Abi Mountford Hello, VMNs. Hope you’re staying warm and dry. It’s reporting season here in the State Office and we are diligently working on all of them - for chapters and Virginia Cooperative Extension and beyond. While we do that, you all can stay informed by catching up on the VMN Bi-weekly emails.
This email includes:
Welcome to our VMN team, Abi Mountford!
We are excited to introduce our new undergraduate intern for VMN Communications and Volunteer Engagement! Abi will be working on a number of different activities this semester, including developing content for social media, collecting photos and videos for storytelling related to our 20th anniversary, and even helping Tiffany organize all the pins and certificates that she’ll mail out later this month. Abi might reach out to you to ask for information about a chapter, activity, or volunteer to highlight in our communications; please respond when she does!
From Abi:
Hello, my name is Abigail Mountford but I prefer to go by Abi. I am a current Junior at Virginia Tech majoring in Environmental Conservation and Society with a minor in Geographical Information Systems (GIS). I am a military brat and have been fortunate enough to grow up across the globe and the United States of America. Virginia is the place I have found that feels the most like home having lived here in different areas in the state for a total time of around 7 years now. I love getting to know more about the area around me and finding a sense of place where I am. In school I participate in a conservation service based organization, spending my time giving back to my community in an environmentally focused way. I look forward to working with the Virginia Master Naturalist program and learning about each chapter and all of the work this program accomplishes.
This email includes:
- New VMN team member
- Giving Day - new challenges
- In case you missed it - links to recordings
- Continuing Education Opportunities
Welcome to our VMN team, Abi Mountford!
We are excited to introduce our new undergraduate intern for VMN Communications and Volunteer Engagement! Abi will be working on a number of different activities this semester, including developing content for social media, collecting photos and videos for storytelling related to our 20th anniversary, and even helping Tiffany organize all the pins and certificates that she’ll mail out later this month. Abi might reach out to you to ask for information about a chapter, activity, or volunteer to highlight in our communications; please respond when she does!
From Abi:
Hello, my name is Abigail Mountford but I prefer to go by Abi. I am a current Junior at Virginia Tech majoring in Environmental Conservation and Society with a minor in Geographical Information Systems (GIS). I am a military brat and have been fortunate enough to grow up across the globe and the United States of America. Virginia is the place I have found that feels the most like home having lived here in different areas in the state for a total time of around 7 years now. I love getting to know more about the area around me and finding a sense of place where I am. In school I participate in a conservation service based organization, spending my time giving back to my community in an environmentally focused way. I look forward to working with the Virginia Master Naturalist program and learning about each chapter and all of the work this program accomplishes.
Abi Mountford in the field.
New Giving Day Challenges
Virginia Tech's Giving Day is February 19-20! This is a 24-hour philanthropic celebration and a chance for everyone to show their support for Virginia Tech programs, including the Virginia Master Naturalist program (which is an Extension program based in the VT College of Natural Resources and Environment.)
Special challenges mean that your gift can go further and do more good than at any other time of the year. This year, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Virginia Master Naturalist program, a gift of $25,000 provided by VMN members will be unlocked once 400 gifts have been made to the Virginia Master Naturalist Annual Fund! Plus, we have an additional challenge gift that unlocks based on having the highest participation in the first hour of the event (12:00-1:00 pm on February 19.)
Giving Day is about participation, not amount, so even small gifts count towards our goals. These funds support many VMN program needs, such as mini-grants to chapters, the statewide conference, and program support staff.
Stay tuned for the links to give, which we will post and share via email later in February.
In Case You Missed It
Recordings from our VMN 20th Anniversary Kickoff and 2024 VMN Awards Announcement are now available.
Continuing Education Opportunities
VMN CE Webinar Series: Ecological forecasting to anticipate the future of forests and freshwaters
Description: Similar to how weather forecasts are used to make decisions ranging from what to wear to disaster preparation, forecasts of ecological systems are increasingly being used to guide environmental decision-making. This talk will introduce ecological forecasting concepts along with applications in forest and freshwater ecosystems.
Presenter: Dr. Quinn Thomas is a Professor in the Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation at Virginia Tech, with a joint appointment in the Department of Biological Sciences. He is also a Faculty Fellow in Data Science. Quinn is the co-director of the Virginia Tech Center for Ecosystem Forecasting, with a mission of using forecasting to understand and manage ecosystems across the globe. Before Virginia Tech, Quinn was a post-doctoral scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, CO. His Ph.D. is in ecology from Cornell University.
Date: Monday, February 24, 12:00-1:00 pm
Location: Zoom, Pre-registration required
*As with all of our VMN CE Webinar Series sessions, this webinar will be recorded and posted to the VMN CE Webinar page within a few days of the live session.
Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden Winter Symposium
Dates: February 12-13
Location: In-person at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden or virtual via recordings
Details: https://www.lewisginter.org/event/winter-symposium-cvnla/
Lahr Native Plant Symposium (organized by Friends of the National Arboretum)
Date: March 29, 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Location: US National Aboretum in Washington, D. C.
Details: 38th Annual Lahr Native Plant Symposium
DEQ Webinars
The Office of Environmental Justice will host 4 webinars this year (the first is March 11) to share information about DEQ programs and resources available across the Commonwealth. Topics to be featured include a general overview of landfills, Chesapeake Bay protection and restoration efforts, Water Planning, Grants. All webinars in this series will be free to attend. Every webinar in this series will be recorded. We will upload the recordings to YouTube as soon as possible after the event, and this web page will be updated to include the recording links. Please note, it may take several days for these recording links to become available.
Details: https://www.deq.virginia.gov/get-involved/education-series
You can also sign up for the DEQ EduSeries email list
Last Chance: Virginia Forest Landowner Education Program’s Woods and Wildlife Conference 2025
Date: February 22 (registration deadline is February 7)
Locations: Blacksburg and Culpeper (two locations, different schedules)
Details: https://forestupdate.frec.vt.edu/landownerprograms/ConferencesandWorkshops2/WoodsandWildlifeConferences.html
Register by February 7.
Flora 101 by Flora of Virginia
The Flora of Virginia Project initiated the Flora Ambassador Program in 2024 in partnership with the Master Naturalists. Nearly 400 of you registered for the introductory webinar, and 22 of you have completed all of the work necessary to become a Flora Ambassador.
If you missed out, please join us in 2025! We are pleased to invite all Virginia Master Naturalists to our free webinar, a Flora 101 demo, where we will show How to Use the Flora of Virginia App and introduce the Ambassador program.
Date: Wednesday, February 26, 2025, 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
Register here: https://bit.ly/FloraAppWebinar
Additional details in the this flyer.
VMN Sponsoring Agencies:
Virginia Tech's Giving Day is February 19-20! This is a 24-hour philanthropic celebration and a chance for everyone to show their support for Virginia Tech programs, including the Virginia Master Naturalist program (which is an Extension program based in the VT College of Natural Resources and Environment.)
Special challenges mean that your gift can go further and do more good than at any other time of the year. This year, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Virginia Master Naturalist program, a gift of $25,000 provided by VMN members will be unlocked once 400 gifts have been made to the Virginia Master Naturalist Annual Fund! Plus, we have an additional challenge gift that unlocks based on having the highest participation in the first hour of the event (12:00-1:00 pm on February 19.)
Giving Day is about participation, not amount, so even small gifts count towards our goals. These funds support many VMN program needs, such as mini-grants to chapters, the statewide conference, and program support staff.
Stay tuned for the links to give, which we will post and share via email later in February.
In Case You Missed It
Recordings from our VMN 20th Anniversary Kickoff and 2024 VMN Awards Announcement are now available.
Continuing Education Opportunities
VMN CE Webinar Series: Ecological forecasting to anticipate the future of forests and freshwaters
Description: Similar to how weather forecasts are used to make decisions ranging from what to wear to disaster preparation, forecasts of ecological systems are increasingly being used to guide environmental decision-making. This talk will introduce ecological forecasting concepts along with applications in forest and freshwater ecosystems.
Presenter: Dr. Quinn Thomas is a Professor in the Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation at Virginia Tech, with a joint appointment in the Department of Biological Sciences. He is also a Faculty Fellow in Data Science. Quinn is the co-director of the Virginia Tech Center for Ecosystem Forecasting, with a mission of using forecasting to understand and manage ecosystems across the globe. Before Virginia Tech, Quinn was a post-doctoral scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, CO. His Ph.D. is in ecology from Cornell University.
Date: Monday, February 24, 12:00-1:00 pm
Location: Zoom, Pre-registration required
*As with all of our VMN CE Webinar Series sessions, this webinar will be recorded and posted to the VMN CE Webinar page within a few days of the live session.
Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden Winter Symposium
Dates: February 12-13
Location: In-person at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden or virtual via recordings
Details: https://www.lewisginter.org/event/winter-symposium-cvnla/
Lahr Native Plant Symposium (organized by Friends of the National Arboretum)
Date: March 29, 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Location: US National Aboretum in Washington, D. C.
Details: 38th Annual Lahr Native Plant Symposium
DEQ Webinars
The Office of Environmental Justice will host 4 webinars this year (the first is March 11) to share information about DEQ programs and resources available across the Commonwealth. Topics to be featured include a general overview of landfills, Chesapeake Bay protection and restoration efforts, Water Planning, Grants. All webinars in this series will be free to attend. Every webinar in this series will be recorded. We will upload the recordings to YouTube as soon as possible after the event, and this web page will be updated to include the recording links. Please note, it may take several days for these recording links to become available.
Details: https://www.deq.virginia.gov/get-involved/education-series
You can also sign up for the DEQ EduSeries email list
Last Chance: Virginia Forest Landowner Education Program’s Woods and Wildlife Conference 2025
Date: February 22 (registration deadline is February 7)
Locations: Blacksburg and Culpeper (two locations, different schedules)
Details: https://forestupdate.frec.vt.edu/landownerprograms/ConferencesandWorkshops2/WoodsandWildlifeConferences.html
Register by February 7.
Flora 101 by Flora of Virginia
The Flora of Virginia Project initiated the Flora Ambassador Program in 2024 in partnership with the Master Naturalists. Nearly 400 of you registered for the introductory webinar, and 22 of you have completed all of the work necessary to become a Flora Ambassador.
If you missed out, please join us in 2025! We are pleased to invite all Virginia Master Naturalists to our free webinar, a Flora 101 demo, where we will show How to Use the Flora of Virginia App and introduce the Ambassador program.
Date: Wednesday, February 26, 2025, 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
Register here: https://bit.ly/FloraAppWebinar
Additional details in the this flyer.
VMN Sponsoring Agencies:
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