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2017 Virginia Master Naturalist Year in Review

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New VMN trainees in Arlington compare a newly restored stream to an eroded stream at Zachary Taylor Nature Area. Photo by Geneviève de Messières (VMN-Arlington Regional Chapter).

We have been busy this January compiling the annual reports from our chapters.  We’re still digging into the stories of the impacts they have made on natural resource conservation and in their communities, but here we provide some of the basic program statistics for 2017.

In 2017, 1,845 volunteers reported nearly 156,000 hours of service, nearly 28,000 hours of continuing education, and more than 127,000 face-to-face exchanges of educational information about natural resources.  The volunteers reported stewardship work at 323 sites across Virginia, including local, state, and national parks, local and state natural areas, trails, schoolyards, and more.  Their service in 2017 is valued at  $4.2 million, based on the 2016 value of a volunteer hour in Virginia as calculated by IndependentSector.org (2017 value is not yet published.)

Watch the spring issue of our quarterly newsletter and our Facebook page, where we will share some specific stories of outcomes and impacts of this service as we dig into those stories!

Thank you to all the volunteers who contributed, either through reporting their service, or by submitting their chapters’ annual reports so that we can learn about the great work that you do!

  
2015
2016
2017
New Basic Training Graduates
425
382
415
VMN Members
2,790
2,879
3,039
Active Volunteers (reported service that year)
1,679
1,743
1,845
Certified Virginia Master Naturalists
1,078
1,206
1,256
Continuing Education Hours
21,831
24,190
27,851
Service Hours: Education
27.934
35,432
38,843
Service Hours: Citizen Science
35,751
43,517
52,420
Service Hours: Stewardship
26,532
29,852
36,516
Service Hours: Chapter Administration
20,684
25,303
28,214
Total Service Hours
120,328
145,996
155,992
Monetary Value of Service
$3.14 million
$3.94 million
$4.21 million
Sites
198
323
364

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