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group shot of 20 volunteers posed with a Volunteers at Work sign and many filled garbage bags

Mud, Muscle, and Teamwork: Roanoke Valley Master Naturalists Volunteers Come to the Rescue of a Vernal Pool!

A vernal pool at Explore Park has some big reasons to celebrate!

bird nest with a blue egg and a young baby bluebird

Merrimac Farm Master Naturalists Revive a Bluebird Monitoring Trail

Members of the Merrimac Farm Chapter of the Virginia Master Naturalist program successfully partnered with members of the Virginia Bluebird Society to revive an eastern bluebird monitoring trail in Chestnut Grove Cemetery in Herndon. 

volunteer shows a mushroom to a person as they both kneel in a forest

The Power of Partnerships

Central Rappahannock Master Naturalists began an exciting partnership with the Patawomeck Indian Tribe of Virginia to help document the biodiversity of the newly established 865-acre Berger Patawomeck Preserve.

Virginia Museum of Natural History building with a native plant garden in front

The Habitat Garden at the Virginia Museum of Natural History

In spring 2026, the Southwestern Piedmont Chapter of the VMN, in collaboration with the Virginia Museum of Natural History, started the process of reestablishing a wildlife habitat garden at the museum.

two people planting a tree

Restoring Historic Tree Species

Volunteers plant trees to help restore historic species like longleaf pine and American chestnut to their native ranges.

large machine in a stream with a group of people posed behind it in the distance

The Neabsco Creek Bandalong

VMN volunteers visited Prince William County’s Bandalong Litter Trap, a highly effective tool for capturing floating trash and keeping it out of the waterways.

many small uprooted tree seedlings stacked together

Addressing the Significant Ecological Threat of the Chinese Parasol Tree

VMN volunteers engage in early detection and rapid response to stop the spread of a potentially invasive tree species.

person dragging a piece of white fabric along a forest edge

VMN volunteers help increase understanding of ticks and tick-borne diseases

Three Virginia Master Naturalist chapters stepped up to help with monthly tick surveillance to provide a better picture of tick activity across Virginia.

Six foot tall wire oak tree model covered with paper mache bark and with a small canopy of branches and leaves. An owl stuffed animal peers out of a hold in the tree and a blue jay stuffed animal perches on a branch.

Virginia Master Naturalist Volunteers Lead Treemendous Forest Stewardship

VMN volunteers embraced the #Treemendous20th theme and delivered forest-related service across the Commonwealth. Their efforts resulted in thousands of trees planted or rescued, dozens of educational events that raised public awareness of the importance of trees, and contributions to six different forest-focused scientific studies. 

April Workday Judy with intro on how to plant bareroot trees

Environmental Literacy Projects on the Rockfish Valley Loop Trails

–Contributed by Mary Voorhees (Rivanna Chapter) and Judy Oglethorpe (Central Blue Ridge Chapter) The Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation awarded a grant for an Environmental Literacy (ENLIT) Project to…