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Two New Additions to the VMN Golden Circle 

Ike Isenhauer (VMN-Shenandoah Chapter) and David Youker (VMN-Historic Rivers Chapter) are the two most recent volunteers to have contributed 5,000 hours of volunteer service in their Virginia Master Naturalist volunteer roles.  Ike contributes much of his service with the Blue Ridge Wildlife Center, while David has focused on bird-related projects such as prothonotary warbler nest box monitoring and Christmas Bird Counts.  Thank you, Ike and David, for your service!  

Old Rag Chapter and President Recognized for Conservation of Rappahannock River
Contributed by Bonnie Beers, Alejandro Bueno, and Charlene Uhl (VMN-Old Rag Chapter), and October Greenfield (Friends of the Rappahannock)

Old Rag Master Naturalists (ORMN) and our president, Barry Buschow, were recognized this spring at the annual awards program of the Friends of the Rappahannock (FOR) for ORMN’s extraordinary contributions in supporting the health of the Rappahannock River watershed.    This river runs 195 miles from the Blue Ridge Mountains across the Piedmont into the Chesapeake Bay south of the Potomac. It is a critically important part of the Virginia watershed, draining an area of 2,848 square miles and approximately 6% of Virginia. 

Since 1985 Friends of the Rappahannock has been actively working to improve the water quality of this vital watershed through tree planting, restoration of banks, restoration of oyster reefs and living shorelines downstream, removing trash and actively promoting rain gardens and other landscape practices that reduce runoff and pollutants. 

• ORMN was awarded the Upper Rappahannock Conservation Partner of the Year and our members were recognized for “going above and beyond” with tree plantings, river cleanups, water quality monitoring and educational programs. ORMN has four approved volunteer projects with FOR encompassing Citizen Science, Education and Stewardship. Since the beginning of 2021, almost 20% of ORMN active volunteers had recorded dedicated hours for FOR projects. FOR expressed specific gratitude for the strong presence of ORMN volunteers at a Park Cleanup at Culpeper County’s Lenn Park in 2020, a planting at Old House Vineyards in Culpeper, and a planting at Pen Druid Brewery in Sperryville.
• Barry Buschow was presented the Volunteer of the Year Award for his many efforts across multiple counties where the Rappahannock flows. He is now trained as one of FOR water quality monitors. October Greenfield, FOR’s Upper River Steward, noted that “Barry’s curiosity and love for the natural world is an inspiration to all of us and we are appreciative of all of his hard work.”

A New Book Based on a VMN Volunteer’s Experience: Insights From a Butterfly Waystation:  The Plants, Insects and the People Who Tend to Them
Contributed by Jennifer Ambs, VMN-Pocahontas Chapter

VMN volunteer Jennifer Ambs (Pocahontas Chapter) has published a new book telling the story of Bright Hope Butterfly Garden, a large, public Monarch Waystation in Chesterfield, VA. The BHBG mission is butterfly conservation, education, citizen science and enjoyment. The goal of this book is to show the reader there is more to gardening for monarchs than meets the eye,  It intends to provide a glimpse (even beyond what can be observed), of some of the plants and insects that are part of the garden’s multifaceted ecological community. It also details, through interviews with and reflections from the friends and volunteers of the Bright Hope Butterfly Garden, how butterfly conservation has influenced them, enhanced their lives, and strengthened their position as environmental stewards. Katherine Snavely, formerly of the Riverine Chapter and a BHBG volunteer, made a large contribution to the book and submitted several pages including information about milkweed tussock moths and honeybees.  All of the photos, with a few exceptions, were taken at Bright Hope Butterfly Garden (with cell phones) by the friends and volunteers of the project.  Profits from this book will be used toward in-kind donations for BHBG maintenance as well as related outreach and educational endeavors. Profits from the sales of this book will also go to other butterfly habitat projects as deemed suitable.  While Jennifer wrote and published the book as a personal rather than VMN endeavor, it is a lovely tribute to the impacts of the butterfly garden project and an educational tool that will hopefully inspire new audiences to create pollinator habitat.

Check out the photos below, all contributed by Jennifer Ambs, to see some members of the fabulous Bright Hope Butterfly Garden team!

Volunteers Create New Native Plant Gardens to Support Pollinators in Fairfax County
Contributed by Susan Laume, VMN-Fairfax Chapter

​A Virginia Master Naturalist led effort, supported by over two dozen amateur gardeners, literally bloomed to fruition this spring in Laurel Hill Park in Lorton. Many of the volunteers had done no gardening of any kind before, and had no knowledge about native versus non-native plant species. However, willing hands and sustained effort over several months turned one weed-choked, and one barren parking lot island into two native plant gardens, welcoming to pollinators and park users, mirroring only the native wildflowers and grasses found throughout the park.
 
This is a story about one of many collaborative efforts between Master Naturalists and our friends in the Fairfax County Park Authority. Under the auspices of the Laurel Hill Park Volunteer Team (PVT) founded by the author, the park area maintenance manager designated the garden development areas.  He also provided limited start up assistance by way of dumping wood mulch, and amending mowing contracts to protect the garden areas. The Park Authority assisted with advertising for members through the county volunteer opportunities system.  The first garden involved merely managing the volunteer plants which populated the space.  For the second garden, the County also authorized limited funding for starter plant purchases through the native plant nursery, “Earth Sangha”.  Garden design, bed preparation, mulch spreading, planting, establishment watering, weeding, and subsequent plantings for both garden locations were all accomplished by a changing set of citizen volunteers. 
 
With the first garden started in May 2020, and the second in September 2020, progress in both was slowed by Covid -19 park restrictions.  Spring 2021 was the first opportunity to see real results of the efforts in terms of blooms and visiting pollinators.  While the full beauty of the gardens is yet to blossom, the gardens already have accomplished much (see photos below). Dozens of people have worked there and now know about native plants and their importance to our environment. Many more have visited the garden and asked about its purpose and plants. Dragonflies, bees, beetles, wasps, bugs, and birds visit regularly, enjoying the diversity of plants created by management of the space. Small mammals and snakes move and hide within the grasses and green, drawn by the food now found there. In coming seasons, as the gardens fill with more plants, both planted and seed volunteers, they will continue to achieve their goal — welcoming and educating people about the beauty and wonder of native plants.

VMN Volunteers Contribute to White Oak Research
Contributed by JoAnn Jones (VMN-Central Piedmont Chapter)

A recent issue of Cooperative Living magazine featured an article about VMN volunteers Al and Betsy Lookofsky (Central Piedmont Chapter).  Among the many projects that the Lookofskys participate in is the white oak genetics study with the University of Kentucky.  In this project, volunteers collect acorns and twigs from white oaks in their geographic area.  Scientists are using this genetic material to identify and produce superior white oak seedlings to help address the issue of low regeneration in this tree species, which is of critical importance ecologically and in the forestry industry.  Showing the kind of leadership and motivation that we love to see in VMN volunteers, Al and Betsy called their local electrical cooperative (Southside Electric Cooperative) to ask if they could provide a bucket truck to come to their farm to help collect twigs from high up in some of the white oak trees on their farm.  These twigs are important for successful grafting in the project.  The Cooperative was interested in helping and arranged for one of their contractors to assist.  

“Other VMN volunteers have helped with the white oak genetics project, too!  “One very important partner group is citizen scientists in the Master Naturalist program.  These volunteers have helped collect over 60,000 acorns from 200 parent trees.  This is the very way we came to know of the Lookofskys.  To date, their acorns and scions are producing some of our best seedings.” (Tree Improvement Specialist Dr. Laura E. DeWald, University of Kentucky, as quoted in the Cooperative Living article by Communications Specialist Jennifer Wall, August 2021 issue.)

Wildlife Detectives Camp
Contributed by Linda Eanes, Virginia Cooperative Extension

For many years in a row, the VMN Central Piedmont Chapter has partnered with 4-H and Bear Creek Lake State Park to provide the Wildlife Detectives day camp for area youth.  VMN volunteers lead all kinds of wildlife-related activities while helping the youth connect to nature outdoors at the park.  VMN volunteer Mary Ames created a fabulous video that gives you a wonderful sense of how much the youth enjoy the opportunity and the different ways they are learning about wildlife.  

Note: This video does not have narration, and thus is not captioned.

A New Nature Play Area for Loudoun County
Contributed by Susan Sims, VMN-Banshee Reeks Chapter

The VMN Banshee Reeks Chapter has helped bring a new nature play area for children in Loudoun County.  The project is a collaboration among the VMN chapter, the Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship, and the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy, and was funded by a grant from the Virginia Environmental Education Association.  Volunteers helped design and build the play area.  Read more about it in the Loudoun Times.

This is one of several nature play areas that VMN volunteers have had a hand in creating.  Others include the Children’s Discovery Area at Sky Meadows State Park and the Parker the Red Fox Discovery Area at Hungry Mother State Park.  

Has your VMN chapter been responsible for creating another public nature play area for youth in your area?  Contact the VMN state office to share stories of your nature play area projects.

​Turtle Mortality Monitoring Project, Jamestown Island
Contributed by Nancy Barnhart, Shirley Devan, and Ricklin Brown, VMN-Historic Rivers Chapter

Jamestown Island, a low-lying island jutting into the James River, is owned by the National Park Service (NPS) as part of Colonial National Historical Park. A popular feature of the island is the 5 mile paved tour road which can be driven, walked, or bicycled by Park visitors. The range of habitats on the island includes southern mixed hardwood forest, interior hardwood swamp, tidal salt marsh, riverfront, and the open water of the James River. It is home to a wide variety of wildlife including 8 species of turtles.

The NPS is committed to species protection and is sensitive to human/wildlife interaction. Observations by visitors and staff over time, but increasingly more frequent this spring, pointed to a rise in the number of turtle mortalities on the loop road. This led to the initiation of a concerted effort to document turtle activity on the island with the goal of minimizing human impact on turtles and other herpetofauna.

The Historic Rivers Chapter of VMN has partnered with the NPS on a number of projects, including marsh bird monitoring, breeding bird surveys, butterfly counts and wildlife mapping. So it was natural for the NPS to call on the members of HRC to take-on the project of Turtle Mortality Monitoring. Led by Nancy Barnhart a team of volunteers began monitoring on Memorial Day weekend. Monitoring requires completing the entire 5 mile tour road, on foot, bicycle or by car, at 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. every day through October. Volunteers sign up for slots online and can go individually or with a partner. We document live and dead turtles that we come across as we travel the road. We obtain a GPS location, identify the species, take photos and sweep roadkill from the road to prevent a recount by the next monitor. We complete data sheets after each survey noting such items as micro habitat (shady, sunny) habitat type (marsh, forest, etc), weather, species and GPS locations. We note nesting and egg laying when observed and any other pertinent information. Data sheets are sent electronically to the Natural Resource Specialist after each survey. A report of 6 or more dead turtles in a day triggers closure of the tour road to vehicles for at least a day, often more, as it indicates an increase in activity. Data that HRC volunteers collect will contribute to science-based analysis and help guide a future NPS management plan to reduce turtle mortality.

DWR Photo Winners

VMN-Historic Rivers volunteer Judy Jones had not one, but two photos selected for publication in the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resource’s Annual Photography Showcase issue of Virginia Wildlife.  Both photos were selected for the Virginia Fauna category from nearly 600 entries.  Congratulations, Judy–and any other VMN volunteers who may also have had winning photos!

VMN Volunteer is a Double Award Winner
Excerpted and adapted from Shenandoah Saw-whet, the newsletter of the VMN-Shenandoah Chapter

It’s hard to find a Shenandoah Chapter VMN project that Mary Keith Ruffner has not been involved with. The Sensory Trail, Outdoor Lab, Pollinator Plots, three different Bluebird Trails at Sky Meadows, Blandy, and SCBI,… Mary Keith has given so much of her time and effort to all of these very important chapter projects. In recognition of those tireless efforts, Mary Keith has been named the Shenandoah Chapter’s 2020 Volunteer of the Year. But wait, there’s more: Mary Keith has also been named volunteer of the year at the chapter’s partner site Sky Meadows State Park. Two awards in one year makes it clear just how dedicated Mary Keith is!

For Mary Keith, it started with bluebird monitoring – helping Margaret Wester at Sky Meadows State Park and Blandy Experiemental Farm. The efforts were instrumental to the foundation of the Bluebird Trail at Sky Meadows which is celebrating its 10-year anniversary in 2021.  Mary Keith has also contributed to other works at Sky Meadows, such as a pollinator plot project, the Sensory Trail, and invasive plant removal workdays.

Her VMN training led Mary Keith to develop a real appreciation for the vast diversity found in our Shenandoah Chapter’s territory. When asked what area she likes most, she immediately responded, “all of it”; adding there is such richness of opportunity in the area. She especially appreciates the more iconic locations of Sky Meadows State Park, Blandy Experimental Farm, Thompson Wildlife Management Area, and Shenandoah River State Park.

Congrats to Mary Keith – a double volunteer of the year award recipient!

The Nature Bus Rolls Along

Suzanne Moss, VMN volunteer in the Tidewater Chapter, was recently spotlighted for her Nature Bus business and programs.  Although the Nature Bus is separate from her VMN role, it is an example of cool things VMN volunteers do in nature and environmental education in their “off” time!

New Chestnut Restoration Demonstration Plot in Fluvanna County
Contributed by Ida Swenson, VMN-Rivanna Chapter

Walter Hussey, VMN-Rivanna Chapter, has coordinated a project to plant a new grove of American Chestnut trees at Pleasant Grove Park in Palmyra, Virginia.  It’s been a collaboration with Fluvanna County Parks and Recreation, Fluvanna Master Gardeners, Charlottesville Area Tree Stewards, and the Virginia Department of Forestry, along with others in his VMN chapter.  Read more about it in the Fluvanna Review!

By Daniel Frank, Director, Virginia Tech Pesticide Programs

[This article was originally published in VTPP Quarterly: A Newsletter from Virginia Tech Pesticide Programs.  It is used here with permission from the author.  We try to, at least once a year, share research-based information about ticks and tick-borne diseases with VMN volunteers, because ticks are likely one of the most common safety hazards that our volunteers encounter during their training and service activities.  Please help keep yourself and members of the public who attend your programs safe by reminding them of the recommended personal protection measures they can take.–M. Prysby]  

With the advent of spring and warming weather, more people are venturing outdoors to work and play. This also means it is a good time to start getting in the habit of protecting yourself from ticks. Ticks (Family: Ixodidae) are a parasitic group of arthropods that feed on blood from their animal hosts. They are active year-round (even in the winter when temperatures are above freezing), and are considered important medical/veterinary pests because of their ability to transmit a number of disease agents.

Life History and Habits
The lifecycle of ticks consists of four stages; the egg, six-legged larva (often called seed ticks), eight-legged nymph, and adult (also with eight legs). Ticks must feed (take a blood meal) at each stage to complete their lifecycle, which can take one to three years to complete. Each stage generally feeds on a different animal host. Ticks become engorged after taking a blood meal and drop from the host to find a protected location to molt to the next stage. Adult females begin laying eggs shortly after their final blood meal. Under favorable conditions, ticks can survive for several months without feeding.

Ticks do not jump or drop from trees onto their hosts. They wait in a position known as “questing.” Questing ticks will rest on vegetation (often at ground level to about waist height) with their front legs outstretched waiting to climb on a suitable host as it brushes by. Various stimuli such as body heat, the carbon dioxide that animals produce when they exhale, movement, and other bodily cues of the host can intensify questing 
behavior. Some ticks may quickly attach and begin feeding once on a host. Others may wander for up to a few hours before settling on a spot to feed. 

In order for a tick to take a blood meal without being detected or dislodged, it injects small amounts of saliva with anesthetic properties at the site of attachment. If the tick is infected with a pathogen, it is transmitted to the host through the saliva. A tick initially acquires the pathogen when feeding on an infected host.

Common Species and Medical Importance
Common tick species affecting humans in Virginia include the American dog tick (Dermacentor variabilis), blacklegged or deer tick (Ixodes scapularis), and lone star tick (Amblyomma americanum) (see image).

The American dog tick is commonly encountered west of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia. Although it can be found feeding on dogs (as the name suggests), it will readily feed on numerous other animal hosts including humans. American dog ticks are the primary carrier for the pathogen causing Rocky Mountain spotted fever. It can also transmit the pathogen responsible for tularemia.

The blacklegged or deer tick is commonly encountered in mixed forests and along woodland edges throughout Virginia. The larval and nymphal stages typically feed on small rodents (the preferred host is the white-footed mouse). Deer are the primary hosts during the adult stage. Blacklegged ticks are the primary carrier for the pathogen causing Lyme disease. They also transmit anaplasmosis, babesiosis, and Powassan virus.

The lone star tick is commonly encountered in the Piedmont and Coastal Plain regions of Virginia. Lone star ticks transmit the pathogens causing ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, southern tick-associated rash illness (STARI), and tularemia.

Tick Integrated Pest Management

Personal Protection
The most important and effective way to protect yourself from ticks and tick-borne diseases is to regularly check your entire body for attached ticks, and promptly remove and kill any ticks found. The probability of a tick transmitting a disease-causing pathogen increases the longer an infected tick is attached. For example, in the case of Lyme disease, the tick must be attached for at least 36 to 48 hours to transmit the disease. Ticks may feed anywhere on the body, but can commonly be found around the scalp, behind the ears, under armpits or behind knees, and around waistbands. Because tick bites are often painless, most people will be unaware that they have an attached tick without careful visual inspection.

When entering habitat with a high risk of tick exposure (i.e., heavy woods, tall grasses, woodland edges), there are several precautions you can take to limit contact with ticks. When hiking along trails, stay in the center and avoid brushing against weeds and tall grass. Wear light-colored clothing with long pants tucked into socks and shirts tucked into pants. This can make ticks easier to spot and keep them on the outside of clothes. Using a tick repellent on skin and clothing is also highly recommended. The Environmental Protection Agency and Centers for Disease Control list DEET, picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus, and 2-undecanone as effective active ingredients in tick repellents. Wearing permethrin treated clothing is also particularly effective. If treating clothing yourself, be sure to follow all label instructions and allow the product to dry completely before wearing.

If an attached tick is found, remove it using thin tipped tweezers or forceps. Grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible, and pull the tick upward with steady even pressure. The idea is to remove the tick with its
mouthparts intact to reduce the risk of infection. Other methods of tick removal (i.e., petroleum jelly, heat from matches) are not recommended. Removed ticks can be stored in rubbi
ng alcohol in case disease symptoms develop and the tick needs to be identified. National laboratories can also provide Lyme and other tick-borne disease testing on removed ticks (fees usually range between $50-$100).

Landscape Management
Desiccation (drying out) is a major cause of natural tick mortality. Taking steps to reduce surface humidity and moisture can make an area less favorable for ticks. For example, keeping grass and weeds mowed, clearing leaf litter, and pruning/removing trees to increase sunlight in areas frequently used by people can help discourage ticks.
There is a positive correlation between the abundance and distribution of the blacklegged tick and the size of white-tailed deer populations. Adult blacklegged ticks preferentially feed on deer. Therefore, deer may bring engorged adult female ticks into a landscape where they can lay eggs and increase tick numbers. Deer management options such as fencing, repellents, guard animals, and deer resistant landscape plantings can help reduce tick populations in an area.

​Chemical Controls
If landscape management practices fail to provide adequate tick control, insecticides (called “acaricides” when used for ticks) can help reduce populations. Appropriately labeled acaricides should be applied only to areas where ticks may inhabit (e.g., woodland edges, shady perennial beds). It is seldom necessary to treat an entire yard or lawn area because ticks are unlikely to inhabit areas exposed to full sunlight. Common active ingredients used by pest control professionals include those in the pyrethroid class of insecticides (e.g., bifenthrin [Talstar P, Up-Star]; cyfluthrin [Tempo], pyrethrins [ExciteR, Pyganic]). Spray treatments are most effective when applied using a high-pressure sprayer in the early spring. An additional application in the fall can be used to target adult ticks if populations are particularly high. Pyrethroids should not be applied when
pollinators are active, near areas where plants are blooming, or near standing water, streams, or rivers to reduce negative effects to the environment and non-target organisms.
​
Another option to treat ticks around the home is to target acaracides on small mammals that may be living in the area. In many instances, mice are the reservoir hosts responsible for producing disease carrying ticks (particularly Lyme disease). Rodent targeted devices such as “tick tubes” (e.g., Thermacell), are cardboard tubes containing cotton balls treated with an acaricide. The idea is to spread these around the landscape where mice, or other rodents, will find them and take the cotton as nesting material. Then, any larval or nymphal ticks attached to the animal will contact the acaricide on its fur and die.

Virginia Department of Forestry – Tree and Forest Health Guide

By Ellen Powell, VDOF

Virginia Department of Forestry (VDOF) has a new Tree and Forest Health Guide, available in PDF format from the agency website.

This book was originally created for VDOF field staff who encounter tree health issues every week, but it’s also a great resource for Virginia Master Naturalist volunteers. The guide has sections on insects, other animals, diseases, and abiotic factors that affect tree health. There are multiple photographs for most issues, and the symptom descriptions and management recommendations are easy to understand. The book also has a helpful index to common pests and diseases listed by tree species.

Virginia Department of Environmental Quality – Landscaping with Native Plants Webinars

By Ann Regn, VDEQ

​Space is still available to participate in the Landscaping with Native Plants webinar series. 

The spring presentations conclude in May, but the series picks up again in September. Register today and receive a recording of the webinars you missed. A portion of the $10 registration fee will help support the Plant Virginia Natives initiative. 

The Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program (CZM), led by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, collaborated with Plant Virginia Natives regional campaigns to offer this 12-part webinar series state-wide.

The series began with a keynote presentation by Doug Tallamy who pitched his new book about oaks and a Homegrown National Park. “Hearing Doug’s compelling message in-person is a huge treat, but a silver lining of having to go virtual is how many more people we are reaching through the webinar format,” explains CZM Outreach Coordinator Virginia Witmer. “Currently, there are 2,737 registrants, and we have increased capacity due to the overwhelming response. And the participation during Q&A has been tremendous. The partnership has fielded many more questions than what could have been handled at an in-person event.”

The program has engaged many organizations, but Witmer noted that special thanks goes to the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden and Blue Ridge PRISM for help with registration and being Zoom hosts.  
​ 
Although the webinar series was planned with native plant novices in mind, post webinar comments confirm that the presentations have had a lot to offer all levels. 

Virginia Department of Environmental Quality – Virginia Agencies to Stop Single-use Plastics

By Ann Regn, VDEQ
​
On March 23, Governor Northam signed Executive Order Seventy-Seven (EO 77), Virginia Leading by Example to Reduce Plastic Pollution and Solid Waste, which orders all executive branch state agencies, including institutions of higher education, and their concessioners to take a series of steps to reduce plastic pollution and eliminate the need for new solid waste disposal facilities in Virginia. The requirements of the executive order are under development and will be distributed to state agencies according to the designated timeline.  

First among the actions agencies must take is the cessation of buying, selling or distributing certain single-use plastic and polystyrene items by July 21. Following the cessation of use, agencies are directed to phase out all non-medical single-use plastic and expanded polystyrene objects entirely by the end of 2025 and develop plastic pollution and solid waste reduction plans. NOTE: The executive order does provide for exemptions in certain instances. 

The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is charged with providing agencies with a template for the plastic pollution and solid waste reduction plans, including a mechanism to inventory the non-medical single-use plastic and expanded polystyrene items typically used. DEQ, in coordination with other agencies, is also required to develop guidance and recommendations on plan implementation.  

Additional information on implementation of EO 77 is available on DEQ’s website.

Each quarter, we invite VMN chapters to share stories of volunteers’ awards and accomplishments.  Our Laurels posts are not only a way to provide recognition to those volunteers, but also an opportunity to inspire other volunteers.  If you are inspired by one of the projects or accomplishments mentioned here and want more information, please contact the VMN state office and we’ll put you in touch!

VMN-Shenandoah Chapter Project Receives Governor’s Award

In March, the Shenandoah Chapter’s Sensory Explorers’ Trail project received one of the highest awards for environmental work in Virginia, the Governor’s Environmental Excellence Award.  The project, completed in partnership with Sky Meadows State Park and its Friends Group, was honored with a bronze medal in recognition of its significant contributions to conservation and the environment.

The Sensory Explorers’ Trail is a .3-mile loop located inside the chapter’s 76-acre Outdoor Laboratory area at Sky Meadows State Park in Delaplane, VA.  The project goal is to provide a way for people of all ages and abilities to engage their senses in the exploration of the natural world.  More than 50 Shenandoah Chapter volunteers worked to conceive, research and design the trail, raise funds, develop its exhibits and audio tour, and complete the construction.  The result is a trail designed for all, signage, print booklets, and an audio tour.  Laure Wallace, Certified VMN, served as the main project leader.  She worked on this project for more than 2 years and demonstrated the ideals of the VMN program for inclusivity, both in terms of finding a way for every volunteer who wanted to be involved to be able to contribute, and in terms of working with partners to really make the trail accessible to a diversity of potential users.  You can find the audio tour online and read a lot of the interpretive material on the chapter’s website, but we encourage you to take the time to visit Sky Meadows and have the full experience. 

Les Lawrence Achieves 6,000 Volunteer Hours!
–By Rick Brown, VMN-Historic Rivers Chapter

Recently the Virginia Master Naturalists created the Golden Circle for those who members who have achieved the remarkable goal of volunteering for 5,000 hours. Les Lawrence was one of our Chapter’s charter members. I sent him a note of congratulations and said, “Now on to 6K”. He wrote back and said he didn’t think he would ever get there and was thinking of cutting back a little. I didn’t believe him then because everywhere I go there was Les, and also at many other places that I didn’t attend. Well, last week he hit the new mark and becomes the third member of our Chapter to get there.  

If you haven’t met Les, you probably don’t get out much. If you’re new to the Chapter he will walk up and introduce himself and immediately become your friend. I first met Les when I was in Basic Training, on my first field trip. We all met in a parking lot somewhere and he came over and introduced himself and invited me to ride with him. We have been friends ever since. But, then Les has hundreds of friends. Les is one of those people that others just feel good being around. When he’s in the woods, he knows his stuff; everything that flies, crawls, hops or grows he can tell you a story about. Les earned 6,000 hours not because he had a goal. It just happened because he enjoys being around other people. And when others are around, Les is naturally willing to share what he knows. I asked some of Les’s other friends in the Chapter who have known him longer to also offer their observations. 

In the last few years, Les has had a couple of health challenges, but did that stop him…. NO!
Almost every week, he comes out to do wildlife mapping at York River State Park. Some days he walks the whole route, while other days he leaves a bit early. We enjoy his company so much, he is a big part of the team, and is a great resource for trees, birds, and butterflies. He’s often the first to offer an identification and sometimes the last to verify one. 
Prior to COVID, you could always count on Les for a big hug. Now, its just warm wishes and a big smile from behind the mask. I can’t wait to get back to those needed hugs.
—Adrienne Frank

Les Lawrence never met a stranger and very seldom met a project he did not like. He is always one of the first to volunteer for cleanup and trash pickup projects and does not retreat from projects requiring dirty hands and boots. The choice for the recipient of the Chapter’s 2019 Nancy Norton Spirit Award was an easy one. Les Lawrence embodies the spirit of all that is good about the Historic Rivers Chapter.
–Shirley Devan

I was lucky enough to sit next to Les for Basic Training way back in Cohort IV. He made every class more fun with his humor and enthusiasm. Our chapter is great because of members like Les.
–Dean Shostak

6,000 hours! What great news!  He’s such a jewel in our HRC crown!
–Judy Jones

My first contact with the Master Naturalist program was in the fall of 2010 at the HRC display at the Williamsburg Farmers Market. I was greeted by a very friendly, outgoing volunteer who enthusiastically explained the program and organization. It was Les Lawrence and he “had me at hello”.
As a member of Cohort VI in 2011, I was eager to start participating in V
olunteer Project activities as soon as we finished Risk Management. My first activity was at York River State Park collecting acorns under the guidance of Les Lawrence. A couple of days later I volunteered to build oyster reef balls at VIMS, and there was Les, who told me I would really love this project because I could swing a hammer as hard as I could (!). A few days later I helped at Wallerpalooza, an outreach event at Waller Mill Park, and there was Les teaching me about frogs and toads (“what’s the difference?”). Soon after I went to New Kent Forestry Center to measure trees, there was Les, then York River State Park Friday Follies, led by Les. You get the idea. Les is the quintessential Master Naturalist. He is involved, helpful, smart, well- informed, encouraging, funny, supportive, humble, and a great friend. It is an honor and a privilege to know and count as a friend and fellow Master Naturalist Les Lawrence. Congratulations on an outstanding achievement of 6000 volunteer hours, Les.
–Nancy Barnhart

Les will tell you he’s not planning on getting to 7,000 hours, but don’t believe him. It is not in his nature to stay home when others are out and about. Count on Les to show up with a smile and a story. His license plate kind of says it all “POPNAT”. 
Congratulations Les! As Glinda, says to Elphaba in the musical “Wicked”; “Like a seed dropped by a sky bird in a distant wood; who’s to say if we’ve been changed for the better?  But because I knew you, because we knew you, we have been changed for good.” Les, you really make being a Master Naturalist mean something. Thanks, now to 7K! 
–Rick Brown

VMN – Banshee Reeks Chapter Graduates a Dozen New VMN Volunteers
Editor’s note: The Banshee Reeks Chapter (based in Loudoun County) was our only VMN chapter that held a fully in-person course during the last year.  They only moved to virtual for two classroom sessions on very cold days when it wasn’t practical to keep the doors and windows in their training venue open.  The volunteers leading the training, the instructors, and the trainees all deserve extra kudos for the work that it took to provide an excellent and safe learning experience under COVID protocols!

–By Susan Sims, VMN-Banshee Reeks Chapter

Banshee Reeks is excited to announce the graduation of the VMN class of 2021. After 8 months of hard work, dedication and commitment to being strong stewards of Virginia’s natural resources, 12 new graduates have joined the VMN family! Thank you to the Training committee for working diligently to ensure the safety of the students, instructors, and training assistants over the last year.

Welcome to the VMN Class of 2021!
Penny Barry
Kathy Cain
Mike Cain
Dave Groy
Gail Groy
Mary Hess
Laura Karwoski
Tom Larsen
Mark Long
Jessie Pickard
Cynthia Stowers
Jake van Schilfgaarde

A New Volunteer-created Educational Resource on Atlantic Sturgeon

–By Judy Jones, VMN-Historic Rivers Chapter

Dean Shostak, a member of Historic Rivers Chapter of VMN, has created a video for Virginia Cooperative Extension’s Watershed Wonders Wednesday educational YouTube series. The video focuses on the Atlantic Sturgeon of the James River—their life cycle, their history, and the need to preserve this species for the future. Working on the project for over two months, Dean gathered information, wrote the script, interviewed Atlantic Sturgeon specialist Dr. Matt Balazik of the VCU Rice Rivers Center, edited the material, and finally presented it to Virginia Cooperative Extension in its finished form.

Dean became involved in the project after Michelle Prysby sent an email out in 2020 asking for volunteers. The contact person for the project was Ruth Wallace, VCE 4-H agent in Buckingham County. Dean was especially grateful for the support he received from HRC’s co-advisor, Meagan Thomas of DWR. She connected Dean with Dr. Balazik for the  interview. Several members of the community also helped provide images including Captain Mike Ostrander of Discover the James, and Barbara Houston of the Colonial Nature Photography Club. And, of course, there was help and support from various members of the Historic Rivers Chapter. But it was Dean’s skill with videos, his creative approach to the project, and the narration read by Historic Rivers Chapter president Rick Brown that combined for such an interesting and high caliber product.

Folks interested in viewing this amazing seven-minute video can see it at the following link:
Atlantic Sturgeon of the James River – YouTube

In addition, VMN volunteer Daina Henry in the Peninsula Chapter created another video in the series on monitoring water quality in the Lower James watershed, and VCE 4-H agents and other partners created many others.  View the whole series online, and thank you to the VMN volunteers who stepped up to help with this educational effort!

VMN Recognized for Dedication to Arlington County’s Parks

–Contributed by Kasha Helget, VMN-Arlington Regional Chapter.  See the Arlington County website for additional details.
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Glenn Tobin is the 2020 winner of the Bill Thomas Park Volunteer Award, which recognizes an individual or group whose efforts show ongoing dedication and tangible benefit to Arlington’s natural resources, parks and public open spaces.

Glenn is an Arlington Regional Master Naturalist (ARMN) since 2016 and Trail Maintainer with the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club (PATC) since 2015. Among his efforts were to remove invasive plants at Windy Run Park and the adjacent Potomac River waterfront in the George Washington Memorial Parkway. Because of his work alone and with volunteers, significant natural areas are recovering and becoming more beautiful and biodiverse. In 2020, Glenn raised money and worked with the PATC and the National Park Service (NPS) to rebuild the stone stairway that connects the Windy Run park trail to the Potomac Heritage Trail along the river, improving access for many people. Then, inspired by the reemergence of diverse native flora at Windy Run and along the Potomac, Glenn began working with experts in ecology, botany, and natural resources to create a detailed website, Natural Ecological Communities of Northern Virginia (https://www.novanaturalcommunity.com/). As a result of Glenn’s leadership, ARMN is adopting natural plant communities as a framework for park restoration, in collaboration with local jurisdictions. This work will have lasting impact on restoration planning throughout the County and on selection of plant species for the County’s native plant nursery.

Some of Glenn’s other work includes helping lead Weed Warrior Training with the NPS, assisting in leadership for Park Stewards, and mentoring others who share deep passion for helping restore natural areas in Arlington County and beyond.

Best of the Blue Ridge Environmentalist Award

Ida Swenson, Certified VMN volunteer in the Rivanna Chapter, was the runner-up for the Environmentalist Award in Best of the Blue Ridge.  Best of the Blue Ridge is Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine’s annual reader’s choice awards, and the top three vote-getters were listed online and in the February magazine issue.  Ida’s accomplishments include more than 5,000 hours of service as a VMN, particularly in the areas of youth environmental education and water quality monitoring.  She helped start the Rivanna Chapter 15 years ago and has continued to be a leader in the chapter since that time.  Learn more about the Rivanna Chapter in this recent C-ville Weekly article, written by a current VMN trainee.