Hello, VMNs. Happy First Day of School! If that doesn’t apply to you, take a moment to remember school days… Or your VMN Basic Training days! For homework, you can catch up on the Bi-weekly emails.
This email includes:
Volunteer Policy Handbook
The new version of the VMN Volunteer Policy Handbook (VPH) has officially been released and is effective as of today. You can find it on the Program Policies page of the VMN website and on your MyImpactPage under Files.
It has been seven years since we updated the VPH so this version has some very significant updates in terms of formatting and use. Here is what you need to know:
1. This version of the VPH is meant to be used electronically.
--The Table of Contents is clickable as are all the links in the document.
--While you can print a copy of the VPH, it is important to know that none of the links have the URL typed out.
2. Whether you are new to the program or have been a VMN volunteer for many years, we encourage you to look through the handbook and be familiar with the contents. Sometimes volunteers may have developed wrong understandings of program policies and procedures that then get passed down to new volunteers over time. Here’s a chance to get reacquainted with what is expected of you as a VMN volunteer so that you can fill that role successfully!
From now on, the VMN State Office will update the VPH on an annual basis around the first of each year.
Conference Updates
Registration - Register now to join us and your fellow VMN volunteers from across the state in Abingdon. Our Holston Rivers and High Knob chapters have planned an excellent program, and we’ve got plenty of space in on-site sessions as well as quite a few field sessions. Plus, only attendees will have access to our conference app, where you can connect virtually with other attendees and even set up in-person meetups!
Waitlists - Check your email! If you are on a waitlist for a session and you get bumped into a slot, the registration system will send you an email with a link to accept the change. You will have 72 hours to accept this new spot! If you miss that window, your chance to accept will expire and the system will remove you from the waitlist entirely. That is how it works with this system. We have already had a lot of movement on the waitlists so this is important!
Lodging - If you have not secured lodging, we encourage you to do so ASAP. Our room blocks for the conference are full but that is ok because none of the conference events are at a hotel. We recommend doing an internet search of hotels in Abingdon, Virginia. You can find rooms at various price points on any of the travel booking sites. If you cannot find what you want in Abingdon, check Bristol, Virginia. Bristol is only a 15-minute drive from Abingdon.
Elk - While we were not able to arrange for a conference session to see the elk population of SW Virginia due to timing constraints, DWR is offering a public tour on Thursday, September 28, 5:00-8:00 pm, leaving from Grundy, VA (about 1.5 hours from Abingdon.) This could be a nice opportunity for those who want to come early. Please be aware that arrangements for that tour are completely separate from the conference and made through DWR, not VMN. See https://dwr.virginia.gov/wildlife-watching/elk-tours/ for the details. Registration is limited to 25, so we recommend acting quickly if you want to take advantage of the opportunity.
VMN Continuing Education Webinars
Our VMN CE Webinar series will take a disco nap in September as we prepare for our big CE event - the conference in Abingdon!
Meanwhile, if you did not attend the August webinar with Dr. Emmanuel Frimpong (“Chubs are selfish, and that’s good for everyone”), you missed a really good one! It’s a fascinating ecological story and Dr. Frimpong tells it well. And the video footage of bluehead chub nests is so cool! You can still enjoy the presentation by watching the video, available now on the CE Webinar Series page of the VMN website.
The VMN CE Webinar series will return October 12 with Dr. Erin Devlin from the University of Mary Washington discussing her study of Segregation in Virginia’s National Parks, 1916–1965. It will be a focus on human history rather than natural history, helping us to learn about barriers to accessing outdoors spaces that may still have impacts today.
Virginia Association for Environmental Education Conference
The Virginia Association for Environmental Education is now accepting proposals for presentations for their 2024 conference, which will take place February 22-24 at George Mason University. Proposals are due October 15. See the VAEE website for details.
This email includes:
- Volunteer Policy Handbook - updated version released
- Conference Updates
- VMN Continuing Education Webinars
- Virginia Association for Environmental Education Conference
Volunteer Policy Handbook
The new version of the VMN Volunteer Policy Handbook (VPH) has officially been released and is effective as of today. You can find it on the Program Policies page of the VMN website and on your MyImpactPage under Files.
It has been seven years since we updated the VPH so this version has some very significant updates in terms of formatting and use. Here is what you need to know:
1. This version of the VPH is meant to be used electronically.
--The Table of Contents is clickable as are all the links in the document.
--While you can print a copy of the VPH, it is important to know that none of the links have the URL typed out.
2. Whether you are new to the program or have been a VMN volunteer for many years, we encourage you to look through the handbook and be familiar with the contents. Sometimes volunteers may have developed wrong understandings of program policies and procedures that then get passed down to new volunteers over time. Here’s a chance to get reacquainted with what is expected of you as a VMN volunteer so that you can fill that role successfully!
From now on, the VMN State Office will update the VPH on an annual basis around the first of each year.
Conference Updates
Registration - Register now to join us and your fellow VMN volunteers from across the state in Abingdon. Our Holston Rivers and High Knob chapters have planned an excellent program, and we’ve got plenty of space in on-site sessions as well as quite a few field sessions. Plus, only attendees will have access to our conference app, where you can connect virtually with other attendees and even set up in-person meetups!
Waitlists - Check your email! If you are on a waitlist for a session and you get bumped into a slot, the registration system will send you an email with a link to accept the change. You will have 72 hours to accept this new spot! If you miss that window, your chance to accept will expire and the system will remove you from the waitlist entirely. That is how it works with this system. We have already had a lot of movement on the waitlists so this is important!
Lodging - If you have not secured lodging, we encourage you to do so ASAP. Our room blocks for the conference are full but that is ok because none of the conference events are at a hotel. We recommend doing an internet search of hotels in Abingdon, Virginia. You can find rooms at various price points on any of the travel booking sites. If you cannot find what you want in Abingdon, check Bristol, Virginia. Bristol is only a 15-minute drive from Abingdon.
Elk - While we were not able to arrange for a conference session to see the elk population of SW Virginia due to timing constraints, DWR is offering a public tour on Thursday, September 28, 5:00-8:00 pm, leaving from Grundy, VA (about 1.5 hours from Abingdon.) This could be a nice opportunity for those who want to come early. Please be aware that arrangements for that tour are completely separate from the conference and made through DWR, not VMN. See https://dwr.virginia.gov/wildlife-watching/elk-tours/ for the details. Registration is limited to 25, so we recommend acting quickly if you want to take advantage of the opportunity.
VMN Continuing Education Webinars
Our VMN CE Webinar series will take a disco nap in September as we prepare for our big CE event - the conference in Abingdon!
Meanwhile, if you did not attend the August webinar with Dr. Emmanuel Frimpong (“Chubs are selfish, and that’s good for everyone”), you missed a really good one! It’s a fascinating ecological story and Dr. Frimpong tells it well. And the video footage of bluehead chub nests is so cool! You can still enjoy the presentation by watching the video, available now on the CE Webinar Series page of the VMN website.
The VMN CE Webinar series will return October 12 with Dr. Erin Devlin from the University of Mary Washington discussing her study of Segregation in Virginia’s National Parks, 1916–1965. It will be a focus on human history rather than natural history, helping us to learn about barriers to accessing outdoors spaces that may still have impacts today.
Virginia Association for Environmental Education Conference
The Virginia Association for Environmental Education is now accepting proposals for presentations for their 2024 conference, which will take place February 22-24 at George Mason University. Proposals are due October 15. See the VAEE website for details.
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