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Each quarter, we invite our sponsoring agencies to share news that is relevant to the learning and service of Virginia Master Naturalist volunteers.

New Reports from the Virginia Department of Forestry

Virginia Department of Forestry has two new reports available, summarizing projects, challenges, and accomplishments of 2021.
 
Learn about the Hardwood Habitat Initiative, Virginia’s newest State Forest, an urban heat island study, and more in the 2021 State of the Forest.  We always recommend the current State of the Forest report as background reading for VMN trainees for their Forest Ecology and Management part of the course!
 
Get the latest updates on insects and diseases impacting our forests in the 2021 Forest Health Review.  There is great information here on all those looming forest pests like the Laurel Wilt Disease we talked about in our last issue of this VMN newsletter, and there’s even a photo challenge on the last page for you to test your ability to identify them!

VIMS Field Training
Basic training cohorts from three chapters came to VIMS for a coastal ecology field experience in October and November, including the Peninsula, Historic Rivers, and Tidewater chapters.  The William & Mary undergraduate COLL of the Wild class, led by Historic Rivers master naturalist and W&M professor Linda Morse, also came to VIMS for field training.  Each group conducted a coastal habitat tour on the VIMS campus to experience the Teaching Marsh, a coastal forest, and a York River beach.  Each cohort conducted a coastal habitat observation assessment to compare and contrast the defining characteristics, plants and animals, and ecosystem services of four different habitats.  Professor Morse reflected “we were incredibly lucky to see dolphins and an eagle snatch a fish” in the York River.  Two more Spring 2022 coastal habitat experiences are scheduled for basic training cohorts.   Contact Karen Duhring for more information about these field trip experiences.
 
CrabTrap App Season Now Underway
CCRM is seeking volunteers to help remove derelict crab pots during the annual Crab Trap App project from December 15 – March 16, 2022.  According to a recent VIMS study, “ghost” crab pots are the most common type of derelict fishing gear in Chesapeake Bay when they are lost to storms, vandalism, or abandonment and when boat propellers cut the buoy lines. Volunteers are needed to help remove these lost crab pots while the commercial season is closed. Volunteers must be at least 18 years old and must agree to comply with data collection protocols working from their own boats or along the shoreline.
More info and registration here.

2021 Catch the King Tide Results
The 5th annual Catch the King Tide volunteer mapping effort took place November 6-7 to ‘catch’ the highest tide of the year throughout coastal Virginia. More than 100 volunteers collected over 5,000 data marks and more than 150 photographs through the Sea Level Rise app downloaded on smartphones and tablets. This app is currently undergoing some updates with a new version expected to be released in early 2022. Many thanks to all of the mapping volunteers who are helping to validate VIMS hydrodynamic models and raise community awareness about the extent of tidal flooding in Virginia. See the results

Upcoming Events at VIMS
After Hours Lecture Series   February 24 Bay Scallops,   March 31  Deepwater Horizon
7:00 PM in-person at McHugh Auditorium on the VIMS Gloucester Point Campus and online as a live-streamed webinar.  Registration required.  More info

May 10 – June 9 Master Oyster Gardeners Course presented by VIMS/VA Sea Grant & Tidewater Oyster Gardeners Association TOGA online via Zoom.  This is an in-depth course for oyster gardeners with at least 1-year experience and who want to support the TOGA outreach mission through volunteer service.  Applications will be accepted until April 8, 2022. More info

June 4 Marine Science Day The 2022 open house will be held in person at the VIMS Gloucester Point campus and online.  This is a free, family-friendly event with something for everyone, including kids’ activities, science talks, seafood cooking demonstrations, lab tours, art and costume contests, exhibits and more.  Registration will open February 1.  More info

VIMS Speakers Bureau  Faculty, staff, and students at VIMS are available to speak to your community organization, school, club, business, or other venue. The topics offered are as diverse as VIMS research. Presentations about VIMS in general are also available for those wishing to learn more about the mission of VIMS and the important work we conduct.  To request a speaker, view the Speakers Bureau List and fill out the online request form here.  Once we receive your form, we will contact you to schedule your presentation.  Requests must be made at least 60 days in advance. Spring 2022 is filling quickly – limited availability remains.

Volunteering at VIMS New volunteers are not being accepted at this t
ime.  Open positions will be posted when they become available generally with our outreach and educational programs, only occasionally with specific research programs.   Check back for more info.

We are thrilled to announce the winners of the 2021 awards for:

• VMN New Volunteer of the Year
• VMN Chapter Advisor of the Year
• VMN Chapter Leader of the Year
• VMN Most Impactful Project of the Year
• VMN Volunteer of the Year
• and a special Better Impact Hero award!  

We invite you to watch the video (about 15 minutes) to learn all about these outstanding volunteers, chapters, and projects!

You also can watch the video at  video.vt.edu.  

VMN New Volunteer of the Year
Even though she only graduated from VMN basic training in June 2021, Charlene Uhl has already completed 800 hours of service on projects ranging from butterfly counts to the DWR Adopt-a-Trail to developing a monthly newspaper column with natural history information.

VMN Chapter Advisor of the Year
Justin Barnes is the Deputy Regional Forester with the Virginia Department of Forestry’s Central Region and an engaged and active new advisor for the VMN Central Blue Ridge Chapter.  His chapter calls him “all-around helpful”!

VMN Chapter Leader of the Year
As President and Basic Training Chair of the Northern Neck Chapter, Camille Grabb helped her chapter greatly increase communications and cohesion, despite the pandemic.  ​Her chapter says, “Camille is dedicated, engaged, flexible, fearless, creative and fun. And loves nature!  Her welcoming smile lights up both the room and zoom!”  

VMN Most Impactful Project of the Year
The Rain Garden at Bellemeade Park, a project by volunteers in the Riverine Chapter of VMN in partnership with several other organizations, is an excellent example of what can be accomplished with the help of dedicated volunteers, local and state agencies, and ardent members of the community. 

VMN Volunteer of the Year Nominees
We recognize all the Volunteer of the Year nominees, because we think being nominated by one of your fellow volunteers is really special!

• Mac and Judy McCord of the New River Valley Chapter
• Susan Crockett of the Middle Peninsula Chapter
• Bruce Grimes of the New River Valley Chapter
• Carolyn Smith of the Old Rag Chapter
• Tom Ligon of the Merrimac Farm Chapter
• Ed Coleman of the Southwestern Piedmont Chapter
• Karen Cifranick of the Tidewater Chapter

Congratulations to all!

VMN Volunteer of the Year – a Twofer!
Judy and Mac McCord have been members of the New River Valley Chapter of the Virginia Master Naturalists since 2015, and their volunteer work is usually undertaken together.  Their work in natural resource education is focused primarily on Claytor Lake State Park, where they run the Discovery Center, organize other volunteers, present campfire talks, lead hikes, volunteer at festivals, and more.

Better Impact Hero Award
We recognized all the volunteers who helped get their chapters going on our new volunteer management system, Better Impact.  The Peninsula Chapter received a special award for having the highest percentage of their volunteers log on to the system by the end of 2021.  

The Virginia Master Naturalist program’s state office is now accepting nominations for six statewide awards.  

• Chapter Leader of the Year
• Volunteer of the Year
• New VMN Volunteer
• Most Impactful Project
• Chapter Advisor of the Year
• Diversity & Inclusion Award.

These awards will be judged by the VMN statewide office team and one or more VMN sponsoring agency representatives.  We will announce the winners in late December or January.  To submit a nomination, please send the information requested for that particular award to Michelle Prysby.  Nominations are due by December 1 at 5:00 pm.  You can find this year’s award nomination information below.  You also can read about our 2020 winners on the web!

Chapter Leader of the Year
This award is intended to recognize a volunteer for extraordinary service as a leader in their chapter.  The person could be a board member, committee chair or committee member, or any other type of leader in the chapter, so long as their work involved chapter administration of some sort and demonstrated leadership.  

In your nominations, please include the following:

• Name, email address, and VMN chapter affiliation of the nominator
• Name, email address, VMN chapter affiliation, and leadership role(s) for the nominee
• Description of why the volunteer should receive the award, limited to 400 words.  Please include a description of the volunteer’s contributions this year and why they stood out to you.
• Optional: One photo that illustrates the nominee and their service.  Please include photo credits and make sure we have the photographer’s permission to use the photo.

Volunteer of the Year
This award is intended to recognize a volunteer who has made outstanding contributions to natural resource education, citizen science, and/or stewardship.  Criteria we consider include the impacts the volunteer has made on natural resource conservation and education, ways the volunteer has impacted or influenced other volunteers, and impacts the volunteer has had on their community, all in the context of the volunteer’s VMN service.  There is no minimum requirement for amount of hours or length of service for a volunteer to receive this award.  Our focus is on the last one to two years of service.

In your nominations, please include the following:

• Name, email address, and VMN chapter affiliation of nominator
• Name, email address, and VMN chapter affiliation of the nominee
• Description of why the nominee should receive the award, limited to 400 words.  You may choose to include a description of the individual’s service, specific examples of positive impacts made, aspects that make the individual stand out from other volunteers, and quotes from other volunteers or local partners.  Please place your primary focus on the last 1-2 years of the volunteer’s service.  
• Optional: One photo that illustrates the nominee and their service.  Please include photo credits and make sure we have the photographer’s permission to use the photo.

New VMN Volunteer
This award is intended to recognize a new volunteer who completed or will complete basic training in 2021 and has been highly engaged during and after the training.  The volunteer may have completed many volunteer hours, started a new project, helped on a chapter committee, or been engaged in other ways.  In your nominations, please include the following:

• Name, email address, and VMN chapter affiliation of the nominator
• Name, email address, VMN chapter affiliation, and basic training graduation date of the new volunteer
• Description of why the volunteer should receive the award, limited to 400 words.  Please include a description the volunteer’s activities and contributions this year and why they stood out to you.
• Optional: One photo that illustrates the nominee and their service.  Please include photo credits and make sure we have the photographer’s permission to use the photo.

Chapter Advisor of the Year
This award is intended to recognize a chapter advisor who has made significant and noteworthy contributions to a VMN chapter within the last 1-2 years.  In your nominations, please include the following:

• Name, email address, and VMN chapter affiliation of the nominator
• Name, email address, and VMN chapter affiliation of the chapter advisor
• Description of why the chapter advisor should receive the award, limited to 400 words.  Please include specific examples of how the chapter advisor has helped the chapter run effectively, make positive impacts in the community, or otherwise achieve its goals.
• Optional: One photo that illustrates the chapter advisor and their service.  Please include photo credits and make sure we have the photographer’s permission to use the photo.

Most Impactful Project
This award is intended to recognize a project that has made significant and noteworthy positive impacts for natural resource education, citizen science, and/or stewardship this year.  Our focus is on projects for which the VMN chapter played a significant, unique role in creation, implementation, and leadership (rather than projects that were created and run by another organization.)  These awards go to the chapter, not to an individual, so the expectation is that multiple members of the chapter be involved in the project.  The project need not have started this year, but it should have had significant impacts this year.  

In your nominations, please include the following:

• Name, email address, and VMN chapter affiliation of the nominator
• Name, email address, and VMN chapter affiliation for any primary VMN volunteer contacts for the project
• Description of why the project should receive the award, limited to 400 words.  Please include a description of the project goals, activities completed, and impacts and outcomes for natural resources in your community and/or for your chapter.  Include the roles and contributions of VMN volunteers to the project.  Identify any significant partners for the project. 
• Optional: One photo that illustrates the project.  Please include photo credits and make sure we have the photographer’s permission to use the photo.

Diversity & Inclusion Award
This award is intended to recognize efforts to engage underrepresented audiences and efforts to increase diversity and inclusion throughout the VMN program and the educational programs volunteers provide in their communities.  It could be a particular service project that the chapter did that successfully engaged new audiences, work done by a chapter committee to create new partnerships, work done by chapter leaders to make all members feel more welcome and included in the program, or many other possible efforts.  This award will go to the chapter, not to an individual, though we can highlight particular individuals who played a significant role in our awards announcement.

In your nominations, please include the following:

• Name, email address, and VMN chapter affiliation of the nominator
• Name, email address, and VMN chapter affiliation for any primary VMN volunteer contacts for the diversity and inclusion efforts being nominated
• Description of what the effort or activity was and how it successfully engaged underrepresented audiences or increased inclusion within the VMN program and/or educational programming by VMN volunteers.  Identify any significant partners involved in the work. 
• Optional:  One photo that illustrates the effort.  Please include photo credits and make sure we have the photographer’s permission to use the photo.

Please help us recognize the outstanding people and work of your chapters!

Urban forests are a critical part of Virginia’s green infrastructure, especially as the state becomes increasingly urbanized each year.  “As populations in cities and towns continue to grow, creating and caring for green infrastructure (like trees) is increasingly important. Trees help make cities livable – providing shade, clean air, clean water, and other useful benefits for human and environmental health” (Virginia Department of Forestry Urban and Community Forestry).

Roughly two-thirds of Virginia Master Naturalist chapters are situated in urban or suburban settings, and all of our chapters have locations with high population density within their work areas.  In any given year, VMN volunteers conduct 30,000+ hours of stewardship activities, positively impacting hundreds of sites across the state.  They also conduct many educational programs in their communities.  When some of that service focuses on stewardship and conservation of urban forests and on educating people about the value of urban trees and forests, VMN volunteers can make a real difference for urban forest health.  

The Virginia Master Naturalist program benefits from annual state-level Urban and Community Forestry grants from the USDA Forest Service, administered by the Virginia Department of Forestry’s Urban and Community Forestry program.  This support has helped us provide basic training curriculum on Urban and Developed Systems, have sessions related to urban trees and forests at statewide events, and provide urban forestry outreach materials.  This year, we also were able to collect and compile stories of the urban and community forestry work our volunteers are doing into a StoryMap.  This map allows you to view photos and descriptions of many different service projects, from invasive plant management in local parks to creating tree identification trails to monitoring for the spotted lanternfly.  Take a look at the map, and hopefully get inspired by these impactful projects!

Thank you to VMN Volunteer Coordinator Terri Keffert for her work in collecting these stories, and thank you to the many VMN volunteers who shared those stories and photos!  We will continue to add to this StoryMap as we learn of new projects.  If you are a VMN volunteer who has worked on a project that directly relates to urban forestry, stewardship of urban forests, or education about urban forests and the value of trees in the urban environment, and you would like to see your project added to this StoryMap, please contact the VMN state office.