March 2020

Promoting life-long learning is a key component of the Virginia Master Naturalist program.  Our VMN volunteers are eager and enthusiastic learners.  In 2019, 2,200 volunteers reported spending more than 30,000 hours participating in Continuing Education!

Even in the current COVID-19 crisis, VMN volunteers are seeking ways to remain connected to nature and to keep learning more.  Plus, many of them may have children or grandchildren for whom they are facilitating learning opportunities while schools are closed.  At the same time, our sponsoring agencies want to continue connecting to constituents and to provide research-based information about Virginia’s natural resources.

With those needs in mind, we have collected below at-home nature learning resources from each of our sponsoring agencies.  These include videos, webinars, curriculum for youth, and more.

VMN volunteers, please note that some of the content may be appropriate for Continuing Education hours and some may not be.  Please consult your chapter leaders for guidance if you are wondering about a particular webinar.

Sponsoring agency representatives, if you have additional resources from your agency that you would like us to share here, please contact the VMN program office.

Virginia Cooperative Extension

• Providing educational resources related to COVID-19 to the public.  Although it is not nature-focused, it is a good compilation for consumers, food-growers, parents, etc., and it does include at-home STEM learning activities for youth from 4-H.
• Sharing content on Facebook and Twitter
• Virginia Master Naturalist program’s Continuing Education Webinar Series

Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation

• Providing interpretive and educational programming from Virginia State Parks through their social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram.

Virginia Department of Environmental Quality

• Sharing environmental education curricula and standards-based activities on their Education Page
• Sharing environmental information on social media accounts, including Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and LinkedIn

Virginia Department of Forestry

• Conservation Education resources, including nature activities for youth at home
• Sharing content on Facebook and Twitter

Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries

• Resources for Teachers with lessons and activities for youth to do at home
• Sharing content on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube
• View nature in action on the DGIF Falcon Cam or Shad Cam.  

Virginia Institute of Marine Science – Center for Coastal Resources Management

• Multimedia Resource Center with marine education materials, OspreyCam, recorded lectures and short talks, and livestream events
• Sharing content on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube as VIMS, and also on Facebook as CCRM

​Virginia Museum of Natural History

• Educational Resource Page with links and science activities for families
• Daily nature posts and occasional videos on Facebook