Hello, VMNs. Summer (the vacation, not the season) is winding down and schools are starting soon. Children are mournful, parents are elated, teachers are… optimistic? If you’re not headed back to school in some capacity, you can still take this opportunity to purchase fresh pencils and catch up on the VMN program’s Bi-weekly emails.
This email includes:
Conference Registration is now Open!
Registration for the 2024 VMN Virtual Statewide Conference is now open. You can find information on the Conference page of the VMN website.
There are three ticket types to choose from so please take a moment to read through that information before clicking the “Register Now” button.
IMPORTANT! Registration will be online and we will use the same system as 2023. It is called “Destiny One” and is managed by Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE).
If you have questions, please reach out to Tiffany at [email protected]. She will get back to you as soon as she is able.
Volunteer Opportunities - Training/Interest Surveys
Training for New VBWT Birdability Project
Did you know that 1 in every 4 American adults have a disability? Despite this being a huge portion of the population, disabled people continue to have unequal access to natural resources. A part of this barrier is information-based. If there is any accessibility information on a park's website, it is often very basic (simply stating that a trail is "ADA-compliant") without saying the trail substrate, whether or not there are accessible restrooms, or benches, to name a few.
With the help of Virginia Master Naturalists, we can help to reduce or remove this information barrier. Birdability is a non-profit group that has created an interactive map (https://birdability.org/map) for finding accessible locations all over the world. Using their resource, we can improve access to Virginia Bird and Wildlife Trail sites, known as great places to view wildlife. Our goal is to put every accessible VBWT site on the map. Watchable Wildlife Biologist Carolyn Rubinfeld will be presenting a training workshop about this exciting new opportunity and how you can help. The day after the training session, we will send information out to all chapters about the activity details, including a Better Impact template so that chapters can approve the activity. Volunteers who want to participate in the activity but who cannot attend the training live should plan on watching the recording.
Date: Thursday, August 15, 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Location: Zoom
Registration: Please pre-register at https://virginiatech.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUudOytrTstG9WOAMaz2iT1bae_KJkA7ry1
Recording: The session will be recorded, and we will share the link for the recording in the following bi-weekly email and on Better Impact.
Catch the King Interest Survey
Catch the King (CTK) is an annual tide mapping event that recruits volunteers to collect flooding data during the Perigean tides—the highest tides of the year. As Wetlands Watch begins planning for this year’s crowdsourced flood data collection event, they would like to hear from YOU! Whether you’re a new or returning volunteer, a local government seeking flood data, a non-profit hoping to form a team, or just someone interested in the event — please fill out this interest form so they can plan effective outreach and engagement this summer.
The Catch the King 2024 event is October 18-20. More info at https://wetlandswatch.org/catchtheking
Continuing Education Opportunities
CE Opportunity Reminder: Project Learning Tree Workshop
There are still spaces open for the Project Learning Tree K-8 workshop on 17 August Staunton River Battlefield State Park in Randolph, 9 AM – 3PM. We know it will be hot, but we will take plenty of breaks in the shade, & the breeze by the river will provide respite. Get outside, meet new people, & have fun, all while gaining an invaluable set of skills for your chapters & your community. To register, visit https://sites.google.com/site/pltvawebsite/workshops.
Contact: Lesley Newman, Virginia Project Learning Tree Coordinator, [email protected], (434) 981-6742
Project Learning Tree
Virginia Project Learning Tree
Other Opportunities
VMN 20th Anniversary - Your Input Requested
2025 marks the 20th anniversary of the Virginia Master Naturalist program! We are considering different ways to celebrate and to mark the occasion, and we would like feedback from VMN volunteers. Please share your thoughts through this survey. The survey will remain open until September 4.
REMINDER - Call for Submissions - 2025 Recertification Pin Artwork
The 2025 recertification pin, earned by previously certified VMN volunteers who complete at least 40 hours of approved volunteer service and 8 hours of approved continuing education during 2024, will be an image of a native moth species. We chose this group of organisms because moths are under appreciated, yet they are beautiful and very important parts of the food web! Which moth 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 no later than Monday, August 19. Please review the complete guidelines and link for submitting your artwork.
Treasured Views Community Input Opportunity
These events may be of interest to VMN volunteers in the lower Appomattox river region, but they are not intended for VMN CE or volunteer service–just a nice community opportunity!
Friends of the Lower Appomattox River is holding a series of community workshops (August 7, 8, 13, 14) for their Treasured Views project. Join FOLAR and Scenic Virginia to learn more about this program and to share your favorite view along the Appomattox River in a mapping activity. All community workshops, no matter the date or location, follow the same format, so you are welcome to attend any of them! Please contact Heather Barrar, Regional Trails Program Director, for more information: [email protected] and visit the webpage for details on times, locations, etc. https://folar-va.org/treasured-views/
This email includes:
- Conference registration is open!
- Volunteer Opportunities
- Continuing Education Opportunities
- Other Opportunities
Conference Registration is now Open!
Registration for the 2024 VMN Virtual Statewide Conference is now open. You can find information on the Conference page of the VMN website.
There are three ticket types to choose from so please take a moment to read through that information before clicking the “Register Now” button.
IMPORTANT! Registration will be online and we will use the same system as 2023. It is called “Destiny One” and is managed by Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE).
- For those who attended the 2023 VMN Conference or have registered for any VCE program in the past, you will need to remember/find your login credentials for this system. If you cannot find those credentials, you will need to contact [email protected]
- For anyone who has never used this system, you will need to create an account before you can register. It is on the right side of the landing page under “New User?”
If you have questions, please reach out to Tiffany at [email protected]. She will get back to you as soon as she is able.
Volunteer Opportunities - Training/Interest Surveys
Training for New VBWT Birdability Project
Did you know that 1 in every 4 American adults have a disability? Despite this being a huge portion of the population, disabled people continue to have unequal access to natural resources. A part of this barrier is information-based. If there is any accessibility information on a park's website, it is often very basic (simply stating that a trail is "ADA-compliant") without saying the trail substrate, whether or not there are accessible restrooms, or benches, to name a few.
With the help of Virginia Master Naturalists, we can help to reduce or remove this information barrier. Birdability is a non-profit group that has created an interactive map (https://birdability.org/map) for finding accessible locations all over the world. Using their resource, we can improve access to Virginia Bird and Wildlife Trail sites, known as great places to view wildlife. Our goal is to put every accessible VBWT site on the map. Watchable Wildlife Biologist Carolyn Rubinfeld will be presenting a training workshop about this exciting new opportunity and how you can help. The day after the training session, we will send information out to all chapters about the activity details, including a Better Impact template so that chapters can approve the activity. Volunteers who want to participate in the activity but who cannot attend the training live should plan on watching the recording.
Date: Thursday, August 15, 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Location: Zoom
Registration: Please pre-register at https://virginiatech.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUudOytrTstG9WOAMaz2iT1bae_KJkA7ry1
Recording: The session will be recorded, and we will share the link for the recording in the following bi-weekly email and on Better Impact.
Catch the King Interest Survey
Catch the King (CTK) is an annual tide mapping event that recruits volunteers to collect flooding data during the Perigean tides—the highest tides of the year. As Wetlands Watch begins planning for this year’s crowdsourced flood data collection event, they would like to hear from YOU! Whether you’re a new or returning volunteer, a local government seeking flood data, a non-profit hoping to form a team, or just someone interested in the event — please fill out this interest form so they can plan effective outreach and engagement this summer.
The Catch the King 2024 event is October 18-20. More info at https://wetlandswatch.org/catchtheking
Continuing Education Opportunities
CE Opportunity Reminder: Project Learning Tree Workshop
There are still spaces open for the Project Learning Tree K-8 workshop on 17 August Staunton River Battlefield State Park in Randolph, 9 AM – 3PM. We know it will be hot, but we will take plenty of breaks in the shade, & the breeze by the river will provide respite. Get outside, meet new people, & have fun, all while gaining an invaluable set of skills for your chapters & your community. To register, visit https://sites.google.com/site/pltvawebsite/workshops.
Contact: Lesley Newman, Virginia Project Learning Tree Coordinator, [email protected], (434) 981-6742
Project Learning Tree
Virginia Project Learning Tree
Other Opportunities
VMN 20th Anniversary - Your Input Requested
2025 marks the 20th anniversary of the Virginia Master Naturalist program! We are considering different ways to celebrate and to mark the occasion, and we would like feedback from VMN volunteers. Please share your thoughts through this survey. The survey will remain open until September 4.
REMINDER - Call for Submissions - 2025 Recertification Pin Artwork
The 2025 recertification pin, earned by previously certified VMN volunteers who complete at least 40 hours of approved volunteer service and 8 hours of approved continuing education during 2024, will be an image of a native moth species. We chose this group of organisms because moths are under appreciated, yet they are beautiful and very important parts of the food web! Which moth 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 no later than Monday, August 19. Please review the complete guidelines and link for submitting your artwork.
Treasured Views Community Input Opportunity
These events may be of interest to VMN volunteers in the lower Appomattox river region, but they are not intended for VMN CE or volunteer service–just a nice community opportunity!
Friends of the Lower Appomattox River is holding a series of community workshops (August 7, 8, 13, 14) for their Treasured Views project. Join FOLAR and Scenic Virginia to learn more about this program and to share your favorite view along the Appomattox River in a mapping activity. All community workshops, no matter the date or location, follow the same format, so you are welcome to attend any of them! Please contact Heather Barrar, Regional Trails Program Director, for more information: [email protected] and visit the webpage for details on times, locations, etc. https://folar-va.org/treasured-views/
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