Central Blue Ridge Chapter of the Virginia Master Naturalist Program
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Take a peak inside...
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...to see what Central Blue Ridge can offer!
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VMN Basic Training Course - next course will be offered in 2022
Most of the larger chapters offer Basic Training every year, but CBR is only able to hold a Basic Training course every other year. We held a course in 2020, so our next course will be in 2022. Our indoor training classes take place on Wednesday evenings and Sunday afternoons at the Nelson Center on U.S. 29 in Lovingston. Field trips are generally held on Sunday afternoons. We maintain a list of people who are interested in the next training course, and everyone on the list is notified as soon as we know the dates of the next course. If you would like to be added to that list, please contact Cindy MacRae, at the VA Extension Office in Nelson County: lmacrae@vt.edu Phone: (434) 263-7180. Although the majority of our members live in Nelson County, we have quite a few members who live in Albemarle, Amherst, and Augusta counties and the city of Charlottesville. Let us know if you are interested in knowing more about our chapter!
Most of the larger chapters offer Basic Training every year, but CBR is only able to hold a Basic Training course every other year. We held a course in 2020, so our next course will be in 2022. Our indoor training classes take place on Wednesday evenings and Sunday afternoons at the Nelson Center on U.S. 29 in Lovingston. Field trips are generally held on Sunday afternoons. We maintain a list of people who are interested in the next training course, and everyone on the list is notified as soon as we know the dates of the next course. If you would like to be added to that list, please contact Cindy MacRae, at the VA Extension Office in Nelson County: lmacrae@vt.edu Phone: (434) 263-7180. Although the majority of our members live in Nelson County, we have quite a few members who live in Albemarle, Amherst, and Augusta counties and the city of Charlottesville. Let us know if you are interested in knowing more about our chapter!
Meetings
Due to continuing concerns about Covid transmission, our chapter has put meetings on hold until we receive notification that it is safe to again hold indoor in-person meetings. Once we are back in service, we will hold our meetings the first Thursday of every other month in the conference room at the Nelson Center. The Center is located on the west side of U.S. 29, just south of the traffic light in Lovingston. Turn west at the sign to the County Library and Tourism Office. The Nelson Center is on the south side of the large parking lot. Use the entrance door with the covered canopy.
Normally, our meetings are held in January, March, May, July, September, and November. At the current time, the Nelson Center is not expected to be open for meetings before May. If you are interested in attending a meeting, please contact our chapter advisor (listed below) to ascertain when our first meeting will be held. Our bi-monthly meetings are open to non-members, and each meeting begins at 7 p.m. and ends by 9 p.m. The first half of each meeting features a guest speaker, with a variety of nature topics that are of interest in Virginia.
In addition to our regular meetings, every October we hold a bonfire potluck in a lovely privately-owned park with a lake in Nelson County, and in December, we share a holiday party event with Rockfish Valley Foundation.
Due to continuing concerns about Covid transmission, our chapter has put meetings on hold until we receive notification that it is safe to again hold indoor in-person meetings. Once we are back in service, we will hold our meetings the first Thursday of every other month in the conference room at the Nelson Center. The Center is located on the west side of U.S. 29, just south of the traffic light in Lovingston. Turn west at the sign to the County Library and Tourism Office. The Nelson Center is on the south side of the large parking lot. Use the entrance door with the covered canopy.
Normally, our meetings are held in January, March, May, July, September, and November. At the current time, the Nelson Center is not expected to be open for meetings before May. If you are interested in attending a meeting, please contact our chapter advisor (listed below) to ascertain when our first meeting will be held. Our bi-monthly meetings are open to non-members, and each meeting begins at 7 p.m. and ends by 9 p.m. The first half of each meeting features a guest speaker, with a variety of nature topics that are of interest in Virginia.
In addition to our regular meetings, every October we hold a bonfire potluck in a lovely privately-owned park with a lake in Nelson County, and in December, we share a holiday party event with Rockfish Valley Foundation.
Chapter Projects
CBR members volunteer with state agencies that sponsor the VMN program, local partner organizations, and a number of other environmental organizations in a wide variety of projects. Our projects include Bluebird trails, docent staffing at the Rockfish Valley Foundation museum, an annual butterfly count, monitoring and maintenance on public trail systems, work in a new county park, assistance at two area wildlife rehabilitation sanctuaries, stream monitoring, and leading walks in a variety of nature trails at locations throughout the area. If you have information about volunteer projects or continuing education opportunities that may be of interest to CBR members, please contact our chapter advisor or membership chair at the address below.
CBR members volunteer with state agencies that sponsor the VMN program, local partner organizations, and a number of other environmental organizations in a wide variety of projects. Our projects include Bluebird trails, docent staffing at the Rockfish Valley Foundation museum, an annual butterfly count, monitoring and maintenance on public trail systems, work in a new county park, assistance at two area wildlife rehabilitation sanctuaries, stream monitoring, and leading walks in a variety of nature trails at locations throughout the area. If you have information about volunteer projects or continuing education opportunities that may be of interest to CBR members, please contact our chapter advisor or membership chair at the address below.
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Chapter Advisor and VA Extension Contact Info
Chapter Advisor: Justin Barnes justin.barnes@dof.virginia.gov Phone 434-220-9181 Virginia Department of Forestry Headquarters Fontaine Research Park 900 Natural Resources Drive Suite 800 Charlottesville, Virginia 22903 Administrative Assistant: Cindy MacRae lmacrae@vt.edu Phone: (434) 263-7180 Nelson Extension Office Located in the Nelson Center on U.S. 29, Lovingston PO Box 298 Lovingston, VA 22949 |
CBR Fire Ecology Outing
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2021 Officers
President - Rob Jennings
Vice President – Debbie Harkrader
Secretary – Susan McSwain
Treasurer – Cynthia Elkey
Membership Chair - Stephen Cassola
Chapter Host - Bette Dzamba
Chapter Historian - Susan McSwain
VMS Administrator - Stephen Cassola and Susan McSwain
President - Rob Jennings
Vice President – Debbie Harkrader
Secretary – Susan McSwain
Treasurer – Cynthia Elkey
Membership Chair - Stephen Cassola
Chapter Host - Bette Dzamba
Chapter Historian - Susan McSwain
VMS Administrator - Stephen Cassola and Susan McSwain
Trail Clearing at Sturt Park
Butterfly Count 2018
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DGIF bat expedition, Crozet Tunnel
Sturt Park Workday
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Central Blue Ridge Chapter's
Project RareQuest Team.
Project RareQuest involves trained Virginia Master Naturalist volunteers in monitoring occurrences of rare species of plants and animals.
A nature ramble of the 2016 Basic Training class