2026 Virginia Master Naturalist Statewide Conference and Volunteer Training

• Overview
• Conference Schedule – At-a-glance
• Registration
• Lodging
• Chapter Share Fair Info
• Conference Sessions
• Instructors
• Sustainability at the VMN Conference
• ADA Accommodation

Overview

When

The 2026 Virginia Master Naturalist Statewide Conference and Training will be Friday, September 18 through Sunday, September 20. 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 Fairfax and Banshee Reeks Chapters welcome VMN volunteers from across Virginia to the Northern region. We will be based at the Westin Washington Dulles Airport in Herndon, 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 VMN members, VMN trainees, and partners from our state agency sponsors (including chapter advisors) may attend.

Registration

Registration will open on August 6 at 6:00pm.

Registration will close on August 31.

Registration types and fees will be posted here by June 9.

Chapter Share Fair Info

Summary

We invite all 30 VMN chapters to participate in the Chapter Share Fair. Our goal is to have each chapter share information at the VMN Statewide Conference about one meaningful project they have accomplished. The project could be related to the Wonderful Water service theme of 2026 or on a different topic. The display is not meant to be a general outreach table like those used 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 are below.

Logistical Information

• The Share Fair will take place at the VMN Statewide Conference on Friday evening, September 18.
• Displays should remain up at least through Saturday evening, but they must be taken down by Sunday, September 20 at noon.
• Each chapter may have only one display.
• Display tables are 6 feet by 2 feet.
• Display materials may not be attached to the walls of the room.
• Any chapter member can contribute to the display. It does not need to be done entirely (or at all) by board members/chapter leaders.
• The people creating the display do not have to attend the conference, as long as they arrange for a chapter member who is attending to bring it, set it up, and take it down.
• Chapters will need to let Tiffany Brown know by August 20 whether they would like a whole or half table. Email Tiffany at tiffany.brown@vt.edu.

Display Criteria

Your display should focus on a specific project (rather than being a general outreach display that you would use at a public event.) Our goals are to encourage chapter members to learn about and be inspired by the education, science, and stewardship projects that other chapters are doing and to communicate the impacts you are having to program staff and sponsoring agency representatives.

Your tabletop display should:

• Communicate about a specific service project your chapter has initiated, led, and accomplished. That project does not have to focus on our 2026 theme of water, but you get bonus points if it does!
• Include project information such as:
  • Project goals and the needs it addressed in your community/location
  • Project implementation – How was it carried out?
  • Resources and Support – What partners, materials, and funding were used?
  • Volunteer Roles – What did the volunteers do? What was the extent of volunteer involvement?
  • Outputs – Results such as number of people reached, number of samples collected, and/or number of sites improved.
  • Impacts – What measurable difference did the project make? The impacts could include changes for your chapter, the community, or the environment.
  • Lessons Learned – Provide advice for other chapters that might try a similar project and include any key takeaways.
  • Fun Facts and Highlights – Unique or memorable aspects of the project. Photos are helpful!

Contest

As an incentive for those volunteers who are more competitively minded, we will recognize the top displays with awards such as a Volunteers’ Choice Award and awards chosen by our sponsoring agency representatives.

ADA Accommodation

If you are a person with a disability and desire any assistive devices, services or other accommodations to participate in this activity, please contact VMN Program Assistant Tiffany Brown at 540-231-0790 (TDD*) during business hours of 9am-5pm to discuss accommodations at least 5 days prior to the event. 
*TDD number is (800) 828-1120