We invited Virginia Master Naturalist volunteers to share a photo to illustrate their connection to nature in 2020, the year of the global pandemic.  Here we share their images and reflections.  Most of the photos were taken in volunteers’ backyards or at local parks, demonstrating how the wonders of nature can be observed all around us.  

Thank you to everyone who shared a photo!  We think we included them all, but if we missed yours due to a technical error, we apologize.

Captions are not provided for this video because there is no speaking.  There is piano music playing in the background.

Submitted by Monica Hoel and Tanya Hall, VMN-Holston Rivers Chapter

The Holston Rivers Chapter of VMN had purchased the rights to do a showing of the Freshwaters Illustrated film, "Hidden Rivers." The intention was to show it during Abingdon's famous Virginia Highlands Festival in August, but the festival, like everything else in 2020, got cancelled. 

After much hand-wringing, the chapter's sponsor, Tanya Hall (Chief Ranger for Visitor Experience at Hungry Mother State Park) suggested talking to the owner of the drive-in movie theatre that is about 4 miles from the gates to the state park. The drive-in would allow us to follow COVID-19 protocols in addition to providing a unique and fun location. Park Place Drive-In was happy to be part of the plan, and the results were overwhelming. 

The purpose of showing the film was strictly educational, but the group ended up charging a nominal fee to cover the cost of the venue and technical support (and many patrons made donations to support the project).  There was hope of having 40-50 people in the audience at the Highlands Festival, but, on a moonlit night in October, more than 85 cars (more than 160 patrons) pulled into the Park Place Drive-In to watch this beautiful movie about the rivers and aquatic life in Appalachia.  The group also showed two short films; one on bringing back brook trout to Tennessee streams and one on the Hellbender Salamander. 

To add to the fun, one of the "stars" of Hidden Rivers drove up from Chattanooga to join the fun. Casper Cox is featured in the movie talking about the importance of these rivers, and he has written a book on  river snorkeling.  He sold some books and, of course, posed for some pictures.

All in all, the event landed squarely in the "silver linings" category during these unusual times as members noted that the attendance was far greater than any of them imagined. Those in attendance texted, emailed, and added Facebook comments to thank the chapter for an event that opened their eyes to many issues -- and also provided a beautiful evening under the stars.

I moved to Virginia in December of 2007 and quickly discovered the Virginia Master Naturalists.  I was in the 2008 Basic Training Class, the second class for the chapter.  I was so excited; I would go to the public library a few days before each class to read up on the next topic.  As soon as I graduated, I was coaxed into the Basic Training Planning Committee.  The next year, I was drafted to be the Chapter President.  I held may of the positions on the Board since then and continue to serve today after 693 hours. 

I enjoyed 437 hours of Continuing Education so far, which included every State Conference to date.  I think a lot of credit is due the state office for all the wonderful Conferences and Webinars they have organized for our benefit.  

My favorite projects involve Citizen Science (3252 hours!).  I participate in bird counts, FeederWatch and NestWatch.  I monitor rainfall daily and water quality monthly.  I collected acorns for DoF and Callary Pear leaves for a genetics project.  I hunted for rare plant species and froze Orchard Mason Bees, after fishing them out of cups of propylene glycol.  I participated in many Blitzes, hunting for the different species native to Virginia.  I am also a volunteer at the Virginia Museum of Natural History where I have been involved in the Paleontology lab, Archaeology lab, and the Wet Lab (where they keep specimens in alcohol) as well as having the opportunity to do some field work in both Paleontology and Archaeology. 

Last year, I volunteered to lead the Southern Piedmont Native Plant Campaign.  This plus helping the museum’s Education Department with its many festivals gives me 759 hours of Education Service. 

Stewardship project account for 297 hours, most spent on the designing and installing Wildlife Habitats. 

In all, it has been a wonderful 12 years and I’m looking forward to the next 5000 hours! ​​​

By Marissa Guill, graduate student, Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Tech
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The fox squirrel (Sciurus niger) is the largest species of tree squirrel native to the United States. In Virginia, fox squirrel populations are still present in the Delmarva Peninsula and west of the Piedmont into the Appalachians. However east of the Appalachians, particularly in the lower Piedmont and Coastal Plain, fox squirrels are rare and patchily distributed, especially the southeastern subspecies Sciurus niger niger, or the southeastern fox squirrel. Regionally, formerly suitable habitat has been subjected to fragmentation and degradation of mixed pine-hardwood forests and bottomland hardwoods by conversion to agriculture and plantation forestry, as well as decades of fire suppression. At this moment, the southeastern fox squirrel holds an unknown distributional status in Virginia which could ultimately impact future management efforts.

Our goal is to better understand the distribution of fox squirrels in Virginia to reveal important habitat requirements and ecological specialization. We are currently seeking out volunteers and citizen scientists to help us collect sightings of fox squirrels across Virginia. We are specifically seeking observations from counties east of the Blue Ridge mountains, south of interstate 64, north of the North Carolina state line, and all the way east to the coast of Virginia (not including the Delmarva peninsula). Although this is our focus area, we are further trying to identify the overlap or separation of ranges between the eastern fox squirrel (Sciurus niger vulpinus, commonly found in the Blue Ridge), versus the southeastern fox squirrel. Therefore, any observations of fox squirrels in Virginia proves beneficial. 

Differences between the eastern fox squirrel and the southeastern fox squirrel can be difficult to identify as southeastern fox squirrels often vary greatly in pelage and color. However, they do have distinguishing characteristics. Both fox squirrels are larger than grey squirrels with a rounder face. Eastern fox squirrels have light tan to cinnamon orange undersides and the tip of their tail is orange or black. The southeastern fox squirrel differs from the eastern fox squirrel in that it contains black head markings or pelage on the body, as well as white or grey noses and white ears and feet. Their body color can vary from silver, grey, or agouti with greyish, buff, or black characteristics.
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If you have recently seen a fox squirrel or if you would like more information, you can visit our study website at: http://cmi.vt.edu/FoxSquirrel.html. If you would like to send us an observation you can email us at foxsquirrelreport@vt.edu with the date, location, and picture or access our iNaturalist project site at https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/fox-squirrels-sciurus-niger-in-southeastern-virginia-usa. You can also use our email stated above for any further questions about the project and fox squirrels. Thanks for your help Master Naturalists! 

What’s Happening at VIMS 
By Karen Duhring, Middle Peninsula Chapter Advisor

The 4th annual Catch the King citizen science mapping event was held in October during the year’s highest astronomical tides. Virginia Master Naturalists were among nearly 160 volunteers who mapped GPS points along the high tide line of shorelines, coastal bays and creeks from Virginia Beach to the Northern Neck.  Valuable information was gathered even though this year’s citizen science effort was reduced due to the coronavirus pandemic.  The data collected on smartphones by volunteers are used to fine-tune an increasingly accurate tide flood forecast model developed at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS).  Results from the 2020 Catch the King event are displayed online, with a comparison between the model’s forecast and the high tide line captured by the volunteers.
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VIMS field trips and training classes for Virginia Master Naturalists continue to be affected by the coronavirus pandemic. All public events, guided tours and classes at VIMS or sponsored by VIMS off-campus remain suspended.  Hopefully VIMS field trips and classes will resume soon for VMN basic training and continuing education.  Meanwhile, Zoom basic training classes on Wetlands and Coastal Ecology were held for the Historic Southside and Peninsula chapters.  VIMS also offers virtual continuing education opportunities, including the After Hours Lecture series with recordings of Past Lectures, plus a  Multimedia Resource Center.  
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Visit the VIMS web site or contact Karen Duhring for more information and assistance finding resources related to coastal and marine science.