Hello, VMNs. As we hit our summer stride and it warms up out there, make sure to remember your sun protection when you’re out volunteering - sunscreen, hats, sunglasses, etc. When you take a moment to cool off indoors, catch up on the Bi-weekly emails.
This email includes:
VMN Statewide Conference Updates
The conference program was released last week and we’ve got very cool sessions and field trips planned. The James River and surrounding watershed is a focus, with several field trips along the river, sessions on sturgeon and geology of the Fall Line, and a keynote about how the river has been transformed from a neglected and polluted waterway to the pride of the region. This week, we have added the registration types and fees for the 2025 conference. You can find all the fresh info on our conference webpage. We hope you can join us in September!
20th Anniversary Road Shows
Thanks to the VMN volunteers and special guests who came out for our events in Christiansburg and Fluvanna last weekend! Highlights included hearing from “trailblazer” volunteers Dede Smith (Rivanna Chapter) and Judy Kirwan (New River Valley Chapter) about their experiences getting their chapters started, learning some program history from Jeff Kirwan (VCE, emeritus professor) and Ellen Powell (DOF), making new friends, and eating (too much) cake! Come join us for one of the remaining two events - July 12 at Machicomoco State Park and July 13 at Ellanor C. Lawrence Park in Chantilly (1:00-3:00 pm for both, rain or shine.) Both parks have trails and other activities to enjoy, so you can make a day of it.
Being a VMN - You Can Achieve Initial Certification at Any Time in Your VMN Career
We have a lot of VMNs who think that if a new volunteer does not complete the requirements for initial certification within one year of graduation from basic training, they can never certify. This is FALSE!
Any volunteer can achieve initial certification in any given calendar year by completing and logging 40 hours of volunteer service and 8 hours of CE between January 1 - December 31. It’s that easy!
So if you’ve never managed to achieve certification but would like to try, now is a good time to assess your hours for the year and see how many more you would need by December 31 to achieve initial certification.
Here is how you can check your hours in Better Impact:
Birdability - New Volunteer Protocols and Materials Ready
We are re-launching the Birdability project in which VMN volunteers are visiting sites on the Virginia Bird and Wildlife Trail to collect and report data related to accessibility. Some changes were made to the protocols after the initial launch of the project in Fall 2024. Everything is posted on the website. This is a big project for our sponsor, DWR, and we really need a lot of volunteer power to get all 600+ sites on the Virginia Bird and Wildlife Trail evaluated, so please consider participating! See the ICYMI section below for information on the re-launch webinar (tonight!)
New Invasive Plant Video Resources
The Blue Ridge PRISM has been hard at work producing short videos about invasive plant identification and control. These are great, shareable resources that you can use on social media. They are continuing to add to the library, and there will eventually be at least one ID video and one control video for each of the DCR-listed species over the coming weeks and months. You can find them on YouTube (shorts), Facebook (reels), and Instagram (reels).
In Case You Missed It
For your convenience, here are reminders about several opportunities and events that we’ve published previously and that are coming up soon.
Educators Bureau
The VMN Educators Bureau is an up-to-date listing of VMN volunteers willing to teach other VMNs, give presentations for community groups, lead nature walks, lead environmental education activities for youth, or do any other form of education related to natural resources.
Want to join the Educators Bureau for the first time? Complete our Educators Bureau form between now and June 25.
Already signed up for the Educators Bureau? If you are already in the database, you instead should have already received an email with a personalized link to view and edit your own existing listing. Use that link to make any updates by June 25.
Birdability Project Re-Launch and Kickoff Webinar
Description: Together on the Trail: Accessible Birding and the Birdability Map
We invite you to join Cat Fribley, Executive Director of Birdability, for an engaging session on how we can make birding and the outdoors more inclusive for people with disabilities and other health concerns. This presentation will explore the importance of access in nature, share stories from the field, and the ways YOUR work in Virginia is changing access for folks with disabilities through the Birdability Map!
Date: June 10, 7:00-8:00 pm
Pre-registration required
This webinar will be recorded.
Virginia Master Naturalist Continuing Education Webinar Series: VMN Educators Bureau Flash Talks
Date: June 12, 2025, 12:00 - 1:00 pm
See our website for the full list of topics and presenters.
Pre-registration required.
As always, the VMN CE Webinar will be recorded and posted on our website shortly after the event.
Beech Leaf Disease Survey Training Webinar
Description: In partnership with the Virginia Department of Forestry, we are launching a new monitoring project for VMN volunteers to look for beech leaf disease, an emerging issue for Virginia’s forests. This webinar will be recorded, and, around that time, we also will email information on how to participate in this activity.
Date: Monday, June 16, 12:00-1:00 pm
Pre-registration required
This email includes:
- Conference Updates
- Road Shows - Fun in Christiansburg and Fluvanna!
- Being a VMN - you can achieve initial certification anytime!
- Birdability - New volunteer protocols and materials ready
- Invasive plant video resources from Blue Ridge PRISM
- In Case You Missed It - reminders about upcoming events and opportunities
VMN Statewide Conference Updates
The conference program was released last week and we’ve got very cool sessions and field trips planned. The James River and surrounding watershed is a focus, with several field trips along the river, sessions on sturgeon and geology of the Fall Line, and a keynote about how the river has been transformed from a neglected and polluted waterway to the pride of the region. This week, we have added the registration types and fees for the 2025 conference. You can find all the fresh info on our conference webpage. We hope you can join us in September!
20th Anniversary Road Shows
Thanks to the VMN volunteers and special guests who came out for our events in Christiansburg and Fluvanna last weekend! Highlights included hearing from “trailblazer” volunteers Dede Smith (Rivanna Chapter) and Judy Kirwan (New River Valley Chapter) about their experiences getting their chapters started, learning some program history from Jeff Kirwan (VCE, emeritus professor) and Ellen Powell (DOF), making new friends, and eating (too much) cake! Come join us for one of the remaining two events - July 12 at Machicomoco State Park and July 13 at Ellanor C. Lawrence Park in Chantilly (1:00-3:00 pm for both, rain or shine.) Both parks have trails and other activities to enjoy, so you can make a day of it.
Being a VMN - You Can Achieve Initial Certification at Any Time in Your VMN Career
We have a lot of VMNs who think that if a new volunteer does not complete the requirements for initial certification within one year of graduation from basic training, they can never certify. This is FALSE!
Any volunteer can achieve initial certification in any given calendar year by completing and logging 40 hours of volunteer service and 8 hours of CE between January 1 - December 31. It’s that easy!
So if you’ve never managed to achieve certification but would like to try, now is a good time to assess your hours for the year and see how many more you would need by December 31 to achieve initial certification.
Here is how you can check your hours in Better Impact:
- Login to MyImpact
- Click on the Reports tab
- Scroll down to Hours and Feedback Report
- In the Date Range field, check to make sure the start date is 1/1/2025 (default) and the end date is today’s date
- Click View Report
- Scroll down to view the report
- For anyone in more than one VCE master volunteer program, look for the report that says “Organization: Your VMN Chapter” and use that report only. Everyone else, you will only see one report.
- Find where it says “Total Hours” in your report and note that number down.
- In the same report, find your chapter’s category where you track Continuing Education
- Find where it says “Category Total Hours” under your chapter’s Continuing Education category and note that number down.
- Complete this equation: Total Hours – Category Total Hours for CE = Total Volunteer Service Hours in 2025
Birdability - New Volunteer Protocols and Materials Ready
We are re-launching the Birdability project in which VMN volunteers are visiting sites on the Virginia Bird and Wildlife Trail to collect and report data related to accessibility. Some changes were made to the protocols after the initial launch of the project in Fall 2024. Everything is posted on the website. This is a big project for our sponsor, DWR, and we really need a lot of volunteer power to get all 600+ sites on the Virginia Bird and Wildlife Trail evaluated, so please consider participating! See the ICYMI section below for information on the re-launch webinar (tonight!)
New Invasive Plant Video Resources
The Blue Ridge PRISM has been hard at work producing short videos about invasive plant identification and control. These are great, shareable resources that you can use on social media. They are continuing to add to the library, and there will eventually be at least one ID video and one control video for each of the DCR-listed species over the coming weeks and months. You can find them on YouTube (shorts), Facebook (reels), and Instagram (reels).
In Case You Missed It
For your convenience, here are reminders about several opportunities and events that we’ve published previously and that are coming up soon.
Educators Bureau
The VMN Educators Bureau is an up-to-date listing of VMN volunteers willing to teach other VMNs, give presentations for community groups, lead nature walks, lead environmental education activities for youth, or do any other form of education related to natural resources.
Want to join the Educators Bureau for the first time? Complete our Educators Bureau form between now and June 25.
Already signed up for the Educators Bureau? If you are already in the database, you instead should have already received an email with a personalized link to view and edit your own existing listing. Use that link to make any updates by June 25.
Birdability Project Re-Launch and Kickoff Webinar
Description: Together on the Trail: Accessible Birding and the Birdability Map
We invite you to join Cat Fribley, Executive Director of Birdability, for an engaging session on how we can make birding and the outdoors more inclusive for people with disabilities and other health concerns. This presentation will explore the importance of access in nature, share stories from the field, and the ways YOUR work in Virginia is changing access for folks with disabilities through the Birdability Map!
Date: June 10, 7:00-8:00 pm
Pre-registration required
This webinar will be recorded.
Virginia Master Naturalist Continuing Education Webinar Series: VMN Educators Bureau Flash Talks
Date: June 12, 2025, 12:00 - 1:00 pm
See our website for the full list of topics and presenters.
Pre-registration required.
As always, the VMN CE Webinar will be recorded and posted on our website shortly after the event.
Beech Leaf Disease Survey Training Webinar
Description: In partnership with the Virginia Department of Forestry, we are launching a new monitoring project for VMN volunteers to look for beech leaf disease, an emerging issue for Virginia’s forests. This webinar will be recorded, and, around that time, we also will email information on how to participate in this activity.
Date: Monday, June 16, 12:00-1:00 pm
Pre-registration required
RSS Feed