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VMN Photo Contest Underway

Bald eagle on icy water with second eagle about to land

“Eagles on Ice” by Mark Dolfi (VMN-Pocahontas Chapter) was awarded First Place in the category of Virginia Fauna in 2018.

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.

VMN Photo Contest Underway Read Post »

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Laurels – Spring 2019

Two volunteers holding Ducks Unlimited award plaqueVMN-Merrimac Farm Chapter co-presidents, Lisa Matthews (left) and Rosemarie Nielsen (right).

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.


Group of volunteers holding the Volunteer Group of the Year award plaque.Holston Rivers Chapter volunteers received the great honor of being the Virginia State Parks Volunteer Group of the Year!

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.  


Four people holding Three generations of women in the Schneider & Whitaker family are VMN volunteers!

From the Shenandoah Chapter: Three Generations of VMNs and a new Virginia Wildlife article

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.



Volunteer receives award from Arlington County officialsAward presentation with L-R:, Arlington County Parks and Recreation Commission Member Shruti Kuppa and Chair Bill Ross, Bill Browning, and Arlington County Board Member Erik Gutshall. Photo courtesy of Marion Jordan.

​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.

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. 

Laurels – Spring 2019 Read Post »

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2018 Virginia Master Naturalist Year in Review

Volunteer teaching in monarch butterfly costumeVMN-New River Valley volunteer dons wings to educate community members about pollinators and their habitat at the 2018 Hokie BugFest. Photo contributed by Judy Kirwan, VMN-New River Valley Chapter.

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.


Value
2016
2017
2018
New Basic Training Graduates
382
415
411
VMN Members
2,879
3,039
3,429
Active Volunteers (Reported service that year)
1,743
1,845
1,994
Certified Virginia Master Naturalists
1,206
1,256
1,397
Continuing Education Hours
24,190
27,851
28,032
Service Hours: Education
35,432
38,843
43,308
Service Hours: Citizen Science
43,517
52,420
64,811
Service Hours: Stewardship
29,852
36,516
43,939
Service Hours: Chapter Administration
25,303
28,214
38,245
Total Service Hours
145,996
155,992
190,304
Monetary Value of Service
$3.94 million
$4.21 million
$5.09 million
Sites Improved
323
364
446

2018 Virginia Master Naturalist Year in Review Read Post »

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Citizen Science as Interpretive Events: Of BioBlitzes and City Nature Challenges

This article was written and contributed by Alonso Abugattas, a naturalist and environmental educator in the Washington, D.C. area. and the natural resources manager for Arlington County’s Department of Parks and Recreation.  He has been a valuable partner and instructor for both the Arlington Regional and Fairfax chapters of the VMN program.  Take a look at his personal blog “Capital Naturalist” (where this article was originally published) and Facebook group where he posts regular nature notes using his own photography.

We encourage all of our VMN chapters to check out the City Nature Challenge and consider not just participating, but using it as an opportunity to organize some public events to raise awareness of biological diversity, especially in urbanized areas.

Photo of 7 people next to a BioBlitz check-in signVMN-Historic Rivers Chapter members participate in a 2013 BioBlitz at Pleasure House Point in Virginia Beach. Photo by VMN-Historic Rivers Chapter.

“Citizen Science” is scientific research and data gathering that is conducted or assisted with public participation, often by amateurs and nonprofessionals. Such public interest and wishing to contribute to science is a growing trend, providing many chances to tap into volunteers and collect data. All these extra eyes and ears (and photos) the public can provide can greatly expand how much certain forms of data can be collected. This is what citizen science is all about, with regular people providing useful data, but it also can provide great opportunities for interpretation and public events. 

Bioblitzes are probably the best known natural history citizen science events. These are typically periods of biological surveying in an attempt to record all the living species within a designated area. Groups of scientists, naturalists and public volunteers conduct intensive field study over a continuous time period (usually 24 hours) and record what they find. A Bioblitz provides a snap shot in time. While it is certainly not a complete record of what lives in the location, if you take enough snap shots over different times and seasons, you can get a good picture of what is going on there. 

The free iNaturalist app is now more-or-less the standard way for bioblitzes and other citizen science projects to record natural history observations. The beauty of the app is that with a simple uploaded photo, crowd sourcing can then help identify the organism and the observation is recorded so that worldwide any researchers can data mine the info they need. You never know what piece of data you could be providing some researcher somewhere in the world. Here’s a link to various tutorials on how to use the free app: https://www.inaturalist.org/pages/video+tutorials.  


Photo of a green dragonflyThis Great Pondhawk Dragonfly was photographed by Arlington Regional Master Naturalist volunteer David Howell during the Arlington, Virginia 2018 Bioblitz. It was identified later by several people and led to quite a bit of discussion in dragonfly circles. as it turns out it was a state record and has never been seen this far North in the East before.

You don’t even need to know what you’re reporting (though the iNaturalist app has a neat suggested identification feature to provide likely ID possibilities as well). Thanks to crowd sourcing, other, perhaps more knowledgeable, people can provide their ID skills. The suggested ID feature also means that you can basically have a virtual field guide of sorts to use, though it is much better at some taxa than others. The iNaturalist platform can also help users setup different projects to provide ongoing check lists and biotic inventories of parks and other surveyed locations, large and small.  For a great summary of iNaturalist and its use in a bioblitz, setting, please check out this article and video by Steve Baragona of “Voice of America” which features a bioblitz we ran.

City Nature Challenge 2019: Washington DC Metro Area logo with plants and animals in foreground and US Capitol in background2019 will be the third year of the D.C. Metro Area’s City Nature Challenge. In 2018 in Virginia, there were City Nature Challenges in Charlottesville and Richmond as well. More are planned for 2019!

The City Nature Challenge is another citizen science event, a friendly global citizen science competition to see which city can have the most people observe the most species of wildlife and plants and record them over a 4-day span of time. Last year 68 cities world-wide competed with many more planning to participate this year from April 26-29. These cities tallied 441,888 observations by 17,329 people. Think of it as a 4 day bioblitz in multiple cities across the globe which is planned to be repeated yearly. 

Bioblitzes and similar citizen science events such as the City Nature Challenge offer a lot of interpretive opportunities. To begin with, different teams and their leaders can serve as natural history walks and short programs. Indeed, by getting well-known experts and naturalists to lead groups, you can attract a nice group of interested people, some of which you may discover have great skill or knowledge in certain areas and thus might be recruited
as potential long term volunteers.

The central meeting location which many bioblitzes use can also be places for environmental groups to man booths, activity tables, conduct short presentations, games, and distribute information. Some activities can be geared for younger audiences and the novice or general audience who may just want to see some potential program or show. But the area can also serve to show people unique activities or to have unusual specimens brought back for ID and to show others. Indeed, having people bring back invertebrates for an expert to ID can prove to provide neat discoveries for the public to make. If you stagger teams and activities, people may show up interested in one thing, but be introduced into others they may not have thought they were interested in but are willing to try out. Many people my want to take advantage of an opportunity to be part of expert teams and learn from them in the field. Take for example this short look at a fungi ID team during a bioblitz and the process they used which fascinated many people who had no idea about this wonderful group of organisms. Many expressed interest in learning more about these organisms and were fascinated by the myriad of fungi they were introduced to in their local parks.


PictureArtificial cover, such as these “snake boards” can be placed in advance of a bioblitz or as part of any biotic inventory, and can be left permanently or moved about as places to check during walks or providing additional habitat features. Photo by A. Abugattas, Capital Naturalist blog.

In preparation for some the bioblitzes I’ve organized and some of the biotic inventory events I’ve been lucky enough to participate in, we made several preparations that were also good permanent or temporary habitat improvements. This included not only placing of strategic habitat logs and creating stream caves for wildlife, but we also often place “snake boards”. The boards form artificial cover (and can house much more than just snakes!) and are setup in areas we then continue to use to record findings and as part of nature observation programs and walks. We’ve also used bee cup traps, a Malaise flying insect trap, live box traps, nets, seines, black lights, and different baits in the past as well, depending on what taxa we were surveying. Each offered their own program and interpretive opportunities.

PictureAn electro fish shocking team of colleagues from Fairfax were of great interest to people during the 2017 Arlington Bioblitz. Photo by A. Abugattas, Capital Naturalist blog.

The power of people making these “discoveries” themselves cannot be overestimated. Good interpreters understand the importance of the “wow” or “teachable moment” when something comes up and makes an important impression with the individual(s) who found it. Well, when people are out with a leader or on their own and make these discoveries themselves, it can make a real impact and offer a unique interpretive moment. Every outing can have the potential for such impactful “finds”. These discovery moments also help people become aware of what lives in their parks, which hopefully leads to appreciation, wanting to understand more, and wanting to take care of the places where they’ve made these discoveries, what some will note are the social continuum steps towards stewardship. That people make these discoveries themselves and in their neighborhood parks makes the stewardship experience even more powerful.

These type of biotic survey events can also offer great networking and public relations possibilities. Staff from neighboring jurisdictions and environmental groups have often assisted and provided their expertise for events. I myself have also assisted many other jurisdictions and groups in their bioblitzes, City Nature Challenge, or other events. This allows for good networking opportunities, sharing of knowledge, good will, and unofficially “talking shop.” Media often take great interest in these of public events, as shown in the Voice of America video linked above and much coverage of ongoing citizen science events. 

So citizen science special events have great potential as interpretive and media events. They are rewarding to participants while providing potential data for researchers.  The next big opportunity, and it is repeated yearly, is the global City Nature Challenge April 26-29, 2019. So mark your calendars and give it a shot, either personally, as part of one of the many planned events, or perhaps to run an event yourself. More information can be found here: http://citynaturechallenge.org/ though there are many cities with their own individual websites as (here’s the Washington, DC one I’m taking part in again for example: https://citynaturechallengedc.org/) Your own interpretive moments may help to provide valuable data to researchers while helping you and the public discover the wonders of the natural world all around their parks. 


Citizen Science as Interpretive Events: Of BioBlitzes and City Nature Challenges Read Post »

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