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Want to learn about the natural world and participate in volunteer projects to benefit natural resource conservation in Virginia?  Virginia Master Naturalist chapters in many locations are now recruiting new volunteers to participate in their spring basic training courses.  Classroom and field sessions led by expert naturalists, scientists, and natural resource managers will cover topics from trees to birds to stream ecology.  Completing the course is the first step to becoming a Certified Virginia Master Naturalist volunteer and gives you access to a wide range of local and statewide volunteer projects to help you spend time outdoors with a purpose!  Learn more about becoming a Virginia Master Naturalist volunteer, and visit our listing of local chapters for deadlines and local contacts.

By Terri Keffert, VMN Volunteer Coordinator and co-leader of the Rivanna Master Naturalist Chapter’s annual butterfly count

Butterfly Identification (and Counts) are Addicting!
As I talk to more Virginia Master Naturalists (VMN) around the state, I am pleased to hear the enthusiasm from so many of them about their help with Butterfly Counts. And I know firsthand how much we all look forward to this activity each year. I co-lead a North American Butterfly Association (NABA) Count each year in Charlottesville/Albemarle County with a very excited group of volunteers from the Rivanna Chapter. I was sick for my count this year and felt the withdrawal pangs almost immediately! I couldn’t wait for the Nelson County count so that I could help with that one. I hear this same sentiment from many other VMNs, who make an effort to travel around the state helping with other counts. And who hasn’t felt a special sense of privilege or honor when a butterfly chooses to hitch a ride on our arms, hats, or backpacks, such as we’ve had Harvesters, Red Admirals, Question Marks, and others do during our Counts?
 
While many VMN volunteers help with these counts that are run by other groups, it made me wonder how many VMN Chapters organize a NABA count of their own. I have found four: Old Rag, Rivanna (my Chapter), Central Blue Ridge, and Historic Rivers Chapters all have been leading a NABA count each year. I reached out to the organizers of those other Chapters to lend me their data and stories to see if there were any contrasts and consistencies between the species and individuals found around the state. And here’s what I found…
 
First, a Quick Overview
NABA has been collecting data from butterfly counts since 1993 across the US and Canada. In 2015, there were 406 counts reported.  NABA sets specific parameters that they want all the count groups to follow – most importantly, that the counts are within a 15-mile diameter circle that can then be repeated each year from that same circle, that the count is taken within one 24-hour period, and that the count last at least six field hours. Informally, most groups stay out for much longer than that, and most try to do their counts on public land within a variety of habitats, e.g., riparian, woods, meadows, etc.
 
The four Chapters and their VMN organizers that I have found are:

• Historic Rivers Chapter (HRMN), in the Williamsburg area, organized by Adrienne Frank. First NABA count was in 2014.
• Old Rag Chapter (ORMN), in the Madison/Culpeper areas, organized by Caroline Watts. First NABA count was in 2011.
• Central Blue Ridge Chapter (CBRMN), in Nelson County, organized by Susan McSwain. First NABA count was in 2000 (by Dick Smythe, when it wasn’t primarily done by VMNs); now by Susan since 2011.
• Rivanna Chapter (RMN), in the Charlottesville and Albemarle County areas, organized by Nancy Weiss and Terri Keffert. First NABA count was in 2011.

 
Comparing the Data
Interestingly, three of the Chapters are along the east side of the Blue Ridge and one is in Tidewater. When comparing the data between the four chapters over the last five years (2011-2016) (or three years, 2014-2016, for the Historic Rivers Chapter,) I was excited to see what differences I would find.
 
First, let me explain how I had to look at this data. The butterfly counts are really a snapshot in time and place. There are many different variables within each count that are unique to each group (like weather conditions, number of hours and sites counted, level of  knowledge of the participants, and geographic habitats.) These make it impossible to do a straight comparison, beyond species present/absence.  Relative numbers in the end showed no real correlation between groups, only within each group, due to all the variables just mentioned. Also, because skipper identification can be difficult and the ability to accurately identify them varies so greatly between participants, I took that category out of the comparison.
 
So what did I find? Looking at species presence/absence between the regions, what a surprise (or not) it was to find that all four regions had most of the same species! This was despite the huge variabilities that each had. All four regions had large quantities of ‘the Big Three’: Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Cabbage Whites, and Eastern Tailed Blues, (plus one, the Silvery Checkerspot, if you don’t count the HRMN region where they don’t appear.) No surprise there, either. And kudos to the ORMN – they had the state record for the most Eastern Tiger Swallowtails seen on a count – 2375, in 2013!! Many years they have seen over 600, but that year was outstanding!
 
While 2010 predated the start of the other three counts, that year had an exponential increase in the number of individual butterflies for the CBRMN count – over four times the usual average total amount. And in particular, those Big Three plus One species. Why 2010? We may never know without a broader data base and climate variabilities of what was happening in Virginia that year.

​Susan McSwain (CBRMN) remembers 2010 with fondness as the “Red-spotted Purple Year.”

​Some make sense – according to Glassberg, Meadow Fritillaries are seen in the more northern latitudes and higher elevations, so it isn’t unexpected that the ORMN count would see them.
 
Surprisingly, Appalachian Browns were seen every year at HRMN, yet not in the mountains, belying their name. It makes sense for HRMN, since that species’ habitat is in wet/marshy woods, areas which Tidewater has many. But Glassberg says they are commonly found in the northern latitudes and mountains, so why haven’t the other counts seen any? Again, is it due to the lack of preferred habitat in those count regions?
 
So does weather have anything to do with the number of species counted? Not that I could discern from the limited data given me. If the wind, temperature ranges, and lack of rain were agreeable, then specific temperatures and percentage of sun did not seem to make a difference. Again, there are so many other variables between regions that it is hard to determine any correlation between groups for their species diversity and numbers using just weather data.
 
Disappearing Habitat
Adrienne reminds us of the challenges that beset the butterflies and their future. She and her husband, Gary, are avid butterfly enthusiasts. Besides leading their own HRMN Chapter’s count, they also participate in other counts around the state and do off-season counts in their Williamsburg area. Adrienne sadly described areas where they have counted which have fallen victim to development, ‘aesthetic mowing’, and even the removal of riparian habitat and butterfly-friendly gardens that were intentionally created. State parks are not immune to this, as she has witnessed, and asks everyone to educate and impress upon your state and local parks the awareness and importance of keeping butterfly habitat around. It does work – she said that administrators for the James City County parks have been very open to learning and using alternative mowing strategies and planting native host plants in the parks there.
 
So many thanks to Adrienne, Caroline, Susan, and Nancy for the sharing of their data, stories, and enthusiasm for butterflies! And to all the many volunteers who have helped with these counts over the years. If you have never helped with a count before and are now intrigued, keep an eye open next year for word about counts happening around you! Yes, you CAN identify butterflies, even if you don’t think you know any of them. Guaranteed you will know at least seven by the time you’re done for the day. You learn quickly in the field, and we always need people to record and photograph. You might also check the NABA website map, where you can find ones happening around the state. What better way to get in VMN volunteer hours, help the conservation of these wonderful creatures, and share a camaraderie at the same time! You’ll get to know your fellow VMNs better as you share stories around the lunch or dinner table after a good day out.

 
 
Reference: Glassberg, Jeffrey.  Butterflies through Binoculars: The East. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.

All our VMN volunteers are contributing a lot to benefit their communities and Virginia’s natural resources, but we are pleased to be able to recognize a small number of individuals with our statewide program awards.  Some of these awards are based on nominations, while others are based on reporting of volunteer hours.  We officially announced the winners at our VMN Statewide Conference and Volunteer Training.  Each award recipient received a gift certificate to Acorn Naturalist, where they can buy naturalist tools and gear that should be handy for their volunteer work.

Most Volunteer Hours Per Active Member: Alleghany Highlands Chapter
This award is based on chapter annual reports for 2015 and data from the Volunteer Management System where VMN volunteers report their hours.  We looked at the total number of 2015 volunteer hours submitted by each chapter, divided by the number of volunteers who submitted hours.  We scale the calculation because our chapters vary so much in size.  The chapter winning the award was quite small, just 12 active members.  But, every one of those 12 volunteers completed way more than their 40 hours for certification.  Most did double or even triple that.  Some of the projects they did included monitoring raptors for Hawk Watch, monitoring water quality in local streams, and providing interpretive programs at Douthat State Park.  We are thrilled to recognize the VMN-Alleghany Highlands Chapter for their accomplishment.

Most Volunteer Hours Completed in One Year: John Ford, New River Valley Chapter
This award is also based on data from the Volunteer Management System.  It recognizes the volunteer who completes and submits the most volunteer service hours in 2015.  This year’s awardee is John Ford of the VMN – New River Valley Chapter. completed and reported 995 hours of Virginia Master Naturalist volunteer time in 2015.  That is nearly the hours of a half-time job!  In 2015, this volunteer helped remove invasive plants from Stadium Woods and the Huckleberry Trail in Blacksburg.  He also served as continuing education and volunteer projects chair for his chapter.  But, where he really spent his time was volunteering in the Virginia Tech Herbarium.  In fact, he has come in to the Massey Herbarium three mornings a week for the last five years.  During the last year, he has been playing a huge role in getting thousands of records added to the specimen database.  His colleague at the herbarium wrote, “John’s help is tremendously appreciated.  The Massey Herbarium has 109,000 accessioned specimens, and it is a daunting task to complete the database. We’re at 27%, but we’d be considerably lower than that without John’s untiring dedication to the effort. My hat is off to him!”

Chapter Advisor of the Year: Christine Hodges, Alleghany Highlands Chapter
Each of our VMN chapters has a Chapter Advisor who works with one of the seven state agency sponsors of the program.  Our 2016 Chapter Advisor of the Year, Christine Hodges of the Alleghany Highlands Chapter, is described by the nominator as “a very superior advisor.  She has all the needed skills and knowledge to do a fine job, but these are not her chief assets.  It is her caring and kindness toward her students that makes her an excellent leader.  She seems to anticipate special needs, and fulfills them without us asking.  She is supportive and considerate of others, facilitating their goals.”  Christine has been instrumental this year in putting on a successful new training course for her chapter which serves one of the most rural areas of the state.  She is a 4-H Agent for Virginia Cooperative Extension in Alleghany County and Covington City.

V0lunteer of the Year: Susan McSwain, Central Blue Ridge Chapter
For the Volunteer of the Year, we received 19 nominations of volunteers from 13 different chapters.  Every single one of these people, as well as many who weren’t nominated, is truly a Volunteer of the Year.  It is amazing what these individuals give to improving natural resource education, stewardship, and citizen science in their communities.  We want to recognize all of the nominees, along with this year’s winner.

Volunteer Project of the Year
We aim with this award to recognize a project that has been created and led by a VMN volunteer or chapter and that has made significant and noteworthy positive impacts for natural resource education, citizen science, and/or stewardship within the last 1 to 2 years.  We received some terrific nominations, and all of the projects are really noteworthy.  The winning project is one that was an outgrowth of a collaboration among Virginia Commonwealth University and our program focused on the greater Richmond metro area, and it has since evolved to include 100 volunteers from at least 10 different VMN chapters and a new collaborator, the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.  The Vernal Pool Cooperative has volunteers finding, identifying, and monitoring vernal pool habitats in many areas of the state.  Thus far, volunteers have identified 335 vernal pools in Virginia, and their data will help fuel conservation efforts for these special habitats.  As I mentioned, many chapters are involved: Rivanna, Historic Southside, Peninsula, Shenandoah, New River Valley, and others, but since we had to choose where to give the award, we are giving it to the Pocahontas Chapter because that’s the chapter of a lead volunteer for the project, Lee Hesler.  From the beginning, Lee stepped up to assume the management of the project’s online database, and has since managed the projects’ membership, pool inventory, data collection and submission, and data archiving. He has participated on the project’s steering committee and has helped to streamline the VPCV monitoring protocols. Lee has selflessly given up many of his Saturdays to help train over 300 volunteers in the data collection and entry process during 15 advanced training classes held around the state with participants from 11 MN chapters. In addition, he has continued to monitor and enter data on his own vernal pools sites in Chesterfield Co. Lastly, Lee has recruited and trained another Master Naturalist to take over for him, as he gets ready to retire from these past three years of oversight and effort.   

By Ashton Stinson, Program Director, Blue Ridge PRISM

The Blue Ridge PRISM, in conjunction with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), hereby announces the availability of Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) funding to assist landowners with the removal of invasive plants.  The dollar amount available to an eligible landowner depends on many factors but could be as high as $22,000 spread over a three-year period.
 
Who is eligible?
Owners of nonindustrial private forestland and agricultural producers are eligible to apply for this program.  The land in question must be in the 10-county area served by the Blue Ridge PRISM (Albemarle, Augusta, Clarke, Greene, Madison, Nelson, Page, Rappahannock, Rockingham, and Warren counties) and be managed by the applicant.  Your local NRCS District Conservationist (see below) can walk you through other eligibility criteria that rarely apply and answer any questions you may have.
 
Other program details
Each landowner accepted into the RCPP program will sign a 3-year Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) contract with the NRCS. A $643,915 pool of funds has been reserved in the RCPP program solely for work on invasive plants within this 10-county area.  

Each application must include treating at least one of the following 10 high priority invasive species: ailanthus (tree-of-heaven), autumn olive, Chinese privet, garlic mustard, Japanese honeysuckle, Japanese stiltgrass, kudzu, mile-a-minute vine, multiflora rose, or oriental bittersweet.  Other species on the Invasive Plant Species List published by the VA Department of Conservation and Recreation’s Natural Heritage Division may also be included in the application.  
 
How and when to apply
The current expectation is that the program will be open for applications sometime in October or November 2016.  The first contracts are expected to be signed with landowners in the December to February timeframe.  However, there are important steps that you can take now in order to submit an application.  

First you must establish farm records with USDA’s Farm Service Agency and verify compliance with the provisions of the Agricultural Act of 2014 or “Farm Bill”.  Then you will work with your local NRCS District Conservationist and possibly your local Virginia Department of Forestry Area Forester to develop a conservation plan that outlines the specific species that will be treated and where the treatment areas are on your property.    If you want to have your contract signed over the winter in order to be ready to treat invasive plants when they first emerge in the Spring, then taking these steps now is important.  In many cases it will be helpful to develop the conservation plan before the plants go dormant later this year. Your NRCS District Conservationist will walk you through all the required steps.

Where can you get more information?

Contractor opportunity
As part of this program the PRISM and the NRCS will make available to landowners a partial list of potential contractors who provide services related to invasive plant removal and restoration of native species. If you are qualified to do this work, have relevant experience and references, are properly certified, and would like to be added to the list, please forward your information to info@blueridgeprism.org. The PRISM will be offering a contractor training session on identifying and treating invasive plants between now and the end of the year.
 
The Blue Ridge PRISM
The Blue Ridge PRISM is a collaboration of private landowners, conservation organizations, federal agencies, state agencies, local government entities, and companies involved with treating invasive plants.  Our mission is to reduce the impact of nonnative invasive plants in our 2.8 million acre, 10-county region. The Blue Ridge PRISM is a project of the Shenandoah National Park Trust, which is a 501c3 nonprofit and the fiscal sponsor of the Blue Ridge PRISM.
 
Membership is free and participation is open to the public. We invite you to attend our quarterly meeting on November 2, 2016 at Ivy Creek Natural Area in Charlottesville to ask questions and gain a better understanding the RCPP funding opportunity.  For more information, please visit www.blueridgeprism.org. To be added to our mailing list or to request additional information, please email info@blueridgeprism.org.
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