We have been busy this January compiling the annual reports from our chapters.  We're still digging into the stories of the impacts they have made on natural resource conservation and in their communities, but here we provide some of the basic program statistics for 2017.

In 2017, 1,845 volunteers reported nearly 156,000 hours of service, nearly 28,000 hours of continuing education, and more than 127,000 face-to-face exchanges of educational information about natural resources.  The volunteers reported stewardship work at 323 sites across Virginia, including local, state, and national parks, local and state natural areas, trails, schoolyards, and more.  Their service in 2017 is valued at  $4.2 million, based on the 2016 value of a volunteer hour in Virginia as calculated by IndependentSector.org (2017 value is not yet published.)

Watch the spring issue of our quarterly newsletter and our Facebook page, where we will share some specific stories of outcomes and impacts of this service as we dig into those stories!

Thank you to all the volunteers who contributed, either through reporting their service, or by submitting their chapters' annual reports so that we can learn about the great work that you do!

VMNs Make a Difference at Pleasant Grove
Contributed by Walter Hussey, VMN-Rivanna Chapter

Pleasant Grove is a county park in Fluvanna County with 23 miles of trails on more than 800 acres, including 2.5 miles along undeveloped Rivanna riverfront.  VMN volunteers in the Rivanna Chapter have been active in habitat restoration and education at the site. 

VMN volunteers have assisted with the development of a new Nature Room at the Museum, working with partners to acquire the necessary permits for collecting and displaying wildlife artifacts.  VMNs also have generated information for new trail maps on the natural habitats along the trails as well as wildlife, plants and flowers you may see. They have assisted in creating 70+ acres of wildlife meadow and planting 1200+ trees over the last three years.  In addition, they installed and monitor 34 bluebird nest boxes.  And, they have partnered with Fluvanna Master Gardeners on a new Butterfly Garden with over 500 native plants in 4 landscape designs as examples for home pollinator friendly native plant landscapes.  In terms of education events, VMNs lead hikes and nature activities and an annual Earth Day field trip for first and second graders.

In addition to Walter Hussey, who has spearheaded many of these efforts, other Rivanna Chapter volunteers providing major contributions have included Ida Swenson, Jeff Divers, Pat Coldeway, and Deborah Anderson.  A dozen or more additional volunteers from the chapter have assisted with one or more of the projects at the site.

Conservation Educator of the Year

Jody Ullmann, VMN-Tidewater Chapter, received the Garden Club of Virginia Conservation Educator of the Year Award for all of the many programs she has developed both in her work role as the Education Coordinator for Lynnhaven River NOW and in her volunteer role as a Virginia Master Naturalist volunteer in the Tidewater Chapter.  Jody accepted the award at the 2017 Garden Club of Virginia Fall Symposium, where she gave a moving speech describing her programs and the many ways adults can inspire our next generation of natural resource stewards.

VMN-Shenandoah Chapter Hosts a Successful VMN Statewide Conference

The Virginia Master Naturalist 2017 Statewide Conference and Volunteer Training took place in September at the Northern Virginia 4-H Center in Front Royal.  Our Shenandoah Chapter served as the local hosts, assisting with program planning and many other aspects of the conference, which was our biggest ever, with approximately 250 attendees.  They planned and organized special additions to the conference, including field journaling stations and an amazing assortment of handmade door prizes.  In all, 45 members of the chapter supported the conference in some way.  Members of the organizing committee and supporting committees were recognized at the chapter's annual picnic.

Marie Majarov - Marie did an amazing job of redesigning the photo contest process by converting it to a digital format.  She received much praise for the effort.  It will be used for future state contests as well as adopted by many of the chapters.  She also ran our chapter photo contest this year.

Melanie Schneider - Melanie played a big role on our social committee especially in making sure the dining hall looked good for our meals.  In particular she hand crafted 32 beautiful center pieces for the Saturday evening dinner as well as provided wild flower vases for all other meals.

Karl Dydak - Karl was our “Green Team” meaning he took care of all recycling, composting and hydration stations by designing the layouts and setting them up.  This is a new position to the state conference this year.  In addition Karl was always there and willing to help with any tasks.  He really did a lot for the conference.

Sara Dydak - Sara stepped in to take over the role as the volunteer coordinator when we lost the person that had originally signed up for that role.  Sara came on board late in August just when things were really heating up as we prepared for the conference and then over saw the volunteers during the conference itself.  Not an easy job.

Laure Wallace, Margie Miller, Karen Fall, Kelly Macoy - The social committee had a great deal of the work required to prepare for and support the conference.  This group was originally headed by Laure and Margie.  It transitioned to Karen and Kelly during the summer and they headed up a working group we formed to ensure that all of the various tasks would be completed.

Susan Galbraith and Jo Riding - Susan and Jo were responsible for putting together what we called a ‘local interest’ display for the conference.  This display was to inform attendees about interesting things to do in our area.  The end result was quite spectacular and well put together.

Richard Stromberg - Richard was part of the group that oversaw the activities of our chapter as we prepared for the conference.  This was called the Conference Organizing Committee and was made up of 7 of our members and the three individuals from the state office.  Richard’s main task was to help to put together the conference program which in the end was very well received.  He also led some field trips into Shenandoah National Park.

Alex Newhart - Alex Newhart served as the lead organizer for the chapter's contributions to the conference and on our program planning team.  He was instrumental in contacting the chapter's partners to get them engaged in the conference, in recruiting volunteers, and in many other aspects!

By Nancy Heltman, Visitor Services Director, Virginia State Parks, Department of Conservation and Recreation

Virginia State Parks strives to keep much of its park land undeveloped, striving for a developed footprint of no more than 25%. Most parks are far less than that. We have always maintained woodlands and fields in their natural habitat. However, we have also historically made most of the developed areas in our parks look manicured; at the very least the areas along park roads and around facilities.

Realistically while many of our visitors enjoy the natural sections of the park, they primarily do that on trails and many more visitors do not venture much farther than those more manicured developed areas. So other than a pollinator or natural plant garden here or there, and a few wildlife viewing areas we created in the past, an average visitor might not get to view natural habitats close at hand.

We decided to make a change this year and a significant number of our parks began piloting “no mow zones.” The result: colorful wildflower fields, reduced soil erosion, habitat diversity to attract wildlife like small game and pollinators, and reduced staff time, equipment wear and tear, and gasoline/pollution involved in mowing operations. 

Part of the program is to educate our visitors as to why we are making the change (as opposed to letting them assume the staff have just shirked their grass cutting work). Signs explaining the changes and the reasons behind the program have been posted along with smaller signs that indicate areas that are part of the no mow zones.

The signage also provides some “take home ideas” for our visitors so that they can broaden the habitats and improve environmental stewardship habits at home.

​These “no mow areas” now provide increased wildlife viewing opportunities, the sounds of birds, photo ops and research opportunities. 

Even our most rural Virginia Master Naturalist chapters have developed areas within their communities, and learning about ecosystem functions in urban and developed areas is as important as learning about ecosystems in more wild places.  Here are three (of many) ways that you can learn more about urban forests, specifically.  In a future newsletter issue, we will discuss ways that VMN volunteers can put that learning into action through volunteer service relating to urban forestry.

ONE: Attend the upcoming program, “Urban Forests for Your Health:  How Trees Can Save Your Life", organized by Trees Virginia, Virginia’s Urban Forest Council.  The purpose of this bi-annual conference is to present research relating to urban forests and human health.  Speakers from the USDA Forest Service and other organizations will review the research on connections between nature contact and human health, how medical facilities are incorporating nature to improve patient outcomes, how localities are using city parks to address community challenges, and how to communicate the importance of green space to city officials and other people. 

Details: 
November 9, 2017, 8:00 am – 4:00 pm
Algonkian Regional Park, 47001 Fairway Drive, Sterling, VA 20165
Registration and more information at http://treesvirginia.org/events.  Registration closes November 3!

If you miss this event, watch for future urban forestry workshops and roundtables from Trees Virginia; there are several other learning opportunities throughout the year.

​TWO: Review the Virginia Master Naturalist Urban and Developed Systems Ecology and Management curriculum materials.  This collection of videos, readings, presentations, and activities was developed with funding from the Virginia Department of Forestry to give VMN trainees an understanding of how urbanization impacts natural resources and of the many actions we can take to help mitigate these impacts.  Find these materials at http://www.virginiamasternaturalist.org/urban-and-developed-systems.html. 

THREE: Learn more about urban wood utilization.  We talk a lot in our Virginia Master Naturalist curriculum about the importance of urban forests and the ecosystem services they provide.  But, what happens to urban trees when they get sick and die?  In many situations, it wouldn’t be practical to leave the tree in place.  It might be in a place where it could cause property damage or block a road or sidewalk.  Or, the urban tree might still be alive but need to be removed because of a new building or conflict with overhead powerlines.  Possibly the property owner just does not want the tree there anymore for whatever reason.  The wood from an urban tree removed under these circumstances could just be burned or turned into mulch.  There are a lot of other possible uses for that wood, however!  It could be made into much more valuable wood products, such as building lumber, furniture, or flooring.  In some cases, the imperfections, such as knots, found in an urban tree may actually add value, as customers look for wood that has “character” for furniture and other artistic uses.  The Virginia Urban Wood Group aims to provide improve the utilization of Virginia’s urban forest resources through education and enhanced marketing.  Right now, there are few contractors poised to provide the necessary services (e.g., small-scale logging, portable sawmills) to make use of this wood in an economically advantageous way.  The Virginia Urban Wood Group hopes to increase the number of service providers who can fill this niche, and to link them to marketing opportunities.  Read more about this effort at http://treesvirginia.org/outreach/virginia-urban-wood-group. ​