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Bi-weekly Email for June 10

6/10/2025

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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:
  1. Conference Updates
  2. Road Shows - Fun in Christiansburg and Fluvanna!
  3. Being a VMN - you can achieve initial certification anytime!
  4. Birdability - New volunteer protocols and materials ready
  5. Invasive plant video resources from Blue Ridge PRISM
  6. 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: 
  1. Login to MyImpact
  2. Click on the Reports tab
  3. Scroll down to Hours and Feedback Report
  4. 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
  5. Click View Report
  6. Scroll down to view the report
  7. 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.
  8. Find where it says “Total Hours” in your report and note that number down. 
  9. In the same report, find your chapter’s category where you track Continuing Education
  10. Find where it says “Category Total Hours” under your chapter’s Continuing Education category and note that number down.
  11. 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 
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Bi-weekly Email for May 27

5/27/2025

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Silhouette of butterfly with words Virginia Master Naturalists
Hello, VMNs. While this Memorial Day weekend might have been a bit cold and rainy, hopefully you were still able to get outside and enjoy the wet side of nature. When you’re ready to be warm and dry, catch up on the Bi-weekly emails.

This email includes:
  1. Conference Updates
  2. 20th Anniversary Road Shows - first two coming soon!
  3. Pollinator Week
  4. Continuing Education Opportunities

Conference Updates - Program coming soon!
Remember! Our VMN Statewide Conference is in Richmond, September 5-7 at The Westin Richmond. Look for an email later this week with program and instructor information!

Once you’ve found sessions you just can’t miss, remember that there will be multiple registration types to choose from - you can join us for the whole weekend or just for a day. For those who plan to join us for multiple days, the lodging information and booking link can be found on the Statewide Conference page of the VMN website. The group rate will be available until August 14.

We hope to see you there!

20th Anniversary Road Shows - first two coming soon!
We are coming to a picnic shelter near you this summer! As part of our 20th Anniversary celebrations, we are hosting four Roadshows across the state. The first two are June 7 in Christiansburg, VA and June 8 in Palmyra, VA. 

All VMNs are welcome at any of the Roadshows. Each Roadshow is a come as you are, arrive and leave when you can, rain or shine event. Please see this invitation for more details.

Pollinator Week
Thanks to work by the Pollinator Partnership and the Virginia Cooperative Extension Master Gardener program, the governor of Virginia has issued a proclamation declaring June 16-22 as Virginia Pollinator Week. Educational communications and programming about pollinators that week are encouraged! If you or your chapter are putting on a pollinator event, you can submit it through this form, and VCE will help promote it. Be sure to include either a Facebook event listing or a web link for the event, because they may not be able to publish all the details.
[Form link: https://forms.gle/i6exX4AjtDpaLNnt7] 
You can also submit photos from your pollinator events for a round up communication that VCE will do at the end of the month. 
 
Continuing Education Opportunities

Reminder: Virginia Master Naturalist Continuing Education Webinar Series: VMN Educators Bureau Flash Talks
Date: June 12, 2025, 12:00 - 1:00 pm
Description: Virginia Master Naturalists who are part of our program's statewide Educators Bureau will give talks and demonstrations - each no more than five minutes long. Get inspired by these dynamic educators! 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. Lori Chamberlin, Forest Health Manager for the Virginia Department of Forestry, will present on how to look for and report this disease. 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 

Birdability Project Re-Launch and Kickoff Webinar
Description: Together on the Trail: Accessible Birding and the Birdability Map
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. As part of the re-launch, 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!
Around the same time as the webinar, we will publish new training materials and protocols for the project from DWR.
Presenter: Cat Fribley (she/her) is the Executive Director of Birdability. Her background in non-profit development merged with her love of birds and birding and her commitment to disability rights make her uniquely suited for the role. Cat began birding for mental health and healing in college, and had to find new ways to access birding as her form of joy and mindfulness in the natural world after a series of physical injuries and illnesses left her with limited mobility. Her own experiences trying to determine accessible birding opportunities while visiting all 50 states before she turned 50 years old made her acutely aware of the important work of Birdability and especially the Birdability Map, a resource she sorely needed back then, and is passionate about now!
Date: June 10, 7:00-8:00 pm
Pre-registration required
This webinar will be recorded.
Logos for Virginia agencies VCE, DWR, DCR, DOF, VMNH, DEQ and VIMS
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Bi-weekly Email for May 13

5/13/2025

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Silhouette of butterfly with words Virginia Master Naturalists
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Hello, VMNs. Spring is in full swing and things are happening! Lots to do and learn. We hope you will get outside and enjoy it all! When you need some down time, catch up on the Bi-weekly emails.

This email includes:
  1. Being a VMN
  2. Volunteer Opportunities
  3. Continuing Education Opportunities
  4. Other Events of Interest
  5. 20th Anniversary Road Shows

Being a VMN - how many hours do I have to log every year?
Did you know that you don’t have to log 40 hours of approved volunteer service and 8 hours of approved CE every year (the annual “40+8”) just to stay in the VMN Program? While it is expected that all volunteers have an intention to do at least some service, the 40+8 is the requirement for earning Certified VMN status, not for staying enrolled.

There are a few things VMNs have to do though! Here’s what each VMN needs to do annually to stay in the program:
  1. Complete annual Re-enrollment (happens in Dec/Jan).
  2. Be an active member in their chapter in whatever capacity they are able. 
  3. Record any volunteer service or CE hours they do complete.

Volunteer Opportunities

Clean the Bay Day
Clean the Bay Day is Saturday, June 7! This annual event is organized by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and gets thousands of volunteers involved in picking up litter and debris from waterways, trails, and parks throughout the Bay watershed. Sign up to be a volunteer or go a step further and register to be a Zone Captain who helps check in other volunteers and reports back data. Registration deadline is May 28 for most sites and May 15 for Virginia Beach Parks and Recreation sites. All the info you need is at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation Clean the Bay Day webpage. 

Reminder: Do a tree-focused activity in 2025 for our #Treemendous20th!
We are hoping to get all VMN volunteers to do at least one service activity in 2025 that is focused on trees or forests. We’ve got lots of ideas posted online (see Do a Treemendous 20th Service Activity in 2025!) When you report your hours on Better Impact, please be sure to include #Treemendous20th in the Description field for any service or continuing education hours that were tree-focused. So far, 48 volunteers from 14 chapters have reported #Treemendous20th service! Some of the latest entries included leading tree walks, monitoring tree phenology for Nature’s Notebook, and a planting project with The American Chestnut Foundation. Great work!

Continuing Education Opportunities

Virginia Master Naturalist Continuing Education Webinar Series: VMN Educators Bureau Flash Talks
Date: June 12, 2025, 12:00 - 1:00 pm
Description: Virginia Master Naturalists who are part of our program's statewide Educators Bureau will give talks and demonstrations - each no more than five minutes long. Get inspired by these dynamic educators! 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.

Trees to Products Program for Educators
Date: July 7-10, 2024 (Registration due June 25)
Location: Wise, Virginia
Description: The Trees to Products teacher program is designed to provide teachers with factual and credible information about Virginia’s hardwood forests. We link these concepts to the Virginia Standards of Learning and provide training in Project Learning Tree activities. A variety of hardwood forest management techniques and forest product industries will be examined in detail. The goal is to offer teachers an in-the-field tour of sustainable forest management techniques. These management practices not only provide raw materials for processing at local forest product industries but also provide wildlife habitat, recreational opportunities, and sustain forest health to maintain the viewshed and water quality. The wood products produced are widely used in today’s society. Teachers will see and learn about the sustainable and renewable resource of trees and how trees are converted into a variety of everyday products. This program is open to non-formal educators such as VMN volunteers, as well as K-12 teachers!
More Info: Please see this brochure for more details. 
Questions? Contact Bill Worrell, Forestry and Natural Resources Extension Agent, [email protected], 276-889-8056. 

Save the Date: Birdability Project Training and Update
On June 10 at 7:00 pm, we will host a webinar on 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, so this will be a bit of a re-launch. It will be a good opportunity for volunteers who already signed up for the activity to get a refresher in what to do and an opportunity for new volunteers to get involved. Cat Fribley, Executive Director of the nonprofit Birdability, will present. Watch for additional details and signup information in our next bi-weekly email. 

Other Events of Interest

Black Birders Week - May 25-31. They are accepting event submissions only until May 14, and the specific events will be posted on the website after that date.

Powwows in Virginia
May marks the start of powwow season for many of Virginia’s Indian tribes. These community events are a great opportunity to meet people from and learn more about the culture of each of the tribes. Here are some upcoming powwow events.

May 17, Virginia Beach - Rising Sun Pow Wow (Nansemond tribe)
May 24-25, King William - Upper Mattaponi Powwow
May 31-June 1, Monroe - Monacan Indian Nation Powwow
June 21 - West Point - Mattaponi Indian Tribe Pow Wow
July 5 - Courtland - Cheroenhaka (Nottoway) Indian Tribe “Green Corn” Powwow
August 16-17 - Suffolk - Nansemond Indian Nation Pow Wow (details not yet posted)
September 20-21, Surry - Nottoway Indian Tribe Powwow (details not yet posted)
September 27-28, Providence Forge - Chickahominy Indian Tribe Powwow (details not yet posted)

20th Anniversary Road Shows - a reminder​






​
​We are coming to a picnic shelter near you this summer! As part of our 20th Anniversary celebrations, we are hosting four Roadshows across the state. All VMNs are welcome at any of the Roadshows. Each Roadshow is a come as you are, arrive and leave when you can, rain or shine event. Please see this invitation for more details.

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Bi-weekly Email for April 29

4/29/2025

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Hello, VMNs. Lots of items for you this week. Conferences to Road Shows, City Nature Challenges to webinars. If you can find a spare minute, catch up on the Bi-weekly emails.

This email includes:
  1. Conference Update
  2. 20th Anniversary - Road Show Details
  3. Volunteer Opportunities
  4. Continuing Education Opportunities
  5. Other Fun Stuff

Conference Update
The program is coming together and preparations are in full swing for our VMN Statewide Conference in Richmond, September 5-7 at The Westin Richmond. There will be multiple registration types to choose from - you can join us for the whole weekend or just for a day.

For those who plan to join us for multiple days, we have added the lodging information and booking link to the Statewide Conference page of the VMN website. The group rate will be available until August 14.

We hope to see you there!

20th Anniversary Road Show Details
For more details about our four 20th Anniversary Road Show dates and locations, please see this invitation.

Volunteer Opportunities

Project WILD Facilitator
Project WILD is a wildlife-focused environmental education curriculum. The Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources coordinates Project WILD trainings in Virginia and welcomes VMN volunteers to become Project WILD facilitators who then teach other educators how to use the curriculum. More information at https://dwr.virginia.gov/education/project-wild/ and in this activity proposal form.  

City Nature Challenge - iNaturalist Identification Period
The City Nature Challenge is an annual bioblitz focused mainly on urban metro areas (though not exclusively) and it is a friendly competition amongst participating areas.  April 25-April 28 was the observing period, and April 29-May 4 is the additional time added to identify what was found and posted to iNaturalist. You can help make identifications on iNaturalist for any of the locations below, not just the place you live. As always, please check with your chapter leaders for service activity approvals and directions on how to report in Better Impact. We’ve included the current, unofficial tallies below!

Alleghany and Shenandoah Mountains: Alleghany, Augusta, Bath, Highland, Rockbridge counties and Covington, Buena Vista, Lexington, Waynesboro, and Staunton cities. 590 observations of 331 species by 72 observers.
Charlottesville Region: Albemarle, Nelson, Louisa, Orange, Greene, Fluvanna Counties and Charlottesville City. 4,003 observations of 1,126 species by 241 observers.
Eastern Shore: Accomack and Northampton Counties. 1,049 observations of 483 species by 48 observers. 
Greater Richmond Metro Area: Richmond City, Petersburg, Charles City, Chesterfield, Goochland, Hanover, Henrico, New Kent, Powhatan Counties. 1,757 observations of 743 species by 331 observers.
Roanoke: Roanoke city and county. 626 observations of 253 species by 24 observers.
Southwest Piedmont: Danville city, Martinsville city, Franklin, Henry, Patrick, and Pittsylvania counties. 940 observations of 453 species by 41 observers.
Southwest Virginia: Bristol city, Norton city, Buchanan, Dickenson, Lee, Russell, Scott, Smyth, Tazewell, Washington, Wise counties. 1,371 observations of 592 species by 87 observers.
Virginia Pinelands: Franklin, Hopewell, Emporia, Williamsburg cities, Greensville, Isle of Wight, James City, Prince George, Southampton, Suffolk, Surry, Sussex counties. 1,417 observations of 691 species by 104 observers.
Washington D.C. Metro Area:  View the full map of areas included at the link. Includes part or all of where our Fairfax, Arlington Regional, Merrimac Farm, Central Rappahannock, Old Rag, Shenandoah, and Banshee Reeks are active. 45,408 observations of 3,312 species by 2,186 observers. 

Continuing Education Opportunities

Reminder: 
May VMN Continuing Education Webinar: Butterfly population trends in America north of Mexico and their most likely drivers

Date: May 5, 12:00-1:00

Description: Mounting evidence shows that insects are declining world-wide, leading to the so-called "insect apocalypse". Unfortunately, this is also true for butterflies in America and Canada. Leslie Ries will present the evidence showing patterns and trajectories of butterfly declines here in American north of Mexico. She will also summarize a recent study examining the most likely drivers. This story is complicated, but she’ll show that in the 10 years following the 2003 release of seed-coated neonicotinoids, that class of pesticides appears to have the biggest impact on butterfly population declines. She will also be emphasizing an often untold part of this story which is that the only reason scientists can do this research is the efforts of thousands of on-the-ground volunteers who participate in monitoring programs like the North American Butterfly Association's count program and regional networks that do more intensive surveys, including new programs in the Carolinas and Blue Ridge Mountains. With the efforts of community scientists, we will be able to continue to amass the evidence we need on declines and causes that will hopefully allow us to turn the tide on this tragic loss of biodiversity.

Presenter: Leslie Ries is an associate professor at Georgetown University studying how global change impacts biodiversity with a focus on butterflies in America north of Mexico. In addition to carrying out lab, field, and "big data" research on butterflies, she is the co-director of the North American Butterfly Monitoring Network, which provides data management support for the vast majority of groups that run programs where volunteers collect structured survey data. She is also excited to be a new board member of the North American Butterfly Association. Leslie is a native of the DMV, growing up and now living in suburban Maryland.

Leslie Ries is a co-author of the recent study you may have seen in the news showing widespread butterfly declines in the United States using volunteer-collected data sets–including butterfly counts that many of our VMNs have contributed to! 

Registration: Pre-registration required to participate in the live Zoom. As with all our VMN CE Webinars, the recording will be available to anyone on our website within a few days of the event. 

Virginia 4-H Volunteer Training Series
The 4-H program is offering some generalized online trainings for volunteers. These sessions are open to everyone! There is no requirement that you need to be a 4-H volunteer. All sessions will be offered live via Zoom, and then recorded so that anyone may watch them at a later time. Pre-registration required for the live Zoom.
Full descriptions, dates, times, and the registration links are available on this site – which is also where the recordings will be housed:
https://sites.google.com/vt.edu/volunteertraining/home
 
The schedule of sessions includes:
  • April 30, 5:00 pm: Supporting Deaf & Hard of Hearing Youth; Gabe Ringley, 2025 VA 4-H Youth-in-Action Civic Engagement Pillar Winner
  • May 1, 10:00 am: Knowing Your Audience; Joseph Cho & Colleagues; University of Maryland – Maryland 4-H
  • May 4, 6:00 pm: Mission Possible: Planning Backwards to Reach Your Goals; Christina Galardi, VCE Data Integration Specialist 
  • May 5, 5:00 pm: Decoding Your True Colors; Mandi Dolan, VCE 4-H Extension Agent
  • May 6, 5:00 pm: Connecting with Purpose – Communication Strategies for Volunteer Leaders; Christina Ruszczyk-Murray, 
  • May 6, 7:00 pm: VCE Volunteer Engagement Specialist; Tools to Implement the 4-H Thriving Model; Amy Lang & Anna Glenn, University of Maryland – Maryland 4-H 
  • May 7, 7:00 pm: Positive Youth Development: The Heart of Every 4-H Project; Tara Brent & Karen Baker, VCE 4-H Extension Agents 
  • May 8, 7:00 pm: 4-H Excellence in Action: Unlocking the Principles of Program Quality; Alyssa Walden, Associate Specialist & Deputy State 4-H Leader
  • May 13, 7:00 pm: From Club to Career: Your Role in Youth Readiness; Lisa Ingram & Jode Smith, Extension Assistant Professors, West Virginia University
  
Other Fun Stuff: Poetry on the Trail Seeks Submissions
Poetry on the Trail, a project by a Virginia Master Naturalist volunteer in partnership with several other organizations, seeks submissions of nature poetry for two Poetry on the Trail sites. Deadline June 1. Please see https://poetryonthetrail.org/call-for-poetry-submissions/ for the full description of what is needed.
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Bi-weekly Email for April 14

4/15/2025

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Silhouette of butterfly with words Virginia Master Naturalists
VMN 20th anniversary graphic
Hello, VMNs. Hope everyone is enjoying spring so far. When you have time, take a moment to catch up on the Bi-weekly emails.

This email includes:
  1. 20th Anniversary Updates
  2. Thank you for your photos and videos!
  3. Continuing Education Opportunity - VMN webinar
  4. Volunteer Service Opportunity - City Nature Challenge

20th Anniversary Updates







#Treemendous 20th Update
To celebrate the VMN Treemendous 20th anniversary, we are encouraging every VMN volunteer to do at least one service activity in 2025 that directly relates to and benefits trees and/or forests. To date, 17 VMN volunteers have already reported their #Treemendous20th service in Better Impact! Their work has included leading a tree walk on a nature trail, helping to plant 200 longleaf pines, staffing an outreach booth about native trees for a community festival, reporting tree phenology data for Nature’s Notebook, and more! Can we get to 100 volunteers completing and reporting their #Treemendous20th service by our next bi-weekly email? Arbor Day is coming up! And, remember, we have several new Virginia Department of Forestry citizen science activities we are launching as part of the effort.

More details at http://www.virginiamasternaturalist.org/home/do-a-treemendous-20th-service-activity-in-2025

Long-running Project Spotlight?
As part of our VMN 20th anniversary activities, we want to highlight some of your volunteer projects. We are looking for stories of VMN-led projects that either have been going on for more than 15 years or projects that your chapter completed more than 15 years ago that we can look back at in kind of a “where are they now?” sort of way.
 
If your chapter has a long-running project or a project from a long time ago that we can look at retrospectively, we’d like to hear about it! Please send a high-quality photo (if possible) and a description of what the project is/was, when it started, and any impacts it has had to our intern, Abi Mountford, at [email protected] and CC Michelle Prysby at [email protected]. We’ll be using these stories in social media posts, reports, presentations, and possibly an online StoryMap.

Road Show info
We are coming to a picnic shelter near you this summer! As part of our 20th Anniversary celebrations, we are going to host four Roadshows across the state. All VMNs are welcome at any of the Roadshows. Each Roadshow is a come as you are, arrive and leave when you can, rain or shine event.

Roadshow Dates and Locations*, 1:00-3:00pm on each date
Southwest – Saturday, June 7 @ Christiansburg Huckleberry Park in Christiansburg, VA
Central – Sunday, June 8 @ Pleasant Grove Park in Fluvanna, VA
Southeast – Saturday, July 12 @ Machicomoco State Park in Hayes, VA
Northern – Sunday, July 13 @ Ellanor C. Lawrence Park in Chantilly, VA

*Venues are subject to change, but the event date and time will remain the same and the event will be in the same general area.

Thank you for your photos and videos!
Thank you so much to everyone who contributed material for our new VMN video! We have so much great content! I don’t know yet what will get used in the 3-minute video, but we will be using as much of the rest of the material as we can in other ways this year (social media posts, etc.) It has been an amazing crowdsourcing effort!

Even though we are closing the window for contributing for this particular video, please know that the VMN state office welcomes your photos and videos anytime, especially high-resolution material that shows VMN volunteers in action. We use these in presentations, reports, media requests, and so many more places, and we always need current, high-quality material!

May VMN Continuing Education Webinar: Butterfly population trends in America north of Mexico and their most likely drivers
Date: May 5, 12:00-1:00

Description: Mounting evidence shows that insects are declining world-wide, leading to the so-called "insect apocalypse". Unfortunately, this is also true for butterflies in America and Canada. Leslie Ries will present the evidence showing patterns and trajectories of butterfly declines here in American north of Mexico. She will also summarize a recent study examining the most likely drivers. This story is complicated, but she’ll show that in the 10 years following the 2003 release of seed-coated neonicotinoids, that class of pesticides appears to have the biggest impact on butterfly population declines. She will also be emphasizing an often untold part of this story which is that the only reason scientists can do this research is the efforts of thousands of on-the-ground volunteers who participate in monitoring programs like the North American Butterfly Association's count program and regional networks that do more intensive surveys, including new programs in the Carolinas and Blue Ridge Mountains. With the efforts of community scientists, we will be able to continue to amass the evidence we need on declines and causes that will hopefully allow us to turn the tide on this tragic loss of biodiversity.

Presenter: Leslie Ries is an associate professor at Georgetown University studying how global change impacts biodiversity with a focus on butterflies in America north of Mexico. In addition to carrying out lab, field, and "big data" research on butterflies, she is the co-director of the North American Butterfly Monitoring Network, which provides data management support for the vast majority of groups that run programs where volunteers collect structured survey data. She is also excited to be a new board member of the North American Butterfly Association. Leslie is a native of the DMV, growing up and now living in suburban Maryland.

Leslie Ries is a co-author of the recent study you may have seen in the news showing widespread butterfly declines in the United States using volunteer-collected data sets–including butterfly counts that many of our VMNs have contributed to! 

Registration: Pre-registration required to participate in the live Zoom. As with all our VMN CE Webinars, the recording will be available to anyone on our website within a few days of the event. 

Volunteer Opportunity: City Nature Challenge
The City Nature Challenge starts April 25, 2025.  This is an annual bioblitz focused mainly on urban metro areas (though not exclusively) and it is a friendly competition amongst participating areas.  April 25-April 28 is the observing period, and April 29-May 4 is the additional time added to identify what was found and posted to iNaturalist. This year, Virginia has 9 different City Nature Challenge areas. Some of our chapters are holding special educational events and activities. If you are in one of the locations below, City Nature Challenge is a great opportunity to hold an educational event for the public in your community; please consider organizing something or helping one of your local partners do so! As always, please check with your chapter leaders for service activity approvals and directions on how to report in Better Impact.

Alleghany and Shenandoah Mountains: Alleghany, Augusta, Bath, Highland, Rockbridge counties and Covington, Buena Vista, Lexington, Waynesboro, and Staunton cities.
Charlottesville Region: Albemarle, Nelson, Louisa, Orange, Greene, Fluvanna Counties and Charlottesville City
Eastern Shore: Accomack and Northampton Counties 
Greater Richmond Metro Area: Richmond City, Petersburg, Charles City, Chesterfield, Goochland, Hanover, Henrico, New Kent, Powhatan Counties
Roanoke: Roanoke city and county
Southwest Piedmont: Danville city, Martinsville city, Franklin, Henry, Patrick, and Pittsylvania counties
Southwest Virginia: Bristol city, Norton city, Buchanan, Dickenson, Lee, Russell, Scott, Smyth, Tazewell, Washington, Wise counties
Virginia Pinelands: Franklin, Hopewell, Emporia, Williamsburg cities, Greensville, Isle of Wight, James City, Prince George, Southampton, Suffolk, Surry, Sussex counties
Washington D.C. Metro Area:  View the full map of areas included at the link. Includes part or all of where our Fairfax, Arlington Regional, Merrimac Farm, Central Rappahannock, Old Rag, Shenandoah, and Banshee Reeks are active.

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Virginia Master Naturalist Program | 460 Stagecoach Road, Suite E201 | Charlottesville, VA  22902 | Phone: 434-872-4587 | Fax: 434-872-4578

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