Celebrating Our VMN 2023 Program Award Winners

Sandy has served on her chapter’s Basic Training Committee for eleven years and has been Co-Chair for ten years. During that period, she has had a hand in training more than 300 Virginia Master Naturalists. 

​Over the years, Sandy’s leadership has resulted in significant improvements in the Basic Training program including the transition to using trainee nature journals as an evaluation and improvements in the field trips. She has also been the leader in the expanded use of technology for the Chapter to hold hybrid trainings and meetings. She developed the operating manual and conducted training to qualify people to setup and operate the equipment. This work provided the Chapter the flexibility to hold hybrid meetings as the pandemic ended and opened up new options for basic training and continuing education sessions and presentations.

​The Cleopatra Project is a multi-chapter Virginia Master Naturalist educational/outreach project conducted in partnership with the University of Virginia School of Medicine and the Blue Ridge Poison Center. The project’s goal is to educate the public – through a non-technical reference guide and tailored presentations – on how to live safely and respectfully with poisonous and venomous animals found in Virginia, with an aim to protect both animals in the wild and humans.

The project began in 2021 in response to the hundreds of exposures to poisonous and venomous animals reported annually in Virginia and was published online by the Blue Ridge Poison Center in December 2022. The booklet, The Cleopatra Project-Poisonous and Venomous Animals in Virginia, was produced by 10 Virginia Master Naturalists from six chapters, and it includes photos from 39 additional contributors.

The final peer-reviewed reference guide features 32 poisonous and venomous animals that inhabit Virginia. Printed copies have been distributed to many organizations for use in Virginia’s communities, and the free download has been accessed thousands of times. The Cleopatra Team also provides presentations to libraries, volunteer groups and professional organizations in Virginia; a highlight in 2023 was the presentation to attendees of the Virginia Association of School Nurses conference. 

Congratulations to the project instigator, Alfred Goossens, and the dozens of other VMN volunteers who contributed to the effort.

​Walter Hussey knew his volunteer plan when he signed up for the 2014 Rivanna Master Naturalist class. He was determined to turn Pleasant Grove, a neglected 900-acre park, into a vibrant natural area with multiple opportunities for experiencing and learning about native flora and fauna. It is through his vision that 70 acres of hayfields were transformed into native meadows. Many other projects included developing 23 miles of trails including self-guided trails for learning tree identification and Natural History, a nature room, butterfly garden, and a chestnut grove. He also developed activities to attract and educate children (and therefore their parents) at the Fluvanna County Fair and the public library.

He didn’t do this alone, but was instrumental in establishing partnerships with many county, private and nonprofit groups, who supplied help with permits, grants, manpower and coordinated many of the educational activities that followed the establishment of Pleasant Grove. 
 
Walter’s projects this year included activities at the county fair that engaged more that 750 children who learned about the natural environment while having fun. He orchestrated an educational program for every Fluvanna County student in grades 1,2, and 4 during the school year, and summer library reading and nature programs including hikes, stewardship, and survival skills. This year, he also coordinated trail maintenance, sapling removal and a controlled burn of a portion of the meadow, tree planting and native seed dispersal. His efforts have truly turned Pleasant Grove into a precious place for wildlife and people.

We want to ensure that everyone feels welcome and included in the Virginia Master Naturalist program, no matter their background. Even beyond that, we want Virginia Master Naturalist volunteers to be engaging diverse populations through their education and outreach programming, communicating the message that nature is for everyone and helping to facilitate natural resource learning experiences for people who may face barriers to spending time in nature. This award recognizes a VMN chapter’s effort to achieve that goal. 

​The outreach chair of the Fairfax Master Naturalists, Josefina Doumbia, collaborated with the Fairfax County Park Authority, the Second Story Program, Culmore Community Center, and other VMN volunteers to conduct a summer program that focus on nature activities at several Fairfax County Park Authority parks. The program engaged the Second Story youth group that helped establish lasting positive connections with nature through activities such as orienteering, geocaching, animal care, conservation, and kayaking. Most of the teens have limited or no access to natural resource educational opportunities. For the teens, this summer’s successful outreach experience may be the beginning of more enriching educational experiences. With a solid volunteer-base, the Fairfax Master Naturalists can help establish and support additional educational outreach experiences for natural resource stewardship in underserved and disadvantaged communities. One of the most important connections these young people made was to realize the relationship between themselves and nature.
Keep up the great work, Jo and the Fairfax Master Naturalists!