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Digital photography is a skill used in many citizen science projects, such as Wildlife Mapping with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, Bumble Bee Watch, and the City Nature Challenge.  To encourage development of photography skills in our VMN volunteers, each year we hold a statewide photo contest.  Each VMN chapter may submit just one photo in each category, so chapters often hold local contests to choose their submissions from those submitted locally by their volunteers.  

The contest is organized by a different volunteer each year, in cojunction with our VMN Statewide Conference and Volunteer Training.  Debbie Pugh, a volunteer in the VMN-Headwaters Chapter, is this year’s coordinator.  She has defined the categories and rules for this year’s contest.  If you or your VMN chapter have not participated in the past, please consider being part of the fun this year!

This year’s contest categories include: 

• Virginia Native Wildlife: This category includes photographs of birds, insects, mammals, amphibians and reptiles. A native Virginia animal, bird, reptile, etc. must be the main subject in the photographs in this category. Non- native species may be in the background only.
• Virginia Native Plant and Fungi World:  This category includes photographs of plants and fungi in their environments. Native Virginia plants or fungi must be the main subject in the photographs in this category. Non-native species may be in the background only.
• Virginia Native Landscapes:  Photographs in this category feature Virginia landscapes as the main subject: natural landscapes, seascapes, the sky (sunsets, sunrises, clouds, etc.), or underwater images.
• Virginia Native Macro and Night Photography:  Submissions to this category include the genres of macro and night photography. Macro photography is defined as creating extreme close-ups of subjects that are very small in real life and the resulting image allows the viewer to see details that are normally hidden from the human eye.  Night photography is defined as capturing photographs outdoors after sunset and before sunrise.
• Virginia Master Naturalists in Action: Photographs that show activities of Virginia Master Naturalists like wildflower walks, training activities, volunteer work, citizen science, stewardship, etc. Photographs for this category must include the VMN volunteer as the main subject doing the activity.

For more description of the contest categories and the complete contest rules, see the 2019 Photo Contest Rules document and the 2019 entry form.

Merrimac Farm Chapter Recognized by Ducks Unlimited

Submitted by Lisa Matthews

This year’s Conservationist of the Year chosen by Prince William Ducks Unlimited is the Merrimac Farm Chapter of the Virginia Master Naturalists, located in Prince William County. 

In the last year alone, the chapter volunteers have held:

• Stream cleanups to include two “Adopt a Stream” projects in the County and five community stream cleanups. They removed 4560 pounds of trash!
• Water Quality Monitoring including five projects this year monitoring stream quality and teaching in schools, scouts, and universities.
• Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience for K-12 students
• Farm Fields Day- a hands-on experience for students
• City Nature Challenge, a worldwide competition to see who can observe the most nature over a 4-day period. This group identified 767 different species in 2018!
• Bluebell Festival, an annual community event run by the Prince William Conservation Alliance at Merrimac Farm Wildlife Management Area. In 2018, the VMN volunteers taught about the rarity of true blue in nature and guided trail events.

​Holston Rivers Chapter is the Virginia State Parks Volunteer Group of the Year

Submitted by Tanya Hall, Chief Ranger, Visitor Experience, Hungry Mother State Park

Congratulations to the VMN-Holston Rivers Chapter, the Virginia State Parks 2018 Volunteer Group of the Year!  The chapter has made outstanding volunteer contributions to Virginia State Parks. Over 50% of the members volunteered almost 300 hours in 2018 at Hungry Mother State Park to provide educational programs on birding, edible plants, wildflowers, aquatic insects, survival, leaf litter and numerous other topics. 

They have assisted with field trips, Junior Naturalist programs, VAFP programs, removal of invasive plants and fish, and helped create a natural play area. The Interpretive department would not have been able to host the number nor the quality of programs without this chapter’s time and effort.

An Historic Rivers Chapter Volunteer in the Spotlight

Submitted by Shirley Devan

Adrienne Frank, president of the Historic Rivers Chapter, was selected to be profiled by Next Door Neighbors.  The article highlights Adrienne’s service as the president of the chapter, the conservation landscaping work she and her husband Gary Driscole (also a VMN volunteer) have done on their property, and the butterfly-focused education, citizen science, and stewardship projects that she has done.  

From the Shenandoah Chapter: Three Generations of VMNs and a new Virginia Wildlife article
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Submitted by Karen Fall

The VMN-Shenandoah Chapter was pleased to present Sherry Whitaker, Melanie Schneider, Emma Schneider, and Maya Schneider with the first-ever “3 Generations Award”.  Having a family of Virginia Master Naturalists spanning three generations is quite an honor!

Also, if you are a subscriber to Virginia Wildlife magazine, check out the article in the March/April issue titled “Grassroots: A Story of Virginia’s Working Landscapes”, written by Shenandoah Chapter member Marie Majarov.  Many VMN volunteers across several different chapters participate in the Virginia Working Landscapes citizen science project with the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute.

​ARMN Member Bill Browning Receives 2018 Bill Thomas Volunteer Service Award

(Submitted by Kasha Helget, based on article in Arlington County’s Environment webpage.) 

On April 25, 2019, Arlington Regional Master Naturalist member, Bill Browning, was honored with the 2018 Bill Thomas Outstanding Park Service Volunteer Award for his volunteer work in Arlington. This award was established to pay tribute to lifelong parks volunteer Bill Thomas and to honor and encourage residents with passionate dedication and support for the county’s dynamic programs, natural resources, and public open spaces.

The transformation of Powhatan Springs Park in Arlington, VA could not have happened without Bill Browning. Bill’s leadership in the restoration work at Powhatan Springs Park had led to the clearing of invasive plant species to reintroduce native flora and fauna to the area; adding significantly to Arlington’s rich biodiversity. Bill led citizen science observation events for the City Nature Challenge at Powhatan that engage members of the general public as well as experts in recording all flora and fauna in in the park and other local areas. The newly created brush piles on the site have welcomed wildlife previously unseen at the park, including a Barred Owl. Bill also helped conduct a tree inventory of the entire park; an ARMN colleague subsequently created a GPS version that shows all the native trees and natural features on the site and will facilitate future volunteer and restoration work there.

In addition to his work at Powhatan Springs Park, Bill has performed additional invasive removal work at several other County parks and Culpepper Gardens Senior Living Community in Arlington, stream water monitoring throughout Arlington, work at the native plant garden at Potomac Overlook Regional Park, and seed cleaning and other nursery work for Earth Sangha, a facility propagates native plants for restoration plantings in the area.

Since joining in 2013, Bill has been an active member of the Arlington Regional Master Naturalists and has contributed over 1,000 hours of volunteer service. Bill has been a true leader and welcoming face within the organization, serving as Membership Chair and creating initiatives such as the mentor program. He also increased communications to help new members connect with current members and easily find volunteer opportunities that best fit their interests.
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Always one to further his expertise, Bill recently completed a Certificate of Achievement in Natural History Field Studies through USDA Graduate School and the Audubon Naturalist Society.

Middle Peninsula Chapter Blossoms with New Projects
 
Our newest VMN chapter, Middle Peninsula, received its official chapter charter last month.  Chapter leaders have been busy for more than one year planning the chapter, writing the bylaws and operating handbook, developing a website, and organizing new projects to serve the Middle Peninsula area of Virginia.  
 
Some of their accomplishments thus far include:

• A new partnership with the Pamunkey Tribal Resource Center along with an educational exhibit for the Pamunkey Earth Day celebration
• Earth Day cleanup with Zach Bradford, DCR Preserve Manager at Bethel Beach Natural Area Preserve
• Multiple citizen science projects, such as the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow Network (CoCoRAHS), FrogWatch USA with the Virginia Living Museum chapter, bird counts, and vernal pool monitoring.  They also are in the process of joining the Chesapeake Monitoring Cooperative for water quality monitoring.
• Education projects such as helping with Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences for Gloucester County Public Schools, an after-school nature club at an elementary school, and schoolyard habitat programs.  The Gloucester Daffodil Festival with 20,000 visitors was the chapter’s first big outreach event.  The Chapter combined resources with the Gloucester Master Gardeners and Lisa Deaton, Virginia Department of Forestry (VDOF).  Our collective presence, nature activities for children, and VDOF handouts about native plants, pollinator gardens, wildlife brush piles, and fire-wise landscapes were all popular with festival visitors.   An extra special moment happened during this festival when an Eastern tiger swallowtail fluttered through the exhibit right under the Chapter’s brand new banner with this butterfly in the logo. 

VMN-Historic Southside Chapter:  A New State Record of a Rare Liverwort and a Grant for Education Projects

By Lynn Wehner and John Bunch, both VMN-Historic Southside Chapter

John Bunch (VMN-Historic Southside Chapter) has found and identified a new STATE record of a rare liverwort, Fossombronia cristula.  This is in addition to the 20+ county records of various ‘worts’ he had last year and some 40+ plants total.  Liverworts, like mosses and hornworts, are non-vascular plants.  They are usually quite small and thus easily overlooked by most people, though not by this sharp-eyed naturalist who delights in exploring swamps in pursuit of botanical discoveries!  Learn more about John’s find.

Another piece of good news is that the ​Historic Southside Chapter was awarded a grant of nearly $2000 from the Chesapeake Bay Restoration Fund. This fund is from money collected from the sale of ‘Save the Bay’ license plates. The chapter will use the funds to purchase additional educational materials to be used in outreach and education about impacts on the Chesapeake Bay watershed. This grant was one of 90 awarded across the state to various organizations.

VMN-Historic Rivers Chapter Recognized By the Virginia Recreation and Park Society

By Adrienne Frank, VMN-Historic Rivers Chapter

The Historic Rivers Chapter Board is honored to announce that our chapter received the Distinguished Private Sector Service Award from the Virginia Recreation and Park Society, submitted by Alister Perkinson, celebrating all of the things that we have accomplished in our partnership with James City County Parks and Recreation.  He highlighted our contributions by saying that “In 2017, we dedicated over 2,500 volunteer hours in the James City County Parks at an estimated value of $61,725.” Projects in the parks included Bluebird and Prothonotary Warbler nest box monitoring, natives planting at the Williamsburg Botanical Garden, the Butterfly Festival, summer camps and nature programs, educational displays at the Rec Center, signage for Living Forest Interpretive Trails, and the Powhatan Creek waterways guide. These projects had an impact on thousands of visitors to our parks. 

VMN-Fairfax Chapter Volunteers Recognized by the Fairfax County Park Authority

The Fairfax County Park Authority established the Elly Doyle Park Service Award program in 1988 to recognize former Board Member and Chair Ellamae Doyle’s years of outstanding service. Four Fairfax Master Naturalists were recognized during the November 2018 ceremony:

• Marilyn Schroeder, Elly Doyle Park Service Award
• Tom Blackburn, Outstanding Volunteer, Riverbend Park
• Shannon Dart, Outstanding Volunteer, Huntley Meadows
• Bob Dinse, Outstanding Volunteer, Hidden Oaks

Congratulations, Marilyn, Tom, Shannon, and Bob!

ARMN Celebrates 10 Years Serving Community and Launches Facebook Page

By Kasha Helget, VMN-Arlington Regional Chapter

The Arlington Regional Master Naturalists group just finished its 10th year as a Virginia Master Naturalist chapter, and over 70 members celebrated the milestone at the Annual Meeting in December.

President Marion Jordan highlighted ARMN’s past achievements, present efforts, and plans for future activities. This included an acknowledgment of the various projects on which members have donated thousands of hours during the decade. Among these are stewardship activities (such as invasive plant removals from regional parks and public lands, stream cleanups, and native plant nursery work); education and outreach programs (including public events and instructional programs, nature center support, work with children inside and outside of the classroom, and school gardens); and citizen science (such as stream water monitoring, bird counts, tree, plant, and insect surveys, and more recently, bioblitzes and other surveys that use internet-based iNaturalist, eBird, and GPS tools to track plant, animals, and restoration efforts).

For the future, Jordan stressed the priority of expanding ARMN’s outreach to include more members of the community with events such as “pop-up parks” (to provide nature mini-presentations to passers-by both in parks and elsewhere), as well as more structured outreach to a variety of organizations and citizens.

The ARMN members also submitted their own reflections on their past and present involvements in the organization, and how they looked forward to continued participation during the next decade.

Active membership in ARMN has grown to over 175 individuals whose contributions have multiplied throughout the years. Just in 2018, members reported over 15,000 hours of work in support of the natural environment locally and throughout Virginia!

The ARMN organization has also been honored during its ten years by awards from the National Park Service and Arlington County, and individual members have been honored for their efforts in supporting Arlington’s natural environment.

ARMN has recently launched the Arlington Regional Master Naturalists
Facebook page to engage members of the general public about local natural events, photos, discussion topics, or other items of interest in our natural world. Anyone can join by applying for inclusion in the group. We hope to see YOU participate there, too!

We are busy in the VMN state office reading through the annual reports from our chapters.  Chapter leaders work hard on these reports to compile the membership and volunteering statistics for their chapters and to 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.

In 2018, 1,994 volunteers reported more than 190,000 hours of service, over 28,000 hours of continuing education, and nearly 145,000 face-to-face exchanges of educational information about natural resources.  The volunteers reported stewardship work at 446 sites across Virginia, including local, state, and national parks, local and state natural areas, trails, schoolyards, and more.  Their service in 2018 is valued at  more than $5 million, based on the value of a volunteer hour in Virginia as calculated by IndependentSector.org.