Virginia Master Naturalist Statewide Conference and Volunteer Training 2020
What's new on this page as of March 9, 2020?
Lodging: Rooms were added to our block today
Lodging: Rooms were added to our block today
The Wyndham Virginia Beach Oceanfront will be our home base for the 2020 VMN Confernece (Photo credit: Wyndham Virginia Beach Oceanfront.)
Overview
When
The 2020 Virginia Master Naturalist Statewide Conference and Training will be Friday, September 11 through Sunday, September 13. Pre-conference field trips and activities will take place during the day on Friday, and the main event will run Friday evening through Sunday mid-day.
Where
Our Tidewater and Historic Southside Chapters welcome VMN volunteers from across Virginia to the coast. We will be based at the Wyndham Virginia Beach Oceanfront hotel, just down the road from First Landing State Park.
What
The Virginia Master Naturalist Statewide Conference and Volunteer Training is an opportunity for VMN volunteers to share ideas and learn from each other, to participate in high-quality continuing education sessions, and to learn about a region of Virginia that may be different from their home communities. It's a time and place to recognize and reward volunteers and chapters for all their efforts.
Each year, one or more of our local VMN chapters serve as the host chapter(s) for the conference, helping to choose programming that showcases their local natural areas, presenters, and style. The programming includes both on-site sessions and off-site field trips to visit natural resource highlights of the area. We emphasize hands-on learning and skill-building, trying to choose sessions that relate to the education, citizen science, and stewardship volunteer work that VMN volunteers do.
Who
Due to the nature and limited space of our VMN conference, only certified VMNs, VMN members, VMN trainees, and partners from our state agency sponsors (including chapter advisors) may attend.
When
The 2020 Virginia Master Naturalist Statewide Conference and Training will be Friday, September 11 through Sunday, September 13. Pre-conference field trips and activities will take place during the day on Friday, and the main event will run Friday evening through Sunday mid-day.
Where
Our Tidewater and Historic Southside Chapters welcome VMN volunteers from across Virginia to the coast. We will be based at the Wyndham Virginia Beach Oceanfront hotel, just down the road from First Landing State Park.
What
The Virginia Master Naturalist Statewide Conference and Volunteer Training is an opportunity for VMN volunteers to share ideas and learn from each other, to participate in high-quality continuing education sessions, and to learn about a region of Virginia that may be different from their home communities. It's a time and place to recognize and reward volunteers and chapters for all their efforts.
Each year, one or more of our local VMN chapters serve as the host chapter(s) for the conference, helping to choose programming that showcases their local natural areas, presenters, and style. The programming includes both on-site sessions and off-site field trips to visit natural resource highlights of the area. We emphasize hands-on learning and skill-building, trying to choose sessions that relate to the education, citizen science, and stewardship volunteer work that VMN volunteers do.
Who
Due to the nature and limited space of our VMN conference, only certified VMNs, VMN members, VMN trainees, and partners from our state agency sponsors (including chapter advisors) may attend.
Lodging Information
*Update March 9 at 4:00pm - rooms were added to the VMN block today. If you have any trouble booking a room, please notify Tiffany Brown at tiffany.brown@vt.edu.
We will have a group rate at the Wyndham Virginia Beach Oceanfront. The group rate is $99 per night and will be available until August 9, 2020 or when the group is full. Our room block includes rooms with 1 King or 2 Queens. Our group rate is available beginning 3 days prior to the conference and for 3 days following the end of the conference.
*Note about making your reservation: Make sure you make the reservation directly with the hotel. Do NOT let them transfer you to the central Wyndham reservation center as they cannot access our group.
Wyndham Virginia Beach Oceanfront
5700 Atlantic Avenue
Virginia Beach, VA 23451
(757) 428-7025
Reservations must be made on your own by calling the hotel and using the group name: "VMNA"
Reservations must be made by August 9, 2020 to get the group rate.
Suites are available but are not part of our room block. Ask the hotel about availability and pricing.
Travel Information
We recommend that if your travel plans include arriving in Virginia Beach on Friday afternoon, that you time your trip to arrive at the hotel by 3:00pm. The Tidewater area is known to get very congested and Friday afternoons can be especially difficult. Plan accordingly if possible!
We know that traffic may cause delays for attendees and so we will have Conference Registration open from 4:00pm all the way through dinner. We will also make sure that dinner is available until 8:00pm. If you were to miss that window, you would be on your own for dinner. There is a restaurant in the hotel and many other choices a short drive away.
We recommend that if your travel plans include arriving in Virginia Beach on Friday afternoon, that you time your trip to arrive at the hotel by 3:00pm. The Tidewater area is known to get very congested and Friday afternoons can be especially difficult. Plan accordingly if possible!
We know that traffic may cause delays for attendees and so we will have Conference Registration open from 4:00pm all the way through dinner. We will also make sure that dinner is available until 8:00pm. If you were to miss that window, you would be on your own for dinner. There is a restaurant in the hotel and many other choices a short drive away.
Registration
Registration fee information will be posted here in early May.
Our registration timeline is as follows:
July 6 at 12:00pm - Registration Opens for Conference Volunteers
*This applies to attendees from our host/partner chapters who have signed up to help with specific tasks throughout the conference. Registration links will be sent directly to Conference Volunteers from Terri Keffert in the VMN State Office.
July 14 at 6:00pm - Registration Opens for All
August 23 - Registration Closes
August 28 - Last Day to Request a Full Refund
Registration fee information will be posted here in early May.
Our registration timeline is as follows:
July 6 at 12:00pm - Registration Opens for Conference Volunteers
*This applies to attendees from our host/partner chapters who have signed up to help with specific tasks throughout the conference. Registration links will be sent directly to Conference Volunteers from Terri Keffert in the VMN State Office.
July 14 at 6:00pm - Registration Opens for All
August 23 - Registration Closes
August 28 - Last Day to Request a Full Refund
Volunteering at the Conference
Conference volunteer slots will be available to our host and partner chapters first. If additional help is needed, we will open sign ups to the rest of the state. Information on how VMNs can register to volunteer at the conference will be sent out later this spring by our Conference Volunteer Coordinator, Terri Keffert, to the host chapter liaisons, who will share it with their membership.
Conference volunteer slots will be available to our host and partner chapters first. If additional help is needed, we will open sign ups to the rest of the state. Information on how VMNs can register to volunteer at the conference will be sent out later this spring by our Conference Volunteer Coordinator, Terri Keffert, to the host chapter liaisons, who will share it with their membership.