Slide 1

Stewardship

Virginia Master Naturalists clean up, restore habitat, and help manage natural resources at hundreds of public parks, trails, and natural areas!

six volunteers on a forested hillside, planting trees and putting plastic protective tubes around them

Old Rag Master Naturalist volunteers joined several other volunteer groups to plant more than 330 native shrubs and trees at Rappahannock County Park. These plantings will help protect water quality in the Rush River. Photo by VMN volunteer Bonnie Beers.

Slide 2

Participatory Science

Virginia Master Naturalist volunteers contribute to natural resource monitoring and research.

five volunteers standing next to a pond, peering into the water. One volunteer is holding an aquatic dip net and another is pointing at something in the water with a stick

VMN volunteers conduct surveys of hundreds of vernal pools across the state, sharing data to help local land managers better conserve these wetland habitats and the wildlife species that depend on them. Photo by VMN volunteer Lesha Berkel.

Slide 3

Education and Outreach

Virginia Master Naturalists lead walks and give presentations to share their knowledge and enthusiasm for nature throughout their communities.

A Fairfax Master Naturalist volunteer teaches youth about reptiles, helping to inspire the next generation of natural resource stewards. Photo by VMN volunteer Jerry Nissley.

Slide 3

Chapter Leadership

Virginia Master Naturalists lead the delivery of the program in their local communities by serving on their chapters' boards and committees, recruiting and training volunteers, and organizing service projects and partnerships.

group of more than 30 people posed together, holding a blue flag with an image of Planet Earth

Volunteer leaders in the Rivanna Master Naturalist chapter have organized 19 annual VMN basic training courses, graduating more than 400 people as VMN volunteers. They were recognized for their positive collective impacts by another local conservation organization. Photo by VMN volunteer Pat Klima.

Featuring the American Chestnut: 2019 Recertification Pin Artwork

By mprysby / October 29, 2018

Chestnut branch with leaves, an intact burr, and an open burr showing 3 nuts inside

The artwork for the 2019 Virginia Master Naturalist recertification pin is by Linda Duncan, VMN member in the Old Rag Chapter. It features a chestnut branch with leaves, burr, and nuts visible.

Each year, the VMN program creates a special recertification pin to recognize those volunteers who have completed another 40 hours of service and 8 hours of continuing education during the year. Each pin highlights a different Virginia native species, and the artwork has been almost entirely by VMN volunteers. Some years, we ask a specific person for a particular photo, drawing, or painting. In other years, we have had a contest to choose the design.

For our 2019 recertification pin, we decided on the species (the American Chestnut), and then we invited all VMN volunteers to submit photos and artwork representing that species. We were completely overwhelmed by the fabulous response! We have extremely talented volunteers. In the end, we asked seven individuals in the Virginia Department of Forestry (folks who know both our program and chestnuts well) to serve as our judges. We are excited to not only share the winning artwork by Linda Duncan in our Old Rag Chapter (featured above), but also all of the submissions (below). We think this collection is such an amazing and diverse representation of this iconic species that we are looking for other ways to feature it, with the artists’ permission.

Click on any image in the gallery to enlarge it and to see the name of the artist.

Brown and dead chestnut leaf with holes in it

Yellow chestnut leaf alongside twig and flower

Yellow and orange chestnut leaves with a burr alongside

Trunk of chestnut tree with leaf, burr, and nut at the bottom of it.

Photo of golden-orange chestnut leaves in autumn.

Chestnut tree with close-ups of burr, nut, and flowers

Open chestnut burr with several nuts inside on a twig with a green leaf attached

Chestnut branch with flowers and burrs

Chestnut burr with three nuts visible inside

Photo of chestnut burrs on branches with blue sky in background

Photo of chestnut branches and burrs

Close-up of chestnut branch with an intact burr

Chestnut burr with 3 nuts and 2 leaves attached

Chestnut burr with 3 nuts and 2 leaves attached

Two brown chestnuts

Green chestnut leaf alongside a burr with nut inside

Chestnut leaf, burr, and nut

Chestnut branch with leaves, intact burr, and open burr with 3 nuts inside

Circle with drawing of chestnut tree with enlarged leaf and burr with nut and the year 2019

Circle with drawing of chestnut tree with enlarged leaf and burr with nut

Chestnut leaf with flower and burr

Shape of the state of Virginia with 2 chestnut leaves and a chestnut burr inside, alongside the text 2018 and Virginia Master Naturalists.

Chestnut leaf with burr

Chestnut branch with green leaves

Chestnut tree with cream-colored flowers

Chestnut burrs on a branch with green leaves

Close up of open chestnut burr without nuts.

0 thoughts on “Featuring the American Chestnut: 2019 Recertification Pin Artwork”

Ronda Ingersoll
November 5, 2018 at 6:02 pm

Stunning. Every single one of them!

Reply
Elizabeth Bailie
November 6, 2018 at 8:47 am

Wow! What really good art work! Thanks to all who submitted! Linda Duncan your submission is truly awesome! Congratulations!

Reply
1. VMN Program
  November 6, 2018 at 10:16 am
  
  Indeed! We are so fortunate to have such talented and dedicated volunteers.
  
  Reply

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