The 2023 recertification pin, earned by VMN volunteers who complete at least 40 hours of approved volunteer service and 8 hours of approved continuing education during 2022, will be an image of a Virginia mammal. Which mammal it will be and the artwork for the pin will be determined through an artwork contest. VMN volunteers are invited to submit their own artwork according to the guidelines below. The winning artwork will be selected by a team of judges that will include the VMN program staff and wildlife experts from our sponsoring agencies.
Contest Guidelines
- The artwork must be original artwork created and submitted by a currently enrolled VMN volunteer.
- Please limit submissions to one submission per volunteer.
- The artwork may be a drawing, painting, or photograph, but it must be submitted as a digital file, such as a PDF, JPG, PNG, or GIF file.
- The artwork must be of a non-marine mammal species that is considered native to Virginia. Below, we have provided the names of the non-marine mammals on the most current, official List of Native & Naturalized Fauna of Virginia, provided by the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources. Naturalized species are marked with an asterisk and do not meet the qualification of “native” for the purposes of our artwork contest.
- The artwork should not be of a bat species, for the simple reason that we had a bat pin in 2011 featuring the Virginia Big-eared Bat, which is Virginia’s State Bat.
- We greatly prefer artwork that allows us to create a pin in the shape of the mammal, rather than having to be an oval or rectangular pin. Keep this preference in mind when creating your artwork, and imagine a pin cut in the shape of the animal. Pins cannot easily have very finely detailed edges, so it is helpful if the animal’s shape is a smoother line. See the frog, turtle, and oyster pins on our recertification pin artwork history page as examples of artwork that were easily converted to pins.
To Submit Your Artwork for the Contest
If you want to submit your artwork for the contest, please complete the online contest survey no later than 5:00 pm on Friday, August 19. You will be asked to provide your name, email, VMN chapter, 1-2 sentences about why you think that mammal species should be featured, and your permission to use the artwork. Have your digital artwork file ready; you will be need to upload it within the survey.
Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources List of Native and Naturalized Fauna of Virginia – Mammals (Non-Marine)
April 2022
*denotes naturalized species that would not qualify for this recertification pin contest
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Allegheny Woodrat, Neotoma magister
American Beaver, Castor canadensis American Beaver, Castor canadensis carolinensis American Black Bear, Ursus americanus American Mink, Neovison vison mink American Mink, Neovision vison vison American Pygmy Shrew, Sorex hoyi American Water Shrew, Sorex palustris Appalachian Cottontail, Sylvilagus obscurus Big Brown Bat, Eptesicus fuscus fuscus Black Rat *, Rattus rattus * Black-tailed Jack Rabbit *, Lepus californicus * Bobcat, Lynx rufus floridanus Bobcat, Lynx rufus rufus Brazilian Free-tailed Bat, Tadarida brasiliensis cynocephala Carolina Northern Flying Squirrel, Glaucomys sabrinus coloratus Carolina Red-backed Vole, Myodes gapperi carolinensis Cloudland Deermouse, Peromyscus maniculatus nubiterrae Common Gray Fox, Urocyon cinereoargenteus Common Muskrat, Ondatra zibethicus macrodon Cotton Deermouse, Peromyscus gossypinus Coyote, Canis latrans Delmarva Peninsula Fox Squirrel, Sciurus niger cinereus Dismal Swamp Bog Lemming, Synaptomys cooperi helaletes Dismal Swamp Meadow Vole, Microtus pennsylvanicus nigrans Dismal Swamp Short-tailed Shrew, Blarina brevicauda telmalestes Dismal Swamp Southeastern Shrew, Sorex longirostris fisheri Eastern Chipmunk, Tamias striatus fisheri Eastern Chipmunk, Tamias striatus striatus Eastern Cottontail, Sylvilagus floridanus mallurus Eastern Cottontail, Sylvilagus floridanus mearnsii Eastern Fox Squirrel, Sciurus niger niger Eastern Fox Squirrel, Sciurus niger rufiventer Eastern Fox Squirrel, Sciurus niger vulpinus Eastern Gray Squirrel, Sciurus carolinensis carolinensis Eastern Gray Squirrel, Sciurus carolinensis pennsylvanicus Eastern Harvest Mouse, Reithrodontomys humulis humulis Eastern Harvest Mouse, Reithrodontomys humulis virginianus Eastern Mole, Scalopus aquaticus aquaticus Eastern Mole, Scalopus aquaticus howelli Eastern Red Bat, Lasiurus borealis Eastern Shrew, Sorex cinereus fontinalis Eastern Small-footed Myotis, Myotis leibii Eastern Spotted Skunk, Spilogale putorius Elk, Cervus elaphus Evening Bat, Nycticeius humeralis humeralis Fisher, Martes pennanti Golden Mouse, Ochrotomys nuttalli aureolus Golden Mouse, Ochrotomys nuttalli nuttalli Gray Bat, Myotis grisescens Hairy-tailed Mole, Parascalops breweri Hispid Cotton Rat, Sigmodon hispidus Hoary Bat, Lasiurus cinereus House Mouse *, Mus musculus * Indiana Bat, Myotis sodalis Kentucky Red-backed Vole, Myodes gapperi maurus Least Shrew, Cryptotis parva Least Weasel, Mustela nivalis Little Brown Bat, Myotis lucifugus Long-tailed (=Rock) Shrew, Sorex dispar Long-tailed Weasel, Mustela frenata |
Marsh Rabbit, Sylvilagus palustris
Marsh Rice Rat, Oryzomys palustris Masked Shrew, Sorex cinereus cinereus Meadow Jumping Mouse, Zapus hudsonius Meadow Vole, Microtus pennsylvanicus pennsylvanicus Nine-banded Armadillo *, Dasypus novemcinctus * North American Porcupine, Erethizon dorsatus Northern Long-eared Bat, Myotis septentrionalis Northern Raccoon, Procyon lotor lotor Northern Raccoon, Procyon lotor marinus Northern River Otter, Lontra canadensis lataxina Northern Short-tailed Shrew, Blarina brevicauda churchi Northern Short-tailed Shrew, Blarina brevicauda kirtlandi Northern Yellow Bat, Lasiurus intermedius Norway Rat *, Rattus norvegicus * Nutria *, Myocastor coypus * Prairie Deermouse, Peromyscus maniculatus bairdii Pungo White-footed Deermouse, Peromyscus leucopus easti Rafinesque’s Big-eared Bat, Corynorhinus rafinesquii rafinesquii Rafinesque’s Eastern Big-eared Bat, Corynorhinus rafinesquii macrotis Red Fox, Vulpes vulpes Red Squirrel, Tamiasciurus hudsonicus abieticola Red Squirrel, Tamiasciurus hudsonicus loquax Rock Vole, Microtus chrotorrhinus Seminole Bat, Lasiurus seminolus Sika Deer *, Cervus nippon * Silver-haired Bat, Lasionycteris noctivagans Small Star-nosed Mole, Condylura cristata parva Smith’s Island Cottontail, Sylvilagus floridanus hitchensi Smoky Shrew, Sorex fumeus Snowshoe Hare, Lepus americanus Snowshoe Hare, Lepus americanus virginianus Southeastern Myotis, Myotis austroriparius Southern Bog Lemming, Synaptomys cooperi stonei Southern Flying Squirrel, Glaucomys volans saturatus Southern Flying Squirrel, Glaucomys volans volans Southern Red-backed Vole, Myodes gapperi gapperi Southern Short-tailed Shrew, Blarina carolinensis Southern Shrew, Sorex longirostris longirostris Southern Star-nosed Mole, Condylura cristata parva Star-nosed Mole, Condylura cristata cristata Striped Skunk, Mephitis mephitis mephitis Striped Skunk, Mephitis mephitis nigra Tri-colored Bat, Perimyotis subflavus Virginia Big-eared Bat, Corynorhinus (= Plecotus) townsendii virginianus Virginia Northern Flying Squirrel, Glaucomys sabrinus fuscus Virginia Opossum, Didelphis virginiana virginiana White-footed Deermouse, Peromyscus leucopus leucopus White-footed Deermouse, Peromyscus leucopus noveboracensis White-tailed Deer, Odocoileus virginianus Woodchuck, Marmota monax Woodland Jumping Mouse, Napaeozapus insignis insignis Woodland Jumping Mouse, Napaeozapus insignis roanensis Woodland Vole, Microtus pinetorum carbonarius Woodland Vole, Microtus pinetorum pinetorum Woodland Vole, Microtus pinetorum scalapsoides |