Bi-weekly Email Updates

Bi-weekly Email for May 26

Hello, VMNs. We hope you had a good Memorial Day weekend, despite its sogginess. We need the rain though, so no complaining here. With more rain on the way, you can use the time inside to catch up on the Bi-weekly emails.

This email includes:

1. Conference Update – Share Fair
2. 2026 Powwow Dates
3. VMN CE Webinars
4. Project Wet Update
5. CE Opportunity: Building Belonging in Conservation
6. Outreach Grants from VSO
7. Volunteer Opportunity: Caterpillar Count

Conference Updates – Share Fair at Statewide Conference, anyone can contribute!

We invite all 30 VMN chapters to participate in the Chapter Share Fair at our 2026 Statewide Conference and Training. Our goal is to have each chapter share information about one meaningful project they have accomplished. This is not meant to be a general outreach table like you would use with the public. The audience in this case is other VMN volunteers and representatives of the VMN sponsoring agencies. We have space for one display per chapter, but anyone in the chapter may be involved in creating it. We will recognize the top displays with awards. Additional details can be found in the Share Fair section of the conference webpage.

2026 Powwow Dates

Get to know Virginia’s tribes at their powwow events in 2026!
List of 2026 powwow dates in Virginia 

VMN CE Webinars: Recordings and Save the Date

In case you missed the May webinars, the recordings are now posted on our website. 

And, save the date for our next webinar on Tuesday, June 23 at 12:00 pm: The Virginia Household Water Quality Program: empowering Virginia’s well and spring owners through testing and educational resources. We’re including this one in our lineup in recognition of our Wonderful Water service theme for 2026! Registration link and further details will be available in early June.

Project WET Update and Continuing Education Opportunities

Project WET is an environmental education curriculum for youth and intended for use by all kinds of educators (including VMN volunteers.) In Virginia, Project Wet is administered by the Virginia section of the American Water Works Association. Visit Virginia’s Project Wet page to read their latest newsletter and learn more about how you can be trained as a Project Wet educator or facilitator. 

Upcoming opportunities with Project WET
Project WET (Climate, Water, & Resilience) & Project Learning Tree (Forest, Water, and People): This dual-curriculum workshop integrates Project WET’s Climate, Water, and Resilience and Project Learning Tree’s (PLT) Forest, Water, and People. Participants will explore the vital connections between healthy forest ecosystems, water security, and climate adaptation. By the end of the session, you will be equipped with field-tested activities and local data-driven strategies to engage students in meaningful environmental action.

6/3/26 Milford, VA by Friends of the Rappahannock (FOR)

7/16/26, 9-4, Westmoreland, VA by Friends of the Rappahannock (FOR) and the Northern Neck Soil and Water Conservation District (NNSWCD)

Exploring Trees, Wildlife, and Water with our Youngest Learners: This session brings together the “Early Childhood Trilogy” of environmental education: Project Learning Tree’s Trees & Me, Project WILD’s Growing Up WILD, and Project WET’s Getting Little Feet Wet to ignite a sense of wonder and discovery in children ages 3–7.

7/21/2026, 9-4, Warsaw, VA by Friends of the Rappahannock (FOR) and the Northern Neck Soil and Water Conservation District (NNSWCD)

Questions about Project WET? Ask the coordinator, Cynthia Barnes. Cynthia.barnes@vaawwa.org.

CE Opportunity: Building Belonging in Conservation (Recording)

A VMN volunteer recommends this recently recorded webinar: Building Belonging in Conservation. Conservation spaces haven’t always felt welcoming to everyone. But what if inclusion was not an afterthought, but the foundation? In this engaging, story-driven presentation, Dexter Patterson (@wiscobirder) shares how the BIPOC Birding Club of Wisconsin is reimagining what conservation culture can look like. Through the lens of community birding, Dexter explores how joy, accessibility, and intentional design can break down barriers and invite more people outdoors. Grounded in real-world experiences, this talk highlights practical strategies that organizations can implement immediately, including creating no-judgment learning environments, designing family-friendly and accessible programs, building meaningful partnerships, and prioritizing representation in outdoor spaces. From “Spark Bird” moments to large-scale community impact, this session offers a compelling case study of how an inclusive culture not only strengthens communities but also leads to better conservation outcomes. Participants will leave with practical tools, a new perspective, and a renewed understanding that when more people feel they belong in nature, both humans and wildlife benefit.

Access the Building Belonging in Conservation recording.

Reminder: Outreach Grants from the Virginia Society of Ornithology (VSO)

The VSO is again offering Outreach Grants for 2026. These grants, up to $1,000 each, aim at engaging historically under-served groups in birding activities, including, but not limited to Minorities, Tribes, LGBTQ, and Disability groups. The ultimate goals are to increase access to the joy of connecting with nature through birds, and to bring all voices together for nature conservation that benefits all. Guidelines for application and information about previous grants are available at the Outreach Grant section at https://www.virginiabirds.org/scholarships-grants. 

Deadline: September 1, 2026

Volunteer Opportunity and Educator Resources: Caterpillars Count!

The Caterpillars Count! citizen science project aims to understand:

• insect declines (and hence bird declines)
• shifts in seasonal insect activity
• impacts of climate change and urbanization
• importance of insect-host plant relationships.

Participants conduct surveys on the branches of trees and shrubs to monitor seasonal variation and abundance of arthropods like caterpillars, beetles, and spiders, and to establish critical baseline data for evaluating long term trends. The project can be easily carried out ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD (or, anywhere in Virginia, in the case of VMN) with woody vegetation, especially:

• Nature and environmental education centers
• Parks and botanical gardens
• School campuses (used at 14 colleges and universities)
• Private backyards

In addition to the citizen science opportunities, Caterpillar Counts! has Maps and Graphs that allow anyone to fully explore the dataset and a variety of lesson plans and learning activities for educators to use.

You can reach the team by emailing caterpillarscount@gmail.com.

Bi-weekly Email for May 13

Hello, VMNs. We hope everyone is getting out there enjoying their favorite volunteer activities. Make sure to hydrate and wear your sun and tick protection! Once you’ve done everything you can do for the day, you can always catch up on the Bi-weekly emails.

This email includes:

1. Conference Update
2. Claudius Project Presenters
3. Continuing Education Opportunity
4. Volunteer Opportunity
5. Better Impact Update

Conference Update

We have two updates for you this week. On the conference webpage, we have added the information on booking your lodging and the date registration will open. More to come soon!

Claudius Project Presenters

Looking for a mushroom presenter for a chapter meeting or public event? VMN volunteers from the Claudius Project team are there for you. Their presentations will discuss general information about mushrooms as well as some of the poisonous mushroom species found in the Claudius Project publication. If your chapter is interested in having them present, please contact VMN volunteer John Dent (Rivanna Chapter) at brmsclubtreasurer@gmail.com. 

Continuing Education Opportunity

VMN CE Webinar Series – May Double Header!

We will have two VMN CE Webinars in May, both focused on specific volunteer activities. As always, the VMN CE webinars will be recorded and posted to our website.

May 19, 9:00-10:00 am: Butternut Hunt – Learn about butternut trees and the new volunteer activity to document and collect samples from them around the state. Presented by researchers at the University of Virginia’s Blandy Experimental Farm and State Arboretum.

Pre-registration required.

May 21, 12:00-1:00 pm: Clifton Institute Native Seed Collection – Learn about this ongoing project to launch a native plant seed industry in Virginia and how volunteers may assist. Presented by Rachel Martin at the Clifton Institute.

Pre-registration required.

Volunteer Opportunity

Shenandoah NP – 5th annual Show Your Love for Shenandoah

What: Please consider volunteering at the 5th annual Show Your Love for Shenandoah, a collaborative service event. Whether you’re maintaining trails, caring for natural resources, or helping prepare visitor spaces for the busy season ahead, your service helps ensure that Shenandoah continues to inspire—this spring and for generations to come.

When: Saturday, May 16, beginning at 9:00 a.m. 

Where: Big Meadows Picnic Area before dispersing to one of ten meaningful stewardship projects within a short drive.

Registration is required. To sign up, please either:

1. Apply on volunteer.gov, or
2. Email morgan_housden@partner.nps.gov

More information about this event

Better Impact Update

There is now an Accessibility widget available in Better Impact (BI) that will allow users easier access to many BI features. The widget allows users to use a screen reader, create more color contrast on the page, change the text spacing for easier readability and many other features. 

This widget must be turned on manually by each user. It does not show up automatically. You can learn more in this BI Support article, All about the Accessibility Widget.

To turn on the Accessibility Widget in BI –

1. Login as a volunteer
2. Go to the My Profile tab
3. Click on Contact Information
4. Scroll down the page and look for the small box that says “Accessibility” (on a laptop, this will be on the right-hand side of the screen)
5. Click the drop down menu next to “Accessibility Tool”, and choose “On”
6. Click the “Save” button that is inside the “Accessibility” box.
7. BI might ask you to “Reload” and that is ok.
8. Go back to your Home tab and the widget button should be in the bottom, right-hand corner of the screen with a picture of a stick figure.