SAVE THE DATE! The Virginia Master Naturalist Conference will be from Sept. 15 to 17 this year!

Our 2017 VMN Statewide Conference and Training is just 5 months away, and members of the VMN-Shenandoah Chapter and VMN program staff have been busy planning the program, lining up instructors, making arrangements with the venue, and handling all the logistics to make this our biggest and best conference yet.  This is an exclusive event, open only to VMN volunteers! 

The Venue
We'll be taking over the Northern Virginia 4-H Educational Center in Front Royal, VA, where we will make use of up to 8 classroom and meeting spaces, grounds with a trail that connects to the Appalachian Trail, a large dining hall, and lodging.  The center is on top of a hill with excellent views of a beautiful part of the state.

The Program
We have approximately 40 sessions for attendees to choose from.  Here are some of the topics you can learn about:

• Black Bear Conservation with Seth Thompson of the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries
• Overcoming the Fear of Flora: Learning to Use the Flora of Virginia with native plant experts Marion Lobstein and Sally Anderson
• Protection and Monitoring of High Elevation Plant Species with Wendy Cass of the National Park Service
• Wood Turtle Life History, Movement Ecology, and Conservation with Jonathan Drescher-Lehman of the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute

In addition, we will offer field trips to the Abrams Creek Wetlands Preserve, Shenandoah River State Park, the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, multiple sites in Shenandoah National Park, and other locations in the local area.

On top of all that, if you want to come early, we will have 5 different pre-conference sessions on Friday, including a program at Blandy Experimental Farm and State Arboretum.

Photography is an important part of many Virginia Master Naturalist projects.  Citizen science projects such as Wildlife Mapping, the recent City Nature Challenge, and RareQuest all require photos of observations in order for them to be research-quality.  High quality images, whether mounted on a chapter's display at an Earth Day event or used in a public presentation, can enhance education and interpretive programs.  And, simply documenting VMN projects through photos shared on our photo-sharing site is critical for us to be able to share and describe the work that our volunteers do with all our stakeholders.

Given this central role of photography in the Virginia Master Naturalist program, our annual volunteer photo contest has become a valued tradition.  It started as an expansion of a chapter-wide contest that our Historic Rivers Chapter was doing.  Now, each year, VMN chapters send their top photos to the VMN Statewide Conference and Volunteer Training, and local expert judges select the winners in several categories.  While there's no monetary prize, winners receive ribbons and their photographs are recognized on our website and in our newsletter, as well as at the conference.

Since this statewide contest started in 2012, it has been in print format.  Submissions had to be transported to the contest and  displayed in standard-sized black frames.  We are excited to announce that the 2017 Virginia Master Naturalist Statewide Photography Contest will be conducted in a digital format!  We hope this new format will encourage and make it easier for chapters to enter the contest and also offer an opportunity for a few digital lessons to be learned.  We know it will have a much smaller ecological footprint than frames, mats, packing and printing!

Marie Majarov, 2017 VMN State Conference Photography Contest Coordinator, has prepared a download of useful information to help with image preparation and will be glad to talk with representatives from each chapter to answer questions.  Full contest rules, the entry form, and a digital format guide are posted on the contest webpage.

All Virginia Master Naturalist Chapters are invited to enter photopraphs and may use any means that they wish in order to select photos to submit for representing their chapter at the statewide contest.  Internal chapter contests are encouraged since photography is an important part of VMNs making and recording observations and a skill essential in communicating to the public as part of Education and Outreach.

Each VMN Chapter may enter one photograph in each of the following three categories, for a total of 3 entries per chapter:

• Virginia Flora, Fauna, and Other Species
• Virginia Landscapes and Habitats
• Virginia Master Naturalists in Action

The contest acknowledges the wonderful talent that exists in our membership, as well as the important role that photography can play in teaching and learning about natural resources. The entries will be judged by a qualified group of judges who will select First place, Second place, and Third place for all three categories.  Honorable Mention(s) will be awarded as the judges see fit.  All entered pictures will be exhibited via a slide show at the Northern Virginia 4-H Educational Center for the duration of the 2017 VMN Statewide Conference and Training. 

If all goes well embracing a digital format this year, next year we can expand our categories and opportunities!

Check out the 2016 and 2014 contest winners for inspiration!

Checking in with Natural Heritage

The Virginia Natural Heritage Program with the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation released their annual newsletter last month.  The Virginia Natural Heritage Program's mission is to conserve Virginia's biodiversity through biological inventory, data management and sharing, environmental review, land protection, and the stewardship of the Virginia Natural Area Preserves System.  

In the newsletter, you can learn about Virginia's newest Natural Area Preserve, actions taken to protect one of Virginia's largest populations of hibernating little brown bats, confirmation of an endangered mussel in Nelson County, the discovery of globally rare plants and natural communities, and more.

Virginia Master Naturalists volunteer with Natural Heritage in several ways.  They help provide education, citizen science, and stewardship at the Natural Area Preserves.  VMNs reported more than 800 hours of service at nine Natural Area Preserves in 2016.  This work is most notable on the Eastern Shore, where Dot Field, the VMN-Eastern Shore Chapter Advisor and Eastern Shore Region Steward, says, ​"They are true extensions of my eyes and ears and my hands and feet.  Quality stewardship of Natural Heritage resources on the Eastern Shore would not be possible without Master Naturalist volunteers."

Virginia Master Naturalists also have been collaborating with Natural Heritage on the RareQuest project, through which VMN volunteers visit and document occurrences of rare species across the state.

Along with being extremely supportive sponsors of the VMN program since its inception, Virginia Natural Heritage Program staff have led classes and field trips for VMN chapters and co-developed our Virginia Biogeography curriculum.  Natural Heritage vegetation ecologist Gary Fleming generously shared his high-quality photos and descriptions of Virginia's natural communities for use in our curriculum materials.  You can watch a video version of his presentation on our curriculum page.

Ninety-five native trees were planted at Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve in Leesburg, VA in November as part of the The Living Legacy Project, focused on commemorating soldiers that perished in one of the most defining moments in American history – the American Civil War. On Saturday, April 15, the community gathered to dedicate these trees and acknowledge the tremendous work and partnerships it took to implement this project.

The dedication ceremony featured a keynote speech by Loudoun County Supervisor Geary Higgins, as well as stories of the fallen, and a performance of the National Anthem by local Loudoun County students from Briar Woods High School. This project was accomplished through partnerships with Journey Through Hallowed Ground; Loudoun County Parks, Recreation and Community Services; Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve; and Virginia Master Naturalist Banshee Reeks Chapter.

VMN volunteer Leslie Ashman spearheaded this project and stated “I view these plantings as a means of communal healing for the wounds that our country sustained in the Civil War.” “We plant them with a vision of new life and beauty in areas where Witness Trees still stand.” Ashman worked with Banshee Reeks staff, Ron Circé and Julie Paul, to identify a location for a new trail and native trees suitable for the site. A thousand-foot trail was created by staff, overlooking nearby hills and mountains. The Banshee Reeks Chapter Communications and Outreach Committees advertised and marketed the event to gather volunteers, as well as raise awareness around this unique partnership at the preserve.

Volunteers planted multiple native species, including white oak, black gum, sassafras and the Virginia state tree – flowering dogwood. Each tree will be geo-tagged by volunteers from Booz Allen Hamilton, and will be associated with a Civil War soldier that died during the war. The Living Legacy Project not only recognizes the known soldiers that perished, but also the unknown.

“We’re excited about the partnership, and happy to help establish a native tree planting that will improve habitat and last for generations,” said Susan Sims, Secretary of the Banshee Reeks Chapter Board. “It’ll be a reminder of how much we can do when we work together.”  

The Living Legacy Project is planting one tree for each of the more than 620,000 casualties of the American Civil War over a 180-mile scenic byway from Gettysburg to Monticello. Following the planting at Banshee Reeks, the project has planted over 5,000 trees.

The project was made possible by help from many VMN and community volunteers, and staff from multiple organizations. Special thanks to Banshee Reeks staff; VMN volunteers Leslie Ashman, Susan Sims, Bill Cour, Jonathan Kauffman, Frank McLaughlin, and Sue Robinson; current VMN trainees Jody Brady, Wendy Cook, Karla Etten, Renee Kitt, Carol Matheny, Mike Sanders and Conrad Varblow; volunteers Angela Hepola, Caitlin Marcotte, and Sangam Pullikut; the Aeromodelers Association; and Journey Through Hallowed Ground Chief Operating Officer Michelle Burrelli.  
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The Journey Through Hallowed Ground Partnership is a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising awareness of this region and encouraging Americans and world visitors to appreciate, respect and experience this rich cultural landscape through education and heritage tourism. Visit HallowedGround.org for more information. For more info on the VMN Banshee Reek Chapter, visit vmnbansheereeks.org. 

A 5,000 Hour Milestone

In 2016, Susan Powell, VMN-Historic Rivers Chapter, reached the noteworthy milestone of 5,000 volunteer hours completed and reported.  Susan has been a VMN volunteer since 2006.  She's been a significant leader in the chapter, serving on the board for many years, teaching classes for the basic training course, and overseeing risk management for chapter projects.  She also teaches workshops to train new volunteers in the Wildlife Mapping project; the Historic Rivers Chapter has an extremely organized Wildlife Mapping project that they carry out as a group in several local parks.  Susan also manages to get outdoors to do bird and butterfly counts.  One of Susan's most significant accomplishments was leading the kiosk project at Freedom Park.  In this project, chapter volunteers collected photos, audio files, and descriptions of local wildlife for an electronic kiosk at the park so that visitors can learn about the plants and animals they might see while exploring the area.  

​Only one other VMN volunteer has completed and reported 5,000 hours: Tom Adkins, VMN-Shenandoah, who achieved the milestone at the end of 2014.

Naturally Nelson 2017
--Submitted by Leah Jung, VMN-Rivanna Chapter

On April 20 & 21st several volunteers from VMN's Central Blue Ridge Chapter helped high school students teach environmental science at the annual “Naturally Nelson” event in Nellysford.
 
Bill Plyler, Kim Bryant and Debbie Harkrader oversaw educational stations which included plant structure, function and planting, macroinvertebrates as a measure of stream health, and the interdependent web of food chains. Local fauna, flora and geology were also described while touring the kids through the onsite Natural History center.
 
“This is a win-win event for everyone,” said Leah Jung, Rivanna Chapter Master Naturalist who coordinates the event each year. “Using Environmental Studies Academy students from Western Albemarle High to teach the 4th & 5th graders makes a greater impression on the elementary students, and provides the high schoolers with opportunities to distill their knowledge and mentor younger kids. We doubled the event from last year – hosting 2 elementary schools instead of one – and exposed Nelson County children to the wonder and interconnectedness of nature.”
 
Participant response to the program included: “This is my very first plant and I’m going to try very hard to keep it alive, because I’m excited to have it” (5th grader), “This is the best field trip we’ve ever been on” (Tye River Elementary teacher), and when asked what they learned, “We have to take care of nature!”

York County Volunteer of the Year
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On Tuesday, April 18th, Jan Lockwood was awarded the Volunteer of the Year award for York County at York Hall in Yorktown, for her continued efforts coordinating the Bluebird Trails at New Quarter Park. Jan also coordinates bluebird trails in James City County and Poquoson with HRC Master Naturalist, Lois Ullman, but this award focused just on her efforts in York County.

Virginia State Parks Recognizes the Historic Rivers Chapter

​The 2016 Virginia Blues Award for Exemplary Volunteer Service was presented to the Historic Rivers Chapter of the Virginia Master Naturalists by Jon Tustin, Manager of York River State Park.  He presented this award to the chapter at the general membership meeting on March 12th.  It was awarded for the myriad of support services the chapter's volunteers offer to York River State Park, including but not limited to monitoring two bluebird trails consisting of 56 boxes, inventorying park wildlife through the Wildlife Camera Trap project as well as Wildlife Mapping, assisting with leading school groups, helping with native plant gardens and, of course, stewardship through the removal of invasives,

A Double-Duty Master Naturalist is Recognized

There are some Virginia Master Naturalists who enjoy volunteering so much that they have also committed to the VCE Master Gardener program.  Since volunteer service cannot be double-counted for these two programs, Master Gardeners who are also Master Naturalists must complete and report enough service to maintain their status with each program separately.  VMN-Historic Rivers Chapter member Gwen Harris recently received the York County Master Gardener of the Year award.  Congratulations, Gwen!

Yu-hsin Hsu Recognized for Stewardship in Arlington

The Arlington County Board recognized Yu-hsin Hsu, VMN-Arlington Regional Chapter, as a 2016 recipient of the Bill Thomas Outstanding Park Service Volunteer Award, which honors residents who demonstrate a passionate dedication and support for the county's dynamic programs, natural resources and public open spaces.

From the County's press release: "An ardent supporter of Arlington’s natural resources, Yu-hsin Hsu has volunteered with Long Branch Nature Center, the Arlington Central Library pollinator garden, the Natural Resources Management Unit and Arlington Regional Master Naturalists.

At Long Branch Nature Center, Yu-hsin has been invaluable as a Saturday animal care volunteer since fall 2013, logging about 160 hours and freeing up weekend staff to attend to visitor contact and other activities as well as directing other animal care volunteers in their tasks. In addition to animal care, Yu-hsin helps with invasive exotic plant removals and preparing for twice-yearly native plant sales at the center.

Yu-hsin has been a volunteer with the Arlington Central Library garden project since early spring 2016. At that time, she happened to pass by the Library’s native pollinator garden, where she saw a staff member weeding. Yu-hsin offered to help – she has not stopped helping since.

Margaret Brown, Central Services Division Chief at the Library says of Yu-hsin: “She brings to the garden a spunky energy and perseverance, as well as a similar passion for educating others about the critical importance of pollinators and native plants. She is tireless in her efforts and selfless in her generosity.”

The final piece of Yu-hsin volunteering trifecta is her work with the Department of Parks and Recreation’s Natural Resources Management Unit, educating and involving children in the Remove Invasive Plants (RiP) program, volunteering at the native plant nursery, and with habitat restoration projects. She has also helped inventory County plants and animals through the annual National Geographic Bioblitz, and engages in other conservation and outreach activities through the Master Naturalist Program."

Laurels from the Holston Rivers Chapter
--Submitted by Monica Hoel, VMN-Holston Rivers Chapter

VMN-Holston Rivers Chapter Puts Bioblitz Data to Work
In April 2017, the Holston Rivers Virginia Master Naturalist chapter (HRVMN) will do a service project at Hungry Mother State Park (HMSP) that is a direct result of last year's Bioblitz event. In April 2016, HRVMN members assisted Virginia State Park staff with the execution of a 24-hour Bioblitz within the footprint of HMSP.  One of the discoveries at that event was an invasive Mountain Red Belly Dace that is an invasive threat to the endangered Tennessee Dace. The unwelcome Dace has infiltrated the lake through poor fishing habits (people have been using the tiny fish as bait and then dumping the leftover bait into the lake). On April 29, 2017, HRVMN members will again team up with State Park staff to spend a day working to eradicate the dace from the HMSP lake. The 2016 Bioblitz led to other meaningful outcomes, including the discovery of green salamanders in the Park: the first ever Smyth County sighting of the elusive salamander.

RareQuest Video Receives Film Festival Award 

2016 was the pilot field season for Project RareQuest, a collaboration between the VMN program and the Virginia Natural Heritage Program through which VMN volunteers document occurrences of rare plant and animal species.  The Virginia Native Plant Society provided a grant to get the project started, and we used some of the funds to create a video about the project at the end of the year.  Priya Jaishanker, Audiovisual Media Assistant in the Virginia Tech Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation, produced the film.  

In February, Priya's film, "Mission RareQuest" received one of two runners-up award at the Richmond Environmental Film Festival, and the video was shown on the big screen at the Byrd Theater in Richmond.  If you missed it, you can watch the film on our RareQuest project webpage.

Multiple Fairfax Chapter Volunteers Recognized by Their Communities

VMN-Fairfax Chapter volunteer Shawn Dilles received a Town of Vienna Award for his work to clean up Wolftrap Creek in Vienna, VA.  Over six months, Shawn worked to removed more than 20 bags of trash from a mile-long section of the creek. 

Don Coram and Doug Britt, also VMN volunteers in the Fairfax Chapter, were selected as the 2016 Reston Association Group Volunteer of the Year.

Shawn, Doug, and Don all graduated from the Fairfax Chapter's basic training course in Fall 2016.