Bi-weekly for August 8

 Hello, VMNs. Summer is starting to wind down, school supplies can be found on every store shelf, and our VMN Conference preparations are in full swing. As you look towards fall, be sure to catch up on the  Bi-weekly emails.

This email includes:

1. Conference Updates
2. Updated version of Volunteer Policy Handbook coming soon!
3. Continuing Education Opportunities
4. Reminder: Recert pin artwork submissions due August 18

Conference Updates
Registration opens in 2 days! Very exciting! Here are some Steps to Prep and Five Tips for Success. 

Steps to Prep:

1. Check to see if you already have a VCE account - details on how to do this can be found on the conference web page under Registration
2. Look over the sessions and note your first and second choices for each time slot
3. Note about new waitlist process - must accept within 72 hours

Five Tips for Success:

1. Be open to a diversity of topics and sessions. You might find that a topic that you thought was less interesting turns out to be a fantastic, engaging session (we hope they all are!) Yes, some sessions will be more popular than others and those will fill up faster and have longer waiting lists, but, in total, there are more than enough sessions to accommodate the anticipated number of conference participants. Don’t overlook the on-site classroom sessions—especially if you don’t want to spend your conference time traveling back and forth to the field session sites.
2. Thoroughly read the session information on our website before registration. Pay particular attention to the transportation information for the field sessions. Some of our field sessions are quite far away. Some field sessions require participants to get themselves there, while others require participants to travel in a van or bus. For some, you must depart from the SW Virginia Higher Education Center with the group, and for others, you just meet at the field session location. If these details affect your decision-making about a session, we recommend you read them ahead of time.
3. Be aware that we have a keynote, plenary presentation first thing Saturday morning, followed by on-site concurrent sessions in the later morning. Participants aren’t required to attend the keynote session, but it is the only session available for that time block.
4. If you are able, plan on registering for the Full Conference. This gives you the best chance for getting into at least one field session.
5. This year we are using a new registration system. This means we are all learning together! This new system is administered by Virginia Cooperative Extension and not the VMN State Office so there may be a little bit of a delay in getting help or working out kinks. Please be kind to those who are trying to help and we will do our best to make sure everyone gets registered!

Updated version of Volunteer Policy Handbook will be released August 15
This is a highly-anticipated event! We will send everyone a link to the new document on August 15. We have made several updates and the format is quite different but we think both are for the best. 

This new version is meant to be used electronically and the table of contents lets you click a topic and go straight to that section. We also include direct links to documents on our website when appropriate. We hope it will be easy to navigate and understand. 

We are very excited to make this version available and have committed to making annual updates from now on!

Continuing Education Opportunities
Reminder: VMN CE Webinar, August 8
Come learn all about the fascinating ecology of the river chub at our next VMN CE Webinar, “Chubs are selfish, and that's good for everyone” with Dr. Emmanuel Frimpong. Wednesday, August 8, 12:00 pm. See the CE Webinar Series page of the VMN website for more information and registration. 

Blue Ridge PRISM Summer Brown Bag Webinar
Thursday, August 17: "A Deep Dive Into Aquatic Invasive Plants"
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm, via Zoom
Register:  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/640685396267
Blue Ridge PRISM will be joined by a panel of experts who will discuss aquatic invasive plants. Aquatic invasive plants are plants that have been introduced into the United States from other parts of the world and have adapted to growing in, around, or near water. They are a growing concern in Virginia and beyond, on both private and public lands. Our guest panel will provide some background about aquatic invasives, how they are a problem, and methods for managing them. The panel will then take questions from the audience. If you are able, please submit your questions beforehand during registration. We will also answer some questions live from the audience.
This is a free online webinar. Those who register will receive a copy of the recording. Please contact Blue Ridge PRISM with questions; this webinar is not put on by the VMN office.

Reminder: Artwork Due August 18 for Recertification Pin Contest
Put your artistic talent to use with our 2024 VMN recertification pin artwork contest! Submissions are due August 18. Check out the complete guidelines and link to submit on our website, and submit your rendering of Virginia-creeper or poison ivy. All submissions will be featured in our fall newsletter, and we will announce the winner around the same time.