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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.

​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. 

Below, we have listed the volunteers (alphabetically, by chapter) who have achieved these milestones between August and December, 2021.  The list is based on information in our Better Impact volunteer management system.   

These volunteers have done extraordinary levels of service! We want to particularly acknowledge the achievements of Margaret Chatham, Gary Driscole, Judy Jones, Steven Bridges, and Alex Newhart, all new members of the VMN Golden Circle based on their contributions of more than 5,000 hours of service each!

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

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!

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.

Shirley Devan, VMN volunteer in the Historic Rivers Chapter, has recently logged over 7,000 lifetime volunteer hours in her work as a Virginia Master Naturalist!  Ricklin Brown, president of the chapter, writes, “I can also tell you that she has many additional hours spent working on behalf of this chapter and other nature projects that never get recorded. She is constantly on the move doing what she loves to do. There are no additional pins or circles for volunteers who reach these lofty thousand mile marks; just the thanks of those of us who benefit from her continuing participation and company.”  Shirley is part of our Golden Circle, a small group of VMN volunteers who have contributed more than 5,000 hours of volunteer service.  Congratulations, Shirley!

​Virginia Master Naturalist volunteers in the Historic Southside Chapter work closely with the Nansemond River Preservation Alliance (NRPA), an organization committed to improving the health, accessibility and utility of the Nansemond River through education, protection of the shoreline, and elimination of pollutants.  The Nansemond River originates in downtown Suffolk and flows to the James River.  

VMN volunteer Geoff Payne chairs the Water Quality Committee of the Alliance, which focuses on the testing, analysis and understanding of the full river system.  Recently, Geoff and the committee used the the STOP (Source Tracking of Pollutants) analytical database to look for anomalies in the water quality data that could indicate potential sources of pollutants.  This database combines data from NRPA and three other sources: City of Suffolk, the Virginia Department of Health Division of Shellfish Safety, and the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality.  

The general trend for fecal bacteria in the river is that it is highest in the downtown area and reduces steadily downstream.  Geoff and the Water Quality Committee found two exceptions to this trend–two locations with higher than expected fecal bacteria counts.  Both of these anomalies suggest that there might be a point source of bacteria affecting these areas.  NRPA is now investigating these spots, which are likely sewer leaks, and communicating with the localities involved to encourage corrective actions.

Prior to this work, the combined data from these four organizations had not been closely examined as a whole.  This is one of many examples of how water monitoring by volunteers can be important for discovering and pinpointing pollution issues.  Great work, Geoff and the NRPA Water Quality Committee!

There are more data trends to be uncovered in this STOP database, and Geoff is interested to know of anyone else using Power BI, a data visualization product.  If you happen to have skills in this software, he would love to hear from you!

The Virginia Lakes and Watersheds Association provided a generous gift to support basic training scholarships in the VMN program.  The VMN Tidewater Chapter identified two scholarship recipients from their latest training course, and here they share information on how these volunteers are making a difference.

Colleen Benoit
As her final project for the VMN training, Colleen Benoit established a Woodbridge Park Clean-Up Program for a 24-acre open space area in Virginia Beach that had been neglected for years.

Colleen’s comments after a recent event: “Today I collected trash from the roadside along Lynnhaven Parkway. Two trash bags full of mostly plastic bags, cups, and some styrofoam. Also picked up flooring, a broken bucket, and a Toyota wheel cover. I checked the interior of the park where most of the original trash was located and it was still clean. There were so many different species of birds this morning! This property is a gem and I plan on visiting just to sit and observe soon. Clearing trash on the perimeter of the property makes the park more inviting.” Two people stopped to thank her and she was also able to share information with one neighbor about the Virginia Master Naturalist program. The neighbor was thankful for an organization that cares about the waterway, as she has seen so much wildlife in the waterway, including an otter. The neighbor worries that something might get entangled in the plastic bags, fishing lines and trash. 

Colleen is also involved with several other local (Indian River and Stumpy Lake) waterway clean ups that she does from her kayak. After a number of outings, she plans on designing a float that can be pulled behind her kayak while collecting trash from the water.

She plans to use her scholarship award
to purchase more trash bags, gloves, and a new litter-grabber tool. Maybe even a float for hauling trash with her kayak!  

Colleen thanks the VLWA for this unexpected gift!

Jane has logged many hours in 2021 as a participant in the Tidewater chapter’s trail maintenance crew at First Landing State Park. She also plans to work with the Friends of FLSP on improvements to the native gardens onsite. She suggested that some of the scholarship award will be used to purchase a new broom and other supplies needed to continue her stewardship efforts at the park!

Contributed by Barry Buschow, VMN Old Rag Chapter

Every Virginia Master Naturalist chapter recognizes the important role its Recruitment Committee plays in the vitality and continuity of its chapter. The unsung heroes of this committee put in untold hours of volunteer time to publicize the chapter as well as solicit and interview applicants for the next Basic Training Class. The Old Rag Recruitment Committee has been co-chaired by two long-term members for several years:  Mary Fran leMat, an ORMN member since 2008, and Dee Dee Lyon, a member since 2012. As these two members step down as co-chairs, it is timely to recognize the significant contributions they have made to ORMN, particularly in last year’s challenging environment. Together their volunteer hours are over 1,000 hours.

The most recent ORMN recruitment for our next Basic Training Class was done in the uncertain environment of the pandemic. Challenges included the significant reduction in the regular opportunities our chapter uses to “get the word out” to potential applicants due to COVID restrictions. Local events where ORMN would host a table were almost nonexistent. Groups where we would have made presentations on the Virginia Master Naturalist program did not meet. In spite of this, under the leadership of Mary Fran and Dee Dee, the ORMN Recruitment Committee was successful in soliciting 25 qualified applications – one of the highest numbers of applicants that our chapter has ever received and overall some 42 new members. Applicants came from each of our six counties and were almost evenly divided between men and women. There was a good mix of individuals who have extensive experience with core curriculum subjects and those who are novices, as well as a range of ages and occupations. As a result of the committee’s work one of our largest class of prospective members is poised to begin their VMN accession odyssey in the spring.
  
In recognizing the service of these two dedicated volunteers, ORMN wants to emphasize the importance that each and every member adds to the success of our chapter!

Each year the Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA) celebrates outstanding efforts of volunteerism at the Elly Doyle Awards Ceremony. As the announcement states, “there are thousands of individuals and many organizations that volunteer each year in local parks and support the many programs and initiatives of the Fairfax County Park Authority. In fact, it would be difficult, if not impossible, to operate our park system without you, our valued volunteers”.

Bob Dinse was awarded the Sally Ormsby Environmental Stewardship Award for his continued contributions at Hidden Oaks Nature Center (HONC). According to the HONC nomination, Bob exemplifies an environmental steward by his actions and advocacy with his 12 years at Hidden Oaks. Bob demonstrates the responsible use and protection of natural resources through his conservation efforts. In addition to routine upkeep of existing trails, Bob alleviated erosion and stream bank deterioration, created and enhanced gardens, donated hundreds of dollars of native ferns, native plants, nuts, and birdseed and, in doing so, effectively serves as a FCPA ambassador. 

The Friends of Accotink Creek was awarded the Elly Doyle Park Service Award. The group has removed invasive plants, planted dozens of native trees, organized community activities with scout, school and faith groups, provided advocacy for environmental issues, and organized several stream clean ups to list but a few projects.  The Friends working group is large, including in part FMNs Ashley Zywusko, Kathryn Pasternak, Kim Schauer, Ana Ka’ahanui, Elaine Sevy, Janet Quinn, Beverley Rivera, Wendy Cohen, Sarah Glassco, and Dianne Bowen.

​Read more about the Elly Doyle Awards winners on the Fairfax Chapter’s website.