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The Diversity & Inclusion Committee of the Tidewater Chapter has been busy planning events that make meaningful connections with underrepresented communities. Our motivation is reflected in the phrase, “Nature is for everyone.”

​Committee member Mickie Nance coordinated with Deacon Jerome Childs of The United Full Gospel Revival Center, Suffolk, to lead a hike for the congregation’s young members into the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge (GDSNWR). Although the Center is less than 2 miles from GDSNWR, none of the congregation’s members had ever visited the refuge. Early on May 6, Mickie, accompanied by volunteers Allen Carter and Mary Jane Hall, met the youth group and its leader and embarked on an amazing journey! The hike not only allowed the group to explore the unique ecosystem and its natural beauty, but the volunteer leaders were also able to share a bit about the historical significance the swamp had to both African American and indigenous communities. Although the group was small, they are excited to continue their exploration of the GDSNWR and its rich history with the help of the Tidewater Chapter.
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Committee member Polly Street took the lead in planning our first ever Bird Walk to coincide with Black Birders Week. Polly was able to connect with Cape Henry Audubon Society member Saundra Winstead, who led the walk. The event was a true collaboration between three local organizations. On May 27, members of the Tidewater Chapter, Cape Henry Audubon Society, and the Norfolk Branch NAACP met at Stumpy Lake Natural Area, Virginia Beach, for a glorious morning of birding! The bird walk was well-attended by first-timers, novice, and experienced birders. Even though the weather was less than ideal, we spotted a plethora of birds. Pairs of Scarlet Tanagers and Prothonotary Warblers were lifers for many in attendance!
Both events were firsts of what will be recurring series for our chapter.  

–By Emily Byers, VMN volunteer, Old Rag Chapter
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American author, Sidney Sheldon said that “libraries store the energy that fuels the imagination. They open windows to the world and inspire us to explore, achieve, and contribute to improving our quality of life.” The Fauquier County Library intends to emulate this ideal through the offering of engaging community programs at its three branches (Marshall, Bealeton, and Warrenton) that will offer patrons a one-on-one interaction with a Master Naturalist. This new program is called “The Naturalist Is In”.

The “Naturalist Is In” is the “brainchild” of library patron and Old Rag Master Naturalist, Robert Bessette. Robert uses his library card and love of nature to help educate others. A favorite activity is showing others how and where to find the information about nature. Robert said that “it is an amazing experience to share information about the natural world and even more exciting when you see people become excited about nature.” His passion for helping others was the conduit for the creation of the “The Naturalist Is In” library program. While exploring the library’s resources, Robert realized that some important nature books and resources that the Virginia Master Naturalists use in their study course and fieldwork were missing from the collection. The realization led to the creation of a “wish list” of nature books.  Robert knew that to make the program effective, the three local library branches at Warrenton, Fauquier, and Marshall, would all need to receive copies of the books and that funding would be needed to purchase them. Finally, each library would be assigned a dedicated Old Rag Master Naturalist volunteer to man an information table once per month. The Master Naturalist would be available at the library for 3 hours, giving library visitors time to ask questions about nature and the available resources that the library had in its collection. Patrons of the library would then have the unique opportunity to ask questions about nature and get help to find and use the newly acquired environmental books and resources. 

 “The Naturalist Is In” program came to fruition because many individuals worked to make the program a reality. Robert said that “the volunteer Friends of Library group was great to work with. The staff is knowledgeable, helpful, and excited about the project.”  The Friends of the Library wrote the application for the Make it Happen Grant through the PATH Foundation to obtain funds for the purchase of the program materials. Once approved, the materials were purchased and the program start date was set.

Robert said that he felt “that one-on-one human interaction can be important in the research process. It is a great feeling when you can help someone find the answer to a question and ignite the passion for learning about the natural world.” And that anticipation has been achieved from the very first session. Library patrons have expressed appreciation for the opportunity to talk with a trained Master Naturalist, get their questions answered, and have access to new and interesting books on nature. ORMN intends to explore the possibility of replicating this program in some or possibly all
of the other five counties in its catchment area.

Maria Del Rosso, Director, of the Fauquier Public Library, said that she “appreciated that Robert enthusiastically took the time to put together and pitch the program to the library.” She also stated that “I am excited that the Old Rag Master Naturalists wanted to donate their time and talents to help educate patrons of library” and that “she felt that the program is a real service to the community”. The staffing for the program with just one volunteer would add at least one hundred and forty-four volunteer hours at the libraries.

Libraries play a vital role in the community because they serve as community hubs that connect people to information and to individuals that can help answer questions, and also house materials that can be used by all. The addition of these resources is important because many rely on the library for research and to complete homework. A central goal of the program is to help library patrons and community members who seek information and answers about the natural world. The hope is that the program will work to ignite imaginations and promote a love of nature.

–By Daina Paupe Henry, VMN volunteer, Peninsula Chapter

Laurels to Historic Rivers and Peninsula Chapter for their work in creating the first class of Master Naturalist Tree Stewards. A small group of 8 volunteers created a 10 week course on trees that used resources from Trees of Virginia and the Master Gardener Tree Steward program along with many other resources. The classes included talks on benefits and disadvantages of trees and forests, botany, taxonomy, soil, tree id, common tree problems, ecology, among others. It also offered two field experiences. Over 40 members from the two chapters completed the series successfully and received badges on Better Impact.  Many thanks to the coordinators Ricklin Brown (Historic Rivers) and Jim Francis (Peninsula) for their leadership. Attached is a photo of the graduating class.

Within Winchester City boundaries are 214 acres of land owned by the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley (MSV)  The MSV recently opened trails for public use on this property. The trails run through old cow pastures, wetlands, and forests. The Shenandoah Chapter of VMN has adopted the trail system as a project. Part of the project, along with invasive species removal, was to identify all the trees within the trail system and to write up the results as an educational product.
 
The survey is extraordinary and singlehandedly was created by Paul Guay, even though he gives some of us credit. Paul’s tree survey is beyond the ordinary; within this comprehensive survey he has melded humanity with nature. Not only are detailed descriptions including photos of each tree and its parts provided, but Paul included art, literature, poetry, history, wildlife, and medicinal connections in his survey. Paul took most of the photographs or searched for just the right photo and yes, gave credit to the photographer. In the on-line version of the survey, Paul has provided numerous internet links for the curious to find further information. Paul estimates that he spent over 8,000 hours or one full year’s worth of time on this project, and it is obvious.

The Chapter was fortunate to have Paul show a brief overview of his recently completed survey at the June Chapter meeting, and anyone can download it from the chapter’s website. 
 

–Contributed by Monica Hoel, VMN volunteer, Holston Rivers Chapter

This summer you can find one HRVMN volunteer leading a painting class that begins with binoculars.

As part of her service hour commitment to VMN, Renee Wienecke is offering free painting classes at Hungry Mother State Park, but you can expect something a little special about these classes. In addition to learning about color-mixing and brush work, students also learn about nature.

Some classes offer participants a chance to paint a bird, others allow an opportunity to paint a salamander. But in either case, they look at the natural world before they stare at a canvas.

For instance, a recent class focused on a red-bellied woodpecker. But before anyone ever dipped a brush into that bright red paint, Renee and one of the Hungry Mother State Park rangers handed out binoculars and Peterson’s bird books and led folks off into the trees.

They listened and stared and hoped for a chance to see the woodpecker they were about to paint. As it often goes with birding, and Rolling Stones songs, they didn’t get what they wanted, but they absolutely got some great moments with wild birds, including a Baltimore oriole, a northern parula, and some bouncy little chipping sparrows who seemed very pleased to have an audience.

They made their way back to the picnic t
ables and began to paint while enjoying the fresh air of early spring, good conversation, and eventually they even heard that chirpy chur of a red-bellied woodpecker.

This is Renee’s summer service project, and she is not only accumulating great service hours, but she is also creating a great group of new nature enthusiasts.

Emma S. Land, a VMN volunteer in the Roanoke Valley Chapter and a recent graduate from Roanoke College, is the recipient of the inaugural Environment Scholarship from the Kiwanis Club of Roanoke. Emma plans to use the scholarship to help with her pursuit of a Master’s degree in forestry and natural resources at the University of Georgia. As a Virginia Master Naturalist volunteer, Emma has helped with trail maintenance on the Appalachian Trail and connected with the public at outreach events, where she shared information on topics such as black bears and pollinators. Congratulations, Emma!

–By Daina Paupe Henry, VMN volunteer, Peninsula Chapter

Laurels to the Peninsula Master Naturalist Chapter for offering for the 5th year in a row a summer continuing education series highlighting different topics. It is a series of 5 evenings with lectures every other week. Speakers were professionals and experts in their respective fields. The first year class was offered live (pre-pandemic) was on Trees and Forests. With the start of the pandemic, the series was offered over zoom. The following years provided series of talks on Moths and Butterflies; Mushrooms and Fungi; Climate Change, Soil Subsidence and Se Level Rise. This years topic is on Species and Habitat Conservation in Virginia. For the past two years, the series has been open to all chapters in Virginia and numerous members from other chapters have participated in the series. Links to the older series are available – most sessions were recorded (contact Daina Henry, CE chair for the chapter, for information.) Thanks to Melody Avery, Shirley Chirch, Daina Henry, and the many presenters over the past 5 years for their work on creating this offering.

Populations of feral swine have become established in several areas of Virginia (e.g., Lee, Wise, Culpeper, Orange, Chesapeake), often bringing devastating effects on agriculture and private property; however, these are the populations that we know about and have been working to reduce. It’s the ones that we don’t yet know about that have been springing up in new areas and often at some distance from the closet known spots that are most worrisome and of greatest interest in discovering. These new populations often are the result of individuals illegally trapping hogs and releasing a small number of founding hogs in secluded areas with the intent of establishing new populations to hunt. Although some of this illegal trapping is occurring in areas associated with a known population here in Virginia, it’s much more worrisome that animals captured outside of Virginia, ones that potentially may be carrying parasites or diseases not found here, have been brought into the state and released; this can have substantial economic and/or biological implications. Much of this recent nefarious activity has been suspected along our border counties with North Carolina, but there are other suspect “hotspots” of new activity elsewhere in the state as well.  Therefore, we are asking for the public’s help in bringing any new sightings of hog activity to our attention so that confirmation of presence can be confirmed and feral swine problems can be nipped before they become a threat to commodities, property, and public safety.
 
We are asking that you download copies of the attached flyer provided by Virginia’s USDA-Wildlife Services office and post them in prominent and highly visible locations where members of your community will see them.  Reporting is being conducted through the Virginia Wildlife Conflict Helpline and thus all reports are anonymous and do not require any identification … the priority intent is to identify new areas of hog activity that can be surveilled, either confirm or refute presence, and, where confirmation is determined, devise appropriate means to administer proper treatment. 

Catch the King is an annual volunteer event to collect flooding data during the highest tides of the year, known as the King Tides. The 7th annual Catch the King event will take place throughout coastal Virginia from Friday, October 27 to Sunday, October 29, 2023.  The information collected is used by emergency managers and others who need detailed flooding data at street level.  

Catch the King mappers include many Virginia Master Naturalists from coastal chapters. Some are veteran Tide Captains helping recruit volunteers, lead practice mapping sessions in their region, and serve as point of contact for their team before, during, and after the event. More Tide Captains are needed.

As the group of flood mappers continues to expand, so does a network of informed and active citizens who can crowdsource flooding events and bring a larger group into the conversation, helping move solutions to reality.  

How You Can Help:
•    Visit the Catch the King 2023 website, hosted by Wetlands Watch.  
•    Learn about the free Sea Level Rise app available for download 
•    For inquiries about Catch the King, contact Gabi Kinney, Wetlands Watch Community Engagement Project Manager  
•    Find out if Catch the King is an approved project for your chapter.  Assistance with a VMN project proposal is available by contacting Karen Duhring at VIMS.

DEQ is now accepting applications for Citizen Water Quality Monitoring Grants. Applications must be submitted by Aug. 31. Updates this grant cycle include changes to the application package format and an expansion of Coordination Grant eligibility. These grants can be used to purchase water quality monitoring equipment, train volunteers, pay for lab analysis costs, and promote stream monitoring efforts in locations where DEQ is not currently collecting water quality samples.

From 2015-2020, citizen monitoring data was used to assess 3,174 miles of streams/rivers, 64 square miles of estuary, and 33,347 acres of lakes!
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For more info, visit the citizen monitoring webpage, email citizenwater@deq.virginia.gov or call Meighan Wisswell at (571) 866-6494.

Tick-borne diseases are on the rise throughout the world. One of the major challenges to understanding the reasons for increases in incidence and shifting ranges of tick species is a lack of surveillance data. Dr. Holly Gaff from Old Dominion University’s Tick Research Team (TRT) has been leading long-term surveillance in the eastern part of Virginia since 2009.  Dr. Gaff and her lab use mathematical modeling and computer simulation to study infectious diseases, with a focus on ticks and tick-borne diseases. During the last 14 years, there have been many changes. For example, two species, Ixodes and Amblyomma maculatum, have moved in from the south. Increasing knowledge of the presence and phenology of these new species and previously established species adds important knowledge on how ticks may affect humans and pets.
 
On the Eastern Shore, the TRT collects ticks monthly from Kiptopeke State Park on the Southern part of the Shore. Every summer additional collections are made at various locations, including the Barrier Islands. Logistics prevent more regular collections from those additional sites throughout the year. As part of an ongoing effort to map and track these range expansions, the TRT is constantly in search of additional sources of tick data.
 
This is how the Eastern Shore Chapter of the Virginia Master Naturalists became involved. Kellie Piekarsky, lead volunteer, proposed the collaborative project to conduct tick surveillance on the Eastern Shore after being inspired by a presentation given by Dr. Gaff during a chapter meeting. Under Kellie’s leadership, the Chapter received approval to begin additional monthly surveillance at the Mutton Hunk Fen State Natural Area near Accomack. In addition to providing the TRT with additional data, collecting from Mutton Hunk Fen is significant because, historically, it is not reasonably accessible from Norfolk due to its location on the Northern part of Virginia’s Eastern Shore.
 
After training, chapter volunteers conduct active tick surveillance by flagging for ticks. This consists of dragging white flags in specified areas and then collecting any ticks that attach to the flag. Chapter members also conduct passive surveillance by collecting ticks found on themselves and pets. The ticks are stored in vials labeled with key data and placed in a volunteer’s freezer until transported and delivered to the ODU campus in Norfolk. They are transported to Norfolk in a cooler to keep them frozen by a volunteer or the chapter’s advisor, Shannon Alexander, where Dr. Gaff, or a member of the team, is given the samples. The Virginia Master Naturalist program will be added to all acknowledgments in the annual reports, scientific publications and presentations. The VMN will also be highlighted on the ODU Tick Team social media pages. 
 
Kellie sums up the value of this partnership: “a partnership between ODU and ESMN is a great opportunity for our volunteers to contribute to this globally impactful research and serve as a force multiplier to ODU’s staff. Our volunteers are in the field dragging flags monthly, weather permitting.”  

Below, we have listed the volunteers (alphabetically, by chapter) who have achieved these milestones between January and June 2023.  The list is based on information in our Better Impact volunteer management system.   

​These volunteers have done extraordinary levels of service and made important impacts that extend well beyond just the number of hours. Read our recent Laurels post to get a sense for some of the impacts our volunteers have.

We also want to especially congratulate Lisa, Jeffrey, and Richard, our newest members of the VMN Golden Circle.

Thank you to Tiffany Brown, VMN Program Assistant, for compiling these lists!