Two Superlative Headwaters Trainees

By night (at least on Tuesdays this spring), Sarah Foster is a VMN trainee in the Headwaters Chapter, learning all about natural history and natural resource management. By day, she teaches Family and Consumer Sciences to students at Beverly Manor Middle School. This spring, she was recognized as one of the August County Schools Teachers of the Year! In her teaching, Sarah strives to make learning as hands-on as possible. We are looking forward to her combining her teaching talent with her developing naturalist expertise to be a wonderful VMN volunteer!

Also bringing personal talents to the Headwaters Chapter is current trainee Virginia Greene. Her original watercolor, "Please Don't Roll My Rocks" was chosen by a panel of judges to be the artwork for the annual Restore the Wild sticker from the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources. Virginia also has a day job that connects with the VMN program--she's the South River Restoration Projects Specialist with the Virginia Natural Heritage Program. 

Congratulations, Sarah and Virginia, and thank you for all the talent you bring to the VMN program!

Wendy Kendrick Recognized for Land Conservation and Protection
--Submitted by Susan McSwain, VMN-Central Blue Ridge Chapter

The Central Virginia Land Conservancy (CVALC) works with landowners in the counties of Amherst, Appomattox, Buckingham, Campbell, and Nelson who want to protect their land through the use of conservation easements.  On April 22, the organization celebrated its 20th anniversary at a dinner event held in the City of Bedford.  At the event, CVALC’s highest award – the Conservation Cornerstone Award – was presented to a volunteer with an impressive history of communicating with landowners throughout the area about the importance of preserving farms and forests for future generations.

The volunteer recognized was Wendy Kendrick, who is a member of the Central Blue Ridge chapter.  She serves as an at-large board member for the chapter, but long before she became a Virginia Master Naturalist volunteer, Wendy was already active with CVALC.

In 2003, Wendy co-founded CVALC, and she has served on the organization’s board since that year, including a long stint as president.  Over the years, she has spoken with hundreds of landowners about conservation and open space easements as a means to protect their land from subdivision and development.  Her work has included organizing informative indoor workshops as well as on-the-ground visits to properties throughout central Virginia.

Wendy also serves on the board of the Blue Ridge Land Conservancy (BRLC) that covers Botetourt, Craig, Floyd, Franklin, Montgomery, and Roanoke counties.  She helps monitor land under easement for both CVALC and BRLC and she is part of the stewardship committee for BRLC.  As if that was not enough, she has even been known to volunteer with the Southern Virginia Land Conservancy, which operates in Patrick, Henry, Pittsylvania and Halifax counties.  Her own farm in Amherst County has been under an open-space easement with the Virginia Outdoors Foundation since 2003.

As a Virginia Master Naturalist volunteer, Wendy serves as an at-large board member for the Central Blue Ridge chapter.  She regularly volunteers with the James River Association on stream buffer planting and invasives removal projects, and she has also helped plant a stream buffer in Nelson County organized by the VA Department of Forestry.  Anyone who appreciates the rich biological heritage of Virginia, with its beautiful vistas of forests and farms, can thank people whose efforts often take place “behind” those bucolic scenes.

Thank you, Wendy!   

Four Old Rag Master Naturalists become certified trainers by Virginia Save Our Streams
--Contributed by Charlene Uhl, VMN-Old Rag Chapter
​
Virginia Save Our Streams (VASOS) is a program of the Izaak Walton League of America. VASOS recruits people to become certified monitors. These certified monitors then help local volunteer efforts to assess the health of local streams. Volunteer monitors must use a set method to net, sort and count bottom dwelling “macroinvertebrates” whose presence (or absence) serves as an indicator of overall stream health.  Certified monitors work with these volunteers, to assure the correct protocol is used in order to ensure data collected are accurate and can be included in the local and national data base.

Four Old Rag Master Naturalists – Linda Lowery and Lynne Leeper from Fauquier County and Jere Willis and Mike Wenger from Rappahannock County - completed the field portion of the program in April. They had gained experience last year by teaching the protocol to members of ORMN’s Basic Training Class. Most of the stream sites that ORMN members monitor exhibit a health biological mix of sensitive organisms such as mayflies and stoneflies and more tolerant species like black fly larva. 

Their training also included a session with Kria Carney from Virginia Save Our Streams and some people from other stream monitoring programs. This included going over the protocols and procedures for training future stream monitors. They received informational materials to use in training as well as discussions on how to handle a variety of situations.

With the completion of their field work, these four ORMN members are now able to work with other ORMN members who want to become certified monitors – essentially our own training team! In order to maintain their Trainer Certification they have to train and certify at least one new monitor a year, which they can do as a group. They hope that some Class XII members will be interested in the program and join them.

The expertise that our four ORMN members offer is a valuable resource to our community and an important aid to Master Naturalist efforts to promote healthy streams. ORMN applauds their commitment to this important role!

Virginia Master Naturalists Recognized as Stellar Virginia State Parks Volunteers
--Contributed by Dorie Stolley, DCR State Parks

​In 2022, Virginia Master Naturalist volunteers contributed 11,609 hours of service in more than 25 Virginia State Parks. Virginia Master Naturalists are some of the most dedicated park volunteers! Several of them were recently recognized with Virginia State Parks Volunteer of the Year awards. Here's more about each of them and the work they do in the parks, as written by their nominators. In addition, Randy Smith (formerly a VMN in the Holston Rivers Chapter) was awarded the Lifetime Achievement award, posthumously, for all of his work at Hungry Mother State Park. 

Jack and Theresa Rayburn (VMN-Pocahontas Chapter, winners of the Individual - Exceptional Service award for their work at Westmoreland State Park) - "This volunteer duo self-describes their duties as “whatever benefits the park the most”. I have yet to discover any task these two aren’t willing to help out with. The rayburns regularly conduct beach cleanups, interpretive programming, park maintenance, assist with special events, manage native/invasive plant species, monitor and encourage pollinator activity, build park signage and structures, and perform camp host duties- even prior to registering as camp hosts."

April Allen (VMN-Southern Piedmont Chapter, runner-up for the Individual - Interpretation award for her work at Staunton River Battlefield State Park) - "The ranger-led programs she provides continue to be well received. One of the best examples of her stellar character to devotion of our park’s mission, and the mission for Virginia State Parks, was in November when the park received a school field trip numbering eighty 2nd Graders and teachers.  April stepped up, stuck it out the entire day, and was an essential part to the memories generated for those school children, who had not had a field trip adventure in over two years."

Randy Bagby (VMN-Southern Piedmont Chapter, winner of the Individual - Exceptional Service award for his work at Occoneechee State Park) - "As the trail steward for our most extensive trail, The Panhandle Multi-use trail. Randy's regular duties include a weekly check of the trail for fallen limbs, trees, and debri; the collection of litter along this trail; completing duties associated with the Friends of Occoneechee State Park; assisting park staff with pollinator field management; and working with staff to complete the Sawyer Apprentice program."

Prior to the announcement about the awards, Randy's chapter submitted this description of his work to our Laurels.
--Contributed by Terri Mewborn, VMN-Southern Piedmont Chapter

From the very get-go, Randy Bagby has been extraordinary in his devotion and service to the Southern Piedmont Chapter and to Virginia State Parks. Randy trained and certified with this new chapter’s inaugural Basic Training class in 2022. Since then, he has volunteered in several different project areas, including stewardship, citizen science, and chapter admin. Randy is always willing to lend a hand anywhere he’s needed, and his service in Virginia’s State Parks is particularly noteworthy. Since January, Randy has logged over 150 hours, including 120 at Staunton River and Occoneechee State Parks. His work at two of the Southern Piedmont’s three state parks demonstrates both his love of the parks and personal commitment to service. Randy has trained for operating heavy equipment and chainsaws, so for him, trail stewardship goes well beyond clearing storm blowdown and removing invasive plants and litter. Plus, he never misses an opportunity to engage with park visitors as an ambassador both for VMN and VSP. 

State Park staff are thrilled to have Randy on their team:

“Randy Bagby has been working with Occoneechee State Park for the past year,” says Chief Ranger Austin Peightel, “From the moment of his arrival, he has been a dependable and ambitious volunteer. Randy does not hesitate to accomplish any task and does so with an enthusiasm that is contagious to other volunteers and park staff alike. During the past year he has been working to restore the Panhandle Trail system. He has been vital in our ability to reopen corridors along the trail that had been previously lost to succession. Not only has he played a vital role on the Panhandle trail, but Randy has frequently sought out other opportunities to aid the park in all areas and departments. Some examples include invasive species abatement, pollinator field maintenance, sawyer operations, group volunteer involvement and volunteer recruiting…Randy was one of the initial members of the newly founded Friends of Occoneechee State Park and continues to surprise and impress us with his kind heart and aptitude for service. We are extremely grateful for the work he has accomplished in the park, and even more so for the relationship we have formed with Randy Bagby. We look forward to many more years and many more projects.”

At Staunton River State Park, Chief Ranger Ben Issacs says, “Randy has been serving as a trail steward…for a little over a month. In that short time, he has played a crucial role in assisting park staff with the rehabilitation of an old hiking trail around the park’s private lake.  He has pruned, sawed, raked, blown leaves, weed-eated, and overall groomed this trail back to its former glory.  The park will be utilizing this trail for a "Cops and Bobbers" kids’ fishing day with the South Boston Police Department, and without Randy's help we never would have been able to get the trail ready in time.  In helping us with this trail Randy has served this park and our local community!  Randy showed up to the park one day and said, ‘I am here to help, put me to work,’ and we are so happy to have him on board.”

The Southern Piedmont Chapter is also very happy and proud to have Randy on board!

Holston Rivers Volunteers Use Birds to Connect with Community 
Contributed by Monica Hoel, VMN-Holston Rivers Chapter

The Holston Rivers chapter has been doing a lot of observations at DWR Bird and Wildlife site MCM02 -- The Well Fields in Saltville. During Covid, volunteers logged many hours of observations in iNaturalist and eBird at that location in order to work together while staying physically apart. Now that restrictions are over, they are inviting the public, especially members of the Saltville community, to join them in enjoying the marvels of this fascinating DWRBWT area.

In February 2023, Holston Rivers members teamed up with the Emory & Henry Lifelong Learning program to offer a Sunday afternoon of birding information and observation. With 30 attendees for this very first event, program organizers were thrilled.

Saltville's unique geography makes it a fascinating location for plants and geology, and even though these well fields are basically right in the middle of town the diversity of birds and other wildlife is remarkable. eBird lists 189 recorded bird species just in the well fields area, and there were some unique birds in attendance at this first event. The afternoon viewing revealed Northern Shovelers, Lesser Scaups, American Coots, Gadwalls, American Wigeons, Killdeer, and a Red-tailed Hawk among others. The crowd ranged in age from retirement to third grade, and participants were delighted. Most were new birders who were thrilled to see animals they had never noticed before, and they repeatedly asked for another opportunity soon. 

The Smyth County Chamber of Commerce has invited HRVMN volunteers to repeat the event quarterly, and volunteers are excited to share more about what makes this spot so special. 

Biosurvey in Newport News
--Contributed by Daina Henry, VMN-Peninsula Chapter

Amber Miller, VMN-Peninsula Chapter, has been conducting a biosurvey at a local park, Historic Endview, in Newport News. She has gathered experts on herpetology from the Virginia Living Museum, Christopher Newport University, and Newport News Parks and Recreation. Their efforts have resulted in identifying two species of interest - the spadefoot toad and the woodland box turtle. 

Bobcat Habitat Connectivity Project
--Contributed by Leah Jung, VMN-Rivanna Chapter

Due to increased awareness of the importance of wildlife corridors and the persistence of a Rivanna Master Naturalist (Leah Jung), Virginia Tech recently funded a study of bobcat movement in Northwest Albemarle County. A graduate student was recruited and is currently setting live traps to capture bobcats and outfit them with satellite collars.

The collars will transmit movement data and this will be compared to the types of land used to determine bobcat habitat. Any corridors used to move across the land will be mapped. The data may also provide information on bobcat response to human activity and provide insight into how growth may impact bobcat behavior. 

Bobcat were chosen for the study because their food sources (prey) and thus habitat needs are likely to reflect the habitat needs of a large variety of other wildlife. Landowners continue to be recruited for 'hosting' a live trap, local & state government officials are being informed, and other types of support are being achieved towards a goal of including scientific-informed decisions in county growth management.

--Contributed by Donna Cottingham, VMN-James River Chapter.

​While many people find it difficult to coexist with beavers on their property, others are interested in ways to live peacefully with the engineering mammals. Skip Lisle was in Virginia recently to lend an expert hand to several landowners in the area who decided killing  beavers was not their best option for coping with them.
    Lisle, with a Master’s Degree in Wildlife Conservation, has spent most of his life working on beaver conservation by helping landowners, National Parks and various government agencies overcome issues with beavers. His interest in beavers first began when he was a teen living in Vermont, where he created several devices to help his parents prevent a road from flooding on the family property after beavers dammed a culvert. 
   “Beavers are very adaptable creatures and many people don’t realize how beneficial they are,” said Lisle. He explained that beaver dams can create fertile wetlands that can support quality wildlife habitats for other animals. In Nevada, beavers turned an area of the desert into a wetlands oasis that now supports mule deer, Sandhill cranes, and other wildlife. In fact, many states are re-introducing beavers back into the wild. 
    Beavers build dams to protect their lodges, and the vegetation that grows in the newly flooded area becomes food and building materials for them. Wetlands created by beaver dams can increase biodiversity, replenish drinking water aquifers, trap and store carbon, and store ground water in dry areas. One small town in Alaska even gets its drinking water from a large reservoir created by a beaver dam.
    Scientific studies prove beaver ponds are also beneficial to fish. Not only do the ponds support insects and invertebrates for fish food, they also provide a safe nursery to protect young fish from predators. Additionally, beaver ponds also provide refuge, food and cover for a wide variety of ducks.  
    Although they were once a thriving species in the hundreds of millions in North America, beavers nearly went extinct as settlers trapped and killed them. On the Lewis and Clark Expedition, Meriwether Lewis wrote in his journals about waters everywhere teeming with beavers. In fact, he even wrote that the men enjoyed hearty meals of cooked beaver tails.  
    Realizing the benefits that eco-engineering beavers bring to the environment, Lisle has spent years advocating for beavers and perfecting the device that he first created as a teenager. Today he calls his device the “beaver deceiver,” and travels the U.S. helping to settle human – beaver conflicts by installing his flow device.

Editor's Note: Katie Martin, biologist with the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, reviewed this article and noted that DWR uses a similar device on many of its Wildlife Management Areas where there are issues with beavers flooding the roadways, as they too want to keep the beavers there for all their amazing wetland benefits! 

--Contributed by Jerry Nissley, VMN-Fairfax Chapter

Recently, several members of the Fairfax Chapter (FMN) collaborated with colleagues of Friends of Accotink Creek in Fairfax County to create educational outreach films that emphasize the importance of vernal pools. FMN volunteer Kathryn Pasternak volunteered to film and produce the video. The team brought in vernal pool expert Mike Hayslett as the subject matter expert. Mike is the Principal of Virginia Vernal Pools, LLC, as well as a Virginia Master Naturalist volunteer. The finished product beautifully illustrates the coordinated efforts of concerned citizens and passionate master naturalists to educate others about vernal pools in Fairfax County. The newest version of the video was released at the end of March 2023.

Kathryn Pasternak became an FMN in 2021. She is also a veteran of wildlife, conservation, and cultural films and recipient of two National Emmy Awards for ‘Best Science and Nature Program’. She spent 15+ years at National Geographic Television working on high-end television programs for international distribution. Since 2007, she’s been producing media independently both as a freelancer and small business owner.

This version of the video is targeted for school aged learners, cleverly using a teen as a primary host. But do not let his young years fool you - he already knows his stuff because he has been to "frog school". FMN volunteers that helped Kathryn with the project are: Beverley Rivera, Sarah Glassco, Kim Schauer, Ana Ka’ahanui, Tammy Schwab, and Ashley Zywusko (now in Central Rappahannock chapter).

This quarter, we share some timely news from an agency that is not one of our VMN sponsors, but is a trusted source of information on a subject that greatly affects Virginia Master Naturalists - ticks!

Lone Star Ticks and the Heartland Virus
--Contributed by David Gaines, State Public Health Entomologist, Virginia Department of Health

Last Friday (March 24th) three members of our vector-borne disease team at the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) spent an hour doing a tick survey at a park in Henrico County where we were able to collect 10 adult-stage, and six nymph-stage lone star ticks.  Therefore, it appears that the season for tick-borne disease transmission is already upon us here in Virginia.  Lone star ticks (Amblyomma americanum), are, by far, the most common cause of tick bites to people in areas of Virginia east of the Blue Ridge and in any areas of Virginia that are below 1,400 ft elevation.  Furthermore, lone star ticks may remain active in the field fairly late into the season, as one of our epidemiologists identified Virginia’s first recorded case of Heartland virus in November of 2021.   This illness resulted in the hospitalization and death of a man in his late 60s, and we believe that he was exposed to Heartland virus through the bites of infected larval-stage lone star ticks, or possibly to the bites of larval-stage Asian long-horned ticks, while he was hiking on his Piedmont farm in late October.  We found both species of ticks to be present when we surveyed for ticks around the hiked area on his farm the following June.  

The Heartland virus has probably been in Virginia for as long as lone star ticks have been here, but was not recognized as a human pathogen until 2012 when the CDC identified its first Heartland virus case in a Missouri patient.  Since then, Heartland virus cases have been identified in numerous midwestern states surrounding Missouri, as well as in Virginia’s neighboring states of Tennessee, Kentucky and North Carolina.   A Heartland virus illness produces many of the same symptoms that are associated with ehrlichiosis, but as it is a viral infection, patients do not respond to the antibiotic therapy prescribed for ehrlichiosis.  As symptoms of Ehrlichiosis can also have some similarities to those of Rocky Mountain spotted fever, the attending doctor decided to test the patient for Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF), and as this test was positive, and RMSF is a reportable disease, it was reported to our Epidemiology program at the Virginia Department of Health.  That same day, on seeing the report, one of our astute vector-borne disease epidemiologists requested that the hospital put the remnant RMSF-positive serum sample in a -80 freezer, and then send it on dry ice to the CDC Arboviral Diseases Branch for Heartland virus testing.  Note:  Lone star ticks commonly carry a non-pathogenic Rickettsial agent called Rickettsia amblyommatus which causes patients to test positive on testing for RMSF.  
 
Unfortunately, the following day, the patient died of his illness, and when the CDC received the remnant serum sample requested by our epidemiologist, it tested positive for the Heartland virus.  Therefore, in addition to ehrlichiosis, alpha-gal syndrome, tularemia, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Virginia citizens and doctors now have one more recognized illness associated with lone star tick bites that they need to be aware of.   The Heartland virus is mainly associated with lone star ticks, but laboratory evidence has shown that Asian long-horned ticks (Haemaphysalis longicornis) can also be infected with the Heartland virus.  Furthermore, Asian long-horned ticks are known to transmit a related virus to people in Asia that is known as the “Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome virus” (SFTS virus).  The SFTS virus is known to annually result in a number of fatal illnesses in older-aged patients in East Asia.    

Additional Resources

• Tick Borne Disease in Virginia Flyer from the Virginia Department of Health - This fact sheet contains images for identifying different species and life stages of ticks as well as information on the various diseases they can transmit.
• Virginia Tick Survey by the Virginia Department of Health - See county-based results from the VDH tick survey
• Bugs and Human Health - This section of the VDH website has helpful information on tick-borne and mosquito-borne diseases and how to prevent them.
• HB2008 - This legislation was enacted in 2023. It directs the VDH to convene a multi-stakeholder working group to study and make recommendations for reducing the occurrence and impact of tick-borne diseases in Virginia. Their findings are to be reported by November 1, 2023.
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Tick Information - This site contains lots of useful educational resources.

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 2022 data through a table of quantitative outputs and an impact statement that will be submitted to Virginia Cooperative Extension and other sponsors.  To learn about more stories of volunteers and their projects, check out our 2022 VMN Program Awards announcement.

​2022 Virginia Master Naturalists contribute to natural resource education, citizen science, and stewardship across the Commonwealth


Relevance

Americans’ interest in nature is growing. There is a large constituency of people, from both urban and rural communities, engaged in non-consumptive uses of natural resources such as wildlife viewing, and studies show this population is growing. Parks and natural areas in Virginia are experiencing record visitation, and people also seek 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 pollution of our waterways. 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. Volunteer service hours are recorded in four primary areas: education, stewardship, citizen science, and chapter leadership. 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 2,400 volunteers who reported service in 2022. These volunteers completed more than 43,000 hours of basic training and continuing education in 2022. They also contributed significant volunteer time in the areas of education, citizen science, stewardship, and chapter administration, amounting to more than $6.5 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 1.8 million hours of service with a value of $49 million to the Commonwealth of Virginia. 

In 2022, VMN volunteers contributed more than 53,000 hours of stewardship, valued at $1.6 million, to improve local natural resource conditions on more than 500 sites through invasive plant management in parks, management of habitats for pollinators and other wildlife, maintenance of hundreds of miles of trails, and creation of more than 60 new habitat sites through planting and restoration projects. Volunteers also improved public lands through sustained efforts to clean up litter. For example, VMN volunteers in the Southern Piedmont Chapter organized regularly scheduled public events to pick up litter along area trails and waterways in Mecklenburg County. Along with removing several tons of litter, these events engaged other members of the community, and the VMN volunteers shared information about conservation and stewardship with attendees. The Historic Rivers Chapter conducted cleanups at more than 25 different parks, roads, trails, and shorelines in James City and York counties, and they were recognized for their work with the “Adopt A Trail Group of the Year” award from the Capital Trail Foundation. To increase the impacts of their work, the volunteers collected over 1,000 pounds of soft plastic and used it to earn durable plastic benches made by Trex, which the chapter has dedicated to the memory of three deceased volunteers. Their work has not only removed harmful plastics from the environment, but also honored beloved friends and provided more resting spots for people to enjoy local parks and trails. 

​Volunteers also contributed more than 75,000 hours of time, valued at $2.3 million, to more than 100 nature-based citizen science, community science, and crowdsourcing studies. For example, VMN volunteers in Arlington launched a local phenology project to monitor seasonal changes in native plants and investigate how habitat influences plant development. Their data also are part of a national database used to learn about climate change impacts. Volunteers in nearly every VMN chapter conducted biological and chemical monitoring of Virginia’s streams and rivers, resulting in data used by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and other partners to identify potential stream health issues and alert communities to health risks posed by bacterial contamination. VMN chapters also adopted 32 of 65 loops on the Virginia Bird and Wildlife Trail, conducting quarterly visits at hundreds of sites to report on site conditions and wildlife observations. Their data helped the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources promote publicly-accessible places to watch wildlife in communities all over Virginia and to document species that visitors are likely to observe at those sites.

​In addition, volunteers made more than 288,473 direct contacts through educational programs in their communities that totaled 42,300 hours of service, valued at $1.3 million. In one new program launched in partnership with the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, VMN volunteers helped educate members of the public about changes they can make to reduce conflicts with black bears. They made more than 8,500 contacts with their “Living With Bears” booths at the Virginia State Fair, GoFest in Roanoke, and several local community events. Based on the questions and comments received, it was clear that their message was impactful. Volunteers also made specific efforts to connect with underrepresented audiences. For example, VMN volunteers in the Middle Peninsula Chapter partnered with local bird club and NAACP chapters to host a bird walk for Black Birders Week. Volunteers in the Rivanna Chapter collaborated with partners to train young people in one of Charlottesville’s most diverse urban neighborhoods to become Green Ambassadors, promoting tree plantings to reduce urban heat island effects. Fairfax Chapter volunteers reached out to Spanish-speaking audiences with information about stream health and other nature topics at events in predominantly Hispanic neighborhoods and during Latino Conservation Week. 

​On top of their contributions to these many conservation projects, VMN volunteers also contributed 40,000 hours of time, valued at $1.2 million, leading and 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 2022, these leaders organized 27 basic training courses, graduating more than 400 new VMN volunteers. They worked to re-organize those courses to be more engaging, accessible, and effective, which has resulted in more than 87% of 2022 basic training course graduates already contributing some volunteer service.