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A Community-Based Natural Resources Volunteer Program

Virginia Master Naturalists are volunteer educators, citizen scientists, and stewards helping Virginia conserve and manage natural resources and public lands.

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Featuring the American Chestnut: 2019 Recertification Pin Artwork

10/29/2018

 
Chestnut branch with leaves, an intact burr, and an open burr showing 3 nuts inside
The artwork for the 2019 Virginia Master Naturalist recertification pin is by Linda Duncan, VMN member in the Old Rag Chapter. It features a chestnut branch with leaves, burr, and nuts visible.
Each year, the VMN program creates a special recertification pin to recognize those volunteers who have completed another 40 hours of service and 8 hours of continuing education during the year.  Each pin highlights a different Virginia native species, and the artwork has been almost entirely by VMN volunteers.  Some years, we ask a specific person for a particular photo, drawing, or painting.  In other years, we have had a contest to choose the design.  

For our 2019 recertification pin, we decided on the species (the American Chestnut), and then we invited all VMN volunteers to submit photos and artwork representing that species.  We were completely overwhelmed by the fabulous response!  We have extremely talented volunteers.  In the end, we asked seven individuals in the Virginia Department of Forestry (folks who know both our program and chestnuts well)  to serve as our judges.  We are excited to not only share the winning artwork by Linda Duncan in our Old Rag Chapter (featured above), but also all of the submissions (below).  We think this collection is such an amazing and diverse representation of this iconic species that we are looking for other ways to feature it, with the artists' permission.

Click on any image in the gallery to enlarge it and to see the name of the artist.
Brown and dead chestnut leaf with holes in it
Yellow chestnut leaf alongside twig and flower
Yellow and orange chestnut leaves with a burr alongside
Trunk of chestnut tree with leaf, burr, and nut at the bottom of it.
Photo of golden-orange chestnut leaves in autumn.
Chestnut tree with close-ups of burr, nut, and flowers
Open chestnut burr with several nuts inside on a twig with a green leaf attached
Chestnut branch with flowers and burrs
Chestnut burr with three nuts visible inside
Photo of chestnut burrs on branches with blue sky in background
Photo of chestnut branches and burrs
Close-up of chestnut branch with an intact burr
Chestnut burr with 3 nuts and 2 leaves attached
Chestnut burr with 3 nuts and 2 leaves attached
Two brown chestnuts
Green chestnut leaf alongside a burr with nut inside
Chestnut leaf, burr, and nut
Chestnut branch with leaves, intact burr, and open burr with 3 nuts inside
Circle with drawing of chestnut tree with enlarged leaf and burr with nut and the year 2019
Circle with drawing of chestnut tree with enlarged leaf and burr with nut
Chestnut leaf with flower and burr
Shape of the state of Virginia with 2 chestnut leaves and a chestnut burr inside, alongside the text 2018 and Virginia Master Naturalists.
Chestnut leaf with burr
Chestnut branch with green leaves
Chestnut tree with cream-colored flowers
Chestnut burrs on a branch with green leaves
Close up of open chestnut burr without nuts.
Ronda Ingersoll
11/5/2018 06:02:22 pm

Stunning. Every single one of them!

Elizabeth Bailie
11/6/2018 08:47:58 am

Wow! What really good art work! Thanks to all who submitted! Linda Duncan your submission is truly awesome! Congratulations!

VMN Program
11/6/2018 10:16:34 am

Indeed! We are so fortunate to have such talented and dedicated volunteers.


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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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