May 2020

Below, we have listed the volunteers who have achieved these milestones between August 2019 and December 2019 (based on reports received by our office as of January 31.)  Some of these volunteers have demonstrated long-term dedication through many years with the program.  Others have joined the program more recently, but they have done extraordinary levels of service in a short time frame.  We are honored to have all of them sharing their time and talents as Virginia Master Naturalist volunteers, and we are pleased to recognize their efforts in this newsletter and with special milestone pins.  Their names are listed alphabetically within each chapter.

In addition, although we cannot list them all here, we are thrilled to recognize the 1,483 Virginia Master Naturalist volunteers who certified or re-certified for 2019, meaning they completed 40 hours of volunteer service and 8 hours of continuing education. Congratulations, everyone!

Thank you to Tiffany Brown, VMN project assistant, for compiling these lists!

Completing 5,000 hours of Virginia Master Naturalist volunteer service is no easy task.  To date, only ten volunteers have achieved this distinction.  

By the end of 2019, Ida Swenson joined this exclusive VMN club.  Ida is one of the founding members of Rivanna Master Naturalist Chapter and an active participant in multiple capacities.  Cindy Westley, Past President of the chapter, writes, “Her knowledge of nature and science is wide-ranging.  As a former middle school teacher, she is very comfortable teaching children of all ages using abstract concepts and hands-on resources.  Kids immediately relate to her because she teaches on their level, where they live, but with a sense of how to keep the learning experience on track.   She is imaginative and interesting and, well, she is cool. Whether it’s working a table at a public science event or community festival or teaching Master Naturalist trainees in the introductory course, Ida is always able to capture the attention and imagination of her audience. She is knowledgeable, dedicated, reliable and really enjoys herself.  The RMN and VMN are fortunate to have her as a member and leader.”

Ida joins Marian Childress (Tidwater), Shirley Devan (Historic Rivers), John Ford (New River Valley), Cheryl Jacobson (Historic Rivers), Les Lawrence (Historic Rivers), Susan Powell (Historic Rivers), Jack Price (Old Rag), Jim Scibek (Central Rappahannock), and Robert Toner (Eastern Shore) as part of this 5,000 hour circle of amazing volunteers!

Page Hutchinson, chapter advisor for the VMN-Rivanna Chapter, was awarded the Outstanding Educator award by the Virginia Association for Environmental Education. She was recognized for her long history of EE work and her many accomplishments over the years as she coordinated Project Wet and Project Learning Tree, several watershed education institutes and professional development academies, three VAEE state conferences, and more.  Page is currently the State Coordinator for Project Learning Tree with the Virginia Department of Forestry.

​The VCU Rice Rivers Center, Virginia Commonwealth University’s environmental research field station on the James River, needed help. The goal? To transform the weedy, overgrown, neglected garden and landscape areas surrounding the education center into native plant havens for pollinators and other wildlife.  The Rice Center’s former Director, newly recruited to teach the Riverine training course on birds, reached out for help.  They would fund all of the costs for the plantings if the Riverines could commit to devising and implementing the plan. Since The Rice Center has been a great ally to the Master Naturalists, hosting work on oyster shell recycling as well as field trips for trainees, it was a great match.

Nearly 6 months after the idea was first floated, the project received approval.  A 2018 Riverine training class graduate, who owns Garden Gate Nursery native plants, worked closely with the project leader to develop the plans. All plant materials selected were native to Charles City County, where the Rice Center sits, with the exception of a few long-blooming non-invasive annual flowering plants of particular benefit to pollinators (e.g. Zinnia, Cosmos) Plants were selected based on wildlife value, season of bloom and ability to thrive with little coddling. 

And then, the coronavirus. Group work sessions were pared down to a handful, or fewer, volunteers, all committed both to the project and to the need for social distancing. The dedicated band of Riverines cleared brush, trimmed overgrown shrubs, dug endless holes in unfriendly soil, planted, seeded and watered. Mason Bee boxes, built by some of the chapter members, were added as well.

The next phase, just launched, will be documenting bloom times, noting any use by pollinators, and keeping the plantings alive (which has been made more difficult by a voracious local groundhog). Adjustments will be made along the way, but the foundation is set for this to be a showcase, both for The Rice Center and for the Riverine Chapter of Virginia Master Naturalists. 

Check out the slide show below to see the volunteers in action!
–Text and photos submitted by Sandee Bailey, VMN-Riverine Chapter

VMN volunteer Glen Mitchell in the Roanoke Valley Chapter does occasional photo blogging for Virginia State Parks.  His latest submission has some delightful photos of river otters he and his wife encountered during a recent paddling trip at Fairy Stone State Park.
–Submitted by George Devlin, Chapter Advisor, VMN-Roanoke Valley Chapter and VDEQ

. . . 
During the 13 years that Nora has served actively on the Urban Forestry Commission, which included several years as its Chair, she has also been a long-standing member, leader and former Chair of the Tree Stewards of Arlington/Alexandria which has inspired and taught many Arlington residents about the need and proper care of trees. Along with fellow [Arlington Regional] Master Naturalist (ARMN) Caroline Haynes, Nora participated in developing the “Choking Hazard” campaign that reached out to Arlingtonians about the destructive effects of English ivy on trees.
In 200, Nora was in the first graduating class of ARMN. She served as the Urban Forestry Commission representative on the 4 Mile Run Valley planning process.
She has served as a member and past Chair of the Northern Virginia Urban Forest Roundtable.
Nora . . . [worked] across disciplines, and with a wide range of residents to improve the urban tree canopy of Arlington County.
. . . 
Her strong commitment to education, outreach and volunteerism is contagious, as she leads by example and motivates others to learn more, to get involved, and to “spread the word” on the benefits that trees provide. . . .

​
–Submitted by Kasha Helget, VMN-Arlington Regional Chapter

VDGIF has launched a new fishing challenge this spring called the Virginia Trout Slam Challenge. It is a challenge for anglers to catch all three species of trout (Brook, Brown, and Rainbow) in the same day. The goal is to get anglers out to some of the lesser known trout waters and add a little adventure to their fishing experience.  Check out the web page for more information.
–From Jason Hallacher, Region 4 Assistant Fisheries Biologist, VDGIF and VMN Chapter Advisor for the Headwaters Chapter.

Welcome, Meagan, on behalf of the 2,000+ wildlife watchers in the VMN program!

–From Ann Regn, DEQ Communications Manager, and Virginia Witmer, Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program Outreach Coordinator

The U.S. Nightjar Survey Network (NSN) is a citizen science-driven research group that has worked to collect long-term occupancy data for this unusual group of birds over the past 12 years.
 
North American nightjars, or goatsuckers, include nine nocturnal (most active at night) and crepuscular (most active at dawn and dusk) species. Nightjars arrive in North America during late March after migrating from their wintering grounds, which can be as distant as South America. They typically breed and forage in deciduous and pine forests near shrubby or agriculture fields and bodies of water.  Depending on the species, nightjars typically lay 1-3 eggs in leaf litter found on the forest floor or in open pebbled and sandy tracts. The downy-feathered, semi-precocial nestlings (see photo) are mostly dependent on the adults for food, but are mobile near the nest within days of hatching. Nightjar young become independent after their parents feed them for up to a month in their natal territory. Nightjars begin their movements back to their wintering grounds as early as July, though some populations remain in southern states such as Texas, Florida and Arizona throughout the winter. 

The Center for Conservation Biology at the College of William and Mary in Virginia established the network in 2007 in an attempt to fill gaps in knowledge for these species. Since its initiation over 3,000 surveys have been conducted nationwide. The project is designed to be effective over many years of surveying and over broad landscapes. With the support of the Virginia Master Naturalists we are hopeful that we can tap into a core group of local participants that would be willing to donate a few hours of their time once a year to this cause. A passion for scientific contribution, a willingness to work on a gorgeous moonlit night, and a vehicle is all it takes to become a surveyor. The structure of the survey network also encourages participants to conduct routes (even those without birds) for several years to lend insight into trends over time. 

Feel free to contact us anytime with questions you may have at nightjars@nightjars.org. 
​
Happy Birding!