Virginia Master Naturalist
Statewide Volunteer Training and Conference 2009

Overview | Registration Link | Lodging and Travel Information | Share Fair | Agenda and Session Descriptions

Objectives

The goal for the Virginia Master Naturalist Statewide Volunteer Training and Conference are (1) to provide a venue for VMN volunteers to share ideas and learn from each other, (2) to provide high-quality advanced training, (3) to provide an opportunity for volunteers to learn about a region of Virginia that may be different from their home community, and (4) to provide a place and time to recognize and reward volunteers for their efforts.

The 2009 conference will be held in Leesburg, Virginia, with field trips into the surrounding area. Our host chapter is the Banshee Reeks Chapter, which trains and meets at Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve. Urban ecology will be one of several conference themes, with a classroom session on conducting environmental education programs in an urban setting and a field session on urban watershed issues.

Agenda and Session Descriptions

Schedule Overview

Friday, October 30
8:30-9:00 am Check-in for pre-conference field trip, pick up lunches In front of the Best Western Leesburg
9:00 am-4:00 pm Pre-conference Trip: Fall Botany and Other Autumnal Delights, Blandy Experimental Farm and Sky Meadows State Park
5:00 pm-6:00 pm Registrations for main conference, Best Western Leesburg
6:00 pm-7:00 pm Supper, Best Western Leesburg
7:00 pm-7:30 pm Welcome and kick-off, program highlights from 2009 with Michelle Prysby, Virginia Master Naturalist Program Coordinator, Best Western Leesburg
7:30 pm-9:00 pm Chapter “share fair” and networking session with dessert social, sign-ups for Saturday morning and Sunday sessions
Best Western Leesburg

Saturday, October 31
(Breakfast on your own, available at the Best Western Leesburg for those staying on site)
8:00 am-8:30 am Registrations for main conference,
Best Western Leesburg8:30 am-9:30 am Concurrent classroom sessions. On Friday night, you will have the opportunity to sign up for one session for each time slot.

1. Leadership Skills for Natural Resource-based Community Issues, Jonah Fogel and Matt Benson, Meeting Room A
2. Frogging By Ear, Lou Verner, Meeting Room B
3. Forest Health and Sustainable Landscaping, Jim McGlone, Meeting Room C

9:30-9:45 am Coffee break
9:45-10:45 am Concurrent classroom sessions

1. Tools for Pools: Citizen Science Techniques for Isolated Wetlands Conservation, Mike Hayslett, Meeting Room A
2. All You Ever Wanted to Know About White-Tailed Deer, John Rohm, Meeting Room B
3. Environmental Education in a Parking Lot: Activities You Can Do in an Urban Setting, Ellen Reynolds, Meeting Room C

11:00 am-5:00 pm Field sessions. Sign up for one session when you register on-line.
Please pick up your lunch before boarding the vehicles.

1. Banshee Botanical Trifecta with Ron Circe, Bill Cour, and Bruce McGranahan FULL
2. On the Wing: Ornithology Field Trip with Joe Coleman
3. Potomac Gorge and Great Falls: Wilderness in a Metropolitan Region with Rod Simmons and Alonso Abugattas FULL
4. Temporary Pools and Marbled Salamanders with Mike Hayslett
5. Urban Ecology and the Occoquan Watershed with Dave Sample and others CANCELLED
6. Aquatic Ecology and Canoe Trip with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation

6:00 pm-7:00 pm Banquet and awards
7:00 pm-8:00 pm Guest speaker: Chris Burkett, Wildlife Action Plan Coordinator, Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. Mr. Burkett will discuss some of the predicted changes to Virginia’s landscape and climate due to global climate change, as well as how these changes could affect Virginia’s wildlife species. He will provide an overview of the situation and a discussion of what Virginia can do to mitigate these effects.
Climate Change and Virginia's Wildlife (PDF version of the presentation)

8:00 pm-? Optional evening social with Halloween movie and popcorn

Sunday, November 1
(Breakfast on your own, available at the Best Western Leesburg for those staying on site)
Please pick up your lunch for the day before going to your session.

7:00 am-2:00 pm Concurrent sessions
You can attend one session or more than one, depending on the timings. Please sign up for the sessions you plan to attend using the sign up sheets posted in the Ballroom.

7:00-10:00 am Early Morning Birding and Nature Walk at Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve with Phil Daley
Front of Best Western Leesburg

9:00 am-12:00 pm Archaeology at Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve with Michael Clem
Meeting Room A

9:00 am-12:00 pm Naturalist Skills at the Smithsonian Naturalist Center with Richard Efthim and Linda Bowman
Front of Best Western Leesburg

9:00 am-12:00 pm Karst Geology from Leesburg, VA to Point-of-Rocks, MD with David McCarthy
Meeting Room B

10:00 am-2:00 pm Destroying Angels and Devil’s Snuff Box: Introduction to Mycology and Mushroom Identification with Jon Ellifritz, Mycological Association of Washington
Meeting Room A

9:00 am-12:00 pm A Zoo in My Luggage, Clyde Marsteller, Historic Rivers and Peninsula Master Naturalist
Meeting Room C

Session Descriptions

Pre-conference Trip: Fall Botany and Other Autumnal Delights

Visit two special sites in northwest Virginia to learn about fall botany and other natural history wonders. Our first stop will be the Blandy Experimental Farm, a field research station associated with the University of Virginia’s Dept. of Environmental Sciences, and home to the State Arboretum of Virginia.  Its 700+ acres include gardens, meadows, woodlots, wetlands, and a woody collection of over 8000 specimens.  On this trip, we’ll explore the Native Plant Trail, a fire-maintained grassland, wetlands, and more. Our second stop will be Sky Meadows State Park. This park, in Clarke and Fauquier counties, offers a peaceful getaway on the eastern side of the Blue Ridge Mountains. With rolling pastures and woodlands, the park boasts beautiful vistas of the foothills and access to the Appalachian Trail. Its rich history is shaped by the development of agriculture and the impact of the Civil War.

Your pre-conference trip fee of $35 includes a boxed lunch, travel by bus, and expert instructors.

Instructors: Steve Carroll is Blandy’s Director of Public Programs.  He is a botanist and ecologist, with particular interest in pollination biology and garden ecology.  He is the co-author of Ecology for Gardeners, published by Timber Press. Other instructors TBA.

Saturday Morning Classroom Sessions

• Leadership Skills for Natural Resource-based Community Issues
  Growth and economic development, land conservation and resource management are often contentious public issues. This session is designed to help concerned citizens strengthen there ability to work with local leaders to manage controversial pubic issues in their communities. We will describe core competencies that include working with scientific and technical information, principled negotiation, and conflict management.
  Presenters: As the community viability specialist for the Virginia Cooperative Extension Northeast District, Dr. Jonah Fogel is helping communities create a vision for their development and build the capacities necessary to carry out their vision. His background includes natural resources, environmental policy, and landscape architecture. As the Northern District Community Viability Specialist, Matt Benson works on a wide variety of program topics related to land use and community planning. His background includes work on public participation in water quality issues.
  Leadership Skills for Natural Resource-based Community Issues (PDF version of the presentation)
  
  
• Frogging By Ear
  Are you looking to identify some of those summer night sounds? This session will focus on learning to identify the calls of frogs and toads.  These skills can be applied in citizen science projects such as the Virginia Frog and Toad Calling Survey, WildlifeMapping, and FrogWatch.
  Presenter: Dr. Lou Verner is a Watchable Wildlife Biologist with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries and a member of the Virginia Master Naturalist Steering Committee.
  The Calls of Virginia Frogs and Toads (PDF version of the presentation)
  
  
• Forest Health and Sustainable Landscaping
  The simplest definition of sustainability is to answer the question “What Would Mother Nature Do?” Learn how Mother Nature, the ultimate sustainable landscaper, keeps forest trees healthy and pick up some tips for your own yard. Find out how deer and non-native plants interrupt these processes. Find out about some of the current threats to Virginia forests and prospects for the future.
  Presenter: Dr. Jim McGlone is the advisor for the Fairfax Chapter of VMN. He is an Urban Forest Conservationist with the Virginia Department of Forestry and a certified arborist. In his work he deals with trees both as populations and as individuals. He has a Ph.D. in ‘the ecology of the human race’ (aka economics) and has learned to apply the concepts learned in his studies to his passion for nature.
  Forest Health (PDF version of the presentation)
  
  
• Tools for Pools: Citizen Science Techniques for Isolated Wetlands Conservation
  Vernal pools and related palustrine wetlands are unique wildlife habitats supporting a vast array of generalist and specialist biota in Virginia. These generally seasonal, non-tidal wetland environments are less-effectively protected and appreciated than other types of larger, more obvious wetlands. This presentation by Virginia's leading vernal pools expert will demonstrate practical aspects for identifying, documenting and preserving these showcases of biodiversity through the use of inventory technologies, educational outreach, citizen involvement and monitoring activities in partnership with the Virginia Vernal Pools Program initiative.
  Presenter: Naturalist in Residence at Sweet Briar College (Dept. of Biology) and Director of the Virginia Vernal Pools Program, Mike Hayslett serves on the Virginia Master Naturalist Steering Committee and as President of the Central Virginia Chapter. Mike's career as a wildlife biologist and conservation educator has focused primarily on his expertise with amphibians and "vernal pool" wetlands.
  Tools for Pools (PDF version of the presentation)
  
  
• All You Ever Wanted to Know About White-tailed Deer
  Are they rats with antlers, Bambis, or just one more player in our increasingly urbanized ecosystems? Dispel myths, get the facts, and discover the mysteries of this seemingly non-mysterious creature.
  Presenter: John Rohm is a wildlife biologist with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. When he's not dealing with deer management issues in Northern Virginia, he is the chapter advisor for the Banshee Reeks and Merrimac Farm Master Naturalist chapters.
  White-tailed Deer (PDF version of the presentation)
  
  
• Environmental Education in a Parking Lot: Activities You Can Do in an Urban Setting
  Get new ideas for activities you can do with youth (and even adults) to teach them about the environment, even in a classroom or a parking lot.
  Presenter: Ellen Reynolds is an environmental educator with the Mountain Soil and Water Conservation District, the director of the Beagle Ridge Herb Farm and Environmental Education Center, and the president of the Beagle Ridge Master Naturalists. She has many years of experience leading environmental education programs in parks, classrooms, and even parking lots.

Saturday Afternoon Field Trips

• Banshee Botanical Trifecta
  Explore the diverse habitats within the 720 acres of Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve – native savannah, riparian flood plain, and forest dendrology. Banshee Reeks is operated by Loudoun County Parks and Recreation and is managed to protect a variety of habitats, including river bottom habitats, mixed hardwood forests, successional fields, meadows, and wetlands. We’ll practice tree, fruit, and nut identification and become familiar with riparian plants. Expect to walk 1-2 miles on gently rolling hills, and also a short ride on the hay wagon!
  Round trip travel time: 30 minutes
  Instructors: Ron Circe is the manager of the Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve and one of the founders of the Banshee Reeks Master Naturalists. He is an experienced naturalist with background in biology, ecology, and geology. Bill Cour is a member and instructor with the Banshee Reeks Master Naturalists and has a natural history certification through the USDA. Bruce McGranahan is the former Loudoun County Environmental Programs Coordinator and the current manager of ANS Rust Sanctuary. He is a member and instructor with the Banshee Reeks Master Naturalists.
  
  
• Ornithology Field Trip
  Ramble around the beautiful 900-acre Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship. Only a few miles south of Harpers Ferry and the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers, this preserve, a stop along the Virginia Bird & Wildlife Trail, includes wetlands, meadows in the valley, rocky outcrops, creeks, seeps and springs, and heavily forested slopes on the Blue Ridge. Walk through tranquil woodlands, explore a meadow and observe a vibrant wetland habitat teaming with life. This is a great opportunity to learn about and observe birds in their native habitat. Bring binoculars if you can! Expect to hike 2 miles with a stream crossing and some easy trail inclines. NOTE: If everyone is up for it, the hike could be extended to about 3.5 miles in order to see more habitat types.
  Round trip travel time: 45 minutes
  Instructor: Joe Coleman is an avid birder and amateur naturalist. He is one of the founders of and is currently the President of the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy whose mission is the preservation and proliferation of wildlife habitat in Loudoun County. He is currently on the Board of the Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship and has been exploring its beautiful habitats for over 10 years. He is active with several other environmental groups and is also one of the founders and the first President of the Friends of Banshee Reeks.
  
  
• Potomac Gorge and Great Falls: Wilderness in a Metropolitan Region
  While we don’t often associate the Washington metropolitan region with wilderness, the Potomac Gorge challenges that notion. On its passage through the Gorge from the hard bedrock of the piedmont to the coastal plain, the Potomac River drops from an elevation of 140 feet to 10 feet. This is one of the steepest and longest fall zones of any major American river into the Atlantic. The piedmont area above the falls and the alluvial riverbed below are host to a wide variety of rare plant and animal species, in several cases to species found nowhere else on earth. The Gorge contains one of Virginia’s most significant hardwood forests and numerous natural communities adapted to the wide range of micro-climates and soils. This field trip, organized by the Fairfax and Arlington Regional Chapters, will explore the geology and rich botanic diversity found in the Gorge. The trail will go from Difficult Run, through Mather Gorge, and to Great Falls. We will walk along the sheer cliffs, see waterfalls and view the river from the palisades some hundred feet above the water. Expect a moderate 3 mile hike on a rocky trail, with some portions that ascend or descend 350 feet over 0.5 miles.
  Round trip travel time: 75 minutes
  Instructors: Rod Simmons has worked as a botanist with the City of Alexandria, the Smithsonian Institution, and the National Park Service. He has extensively surveyed the flora and natural communities of the mid-Atlantic region, especially the inner coastal plain and piedmont of the greater Washington, DC area, along with the underlying geology. Alonso Abugattas is a well-known naturalist who has worked throughout the region for over 19 years and currently serves as Acting Director for Long Branch Nature Center in Arlington County. He has served as an interpreter with the Audubon Naturalist Society, the National Arboretum, the Wintergreen Foundation, and the National Association for Interpretation, as well as with Master Gardeners and Master Naturalists.
  
  
• Temporary Pools and Marbled Salamanders
  Explore unique seasonal wetlands firsthand (aka "sinkhole ponds" and "upland depression swamps") in search of seasonal Marbled Salamanders and other fall flora & fauna found in and around these dynamic environments. Learn the ecological secrets shown and conservation issues faced by these "underdog" wetlands. Join Mike "Swamp Thing" Hayslett for this field outing and never underestimate transitional habitats again! Please bring calf or knee-length rubber boots if you have them so that you can stay dry while exploring!  Expect a minor amount of generally flat walking and bushwhacking into the woods and around wetland areas.
  Round trip travel time: 45 minutes
  Instructor: Naturalist in Residence at Sweet Briar College (Dept. of Biology) and Director of the Virginia Vernal Pools Program, Mike Hayslett serves on the Virginia Master Naturalist Steering Committee and as President of the Central Virginia Chapter. Mike's career as a wildlife biologist and conservation educator has focused primarily on his expertise with amphibians and "vernal pool" wetlands.
  
  
• Urban Ecology and the Occoquan Watershed CANCELLED
  The 600 square mile Occoquan Watershed includes parts of Fairfax, Loudoun, Fauquier, and Prince William counties and Manassas and Manassas Park independent cities. In this urbanized area, it is an important source of drinking water for a large population. On this field trip, we will learn about the particular challenges for this and other urbanized watersheds and we’ll see first hand some of the projects being done to protect the watershed and ensure its healthy future. Our stops will include will include properties of local homeowners who are implementing best practices for watershed management on their own properties. Expect a few very short, easy walks.
  
  
• Aquatic Ecology and Canoe Trip
  Get up close and personal with aquatic habitats during a Chesapeake Bay Foundation educational canoe trip. Learn about aquatic ecology, watersheds, and how it all ends up in the Bay (at least in this part of the state). This trip will also model the field component of a "Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience", an experience that every student in Virginia is supposed to have by graduation. Many of our Master Naturalists are helping their local schools with their MWEEs, and we hope that this field trip will equip more Master Naturalists to do the same. Round-trip travel time: 30 minutes each way
  Instructors: Our instructors will be expert educators and canoe instructors with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, which works to protect and improve the Chesapeake Bay through education, restoration, advocacy, and litigation. Their environmental education program introduces residents to the wonders of the watershed and works to heighten sensitivity, increase knowledge, and empower citizens to take positive action toward the Bay's restoration.

Sunday Classroom Sessions and Field Trips

• Early Morning Birding and Nature Walk at Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve
  NOTE: If the group is interested, the location for this trip may be changed to the neaby Dulles Wetlands Mitigation, which is considered a birding hotspot in Loudoun County! Get up with the birds to see and hear them when they are most active. Enjoy the beauty of Banshee Reeks, a 725-acre nature preserve in the heart of Loudoun County! The preserve consists of succession fields, hardwood forests, wetlands and riverine habitat. Banshee Reeks strives to protect the rich natural environment of varied plant and animal populations within its borders. This is a unique place in the center of Loudoun County due to its size and habitat variation. Goose Creek, a State Scenic River that encompasses abundant and diverse wildlife and associated habitats, runs over two miles along the border of Banshee Reeks. Please bring binoculars if you have them.
  Instructor: Phil Daley has been a camp director and naturalist for Piedmont Environmental Council’s Natural History Day Camp at Banshee Reeks for the past 12 years, and he leads Banshee’s ‘Sunday in the Preserve’ walks, as well as nature walks and classes for Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy (LWC), Audubon Naturalist Society (ANS) and numerous school and scout groups throughout Loudoun County.
  
  
• Archaeological Sites at Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve
  Delve into human history with this presentation of the prehistoric and historic use and occupation of the Banshee Reeks property. We'll look at a sampling of the 36 sites that have been identified at Banshee, ranging from the Archaic Period (circa 8000-1000 B.C.) through the 20th century.
  Instructor: Before coming to work as the Loudoun County Archaeologist, Mike Clem worked for some 12 years throughout the mid-Atlantic region, conducting extensive archaeological surveys of properties, working on both historic and prehistoric sites, and teaching the public about his finds. Mike is the founder and past president of the Banshee Reeks chapter of the Archaeological Society of Virginia and was responsible for conducting the Phase I archaeological survey conducted here at the Preserve.
  
  
• Naturalist Skills at the Smithsonian Naturalist Center
  Spend a few hours at the Smithsonian Institute's Naturalist Center in Leesburg.  Unlike at a typical museum, here you can touch and handle the collections and really sharpen your naturalist skills. Learn how to identify natural "unknown" objects by using observation, research materials and the vast collection of specimens through a fun activity.  Then, using mounted wildlife specimens, learn and practice the art of nature drawing.  Learn how to create your own collections and take time to explore the Naturalist Center.
  Instructors: Richard Efthim is the Program Director of the Naturalist Center. Linda Bowman is a nature artist and a Banshee Reeks Master Naturalist.
  
  
• Karst Geology from Leesburg, VA to Point-of-Rocks, MD
  Learn about the fascinating geology and ecology of karst. Start with a presentation on the historical geography of the Route 15 corridor north of Leesburg containing karst formations. Spend hands-on time with a model of a typical karst cross section with a demonstration of the effects of ground water and pollution on local populations, and then take a short field trip to one or more visible karst outcroppings and sink holes.
  Instructor: David McCarthy is a Public Health Analyst by profession and a Certified Virginia Master Naturalist. In 2008 he received the DCR Project Underground course on karst and participated in the national Karst Conference. He has been actively working on karst education and outreach for the past year as a Virginia Master Naturalist.
  
  
• Destroying Angels and Devil’s Snuff Box: Introduction to Mycology and Mushroom Identification
  Learn the basics of identifying fungi through slides, samples, and a foray into the field at the Audubon Naturalist Preserve in Leesburg. Start in the classroom and carpool a short distance to the foray site.
  Instructor: Jon Ellifritz is a mushrooms expert and the programs chair for the Mycological Association of Washington, an association dedicated to learning and sharing information about fungi.
  
  
• A Zoo in My Luggage
  Learn how one Virginia Master Naturalist turned over a log and discovered a whole new world. Meet (in person!) an amazing array of creatures that inhabit the forest and see a model of how you can bring nature into the classroom to get kids excited about it. The instructor writes, "For years I envisioned collecting local fauna and bringing a “Zoo in My Luggage” to our schools to share the amazing animals that live in our world with us. After I became a Master Naturalist I realized the course had given me the necessary training, knowledge, and tools to put together my “Zoo”. I wanted it to be able to introduce the concepts of ecology, conservation, stewardship of our natural resources and to show the beauty of our natural world...Much to the dismay of my wife our den at home was quickly filled with slithering, hopping, crawling, flying, clicking and hissing creatures."
  Instructor: Clyde Marsteller is a retired Medical Service Corps Officer with the US Army and a Virginia Master Naturalist with the Historic Rivers and Peninsula chapters. He has shared his "Zoo" with over 2000 children and adults.

Last revised on Tuesday, November 17, 2009