Virginia Master Naturalist Statewide Conference and Volunteer Training 2023
Updates for August 13, 2023!
Hotel info has been updated.
Hotel info has been updated.
Overview | Conference Schedule | Lodging Information | Registration | Travel Information | Volunteering |
Sessions | Instructors
Sessions | Instructors
Our 2023 VMN Conference venue - the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center.
Overview
When
The 2023 Virginia Master Naturalist Statewide Conference and Training will be Friday, September 29 through Sunday, October 1. 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 Holston Rivers and High Knob Chapters welcome VMN volunteers from across Virginia our southwest region. We will be based at the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center in Abingdon, Virginia.
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.
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 2023 Virginia Master Naturalist Statewide Conference and Training will be Friday, September 29 through Sunday, October 1. 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 Holston Rivers and High Knob Chapters welcome VMN volunteers from across Virginia our southwest region. We will be based at the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center in Abingdon, Virginia.
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.
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.
View from Whitetop Mountain, Grayson County, VA. Photo by Michelle Prysby.
Conference Schedule - At-a-glance
Friday, September 29
8:00am-4:00pm -- Pre-conference Field Trips
4:00-6:00pm -- Registration
5:00-6:00pm -- Welcome Reception
6:00-7:00pm -- Dinner
7:00-8:00pm -- Chapter Share Fair
8:00-9:00pm -- Evening Activities (optional)
Saturday, September 30
7:30-9:00am -- Registration
9:00-10:15am -- General Session
10:30am-12:00pm -- Morning Classroom Sessions (on-site)
12:15-1:15pm -- Lunch
1:00-4:30pm -- Afternoon Field Trips (off-site) and Classroom Sessions (on-site)
5:30-6:00pm -- Social
6:00-7:00pm -- Dinner
7:00-8:30pm -- Evening Activities (optional)
Sunday, October 1
7:30-8:30am -- President's Breakfast
7:30am-1:00pm -- Boxed Lunches available for pickup
9:00am-12:00pm -- Field Trips (off-site) and Classroom Sessions (on-site)
Friday, September 29
8:00am-4:00pm -- Pre-conference Field Trips
4:00-6:00pm -- Registration
5:00-6:00pm -- Welcome Reception
6:00-7:00pm -- Dinner
7:00-8:00pm -- Chapter Share Fair
8:00-9:00pm -- Evening Activities (optional)
Saturday, September 30
7:30-9:00am -- Registration
9:00-10:15am -- General Session
10:30am-12:00pm -- Morning Classroom Sessions (on-site)
12:15-1:15pm -- Lunch
1:00-4:30pm -- Afternoon Field Trips (off-site) and Classroom Sessions (on-site)
5:30-6:00pm -- Social
6:00-7:00pm -- Dinner
7:00-8:30pm -- Evening Activities (optional)
Sunday, October 1
7:30-8:30am -- President's Breakfast
7:30am-1:00pm -- Boxed Lunches available for pickup
9:00am-12:00pm -- Field Trips (off-site) and Classroom Sessions (on-site)
Lodging Information
The room blocks for the conference are full! No conference events are happening at a hotel so we recommend the following -
If you still need to book lodging, we recommend doing an internet search of hotels in Abingdon. You can find rooms at various price points on any of the travel booking sites. If you cannot find what you want in Abingdon, check Bristol, VA. Bristol is only a 12-minute drive from Abingdon.
There is also Hungry Mother State Park in Marion which offers cabins and camping. Check their website for availability.
Country Inn and Suites
*Room block is full!
940 East Main Street
Abingdon, VA 24210
Phone: 276-676-2829
Types of room available: Single king rooms, Double queen rooms
Room block cutoff date: August 28, 2023
After this date, block rates no longer apply. Any reservation made would be at the regular rate.
Quality Inn and Suites
*Room block is full!
930 East Main Street
Abingdon, VA 24210
Room block cutoff date: September 15, 2023
After this date, block rates no longer apply. Any reservation made would be at the regular rate.
The room blocks for the conference are full! No conference events are happening at a hotel so we recommend the following -
If you still need to book lodging, we recommend doing an internet search of hotels in Abingdon. You can find rooms at various price points on any of the travel booking sites. If you cannot find what you want in Abingdon, check Bristol, VA. Bristol is only a 12-minute drive from Abingdon.
There is also Hungry Mother State Park in Marion which offers cabins and camping. Check their website for availability.
Country Inn and Suites
*Room block is full!
940 East Main Street
Abingdon, VA 24210
Phone: 276-676-2829
Types of room available: Single king rooms, Double queen rooms
Room block cutoff date: August 28, 2023
After this date, block rates no longer apply. Any reservation made would be at the regular rate.
Quality Inn and Suites
*Room block is full!
930 East Main Street
Abingdon, VA 24210
Room block cutoff date: September 15, 2023
After this date, block rates no longer apply. Any reservation made would be at the regular rate.
Registration
Registration Dates
Steps to Register
Waitlist Procedures - new this year!
If you are on a waitlist for a session and get bumped into that session, you will be sent an email invite. You will have 72 hours to accept the invite into the new session. After that, the invite will go to the next person on the waitlist.
Registration Types and Fees
There are 3 registration types to choose from for the conference.
Full Conference - $285
This registration type includes the following:
Friday/Saturday - $210
This registration type includes the following:
Saturday Training Only - $125
This registration type includes the following:
Breakfasts on both Saturday and Sunday are on your own.
Registration Dates
- Registration will open on August 10 at 6pm.
- Registration will close on September 11 at 11:59pm.
Steps to Register
- Look at the Conference Sessions section below - Before you go to the registration page, take some time to look through the conference sessions on offer and decide your first and second choices for each time slot.
- Click the “Register Now” button above or type this link into your address bar: https://register.ext.vt.edu/portal/events/reg/participantTypeSelection.do?method=load&entityId=2499094
- Online registration is done through Virginia Cooperative Extension's program registration system. To register for our conference, you will need to either have a pre-existing account on that system or create a new account. If you have, at any time in the past, registered online for any type of VCE program, you might already have an account on that system.
- If you know you already have an account on the system, and you know the username and password for that account – Great! You’re all set. When prompted for login information, use the option for “I already have a program participant account” and enter your username and password.
- If you think you have an account on the system, but you have forgotten either the username or password – That’s ok! When prompted for login information, use the option for “I already have a program participant account”, and then use the links for “Forgot User Name” and/or “Forgot Password” to recover your user name and/or reset your password. The system will send an email to the email address associated with your account with the information you need. Be sure to check your spam folder if you don’t receive the email.
- If you don’t have an account on the system yet -- No worries! When prompted for login information, use the option for “I am a new user”. Enter your email, and the system will then have you choose a username and will email you password setup information at the address you provided. If you actually already have an account on the system associated with that email address, you will not be able to create a new account with that same email address. If the system tells you that you already have an account with that email address, then you can use the option above to recover your user name and password.
Waitlist Procedures - new this year!
If you are on a waitlist for a session and get bumped into that session, you will be sent an email invite. You will have 72 hours to accept the invite into the new session. After that, the invite will go to the next person on the waitlist.
Registration Types and Fees
There are 3 registration types to choose from for the conference.
Full Conference - $285
This registration type includes the following:
- Access to Optional Pre-conference Field Trips on Friday
- Training sessions on Saturday and Sunday
- Reception, Dinner and Share Fair on Friday evening
- Lunch and Dinner on Saturday
- Boxed lunch on Sunday
- Access to Optional Evening Activities on Friday and Saturday
Friday/Saturday - $210
This registration type includes the following:
- Access to Optional Pre-conference Field Trips on Friday
- Reception, Dinner and Share Fair on Friday evening
- Access to Optional Evening Activities on Friday
- Training sessions on Saturday
- Lunch on Saturday
Saturday Training Only - $125
This registration type includes the following:
- Training sessions on Saturday
- Lunch on Saturday
Breakfasts on both Saturday and Sunday are on your own.
Travel Information
Making travel plans
Wherever you are coming from, once you hit I-81, it is a straight shot. That said, Abingdon is a pretty long drive for most of you so carpooling is recommended and be sure to allow plenty of time!
GPS will get you to the SWVA Education Center just fine.
Registration and Dinner on Friday night
Registration on Friday night will be available until 6:00pm. If you miss that window, you can register on Saturdayr morning. Dinner will be available until 7:00pm. If you were to miss that window, you would be on your own for dinner.
Parking at venue
Parking at the Southwest Virginia higher Education Center is free.
Making travel plans
Wherever you are coming from, once you hit I-81, it is a straight shot. That said, Abingdon is a pretty long drive for most of you so carpooling is recommended and be sure to allow plenty of time!
GPS will get you to the SWVA Education Center just fine.
Registration and Dinner on Friday night
Registration on Friday night will be available until 6:00pm. If you miss that window, you can register on Saturdayr morning. Dinner will be available until 7:00pm. If you were to miss that window, you would be on your own for dinner.
Parking at venue
Parking at the Southwest Virginia higher Education Center is free.
Volunteering at the Conference
Currently, volunteer slots are open to our two host chapters. If additional help is needed, we will open let everyone know.
Currently, volunteer slots are open to our two host chapters. If additional help is needed, we will open let everyone know.
Conference Sessions
NOTE: This schedule is subject to change.
When viewing the schedule below, click/tap on the date at the top to see the sessions for that day.
NOTE: This schedule is subject to change.
When viewing the schedule below, click/tap on the date at the top to see the sessions for that day.
Conference Instructors