Kathy Fell Joins the VMN 5,000 Hours Circle

Kathy Fell, Certified Virginia Master Naturalist volunteer in the Southwestern Piedmont Chapter, has become the 11th VMN volunteer to achieve the 5,000 hour service milestone.  She is the newest member of the VMN Golden Circle, a special recognition for volunteers who have achieved this milestone.  Golden Circle volunteers have demonstrated incredible dedication to service that benefit’s Virginia’s natural resources and to the VMN program as a whole.  You can learn about the other ten members of the VMN Golden Circle on our website.

Below, Kathy describes her experience as a VMN volunteer and how she chose to spend her five thousandth volunteer hour!  Way to go, Kathy, and thanks for the inspiration!

Contributed by Kathy Fell, VMN-Southwestern Piedmont Chapter

I did it! 
 
I was almost there after our board meeting on Friday.  I decided I would plan for my 5000th hour to be something more exciting than Chapter Administration.  I love watching the birds.  Saturday was October Big Day and I ended up about a half an hour short.  So today, I put out a mix of sunflower seed, chopped peanuts and suet balls at 7:30am and sat in front of the window.  The Titmouse family was the first to arrive, followed closely by the Chickadees.  I had watched the Chickadee family hatch and fledge 4 babies in one of my nest boxes over the summer.  A Carolina Wren dropped by as well as all three Nuthatch species: Red breasted, Brown headed and White Breasted.  I enjoy watching these locals queue up for a bite.  They swoop in, land in the tree, then take turns for a grab and go.  A few return to the tree to wedge a sunflower seed between their toes and work open the husk.   The Cardinals, Finches and Grosbeaks tend to monopolize the feeder, ignoring those in the queue.  I got a photo of a mystery female bird; a Purple Finch or Rose Breasted Grosbeak.  I was about to give in when a Bluebird arrived!   I watched the bluebirds raise two clutches this summer. The usual gang of Mourning Doves patrolled underneath for dropped treats. A blue jay came by for a drink from the bird bath and did not bother anyone.  In all, it was a wonderful way to achieve a milestone!  

I moved to Virginia in December of 2007 and quickly discovered the Virginia Master Naturalists.  I was in the 2008 Basic Training Class, the second class for the chapter.  I was so excited; I would go to the public library a few days before each class to read up on the next topic.  As soon as I graduated, I was coaxed into the Basic Training Planning Committee.  The next year, I was drafted to be the Chapter President.  I held may of the positions on the Board since then and continue to serve today after 693 hours. 

I enjoyed 437 hours of Continuing Education so far, which included every State Conference to date.  I think a lot of credit is due the state office for all the wonderful Conferences and Webinars they have organized for our benefit.  

My favorite projects involve Citizen Science (3252 hours!).  I participate in bird counts, FeederWatch and NestWatch.  I monitor rainfall daily and water quality monthly.  I collected acorns for DoF and Callary Pear leaves for a genetics project.  I hunted for rare plant species and froze Orchard Mason Bees, after fishing them out of cups of propylene glycol.  I participated in many Blitzes, hunting for the different species native to Virginia.  I am also a volunteer at the Virginia Museum of Natural History where I have been involved in the Paleontology lab, Archaeology lab, and the Wet Lab (where they keep specimens in alcohol) as well as having the opportunity to do some field work in both Paleontology and Archaeology. 

Last year, I volunteered to lead the Southern Piedmont Native Plant Campaign.  This plus helping the museum’s Education Department with its many festivals gives me 759 hours of Education Service. 

Stewardship project account for 297 hours, most spent on the designing and installing Wildlife Habitats. 

In all, it has been a wonderful 12 years and I’m looking forward to the next 5000 hours! ​​​