Hello, VMNs. The leaves are changing and cooler weather is here! As we enjoy the change of seasons, maybe putting pumpkins and mums on our porches, make sure you’re caught up on the VMN Bi-weekly emails.
This email includes:
Helene Update
Virginia Cooperative Extension has created a Hurricane Helene Resource page with valuable information for those affected by the hurricane. Contributors include state and federal agencies, VCE faculty, and other Extension systems, and the site will be updated as new resources are available. Please share this link as appropriate.
https://ext.vt.edu/hurricane-relief.html
Volunteer Opportunity: DWR Virginia Bird and Wildlife Trail Birdability Project
This activity will engage volunteers in boots-on-the-ground surveying of Virginia Bird and Wildlife Trail sites for accessibility. Volunteers will visit sites to assess accessibility features. Information collected from these surveys will be shown on a crowd-sourced map created by the non-profit Birdability and will be reported to the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources.
To Participate: Watch the DWR training webinar (required). Review the Volunteer VBWT Site List spreadsheet for available sites. Fill out the Volunteer Site Selection Form with your top three VBWT site choices. Signing up for a site means the volunteer is agreeing to review all trails at that location. The DWR project coordinator will reach out to confirm the site assignment.
All training and supplemental materials, including the training webinar, can be found on the VMN website at http://www.virginiamasternaturalist.org/virginia-bird-and-wildlife-trail.html, and, once your chapter approves the activity, they also will be found as part of the activity description in Better Impact.
As with all volunteer activities, this activity must be approved by your chapter. We have made an activity template available to all chapters, so they should have what they need to approve the project and list it correctly in Better Impact.
This activity will be available for a limited time only! Once all the Virginia Bird and Wildlife Trail sites have been reviewed, the goal will be achieved. Let’s get it done!
Questions about participating? Contact Lisa Mease, DWR Watchable Wildlife Technician, [email protected].
Callery Pear Exchange with VDOF
Virginia Department of Forestry (VDOF) has a Callery Pear Exchange scheduled for next month. VDOF launched the Exchange program this past spring with an event in Charlottesville where Virginia residents who removed a Callery pear from their property were eligible to exchange it for a native tree as a one-for-one trade (up to 3 per household). After a positive response, VDOF will now hold similar events throughout the state. So, if you’re a Virginia resident who is willing to drive to Blacksburg for pickup, then you’re eligible to participate.
Date: November 2, 2024
Location: Blacksburg, VA
Time: 9:00-10:30am
Pre-registration required: https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/af6d4dd76b51407a95f171020464eced
NOTE: Pre-registration is required because VDOF has a limited number of trees available.
Continuing Education Opportunities
Rivanna Chapter CE Webinar: Increasing Diversity in the Bay
Date: October 24
Time: 7:00pm
Description: As Vice President for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice, Carmera Wilhite Thomas holds the first official DEIJ position in the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. It is her task to build meaningful partnerships that will strengthen the resilience of the Bay’s diverse communities, make inclusivity a hallmark of the CBF as an organization, and promote clean water, air and environment for everyone. She has been CBF’s Baltimore Program Manager and serves in various ways for the Chesapeake Conservation Corps, Anne Arundel County Watershed Stewards, Friends of Anacostia Park, and Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore, Inc.
Registration: No registration necessary
Location: Zoom
Dedicated Zoom URL: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86071138082
Meeting ID: 860 7113 8082
Passcode if requested: 907295.
October VMN CE Webinar: Exploring the impacts of bird feeding on birds and the people who feed them through participatory science
Date/Time: Tuesday, October 29, 2024, 12:00-1:00 pm
Pre-registration Required: https://virginiatech.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUvcOqvpjkvGNI-2T5bI5lbFhAZr6-S8N8k
Note: As with all of our monthly VMN CE webinars, the webinar will be recorded and posted on our website. No need to ask us if it will be recorded!
Description: Millions of people feed birds every day, engaging in what has been described as a large-scale "unplanned experiment". However, there is still much we do not understand about the impacts of this hobby on birds and the people who feed them. How do we balance the benefits to birds, such as bolstering declining populations and allowing for success in rapidly urbanizing areas, against the drawbacks, like increased disease and predation risk? How do we take into account the feelings of wellbeing and benefits of connecting with nature that people experience when making recommendations about when, where, and how people should feed birds? And finally, what influences people to make decisions about how they feed birds, and how might we craft recommendations that people are likely to follow? We'll discuss all of these questions as we dive into a research partnership between Project FeederWatch, Virginia Tech, the Ohio State University, and University of Georgia that explores both the human and avian sides of bird feeding. In addition, we'll discuss the role of participatory scientist members of Project FeederWatch in this research, and how we can work to make participatory science more inclusive.
Presenter: Kelley Langhans is an interdisciplinary conservation scientist, with a focus on urban ecology, ornithology, access to nature, justice, and human dimensions. She obtained her PhD from Stanford’s Department of Biology, where she studied conservation in human-impacted landscapes and how preserving ecosystems can benefit both people and biodiversity. Kelley is currently a postdoc in the Dayer Human Dimensions lab at Virginia Tech. There, she works in a cross-university interdisciplinary team using a participatory science project, Project FeederWatch, to better understand how bird feeding affects both bird health and human wellbeing. As part of that project, Kelley focuses on diversifying participation in Project FeederWatch and understanding links between bird feeding and human emotions and wellbeing.
Project Learning Tree K-8 Workshop
There are still spaces open for the Project Learning Tree K-8 workshop. Get outside, meet new people, & have fun, all while gaining an invaluable set of skills for your chapters & your community.
Date: November 9, 2024
Time: 9 AM – 4PM
Location: Staunton River Battlefield State Park in Randolph,.
Registration:
https://project-learning-tree.odoo.com/event/new-date-staunton-river-battlefield-state-park-explore-your-environment-34/register
Joint Workshop with Project Learning Tree and Project Wild
The NOVA 4-H Center is hosting a joint workshop for Project Learning Tree (PLT) and Project Wild. This workshop is to help attendees become familiar with this standards-based curriculum in order to facilitate hands-on experiential lessons for youth. While the curriculum is K-12, the workshop will be focusing on lessons for grades 4-6 in this particular training. Any educator (non-formal or formal) or volunteer is welcome to sign up! Please reach out to me with any questions.
Date: November 13, 2024
Time: 10:00am - 4:30pm
Location: Northern Virginia 4-H Center in Front Royal, VA
Registration: https://project-learning-tree.odoo.com/event/project-wild-project-learning-tree-joint-workshop-northern-virginia-4-h-center-35/register
Virginia Bluebird Conference
The Virginia Bluebird Society is hosting their Biennial Conference in Richmond next month.
Dates: November 1-2, 2024
Location: Virginia Crossings Conference Center & Hotel in Glen Allen, VA
Information and registration: https://www.virginiabluebirds.org/2024-vbs-conference.
This email includes:
- Helene Update
- Volunteer Opportunity: DWR Virginia Bird and Wildlife Trail Birdability Project
- Callery Pear Exchange with VDOF
- Continuing Education Opportunities
Helene Update
Virginia Cooperative Extension has created a Hurricane Helene Resource page with valuable information for those affected by the hurricane. Contributors include state and federal agencies, VCE faculty, and other Extension systems, and the site will be updated as new resources are available. Please share this link as appropriate.
https://ext.vt.edu/hurricane-relief.html
Volunteer Opportunity: DWR Virginia Bird and Wildlife Trail Birdability Project
This activity will engage volunteers in boots-on-the-ground surveying of Virginia Bird and Wildlife Trail sites for accessibility. Volunteers will visit sites to assess accessibility features. Information collected from these surveys will be shown on a crowd-sourced map created by the non-profit Birdability and will be reported to the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources.
To Participate: Watch the DWR training webinar (required). Review the Volunteer VBWT Site List spreadsheet for available sites. Fill out the Volunteer Site Selection Form with your top three VBWT site choices. Signing up for a site means the volunteer is agreeing to review all trails at that location. The DWR project coordinator will reach out to confirm the site assignment.
All training and supplemental materials, including the training webinar, can be found on the VMN website at http://www.virginiamasternaturalist.org/virginia-bird-and-wildlife-trail.html, and, once your chapter approves the activity, they also will be found as part of the activity description in Better Impact.
As with all volunteer activities, this activity must be approved by your chapter. We have made an activity template available to all chapters, so they should have what they need to approve the project and list it correctly in Better Impact.
This activity will be available for a limited time only! Once all the Virginia Bird and Wildlife Trail sites have been reviewed, the goal will be achieved. Let’s get it done!
Questions about participating? Contact Lisa Mease, DWR Watchable Wildlife Technician, [email protected].
Callery Pear Exchange with VDOF
Virginia Department of Forestry (VDOF) has a Callery Pear Exchange scheduled for next month. VDOF launched the Exchange program this past spring with an event in Charlottesville where Virginia residents who removed a Callery pear from their property were eligible to exchange it for a native tree as a one-for-one trade (up to 3 per household). After a positive response, VDOF will now hold similar events throughout the state. So, if you’re a Virginia resident who is willing to drive to Blacksburg for pickup, then you’re eligible to participate.
Date: November 2, 2024
Location: Blacksburg, VA
Time: 9:00-10:30am
Pre-registration required: https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/af6d4dd76b51407a95f171020464eced
NOTE: Pre-registration is required because VDOF has a limited number of trees available.
Continuing Education Opportunities
Rivanna Chapter CE Webinar: Increasing Diversity in the Bay
Date: October 24
Time: 7:00pm
Description: As Vice President for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice, Carmera Wilhite Thomas holds the first official DEIJ position in the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. It is her task to build meaningful partnerships that will strengthen the resilience of the Bay’s diverse communities, make inclusivity a hallmark of the CBF as an organization, and promote clean water, air and environment for everyone. She has been CBF’s Baltimore Program Manager and serves in various ways for the Chesapeake Conservation Corps, Anne Arundel County Watershed Stewards, Friends of Anacostia Park, and Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore, Inc.
Registration: No registration necessary
Location: Zoom
Dedicated Zoom URL: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86071138082
Meeting ID: 860 7113 8082
Passcode if requested: 907295.
October VMN CE Webinar: Exploring the impacts of bird feeding on birds and the people who feed them through participatory science
Date/Time: Tuesday, October 29, 2024, 12:00-1:00 pm
Pre-registration Required: https://virginiatech.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUvcOqvpjkvGNI-2T5bI5lbFhAZr6-S8N8k
Note: As with all of our monthly VMN CE webinars, the webinar will be recorded and posted on our website. No need to ask us if it will be recorded!
Description: Millions of people feed birds every day, engaging in what has been described as a large-scale "unplanned experiment". However, there is still much we do not understand about the impacts of this hobby on birds and the people who feed them. How do we balance the benefits to birds, such as bolstering declining populations and allowing for success in rapidly urbanizing areas, against the drawbacks, like increased disease and predation risk? How do we take into account the feelings of wellbeing and benefits of connecting with nature that people experience when making recommendations about when, where, and how people should feed birds? And finally, what influences people to make decisions about how they feed birds, and how might we craft recommendations that people are likely to follow? We'll discuss all of these questions as we dive into a research partnership between Project FeederWatch, Virginia Tech, the Ohio State University, and University of Georgia that explores both the human and avian sides of bird feeding. In addition, we'll discuss the role of participatory scientist members of Project FeederWatch in this research, and how we can work to make participatory science more inclusive.
Presenter: Kelley Langhans is an interdisciplinary conservation scientist, with a focus on urban ecology, ornithology, access to nature, justice, and human dimensions. She obtained her PhD from Stanford’s Department of Biology, where she studied conservation in human-impacted landscapes and how preserving ecosystems can benefit both people and biodiversity. Kelley is currently a postdoc in the Dayer Human Dimensions lab at Virginia Tech. There, she works in a cross-university interdisciplinary team using a participatory science project, Project FeederWatch, to better understand how bird feeding affects both bird health and human wellbeing. As part of that project, Kelley focuses on diversifying participation in Project FeederWatch and understanding links between bird feeding and human emotions and wellbeing.
Project Learning Tree K-8 Workshop
There are still spaces open for the Project Learning Tree K-8 workshop. Get outside, meet new people, & have fun, all while gaining an invaluable set of skills for your chapters & your community.
Date: November 9, 2024
Time: 9 AM – 4PM
Location: Staunton River Battlefield State Park in Randolph,.
Registration:
https://project-learning-tree.odoo.com/event/new-date-staunton-river-battlefield-state-park-explore-your-environment-34/register
Joint Workshop with Project Learning Tree and Project Wild
The NOVA 4-H Center is hosting a joint workshop for Project Learning Tree (PLT) and Project Wild. This workshop is to help attendees become familiar with this standards-based curriculum in order to facilitate hands-on experiential lessons for youth. While the curriculum is K-12, the workshop will be focusing on lessons for grades 4-6 in this particular training. Any educator (non-formal or formal) or volunteer is welcome to sign up! Please reach out to me with any questions.
Date: November 13, 2024
Time: 10:00am - 4:30pm
Location: Northern Virginia 4-H Center in Front Royal, VA
Registration: https://project-learning-tree.odoo.com/event/project-wild-project-learning-tree-joint-workshop-northern-virginia-4-h-center-35/register
Virginia Bluebird Conference
The Virginia Bluebird Society is hosting their Biennial Conference in Richmond next month.
Dates: November 1-2, 2024
Location: Virginia Crossings Conference Center & Hotel in Glen Allen, VA
Information and registration: https://www.virginiabluebirds.org/2024-vbs-conference.