Bi-weekly Email Updates
Bi-weekly Email for March 18
Hello, VMNs. Spring will be official in just a few days! Not that the weather will fully cooperate yet but we’ll be one step closer. I see the buds on the tree outside my window so I know things are moving along. As the days get longer, you can use the quiet evenings to catch up on the Bi-weekly emails.
This email includes:
- Please Complete the Annual VMN Evaluation Survey!
- Reminder: 2026 is #WOW
- Continuing Education Opportunities
Reminder: Complete the Annual VMN Evaluation Survey!
By now, you should have received an email from Qualtrics with the subject line ‘Share your experience as a Virginia Master Naturalist.’ This is a legitimate, annual survey related to our program and is a collaborative project between VMN Program Director Michelle Prysby and Dr. Roshan Nayak, Extension Specialist and professor of Agricultural, Leadership, and Community Education. We strongly encourage you to participate before the March 31 deadline. We are looking for responses from all volunteers, even those who are new to the program. If you do participate, you may record up to one hour of volunteer service in the category of Chapter Administration. Please ask your chapter leaders which activity in Better Impact fits for your chapter.
Reminder: 2026 is #WOW!
We want to make sure all VMN volunteers know that our volunteer service theme for 2026 is Wonderful Water! Our goal is to have as many volunteers as possible do at least one service activity related to water and to report it in Better Impact by including “#WOW” in the description field when entering hours and adding any measurable impacts in the impacts field. See the #WOW page on our website for more details and suggested activities! Next month, we’ll share an update on how we are doing for the 1st quarter of the year. If you have done water-related service and forgot to add the #WOW, please ask your chapter’s Better Impact administrator to edit those entries for you.
Continuing Education Opportunities
VIMS After Hours and Other Programs
VMN volunteers are invited to the After Hours lecture series, taking place both in-person at the VIMS campus in Gloucester and as live webinars.
- March 26th: Macro Algae Madness with Dr. Stacy Krueger-Hadfield
- April 30th: Oysters of the Commonwealth with Dr. Jessica Small
- July 30th: Batten School & VIMS Innovation Fund Recipients
- August 20th: HABs and how to stay safe on the water
- October 29th: Creatures of the Deep with Dr. Jennifer Dreyer
VIMS has additional programs, including family-friendly discovery labs and behind-the-scenes tours of facilities. Groups can also schedule weekday behind-the-scenes tours. Learn more on the VIMS events page or by contacting Tori Nutt, VIMS Adult Programs Coordinator, 804-684-7422, venutt@vims.edu.
Save the Date for the Next VMN Continuing Education Webinar
Our next webinar will be April 14, 12:00 pm and will feature VMN volunteer John Dent discussing poisonous mushrooms in Virginia as part of the Claudius Project. Registration and additional information coming soon!
Bi-weekly Email for March 3
Hello, VMNs. It’s that fun time of year in Virginia: Oh, look! It’s warm and glorious and the birds are singing! Oh, wait, it’s cold and wet and kind of gross. The good news? That means spring is right around the corner! When you’re waiting for those warm days, you can catch up on the Bi-weekly emails.
This email includes:
- 2026 VMN Conference – updates
- VMN Evaluation Survey – watch for an email!
- Continuing Education Opportunities
- Advertising a new position in Extension – pass the word
2026 Conference updates
The 2026 VMN Statewide Conference will be September 18-20, 2026 at the Westin Washington Dulles Airport hotel in Herndon, VA. Be sure you’ve marked your calendars! Our program committee is working hard to put together great sessions and the Fairfax and Banshee Reeks chapters are excited to host their fellow VMNs and show them around!
VMN Evaluation – Watch for an Email from Qualtrics
On March 10, you will receive an email from Qualtrics with the subject line ‘Share your experience as a Virginia Master Naturalist.’ This is a legitimate, annual survey related to our program and is a collaborative project between VMN Program Director Michelle Prysby and Dr. Roshan Nayak, Extension Specialist and professor of Agricultural, Leadership, and Community Education. We strongly encourage you to participate. Your feedback will help us improve our efforts and better support our volunteers. If you do participate, you may record up to one hour of volunteer service in the category of Chapter Administration.
Continuing Education Opportunities
Virginia Native Plant Society Annual Workshop – The Wild World of Virginia’s Wetlands
Dates: March 18 and March 25, 2026. Meet-and-greet at 6:30, sessions at 7:00 and 8:00 both evenings.
Location: Zoom
Registration and Details: For the lineup of presenters and registration information, please see https://vnps.org/events/vnps-annual-workshop-2026-via-zoom/.
Reminder: VMN CE Webinar: The Virginia Wildlife Action Plan: A Plan for the Next 10 years
Date: Wednesday, March 11, 12:00 – 1:00 pm
Description: The Virginia Wildlife Action Plan is now on its third iteration. This time the plan includes new taxa and has some new chapters to describe new situations and habitats. For the first time a significant portion of the Plan is presented as an online tool and is more interactive. In addition, there have been several success stories to tell from the last Plan in 2015.
Presenter: Jeff Trollinger, Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources. Jeff has worked for the DWR for 38 years. He managed the Watchable Wildlife Program for 10 years and led the team that developed the Virginia Birding and Wildlife Trail. He was the Wildlife Action Plan Coordinator from 2022 until recently. He currently resides in Nelson County with his husband and four furry children.
Registration: Pre-registration required
Recording: As always, the VMN CE Webinar will be recorded and posted to our website.
Advertising a new position – Natural Resources Youth Education Extension Specialist
We are excited that Virginia Cooperative Extension and the Virginia Tech Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation (where the VMN program is based) are hiring a new Natural Resources Youth Education Extension Specialist! This position also is a partnership with the Virginia Forestry Education Foundation. We expect many great collaborations with this person…but first they have to be hired. We’re including this notice here in case you or someone you know would be a good fit. See the link for full details, and please note that the application review date will be March 31, not March 12 (it is in the process of being updated.) Share with your networks!
Connect with Us
For general inquiries about the Virginia Master Naturalist program, please contact:
masternaturalist@vt.edu540-231-0790