Hello, VMNs. Happy Thanksgiving! We hope everyone enjoys the holiday in whatever way is meaningful to you. If you find yourself in a turkey coma, you can spend the time catching up on the VMN Bi-weekly emails.
This email includes:
VMN State Office closed for Thanksgiving Break
The VMN State Office will be closed from November 27-December 1 for the Thanksgiving Holidays. We will be back in the office on December 2, 2024.
Re-enrollment starts on December 2
As we all return from the Thanksgiving holiday, VMN annual Re-enrollment for 2025 will begin! Be looking for an email on December 2 from the VMN State Office with instructions on how to complete Re-enrollment. During the holiday break, before Re-enrollment starts, is a great time to make sure you can log into Better Impact and to catch up on entering your hours.
Being a VMN - Transfers between chapters
As many VMNs know, it is possible for a VMN to transfer between chapters if they move to a new area of the state. Volunteers should keep this in mind if they have plans to relocate in the near future. However, volunteers should also keep in mind that beginning in 2025, the State Office will suspend transfers during the month of January. During that time, the State Office is running End-of-Year Reports and putting together packages of recognition items to send to chapters. It is just a bit too much to try and keep track of transfers in addition to those activities. Transfer requests and processing will pick back up in February.
Reminder: Seeking Nominations for the 2024 VMN Statewide Program Awards
The Virginia Master Naturalist program’s state office is now accepting nominations for six statewide awards.
VMN Social Media News
LinkedIn
VMN is now on LinkedIn! We will be using that social media channel to share occasional, more in-depth articles on natural resource topics written by VMN volunteers and our partners. LinkedIn users can follow us at https://www.linkedin.com/company/virginia-master-naturalist-program. We kicked it off with a fabulous article on mushrooms by VMN volunteer Penny Firth, Central Rappahannock Chapter.
Winter Bird Photos
Our communications intern Quin Campbell is working on a social media post about how birds stay warm in winter. If you have photos you’ve taken (and that you are willing to let us share on social media) that show birds fluffing their feathers, huddling in groups, tucking their feet and legs under their bodies, or just birds in the snow, please send them to Quin at [email protected] by December 3.
Continuing Education Opportunities
VMN Continuing Education Webinars - Joint Webinars with Extension Master Gardeners
NOTE: For our VMN CE Webinar series in December, we have two webinars that are being organized jointly with the Extension Master Gardener Program. The EMG program is handling logistics, so please contact [email protected] with questions.
Invasion Biology Wrap-Up with Jacob Barney
Date: December 3, 2:00 pm
Description: Jacob Barney currently serves as the Director of Virginia Tech’s Invasive Species Collaborative (ISC). The ISC is a faculty collaborative that began in the Global Change Center at Virginia Tech with support from the Fralin Life Sciences Institute and the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost. The ISWG nurtures transdisciplinary collaborations and partnerships with government agencies, NGOs, industry, and communities to promote a deep understanding of the impacts of invasive species on ecosystems and society, and foster an inclusive environment where science and policy meet to tackle this global challenge.
Register for the Dec 3 webinar here
Invasive Plants, Restoration and the Sound of Urban Streams with Gabrielle Ripa
Date: December 19, 2:00 pm
Description: In this presentation, Gabrielle will present her PhD work on acoustic monitoring of stream ecosystems and the impact invasive species have on the acoustic landscape.
Presenter: Gabrielle Ripa is a PhD student at Virginia Tech who is studying how to limit invasive plants on stream restoration projects in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Because of her background in wildlife ecology, Gabrielle is also seeking to connect the changes to the stream environment, due to invasion and restoration, to the animal community through acoustic monitoring. She hopes her work can inform the design of restoration projects that are better at recovering both plant and animal communities.
Register for the Dec 19 webinar here
Webinar from Virginia Tech and Project FeederWatch: Making FeederWatch Inclusive
Date: December 12, 1:00-2:00 pm
Description: Presenters will share summaries of virtual discussions about increasing inclusivity in the bird feeding participatory science project Project FeederWatch. Project FeederWatch staff will also present on next steps they plan to take based on what they have learned. There will be time for Q&A.
Pre-registration required
Other Opportunities
Nutria
Speaking of invasive species, you may be interested in the Chesapeake Bay Nutria Eradication Program. The range of nutria, an invasive aquatic rodent, is continuing to expand westward in Virginia (see the map in the latest CBNEP news update.) Nutria are detrimental to our marshlands. To learn more about them or to report a nutria sighting, visit the CBNEP website at https://www.cbnep.org/.
Funding Still Available for Riparian Forests for Landowners Program
DOF is still encouraging applications for its Riparian Forests for Landowners Program (RFFL), a turnkey program that covers planning, site preparation, planting and one year of maintenance for riparian forest buffer plantings. Landowners, HOAs and civic league communities with or on a body of water can apply from the DOF website. Eligible projects are awarded first-come, first-serve until funding (through the U.S. Forest Service as part of the Inflation Reduction Act) is depleted. More riparian buffers means improved water quality, cleaner air, more wildlife habitat and other benefits. Spread the word to landowners and communities you engage with.
This email includes:
- VMN State Office closure for Thanksgiving Break
- Re-enrollment starts December 2
- Being a VMN - Transfers between chapters
- Seeking Nominations for 2024 VMN Awards
- VMN Social Media News
- Continuing Education Opportunities
- Other Opportunities
VMN State Office closed for Thanksgiving Break
The VMN State Office will be closed from November 27-December 1 for the Thanksgiving Holidays. We will be back in the office on December 2, 2024.
Re-enrollment starts on December 2
As we all return from the Thanksgiving holiday, VMN annual Re-enrollment for 2025 will begin! Be looking for an email on December 2 from the VMN State Office with instructions on how to complete Re-enrollment. During the holiday break, before Re-enrollment starts, is a great time to make sure you can log into Better Impact and to catch up on entering your hours.
Being a VMN - Transfers between chapters
As many VMNs know, it is possible for a VMN to transfer between chapters if they move to a new area of the state. Volunteers should keep this in mind if they have plans to relocate in the near future. However, volunteers should also keep in mind that beginning in 2025, the State Office will suspend transfers during the month of January. During that time, the State Office is running End-of-Year Reports and putting together packages of recognition items to send to chapters. It is just a bit too much to try and keep track of transfers in addition to those activities. Transfer requests and processing will pick back up in February.
Reminder: Seeking Nominations for the 2024 VMN Statewide Program Awards
The Virginia Master Naturalist program’s state office is now accepting nominations for six statewide awards.
- Chapter Leader of the Year
- Volunteer of the Year
- New VMN Volunteer
- Most Impactful Project
- Chapter Advisor of the Year
- Diversity & Inclusion Award
VMN Social Media News
VMN is now on LinkedIn! We will be using that social media channel to share occasional, more in-depth articles on natural resource topics written by VMN volunteers and our partners. LinkedIn users can follow us at https://www.linkedin.com/company/virginia-master-naturalist-program. We kicked it off with a fabulous article on mushrooms by VMN volunteer Penny Firth, Central Rappahannock Chapter.
Winter Bird Photos
Our communications intern Quin Campbell is working on a social media post about how birds stay warm in winter. If you have photos you’ve taken (and that you are willing to let us share on social media) that show birds fluffing their feathers, huddling in groups, tucking their feet and legs under their bodies, or just birds in the snow, please send them to Quin at [email protected] by December 3.
Continuing Education Opportunities
VMN Continuing Education Webinars - Joint Webinars with Extension Master Gardeners
NOTE: For our VMN CE Webinar series in December, we have two webinars that are being organized jointly with the Extension Master Gardener Program. The EMG program is handling logistics, so please contact [email protected] with questions.
Invasion Biology Wrap-Up with Jacob Barney
Date: December 3, 2:00 pm
Description: Jacob Barney currently serves as the Director of Virginia Tech’s Invasive Species Collaborative (ISC). The ISC is a faculty collaborative that began in the Global Change Center at Virginia Tech with support from the Fralin Life Sciences Institute and the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost. The ISWG nurtures transdisciplinary collaborations and partnerships with government agencies, NGOs, industry, and communities to promote a deep understanding of the impacts of invasive species on ecosystems and society, and foster an inclusive environment where science and policy meet to tackle this global challenge.
Register for the Dec 3 webinar here
Invasive Plants, Restoration and the Sound of Urban Streams with Gabrielle Ripa
Date: December 19, 2:00 pm
Description: In this presentation, Gabrielle will present her PhD work on acoustic monitoring of stream ecosystems and the impact invasive species have on the acoustic landscape.
Presenter: Gabrielle Ripa is a PhD student at Virginia Tech who is studying how to limit invasive plants on stream restoration projects in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Because of her background in wildlife ecology, Gabrielle is also seeking to connect the changes to the stream environment, due to invasion and restoration, to the animal community through acoustic monitoring. She hopes her work can inform the design of restoration projects that are better at recovering both plant and animal communities.
Register for the Dec 19 webinar here
Webinar from Virginia Tech and Project FeederWatch: Making FeederWatch Inclusive
Date: December 12, 1:00-2:00 pm
Description: Presenters will share summaries of virtual discussions about increasing inclusivity in the bird feeding participatory science project Project FeederWatch. Project FeederWatch staff will also present on next steps they plan to take based on what they have learned. There will be time for Q&A.
Pre-registration required
Other Opportunities
Nutria
Speaking of invasive species, you may be interested in the Chesapeake Bay Nutria Eradication Program. The range of nutria, an invasive aquatic rodent, is continuing to expand westward in Virginia (see the map in the latest CBNEP news update.) Nutria are detrimental to our marshlands. To learn more about them or to report a nutria sighting, visit the CBNEP website at https://www.cbnep.org/.
Funding Still Available for Riparian Forests for Landowners Program
DOF is still encouraging applications for its Riparian Forests for Landowners Program (RFFL), a turnkey program that covers planning, site preparation, planting and one year of maintenance for riparian forest buffer plantings. Landowners, HOAs and civic league communities with or on a body of water can apply from the DOF website. Eligible projects are awarded first-come, first-serve until funding (through the U.S. Forest Service as part of the Inflation Reduction Act) is depleted. More riparian buffers means improved water quality, cleaner air, more wildlife habitat and other benefits. Spread the word to landowners and communities you engage with.
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