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—Contributed by Dorie Stolley, Director of the Office of Community Engagement and Volunteerism, Virginia State Parks

Each year Virginia State Parks solicits nominations for Volunteer of the Year from its 41 parks. Only one person is selected for the award – a difficult task because all of the nominees are dedicated and exemplary volunteers who are much appreciated by the staff of the park at which they serve. One such exceptional nominee for the 2021 award was Terri Mewborn, who was nominated by then Chief Ranger Alex Qualls of Occoneechee State Park. I wasn’t surprised to receive the nomination, because I, myself, had had the pleasure of experiencing Terri in action at the park in 2021. ​

Terri’s expertise at delivering interpretive programs is fairly new. She retired in 2017 from a government job in Washington, D.C. and immediately attended VMN basic training. Shortly thereafter, she moved to Clarksville having fallen in love with the area during several trips in earlier years. Not one to stay still, Terri began volunteering at Occoneechee State Park in 2019, filling a void left by the departure of a park interpreter. For two years, Terri led the vast majority of the programs offered by the park. She honed her interpretive skills by participating in a state parks training – the “spring interpretive workshop,” which is held on an annual basis. This training is available to Virginia Master Naturalist volunteers leading park interpretive programs who are nominated by park staff, generally the Chief Ranger of Visitor Experience. ​

​To ensure that others can follow in her footsteps, Terri wrote interpretive program plans (IPPs) for all of her interpretive programs, putting them neatly into binders for easy use at the park. The programs cover the spectrum of nature and history topics relevant to the park and many parks and go beyond presenting facts to encourage emotional, intellectual, physical and spiritual connection to the natural environment and historical resources of the park.

Not only has Terri enhanced the interpretive offerings of Occoneechee State Park, she helped maintain 20 miles of trails, recruited other community members for stewardship projects, such as shoreline clean ups, and volunteered at nearby Staunton River State Park, on Army Corps of Engineers holdings, and at other protected natural areas. 

Terri’s boundless enthusiasm for nature and natural areas led her to launch the Southside Online Naturalist Group (SONG) to share images and stories of Southside Virginia natural resources, native wildlife (including identification requests), ecology, conservation, citizen science, and related topics. Following that, along with others on the coordinating committee, Terri helped initiate the Southern Piedmont Chapter of the Virginia Master Naturalists in 2021. Their first training is underway presently and will provide more volunteers to help enhance the work of conservation organizatio
ns. 

For all of these reasons, Terri was nominated as Volunteer of the Year for Virginia State Parks and her work shines as an example to others desiring to make a positive impact on the natural world, including its human inhabitants. ​​

​Each quarter, we invite VMN chapters to share stories of volunteers’ awards and accomplishments.  Our Laurels posts are not only a way to provide recognition to those volunteers, but also an opportunity to inspire other volunteers.  If you are inspired by one of the projects or accomplishments mentioned here and want more information, please contact the VMN state office and we’ll put you in touch!

Volunteers From Two Chapters Team Up to Help American Kestrels at Machicomoco
–Contributed by Mark Sopko, VMN Peninsula Chapter

Recently, Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) with the help of Park Ranger Emily Harlan, has given permission for volunteers to place several American Kestrel nest boxes on Machicomoco State Park. 

Machicomoco State Park has been the residence of at least one American Kestrel (Falco sparers) since 2018. Data collected from migration counts, the US geological Survey’s Breeding Bird Survey and nest-box monitoring programs show steep declines in American Kestrel populations throughout North America, particularly in the North East. Lack of suitable nestling cavities can severely limit the American Kestrel numbers. The presence of a resident on Machicomoco is a huge plus toward conservation of this species.

Both the Middle Peninsula and Peninsula chapters of the Virginia Master Naturalist program joined together and volunteered to place two nest boxes on park grounds. This project was organized with he help of Susan Crockett, from the Middle Peninsula chapter and Mark Sopko from the Peninsula chapter. Ed Pels built the nest boxes and Dave Harlan designed the poles, both from the Middle Peninsula chapter. Dave and Mark placed the nest boxes on Machicomoco. The volunteers hope that the boxes will attract the kestrels to nest on the park, keeping these beautiful little raptors on Machicomoco for future generations.

Fairfax Chapter Receives Environmental Sustainability Award
—Shared from the Fairfax Chapter blog by Janet Quinn with text by Jerry Nissley, VMN Fairfax Chapter

On Wednesday, April 20th, Volunteer Fairfax, together with the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, celebrated the 149 nominees, 11 category winners, and 10 Community Champions during its 30th Anniversary Awards Program. The 2022 program consisted of a virtual awards program where the winners were announced to the public and an in-person reception at the Stacy C. Sherwood Center in Fairfax City where the winners received their awards.

Fairfax County Volunteer Service Awards highlight the achievements of volunteers in several distinct award categories. The 2022 Environmental Sustainability Award was presented to the Fairfax Chapter of the Virginia Master Naturalists (FMN). This award honors volunteers who work to protect and beautify our environment and natural surroundings, advocate for the preservation of our planet and strive to instill these values for our community.

During the virtual portion of the program, previously recorded video dialogues were shown detailing mission, goals, and achievements that supported each service category award. FMN President Marilyn Parks and FMN Member Chair, Mike Garth, were the video presenters for the Fairfax Chapter and they more than carried the day by offering both quantifiable metrics for FMN 2022 achievements and gracious praise and recognition for all the FMN volunteers that are at the heart of this award. FMN Communications Co-chair Janet Quinn and FMN Jerry Nissley accompanied Marilyn to the reception where Marilyn accepted the award on behalf of FMN.

In January 2022, the FMN annual report was shared with members in a newsletter.  Marilyn realized the crux of what our chapter had accomplished really didn’t shine through.  Our service deserved further recognition, so she wrote up and submitted a nomination to Volunteer Fairfax for consideration.

In the nomination Marilyn highlighted some important 2021 FMN accomplishments. Most notable were – 197 FMN members volunteered 15,500 hours; a 25% increase in 2021 over 2020!  This increase was a surprise given 2020 over 2019 hours had resulted in a 15% reduction of hours (first year of COVID outbreaks). FMN delivered 25% more hours to our partners and sponsors in the midst of a 2nd year of COVID. Let that sink in. We were out there working and spending time on 106 projects, making a difference and helping to preserve and protect the natural environment within Fairfax county. We recruited, trained and graduated 40 students – without the benefit of meeting at the county Government Center (all via Zoom).  

This is attestation to the fidelity of all FMN volunteers that carried on their substantial enthusiasm for service in support of our partner organizations, our communities, our local, regional and state parks, and our growing network of service allies.

Marilyn concludes by saying, “I hope members are pleased with their chapter, happy with their choice of volunteering to serve nature, and thrilled to be recognized and named the Volunteer Fairfax –  Environmental Sustainability Award winner for 2022”.

The Honorable Gerry Connolly (Congressman 11th District Virginia) was the keynote speaker and engaged the audience with anecdotes of volunteerism and serving in local government. He said, “Volunteers are a testament to the strong ethos of public service and volunteerism that exists in Fairfax County and is one of many reasons why this community is such a wonderful place to live.”

In commemoration, Congressman Connolly had this commendation along with additional comments and a list of all award winners entered
into the Congressional Record of the 117th Congress recognizing the 2022 service award winners. FMN in the Congressional Record!

Old Rag Chapter Leaders Engage Volunteers and the Public
—Contributed by Charlene Uhl, VMN Old Rag Chapter

The Old Rag Master Naturalist chapter works hard to offer opportunities to its members in Citizen Science, Stewardship and Education. Here are some examples over the last three months of the ways we are working to engage our members:

Citizen Science was front and center in our chapter’s participation in Cornell’s Great Backyard Bird Count. We hosted five locations across four days in February, including a state park, a county park, and three private farms. Thirty-five participants and eight guides participated. Data reported to the Cornell Lab for Ornithology included 119 species and 668 total birds.

Not to be short-changed, Education offered two exciting programs.  A class on Hydrology, Floods and Debris Flows was offered to ORMN members and as an optional program for our Basic Training Class. A total of 22 participants learned about the development of caves produced by groundwater flow; landforms associated with streams like waterfalls, floodplains and meanders; and historic debris flows caused by extreme weather events, such as those in Nelson County, 1969 and in Madison County, 1995. The class was taught by our resident hydrogeologist – Dorothy “Tepp” Tepper, a Scientist Emeritus and former employee of the U.S. Geological Service.

Our second Education program was the Siegen Forest Ephemerals Walk. Over 35 people toured the old growth forest on the ground of Germanna Foundation’s Siegen Forest. An amazing variety of ephemerals were on display, including Virginia bluebells, yellow trout lily, mayapple, spring beauties and trilliums. An additional perk for attendees was the opportunity to walk up onto the rock bluffs overlooking the Rapidan River to see an eagle’s nest, including parents coming and going and the head of one eaglet popping above the ring of the nest. This walk was open to the public and organized in partnership with the Central Rappahannock Master Naturalist chapter and the Germanna Foundation. ​

Recognizing the Life and Contributions of Jim Gallagher, VMN Merrimac Farm Chapter
—Contributed by Valerie Huelsman, VMN Merrimac Farm Chapter 

Unexpectedly this spring our friend and fellow VMN James (Jim) Gallagher of the Merrimac Farm Chapter passed away. He had been battling cancer for several years with grace and strength while still finding joy and meaning supporting the natural world.
 
A part of the 2010 Merrimac Farm BTC, Jim was one of our longest serving members since the founding of our Chapter in 2008. He served on the Board of Directors for several years as Secretary and was always willing to help out with Chapter projects including being a co-instructor for training classes, representing our Chapter during education and outreach events, and helping with stream clean ups. Participating in citizen science projects was another passion, especially for bio-blitzes, the i-Naturalist City Nature Challenges and Audubon Christmas Bird Counts. Along with his wife Judy, he shared his knowledge by creating many entertaining (and challenging) ‘Stump the Master Naturalist’ quizzes.  
 
Jim was also our resident Chapter artist, highly regarded for his contributions to many projects with the Prince William Conservation Alliance and Merrimac Farm Wildlife Management Area. This includes the billboard mural in front of the Stone House and a contribution of a beautifully painted rain barrel auctioned off each year at the Bluebell Festival to support efforts at Merrimac Farm WMA. A bench he painted in front of the Stone House shows his whimsical humor and artistry, (next time you visit look for the hidden four leaf clover). The bench sits near the opening in the garage door that he decorated in appreciation for our local eastern ratsnake that uses it as a ‘front door’ to enter the garage.  He was always very willing to share his artistic talents for our Chapter as well, in 2017 he designed our iconic Chapter logo.

As we miss Jim we will remember all of his contributions and good nature with great fondness. 

A True Tree Planting Addict
–Contributed by Connie Reitz and Rick Brown
The Historic Rivers Chapter is very fortunate to have had Judy Kinshaw-Ellis as a member since 2015. She has a self-confessed addiction for planting trees wherever she can get permission to plant. Judy is a cross between Johnnie Appleseed and Tom Sawyer in that she loves to plant trees and is adept at getting other people to help her. However, unlike Tom, she does quite a bit of the physical labor herself.

When asked what got her started she admits, “It hasn’t always been this way. I haven’t always planted trees. But now, I do have a real love for adding to the plant diversity of the forests and swamps of James City County. Planting hundreds of trees with friends, old and new, has become a sort of obsession.”

As a young girl, Judy explains, “I watched my dad plant a nut that grew into a tree. I ate five types of apples off one tree because of his grafting skills. I watched the apple trees he planted grow old, even though he passed away when I was young. Could this love of trees have been passed along to me so many years ago? I like to think so.”

Judy’s obsession has been enhanced because she is also been trained as a Master Gardener and Tree Steward. Her first planting effort that started innocently as a 2018 Master Gardener Tree Steward Project in James City County’s Freedom Park, expanded into a much wider planting program. That project explored what trees the early freed-slave settlers of Freedom Park would have used and focused on adding some of the plants that those settlers would have used for food in addition to trees that would make the forest more like it would have been in the early 1800s. A Trees Virginia grant paid for the first 100 or so seedlings that were planted plus the first round of tree tags that were installed on established trees in the Settlement. That Tree Steward Project also introduced Judy to all the wonderful state forestry seedling programs where states sell a wide variety of seedlings at a reasonable cost.

Following phase one of the Tree Steward Project, she ordered another 400 seedlings, which arrived the second week of March 2020, just as the Covid pandemic shut down all Master Gardener volunteer activities. Fortunately, Judy had a group of her Master Naturalist friends who were willing to get out in the fresh air and plant some trees. The group, whom Judy lovingly dubbed “The Dream Team,” was made up of Ginny Broome, Jeanette and Keith Navia, Bill Grass, and Judy’s understanding husband Drew Ellis. She potted 100 seedlings for planting that fall while the six planted the other 300.

By the time the various state forestry departments opened for sales the following fall, Judy was ready to order again, but because Covid was still raging, she limited her order to only 100 trees this time. By the time the trees would arrive in March of 2021, vaccinations were starting to be distributed and people were ready to work outside. The Dream Team was called back into service. When time came for fall orders that year she ordered another 400 trees.

In January 2022, the Virginia Native Plant Society named the buttonbush, as the Virginia Native Plant of the year. After consulting with people from the Williamsburg Botanical Garden and the local John Clayton Chapter of the Native Plant Society about splitting the order, Judy ordered 1000 buttonbushes  because that allowed for a volume discount. The trees arrived right on time mid-April. Once the WBG and NPS received their seedlings, volunteers from t
he Historic Rivers Chapter and the local Master Gardener Tree Stewards volunteered and planted the rest. The good news is that buttonbushes grow in wet, swampy areas, which makes them easy to plant. Judy led her team of diverse volunteers to plant locally at Jamestown Settlement plus James City County parks including Freedom Park, Warhill Sports Complex, the James City County Marina, and Greensprings Trail.

To date Judy has enlisted dozens of volunteers, from several community organizations to plant more than 1700 trees and shrubs. They have collectively donated numerous volunteer hours at six locations. Judy admits, “Planting a tree is fun. Planting 100 is invigorating. 1600 trees may seem a bit crazy.”

Planting seedlings is not easy work, but it is very rewarding. Judy emphasized that she appreciates the efforts of everyone who has been involved in her obsession and promises that there will be more seedlings to come. She is truly the embodiment of the quote from poet & author Nelson Henderson, who said, “The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit.” Our Chapter, Commonwealth and planet have been truly enriched because of Judy’s efforts.

From the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation: Help Stop Two-horned Trapa
–Contributed by Kevin Heffernan, Stewardship Biologist, VDCR Natural Heritage Program

We are asking for help from the community to identify and report occurrences of the invasive two-horned trapa, an aquatic plant currently documented in ponds in Fairfax, Prince William, Loudoun, and Fauquier counties.

Two-horned trapa is an invasive aquatic plant first identified in the U.S. in Pohick Bay, Fairfax, Virginia, in 2014. Originally thought to be the first colony of the highly invasive Eurasian water chestnut (Trapa natans) in Virginia in decades, differences in the seeds of the two plants led experts to believe this was a new threat. Eurasian water chestnut bears four-horned seed pods. The Virginia colony of the new water chestnut – with seed pods of only two “horns” – was identified as Trapa bispinosa var. iinumai in 2019 (Chorak et. al, 2019).

​Two-horned trapa may have already been spreading in the Potomac watershed for over a decade. Its spread threatens to undo the multi-million dollar, decades-long efforts to eradicate Eurasian water chestnut. As of late 2021, this is the only watershed in the country known to contain two-horned trapa, but this plant has the potential to spread throughout Virginia and beyond. Both Trapa species form dense floating mats that spread and cover slow-moving bodies of water, and both have the potential to obstruct water flow, inhibit recreational and commercial use of waterways, shade out submerged aquatic vegetation, and outcompete native aquatic plants.

Report any sightings of either the two-horned trapa or the related Eurasian water chestnut using the Early Detection and Distribution Mapping System (EddMapS).

Work is being done to secure funding for control projects. The goal is to keep it out of the Potomac River and prevent further spread.

For more details on identification, reporting, and management of two-horned trapa, please see the new fact sheet from the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation.

Resources: 
Verified locations of two-horned trapa
DCR Natural Heritage fact sheet on two-horned trapa
EDDMapS invasive species reporting tool

From the Virginia Institute of Marine Science: Marine Science Day

Marine Science Day at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science is Saturday, June 4, 10:00 am – 3:00 pm, with both online events and in-person events at the Gloucester Point campus.  This year’s theme is Marshes, and activities will include tours of the Carl Hershner Teaching Marsh and exhibits on coastal marshes from the Center for Coastal Resources Management.  Registration for this family-friendly event is encouraged.  Visit the VIMS site for registration and additional information.

Each year, VMN chapter leaders work hard on annual reports that compile their membership and volunteering statistics and describe some of their most impactful projects from the year.  It’s exciting for us to hear about their accomplishments, and it is clear that Virginia Master Naturalist volunteers are continuing to make important impacts in their communities and to benefit Virginia’s waters, woods, and wildlife.

Below, we present some of the 2021 data through a table of quantitative outputs and an impact statement that was submitted to Virginia Cooperative Extension and other sponsors.  To learn about more stories of volunteers and their projects, check out our 2021 VMN Program Awards announcement.

2021 Virginia Master Naturalist Impact Statement: ​Virginia Master Naturalists contribute to natural resource education, citizen science, and stewardship across the Commonwealth in 2021

​Relevance

Americans’ interest in nature is growing. There is a large constituency of people, both urban and rural, engaged in non-consumptive uses of natural resources such as birdwatching, and studies show this population is growing.  Due to the pandemic, parks and natural areas in Virginia experienced record visitation in the last two years, and people also sought new ways to connect with nature at home.  Research also shows, however, that Americans still face a significant gap between their interest in nature and their ability and opportunities to pursue that interest.  Individuals need opportunities to be actively involved in exploring, caring for, and observing nature in their local communities.  Furthermore, because the most impactful experiences in nature are deeply social, opportunities to connect people with nature through social groups are needed.  

At the same time, Virginia is facing difficult natural resource challenges, such as loss of forestland, sea level rise, and invasive species impacts. State and local natural resource agencies need help to accomplish their missions, address these natural resource challenges, and reach more sectors of our population. Public engagement is critical to successful conservation and management of Virginia’s woods, wildlife, and waters.

Response

The Virginia Master Naturalist (VMN) program addresses these needs by supporting a statewide corps of volunteers providing education, outreach, and service dedicated to the beneficial management of natural resources and natural areas within their communities. With 30 chapters across Virginia, the program aims to extend the capacities of both state and local natural resource agencies and organizations to be able achieve their missions in new ways, engage new audiences, and work towards creating a citizenry more informed about and involved in natural resource conservation and management.  The program, because of its chapter-based structure, also promotes learning about, exploring, and stewarding natural areas through social groups.  

Every year, hundreds of Virginians become new VMN volunteers through training and service. The process for becoming a Certified VMN typically takes 6 to 12 months. One starts by completing a 40-hour basic training course offered by one the local chapters of the program. An additional 8 hours of continuing education and 40 hours of volunteer service are also required to become certified or recertified, though this requirement was halved in 2021 in recognition of the limitations on service due to the pandemic.  Volunteer service hours are recorded in four primary areas: education, stewardship, citizen science, and chapter administration. At the statewide level, the program is sponsored by seven state agencies, and on the local level, chapters partner with dozens of conservation and education organizations.

Results

The VMN program currently has approximately 2,100 volunteers who reported service in 2021. These volunteers completed more than 25,000 hours of training and continuing education in 2021. They also contributed significant volunteer time in the areas of education, citizen science, stewardship, and chapter administration, amounting to more than $5.2 million in contributions to natural resource conservation in Virginia (based on IndependentSector.org value of a volunteer hour.) Since the program’s inception in 2005, VMN volunteers have contributed more than 1.6 million hours of service with a value of $43 million to the Commonwealth of Virginia. 

In addition, volunteers made more than 162,000 direct contacts through educational programs in their communities that totaled 26,800 hours of service, valued at $0.8 million.  While some opportunities for education and outreach were still curtailed in 2021, volunteers found creative outlets to share research-based natural resource information.  They contributed videos about the James River to an Extension “Watershed Wonder Wednesday” YouTube series for youth, led community nature walks, developed brochures and signs for self-guided nature programs, and visited homeowners to provide advice about improving wildlife habitats and riparian buffers on their properties. ​

On top of their contributions to these many conservation projects, VMN volunteers also contributed more than 32,800 hours of time, valued at $1 million, managing our local chapters.  The unique structure of the VMN program relies on volunteers to lead the day-to-day local operations of the program, including recruiting new volunteers, organizing training courses, developing local projects and partnerships, and tracking volunteer activities.  Several hundred VMN volunteers provide this local leadership, without which the program would not exist.  In 2021, these leaders were critical in the program’s transition to a new volunteer management system.  They learned to use a complex application, set up their chapters’ portions of the system, and trained and encouraged volunteers to use it.  They also organized 25 basic training courses, graduating more than 300 new VMN volunteers.
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