Wildlife on Film: The Historic Rivers Chapter documents state park critters

Bobcat caught on film at York River State Park. Image by VMN-Historic Rivers Chapter. By Portia Belden, Certified Virginia Master Naturalist volunteer, Historic Rivers Chapter It’s an amazing feat to…

Seeing Spots: The search for Virginia’s Extraordinary Little Stinkers

By Emily D. Thorne, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Conservation Graduate Student, Virginia Tech Spotted skunk (Spilogale putorius). Image provided by Emily Thorne. Captured spotted skunk. Photo by Emily Thorne. ​What…

BioBlitzing at Hungry Mother State Park

By Monica S. Hoel and Tanya Hall, VMN-Holston Rivers Chapter Recording data for the Hungry Mother BioBlitz. Image by Tanya Hall. ​On the weekend of April 23-24,2016, Hungry Mother State…

Laurels – Summer 2016

VMN volunteer Nancy Barnhart (right) receives the National Park Service’s “George and Helen Hartzog Outstanding Volunteer Service Award” in June 2016. Photo courtesy of VMN-Historic Rivers Chapter. On June 14,…

Laurels – Spring 2016

Carol Zokaites talks with volunteers about karst at the first VMN statewide conference in 2008. Best Wishes to a VMN Steering Committee Member We would like to congratulation Carol Zokaites…

From BioBlitzes to Buffers: 2016 Chapter Focus Projects

Headwaters Chapter volunteers visit one of the pollinator gardens created through their chapter focus project. ​For several years, a few of our VMN chapters have done chapter “focus projects” –…

On the Wings of Bluebird Diplomacy

Maintaining and monitoring bluebird nest boxes in partnership with the Virginia Bluebird Society is an extremely popular project for Virginia Master Naturalist volunteers all over the state.  Over the years, VMN…

Laurels – Winter 2016

15 Eastern Shore VMN volunteers removed hundreds of plastic tree tubes and recorded survival rates of the tree species, contributing a total of 170 hours on the project. Photo by…

two people planting plants in a forested area

The Numbers Are In: 2015 Program Statistics

Virginia Master Naturalists not only do impressive work, they have fun doing it! Lisa Bright and Alan Ford laugh as they separate Carex plants as part of the habitat restoration…

five people posed with award plaques

Laurels – Fall 2015

ANROSP 2015 award winners from naturalist programs in North Carolina, Virginia, Utah, and California. Photo by Alycia Crall. The Virginia Master Naturalist program won the 2015 award for “Outstanding Educational…