse, Reithrodontomys humulis virginianus 
Eastern Mole, Scalopus aquaticus aquaticus 
Eastern Mole, Scalopus aquaticus howelli 
Eastern Red Bat, Lasiurus borealis 
Eastern Shrew, Sorex cinereus fontinalis 
Eastern Small-footed Myotis, Myotis leibii 
Eastern Spotted Skunk, Spilogale putorius 
Elk, Cervus elaphus 
Evening Bat, Nycticeius humeralis humeralis 
Fisher, Martes pennanti 
Golden Mouse, Ochrotomys nuttalli aureolus 
Golden Mouse, Ochrotomys nuttalli nuttalli 
Gray Bat, Myotis grisescens 
Hairy-tailed Mole, Parascalops breweri 
Hispid Cotton Rat, Sigmodon hispidus 
Hoary Bat, Lasiurus cinereus 
House Mouse *, Mus musculus * 
Indiana Bat, Myotis sodalis 
Kentucky Red-backed Vole, Myodes gapperi maurus 
Least Shrew, Cryptotis parva 
Least Weasel, Mustela nivalis 
Little Brown Bat, Myotis lucifugus 
Long-tailed (=Rock) Shrew, Sorex dispar 
Long-tailed Weasel, Mustela frenata 


Marsh Rabbit, Sylvilagus palustris 
Marsh Rice Rat, Oryzomys palustris 
Masked Shrew, Sorex cinereus cinereus 
Meadow Jumping Mouse, Zapus hudsonius 
Meadow Vole, Microtus pennsylvanicus pennsylvanicus ​Nine-banded Armadillo *, Dasypus novemcinctus * 
North American Porcupine, Erethizon dorsatus 
Northern Long-eared Bat, Myotis septentrionalis 
Northern Raccoon, Procyon lotor lotor 
Northern Raccoon, Procyon lotor marinus 
Northern River Otter, Lontra canadensis lataxina 
Northern Short-tailed Shrew, Blarina brevicauda churchi 
Northern Short-tailed Shrew, Blarina brevicauda kirtlandi 
Northern Yellow Bat, Lasiurus intermedius 
Norway Rat *, Rattus norvegicus * 
Nutria *, Myocastor coypus * 
Prairie Deermouse, Peromyscus maniculatus bairdii 
Pungo White-footed Deermouse, Peromyscus leucopus easti 
Rafinesque’s Big-eared Bat, Corynorhinus rafinesquii rafinesquii 
Rafinesque’s Eastern Big-eared Bat, Corynorhinus rafinesquii macrotis 
Red Fox, Vulpes vulpes 
Red Squirrel, Tamiasciurus hudsonicus abieticola 
Red Squirrel, Tamiasciurus hudsonicus loquax 
Rock Vole, Microtus chrotorrhinus 
Seminole Bat, Lasiurus seminolus 
Sika Deer *, Cervus nippon * 
Silver-haired Bat, Lasionycteris noctivagans 
Small Star-nosed Mole, Condylura cristata parva 
Smith’s Island Cottontail, Sylvilagus floridanus hitchensi 
Smoky Shrew, Sorex fumeus 
Snowshoe Hare, Lepus americanus 
Snowshoe Hare, Lepus americanus virginianus 
Southeastern Myotis, Myotis austroriparius 
Southern Bog Lemming, Synaptomys cooperi stonei 
Southern Flying Squirrel, Glaucomys volans saturatus 
Southern Flying Squirrel, Glaucomys volans volans 
Southern Red-backed Vole, Myodes gapperi gapperi 
Southern Short-tailed Shrew, Blarina carolinensis 
Southern Shrew, Sorex longirostris longirostris 
Southern Star-nosed Mole, Condylura cristata parva 
Star-nosed Mole, Condylura cristata cristata 
Striped Skunk, Mephitis mephitis mephitis 
Striped Skunk, Mephitis mephitis nigra 
Tri-colored Bat, Perimyotis subflavus 
Virginia Big-eared Bat, Corynorhinus (= Plecotus) townsendii virginianus 
Virginia Northern Flying Squirrel, Glaucomys sabrinus fuscus 
Virginia Opossum, Didelphis virginiana virginiana 
White-footed Deermouse, Peromyscus leucopus leucopus 
White-footed Deermouse, Peromyscus leucopus noveboracensis 
White-tailed Deer, Odocoileus virginianus 
Woodchuck, Marmota monax 
Woodland Jumping Mouse, Napaeozapus insignis insignis 
Woodland Jumping Mouse, Napaeozapus insignis roanensis 
Woodland Vole, Microtus pinetorum carbonarius 
Woodland Vole, Microtus pinetorum pinetorum 
Woodland Vole, Microtus pinetorum scalapsoides ​​

Occoneechee State Park Recognizes VMN Volunteer Terri Mewborn

5/9/2022

 
head shot of Terri MewbornVMN volunteer Terri Mewborn. Terri started with the VMN program in the Merrimac Farm Chapter and has since led efforts to launch the new Southern Piedmont Chapter. Photo by Virginia State Parks.
--Contributed by Dorie Stolley, Director of the Office of Community Engagement and Volunteerism, Virginia State Parks

Each year Virginia State Parks solicits nominations for Volunteer of the Year from its 41 parks. Only one person is selected for the award – a difficult task because all of the nominees are dedicated and exemplary volunteers who are much appreciated by the staff of the park at which they serve. One such exceptional nominee for the 2021 award was Terri Mewborn, who was nominated by then Chief Ranger Alex Qualls of Occoneechee State Park. I wasn’t surprised to receive the nomination, because I, myself, had had the pleasure of experiencing Terri in action at the park in 2021. ​

Person showing a large green fruit to a group of adults and childrenTerri introducing the group to an Osage orange. Photo by Virginia State Parks.
On a crisp November morning I had joined Terri and seventeen park visitors on her Plantation Trail Guided Walk at Occoneechee State Park. Leading us along a leafy path that wound around ruins, overgrown gardens, cemeteries and a stream, she related the human and natural history of the land. Terri began with the original inhabitants of the area, the Occoneechee Indians and continued through the arrival of the first Europeans and the development of the property into a plantation where enslaved people worked to farm the land and run the household. Terri invited us to use all of our senses to experience the natural world and our imagination to experience what life on the land was like for its inhabitants. She had the entire group from toddlers to grandparents engaged and interested because of her knowledge, enthusiasm and ability to relate the topics to what is relevant to visitors.

notebooks labeled with names of interpretive programs and lined up on a shelfThe Interpretive Program Plans that Terri wrote are available to other interpreters, both staff and volunteers, at Occoneechee State Park. Photo by Virginia State Parks.
Terri’s expertise at delivering interpretive programs is fairly new. She retired in 2017 from a government job in Washington, D.C. and immediately attended VMN basic training. Shortly thereafter, she moved to Clarksville having fallen in love with the area during several trips in earlier years. Not one to stay still, Terri began volunteering at Occoneechee State Park in 2019, filling a void left by the departure of a park interpreter. For two years, Terri led the vast majority of the programs offered by the park. She honed her interpretive skills by participating in a state parks training – the “spring interpretive workshop,” which is held on an annual basis. This training is available to Virginia Master Naturalist volunteers leading park interpretive programs who are nominated by park staff, generally the Chief Ranger of Visitor Experience. ​

​To ensure that others can follow in her footsteps, Terri wrote interpretive program plans (IPPs) for all of her interpretive programs, putting them neatly into binders for easy use at the park. The programs cover the spectrum of nature and history topics relevant to the park and many parks and go beyond presenting facts to encourage emotional, intellectual, physical and spiritual connection to the natural environment and historical resources of the park.

Person leading nature walk in the woodsTerri Mewborn leading a first day hike at Occoneechee State Park on January 1, 2022. Photo by Virginia State Parks.
Not only has Terri enhanced the interpretive offerings of Occoneechee State Park, she helped maintain 20 miles of trails, recruited other community members for stewardship projects, such as shoreline clean ups, and volunteered at nearby Staunton River State Park, on Army Corps of Engineers holdings, and at other protected natural areas. 

Terri’s boundless enthusiasm for nature and natural areas led her to launch the Southside Online Naturalist Group (SONG) to share images and stories of Southside Virginia natural resources, native wildlife (including identification requests), ecology, conservation, citizen science, and related topics. Following that, along with others on the coordinating committee, Terri helped initiate the Southern Piedmont Chapter of the Virginia Master Naturalists in 2021. Their first training is underway presently and will provide more volunteers to help enhance the work of conservation organizations. 

For all of these reasons, Terri was nominated as Volunteer of the Year for Virginia State Parks and her work shines as an example to others desiring to make a positive impact on the natural world, including its human inhabitants. ​​

Laurels - Spring 2022

5/9/2022

 
​Each quarter, we invite VMN chapters to share stories of volunteers' awards and accomplishments.  Our Laurels posts are not only a way to provide recognition to those volunteers, but also an opportunity to inspire other volunteers.  If you are inspired by one of the projects or accomplishments mentioned here and want more information, please contact the VMN state office and we'll put you in touch!
two men standing at the base of a tall bird house pole in a fieldVMN volunteers Dave Harlan and Mark Sopko next to a kestrel nest box at Machicomoco State Park. Nest boxes for American Kestrels are placed fifteen feet above the ground. Photo by Josh Mazzatenta, Virginia State Parks.
Volunteers From Two Chapters Team Up to Help American Kestrels at Machicomoco
--Contributed by Mark Sopko, VMN Peninsula Chapter

Recently, Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) with the help of Park Ranger Emily Harlan, has given permission for volunteers to place several American Kestrel nest boxes on Machicomoco State Park. 

Machicomoco State Park has been the residence of at least one American Kestrel (Falco sparers) since 2018. Data collected from migration counts, the US geological Survey’s Breeding Bird Survey and nest-box monitoring programs show steep declines in American Kestrel populations throughout North America, particularly in the North East. Lack of suitable nestling cavities can severely limit the American Kestrel numbers. The presence of a resident on Machicomoco is a huge plus toward conservation of this species.

Both the Middle Peninsula and Peninsula chapters of the Virginia Master Naturalist program joined together and volunteered to place two nest boxes on park grounds. This project was organized with he help of Susan Crockett, from the Middle Peninsula chapter and Mark Sopko from the Peninsula chapter. Ed Pels built the nest boxes and Dave Harlan designed the poles, both from the Middle Peninsula chapter. Dave and Mark placed the nest boxes on Machicomoco. The volunteers hope that the boxes will attract the kestrels to nest on the park, keeping these beautiful little raptors on Machicomoco for future generations.


four people posed holding an award plaqueFrom left to right: Jerry Nissley, Marilyn Parks, Janet Quinn, and Chairman Jeffrey C. McKay – Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. Photo by Edward Marion.
Fairfax Chapter Receives Environmental Sustainability Award
--Shared from the Fairfax Chapter blog by Janet Quinn with text by Jerry Nissley, VMN Fairfax Chapter

On Wednesday, April 20th, Volunteer Fairfax, together with the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, celebrated the 149 nominees, 11 category winners, and 10 Community Champions during its 30th Anniversary Awards Program. The 2022 program consisted of a virtual awards program where the winners were announced to the public and an in-person reception at the Stacy C. Sherwood Center in Fairfax City where the winners received their awards.

Fairfax County Volunteer Service Awards highlight the achievements of volunteers in several distinct award categories. The 2022 Environmental Sustainability Award was presented to the Fairfax Chapter of the Virginia Master Naturalists (FMN). This award honors volunteers who work to protect and beautify our environment and natural surroundings, advocate for the preservation of our planet and strive to instill these values for our community.

During the virtual portion of the program, previously recorded video dialogues were shown detailing mission, goals, and achievements that supported each service category award. FMN President Marilyn Parks and FMN Member Chair, Mike Garth, were the video presenters for the Fairfax Chapter and they more than carried the day by offering both quantifiable metrics for FMN 2022 achievements and gracious praise and recognition for all the FMN volunteers that are at the heart of this award. FMN Communications Co-chair Janet Quinn and FMN Jerry Nissley accompanied Marilyn to the reception where Marilyn accepted the award on behalf of FMN.

In January 2022, the FMN annual report was shared with members in a newsletter.  Marilyn realized the crux of what our chapter had accomplished really didn’t shine through.  Our service deserved further recognition, so she wrote up and submitted a nomination to Volunteer Fairfax for consideration.

In the nomination Marilyn highlighted some important 2021 FMN accomplishments. Most notable were – 197 FMN members volunteered 15,500 hours; a 25% increase in 2021 over 2020!  This increase was a surprise given 2020 over 2019 hours had resulted in a 15% reduction of hours (first year of COVID outbreaks). FMN delivered 25% more hours to our partners and sponsors in the midst of a 2nd year of COVID. Let that sink in. We were out there working and spending time on 106 projects, making a difference and helping to preserve and protect the natural environment within Fairfax county. We recruited, trained and graduated 40 students – without the benefit of meeting at the county Government Center (all via Zoom).  

This is attestation to the fidelity of all FMN volunteers that carried on their substantial enthusiasm for service in support of our partner organizations, our communities, our local, regional and state parks, and our growing network of service allies.

Marilyn concludes by saying, “I hope members are pleased with their chapter, happy with their choice of volunteering to serve nature, and thrilled to be recognized and named the Volunteer Fairfax –  Environmental Sustainability Award winner for 2022”.

The Honorable Gerry Connolly (Congressman 11th District Virginia) was the keynote speaker and engaged the audience with anecdotes of volunteerism and serving in local government. He said, “Volunteers are a testament to the strong ethos of public service and volunteerism that exists in Fairfax County and is one of many reasons why this community is such a wonderful place to live.”

In commemoration, Congressman Connolly had this commendation along with additional comments and a list of all award winners entered into the Congressional Record of the 117th Congress recognizing the 2022 service award winners. FMN in the Congressional Record!


four people look through binoculars at a landscape of rolling hills and fields
Great Backyard Bird Count participants at Sky Meadows State Park. Photo by Connie McCabe.
Old Rag Chapter Leaders Engage Volunteers and the Public
--Contributed by Charlene Uhl, VMN Old Rag Chapter

The Old Rag Master Naturalist chapter works hard to offer opportunities to its members in Citizen Science, Stewardship and Education. Here are some examples over the last three months of the ways we are working to engage our members:

Citizen Science was front and center in our chapter’s participation in Cornell’s Great Backyard Bird Count. We hosted five locations across four days in February, including a state park, a county park, and three private farms. Thirty-five participants and eight guides participated. Data reported to the Cornell Lab for Ornithology included 119 species and 668 total birds.
four people planting plants in a power line cut through a forestOld Rag Master Naturalist volunteers plant new trees and shrubs in a power line right-of-way in Rappahannock County Park. Photo courtesy of Rappahannock County Park.
Stewardship was also an important opportunity for our members. Ten volunteers cleared a section of the right-of-way in Rappahannock County Park under electric lines managed by the Rappahannock Electric Cooperative (REC).  This was followed by planting 42 understory trees and shrubs, purchased with a donation from the Rappahannock Garden Club, to build a low growth native plant wildlife habitat and viewing area of the Rush River. We were heartened to learn from one of our partners – the Clifton Institute – that REC rights of way they have studied are rich with natives – even when they have been cleared with herbicides for years. The project leaders have entered into a conversation with the Clifton Institute to survey the remaining REC areas in the park and determine the best preservation/restoration choices.

person with microphone presenting in front of screenDorothy "Tepp" Tepper presenting on hydrology. Photo by Cindy Colson.
Not to be short-changed, Education offered two exciting programs.  A class on Hydrology, Floods and Debris Flows was offered to ORMN members and as an optional program for our Basic Training Class. A total of 22 participants learned about the development of caves produced by groundwater flow; landforms associated with streams like waterfalls, floodplains and meanders; and historic debris flows caused by extreme weather events, such as those in Nelson County, 1969 and in Madison County, 1995. The class was taught by our resident hydrogeologist – Dorothy “Tepp” Tepper, a Scientist Emeritus and former employee of the U.S. Geological Service.

Our second Education program was the Siegen Forest Ephemerals Walk. Over 35 people toured the old growth forest on the ground of Germanna Foundation’s Siegen Forest. An amazing variety of ephemerals were on display, including Virginia bluebells, yellow trout lily, mayapple, spring beauties and trilliums. An additional perk for attendees was the opportunity to walk up onto the rock bluffs overlooking the Rapidan River to see an eagle’s nest, including parents coming and going and the head of one eaglet popping above the ring of the nest. This walk was open to the public and organized in partnership with the Central Rappahannock Master Naturalist chapter and the Germanna Foundation. ​

bluebells growing in a wooded area
Virginia bluebells observed on the Siegen Forest Walk. Photo by Mariana Zechini.

painting of James Gallagher
Jim Gallagher, self-portrait
PictureJim Gallagher with one of his painted rain barrels at Merrimac Farm Wildlife Management Area. Photo by Kathy and Pete Madsen.
Recognizing the Life and Contributions of Jim Gallagher, VMN Merrimac Farm Chapter
--Contributed by Valerie Huelsman, VMN Merrimac Farm Chapter 

Unexpectedly this spring our friend and fellow VMN James (Jim) Gallagher of the Merrimac Farm Chapter passed away. He had been battling cancer for several years with grace and strength while still finding joy and meaning supporting the natural world.
 
A part of the 2010 Merrimac Farm BTC, Jim was one of our longest serving members since the founding of our Chapter in 2008. He served on the Board of Directors for several years as Secretary and was always willing to help out with Chapter projects including being a co-instructor for training classes, representing our Chapter during education and outreach events, and helping with stream clean ups. Participating in citizen science projects was another passion, especially for bio-blitzes, the i-Naturalist City Nature Challenges and Audubon Christmas Bird Counts. Along with his wife Judy, he shared his knowledge by creating many entertaining (and challenging) ‘Stump the Master Naturalist’ quizzes.  
 
Jim was also our resident Chapter artist, highly regarded for his contributions to many projects with the Prince William Conservation Alliance and Merrimac Farm Wildlife Management Area. This includes the billboard mural in front of the Stone House and a contribution of a beautifully painted rain barrel auctioned off each year at the Bluebell Festival to support efforts at Merrimac Farm WMA. A bench he painted in front of the Stone House shows his whimsical humor and artistry, (next time you visit look for the hidden four leaf clover). The bench sits near the opening in the garage door that he decorated in appreciation for our local eastern ratsnake that uses it as a 'front door' to enter the garage.  He was always very willing to share his artistic talents for our Chapter as well, in 2017 he designed our iconic Chapter logo.

As we miss Jim we will remember all of his contributions and good nature with great fondness. 


selfie of group of people planting a treeJudy Kinshaw-Ellis with some of her fellow tree planters. Photo by VMN Historic Rivers Chapter.
A True Tree Planting Addict
--Contributed by Connie Reitz and Rick Brown
The Historic Rivers Chapter is very fortunate to have had Judy Kinshaw-Ellis as a member since 2015. She has a self-confessed addiction for planting trees wherever she can get permission to plant. Judy is a cross between Johnnie Appleseed and Tom Sawyer in that she loves to plant trees and is adept at getting other people to help her. However, unlike Tom, she does quite a bit of the physical labor herself.

When asked what got her started she admits, “It hasn’t always been this way. I haven’t always planted trees. But now, I do have a real love for adding to the plant diversity of the forests and swamps of James City County. Planting hundreds of trees with friends, old and new, has become a sort of obsession.”

As a young girl, Judy explains, “I watched my dad plant a nut that grew into a tree. I ate five types of apples off one tree because of his grafting skills. I watched the apple trees he planted grow old, even though he passed away when I was young. Could this love of trees have been passed along to me so many years ago? I like to think so.”

Judy’s obsession has been enhanced because she is also been trained as a Master Gardener and Tree Steward. Her first planting effort that started innocently as a 2018 Master Gardener Tree Steward Project in James City County’s Freedom Park, expanded into a much wider planting program. That project explored what trees the early freed-slave settlers of Freedom Park would have used and focused on adding some of the plants that those settlers would have used for food in addition to trees that would make the forest more like it would have been in the early 1800s. A Trees Virginia grant paid for the first 100 or so seedlings that were planted plus the first round of tree tags that were installed on established trees in the Settlement. That Tree Steward Project also introduced Judy to all the wonderful state forestry seedling programs where states sell a wide variety of seedlings at a reasonable cost.

Following phase one of the Tree Steward Project, she ordered another 400 seedlings, which arrived the second week of March 2020, just as the Covid pandemic shut down all Master Gardener volunteer activities. Fortunately, Judy had a group of her Master Naturalist friends who were willing to get out in the fresh air and plant some trees. The group, whom Judy lovingly dubbed “The Dream Team,” was made up of Ginny Broome, Jeanette and Keith Navia, Bill Grass, and Judy’s understanding husband Drew Ellis. She potted 100 seedlings for planting that fall while the six planted the other 300.

group of five people posed with tools next to a newly planted treeJudy Kinshaw-Ellis at one of many tree planting volunteer events. Photo by VMN Historic Rivers Chapter.
By the time the various state forestry departments opened for sales the following fall, Judy was ready to order again, but because Covid was still raging, she limited her order to only 100 trees this time. By the time the trees would arrive in March of 2021, vaccinations were starting to be distributed and people were ready to work outside. The Dream Team was called back into service. When time came for fall orders that year she ordered another 400 trees.

In January 2022, the Virginia Native Plant Society named the buttonbush, as the Virginia Native Plant of the year. After consulting with people from the Williamsburg Botanical Garden and the local John Clayton Chapter of the Native Plant Society about splitting the order, Judy ordered 1000 buttonbushes  because that allowed for a volume discount. The trees arrived right on time mid-April. Once the WBG and NPS received their seedlings, volunteers from the Historic Rivers Chapter and the local Master Gardener Tree Stewards volunteered and planted the rest. The good news is that buttonbushes grow in wet, swampy areas, which makes them easy to plant. Judy led her team of diverse volunteers to plant locally at Jamestown Settlement plus James City County parks including Freedom Park, Warhill Sports Complex, the James City County Marina, and Greensprings Trail.

To date Judy has enlisted dozens of volunteers, from several community organizations to plant more than 1700 trees and shrubs. They have collectively donated numerous volunteer hours at six locations. Judy admits, “Planting a tree is fun. Planting 100 is invigorating. 1600 trees may seem a bit crazy.”

Planting seedlings is not easy work, but it is very rewarding. Judy emphasized that she appreciates the efforts of everyone who has been involved in her obsession and promises that there will be more seedlings to come. She is truly the embodiment of the quote from poet & author Nelson Henderson, who said, “The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit." Our Chapter, Commonwealth and planet have been truly enriched because of Judy’s efforts.

From our Sponsors and Partners - Spring 2022

5/9/2022

 
green aquatic plant held in a person's hand over a body of waterTrapa bispinsosa var. inumai. Photo by Linda Dodd, US Army Corps of Engineers. Public domain.
From the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation: Help Stop Two-horned Trapa
--Contributed by Kevin Heffernan, Stewardship Biologist, VDCR Natural Heritage Program

We are asking for help from the community to identify and report occurrences of the invasive two-horned trapa, an aquatic plant currently documented in ponds in Fairfax, Prince William, Loudoun, and Fauquier counties.

Two-horned trapa is an invasive aquatic plant first identified in the U.S. in Pohick Bay, Fairfax, Virginia, in 2014. Originally thought to be the first colony of the highly invasive Eurasian water chestnut (Trapa natans) in Virginia in decades, differences in the seeds of the two plants led experts to believe this was a new threat. Eurasian water chestnut bears four-horned seed pods. The Virginia colony of the new water chestnut – with seed pods of only two “horns” – was identified as Trapa bispinosa var. iinumai in 2019 (Chorak et. al, 2019).

​Two-horned trapa may have already been spreading in the Potomac watershed for over a decade. Its spread threatens to undo the multi-million dollar, decades-long efforts to eradicate Eurasian water chestnut. As of late 2021, this is the only watershed in the country known to contain two-horned trapa, but this plant has the potential to spread throughout Virginia and beyond. Both Trapa species form dense floating mats that spread and cover slow-moving bodies of water, and both have the potential to obstruct water flow, inhibit recreational and commercial use of waterways, shade out submerged aquatic vegetation, and outcompete native aquatic plants.

Report any sightings of either the two-horned trapa or the related Eurasian water chestnut using the Early Detection and Distribution Mapping System (EddMapS).

Work is being done to secure funding for control projects. The goal is to keep it out of the Potomac River and prevent further spread.

For more details on identification, reporting, and management of two-horned trapa, please see the new fact sheet from the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation.

Resources: 
Verified locations of two-horned trapa
DCR Natural Heritage fact sheet on two-horned trapa
EDDMapS invasive species reporting tool



marsh area with buildings and boats in backgroundThe Carl Hershner Teaching Marsh at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science campus in Gloucester Point, VA. Photo by Karen Duhring.
From the Virginia Institute of Marine Science: Marine Science Day

Marine Science Day at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science is Saturday, June 4, 10:00 am - 3:00 pm, with both online events and in-person events at the Gloucester Point campus.  This year's theme is Marshes, and activities will include tours of the Carl Hershner Teaching Marsh and exhibits on coastal marshes from the Center for Coastal Resources Management.  Registration for this family-friendly event is encouraged.  Visit the VIMS site for registration and additional information.

Virginia Master Naturalist Program 2021 Year in Review

2/10/2022

 
Each year, VMN chapter leaders work hard on annual reports that compile their membership and volunteering statistics and describe some of their most impactful projects from the year.  It's exciting for us to hear about their accomplishments, and it is clear that Virginia Master Naturalist volunteers are continuing to make important impacts in their communities and to benefit Virginia's waters, woods, and wildlife.

Below, we present some of the 2021 data through a table of quantitative outputs and an impact statement that was submitted to Virginia Cooperative Extension and other sponsors.  To learn about more stories of volunteers and their projects, check out our 2021 VMN Program Awards announcement.
2021 Virginia Master Naturalists By the Numbers
 
2021
New Basic Training Graduates
333
Total VMN Membership
3,184
Volunteers Reporting Service Hours
2,136
Certified Virginia Master Naturalists
1,386
Continuing Education Hours
25,491
Service Hours: Education & Outreach
26,877 hours by 955 volunteers
Service Hours: Citizen Science
70,066 hours by 1,574 volunteers
Service Hours: Stewardship
48,282 hours by 1,294 volunteers
Service Hours: Chapter Administration
32,848 by 1,132 volunteers
Total Service Hours
178,073 hours by 2,136 volunteers
Monetary Value of Service
$5,189,047
Sites Improved Through Stewardship
580
New Habitat Sites Planted or Restored
42
Number of Citizen Science Studies
60+
Number of Direct Educational Contacts Made
162,149
2021 Virginia Master Naturalist Impact Statement: ​Virginia Master Naturalists contribute to natural resource education, citizen science, and stewardship across the Commonwealth in 2021

​Relevance

Americans’ interest in nature is growing. There is a large constituency of people, both urban and rural, engaged in non-consumptive uses of natural resources such as birdwatching, and studies show this population is growing.  Due to the pandemic, parks and natural areas in Virginia experienced record visitation in the last two years, and people also sought new ways to connect with nature at home.  Research also shows, however, that Americans still face a significant gap between their interest in nature and their ability and opportunities to pursue that interest.  Individuals need opportunities to be actively involved in exploring, caring for, and observing nature in their local communities.  Furthermore, because the most impactful experiences in nature are deeply social, opportunities to connect people with nature through social groups are needed.  

At the same time, Virginia is facing difficult natural resource challenges, such as loss of forestland, sea level rise, and invasive species impacts. State and local natural resource agencies need help to accomplish their missions, address these natural resource challenges, and reach more sectors of our population. Public engagement is critical to successful conservation and management of Virginia’s woods, wildlife, and waters.

Response

The Virginia Master Naturalist (VMN) program addresses these needs by supporting a statewide corps of volunteers providing education, outreach, and service dedicated to the beneficial management of natural resources and natural areas within their communities. With 30 chapters across Virginia, the program aims to extend the capacities of both state and local natural resource agencies and organizations to be able achieve their missions in new ways, engage new audiences, and work towards creating a citizenry more informed about and involved in natural resource conservation and management.  The program, because of its chapter-based structure, also promotes learning about, exploring, and stewarding natural areas through social groups.  

Every year, hundreds of Virginians become new VMN volunteers through training and service. The process for becoming a Certified VMN typically takes 6 to 12 months. One starts by completing a 40-hour basic training course offered by one the local chapters of the program. An additional 8 hours of continuing education and 40 hours of volunteer service are also required to become certified or recertified, though this requirement was halved in 2021 in recognition of the limitations on service due to the pandemic.  Volunteer service hours are recorded in four primary areas: education, stewardship, citizen science, and chapter administration. At the statewide level, the program is sponsored by seven state agencies, and on the local level, chapters partner with dozens of conservation and education organizations.

Results

The VMN program currently has approximately 2,100 volunteers who reported service in 2021. These volunteers completed more than 25,000 hours of training and continuing education in 2021. They also contributed significant volunteer time in the areas of education, citizen science, stewardship, and chapter administration, amounting to more than $5.2 million in contributions to natural resource conservation in Virginia (based on IndependentSector.org value of a volunteer hour.) Since the program’s inception in 2005, VMN volunteers have contributed more than 1.6 million hours of service with a value of $43 million to the Commonwealth of Virginia. 
volunteer by pond shoreline surrounded by baskets filled with removed plant materialUsing boats and also rakes from the shoreline, VMN volunteers in Fairfax and Prince William counties laboriously removed patches of invasive water chestnut, Trapa bispinosa, from ponds in the area, where it threatens native aquatic life. Photo by Ron Grimes.
In 2021, VMN volunteers contributed more than 48,000 hours of stewardship, valued at $1.4 million, to improve local natural resource conditions on more than 500 sites through invasive plant management in parks, maintenance of habitats for pollinators and other wildlife, trail maintenance of hundreds of miles of trails, and litter cleanup events.  They also helped create more than 40 new habitat sites through planting and restoration projects.  VMN volunteers in Fairfax and Prince William counties participated in multiple events to eradicate the invasive water chestnut, Trapa bispinosa, from ponds in the Potomac River watershed, where it is a major threat to water quality and aquatic life.  VMN volunteers on the Northern Neck contributed 700 hours of trail work to keep the nature trails at state parks, state forests, and other properties ready for the high numbers of people recreating at these sites during 2021.  In another example of stewardship, volunteers helped protect restoration sites of mountain sandwort, a critically imperiled plant in Shenandoah National Park.  They climbed monthly to the summit of the 3,200-foot Old Rag Mountain to monitor the sites, pick up trash, educate visitors about the plant, and maintain signs and barriers at this very popular hiking destination. As a result, the sandwort populations have expanded.

person stooped to look at a plant on a steep rocky mountainside
A VMN volunteer in the Old Rag Chapter checks the rare mountain sandwort on top of Old Rag Mountain in Shenandoah National Park. Monitoring, stewardship, and education by the volunteers has aided the park in protecting this rare plant. Photo by Jeff Smith.
close up photo of a person's hand holding a rain gaugeVMN volunteers in 100 different locations collected precipitation data that are used by scientists, governments, farmers, and others. Photo by Mary Ames.
Volunteers also contributed more than 70,000 hours of time, valued at $2 million, to more than 100 citizen science studies of wildlife, weather, stream health, and more.  For example, VMN volunteers monitored for the spotted lanternfly, an emerging invasive pest in Virginia that threatens both forests and agricultural crops.  VMN volunteers in 100 different locations collected data for the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow Network (CoCoRaHS), making highly localized precipitation data available for farmers, emergency planners, meteorologists, and others.  Volunteers also contributed thousands of hours to biological and chemical monitoring of Virginia’s streams and rivers.  These data are used by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and other partners for many purposes, including to identify potential stream health issues and to alert communities to health risks due to bacterial contamination.

6 people on a dock by a waterway holding water monitoring equipment
Veteran and new water quality monitoring volunteers in the Middle Peninsula Chapter joined for an annual training near Machicomoco State Park. Photo by Susan Crockett.
person looking at sign in park with photos and information about animalsInterpretive signage created by VMN volunteers in Bellemeade Park in Richmond. Photo by Diane Moxley.
In addition, volunteers made more than 162,000 direct contacts through educational programs in their communities that totaled 26,800 hours of service, valued at $0.8 million.  While some opportunities for education and outreach were still curtailed in 2021, volunteers found creative outlets to share research-based natural resource information.  They contributed videos about the James River to an Extension “Watershed Wonder Wednesday” YouTube series for youth, led community nature walks, developed brochures and signs for self-guided nature programs, and visited homeowners to provide advice about improving wildlife habitats and riparian buffers on their properties. ​

On top of their contributions to these many conservation projects, VMN volunteers also contributed more than 32,800 hours of time, valued at $1 million, managing our local chapters.  The unique structure of the VMN program relies on volunteers to lead the day-to-day local operations of the program, including recruiting new volunteers, organizing training courses, developing local projects and partnerships, and tracking volunteer activities.  Several hundred VMN volunteers provide this local leadership, without which the program would not exist.  In 2021, these leaders were critical in the program’s transition to a new volunteer management system.  They learned to use a complex application, set up their chapters’ portions of the system, and trained and encouraged volunteers to use it.  They also organized 25 basic training courses, graduating more than 300 new VMN volunteers.
​
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Virginia Master Naturalist Program | 460 Stagecoach Road, Suite E201 | Charlottesville, VA  22902 | Phone: 434-872-4587 | Fax: 434-872-4578

Virginia Cooperative Extension is a partnership of Virginia Tech, Virginia State University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and local governments. Its programs and employment are open to all, regardless of age, color, disability, gender, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, military status, or any other basis protected by law.