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ESMN: 2024 In Review, By the Numbers
Eastern Shore Master Naturalists were busy in 2024. Motivated by a desire to protect our natural resources via stewardship, support scientific inquiry, and educate our community, it is a privilege to be a part of this select group, and to have the knowledge and opportunity to serve as we do. Because our efforts require specialized…
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A Final View from the Course
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A View from the Course – Late October
Information is ridiculously easy to obtain. Which honeysuckles are native? What time is low tide tomorrow? What is the species name for cordgrass? To make information meaningful, though, we have to make it our own. We need to be active constructors of knowledge and not just passive consumers of data. We need to react and…
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A View From The Course
Early October 2024 “We’ve come this far, let’s take some time to just enjoy and explore,” Shannon wisely instructed us once we arrived at the water at Savage Neck. Like school kids getting some extra recess time, we clapped and gleefully headed off in a few different directions. Week five and we couldn’t have asked…
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A View from the Course
September 12 2024 Huddled together in small working groups, we attempt to identify our mystery plants. Fluorescent lights overhead, and local plant specimens in front of us. Are the leaf edges smooth? Does anybody have more than one fruit? Is this a composite flower? A kindergarten teacher is working across from a university professor. A…
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Review: On-the-Spot-Feedback Webinar
On-the-Spot-Feedback (OTSF) Webinar August 15, 2024 — Bullet Points Provided by Peter G Fisher, President ESMN Chapter Designed to improve science communication skills, this webinar was recommended by the VMN as guide to receiving immediate feedback when giving a presentation. Funded by the National Science Foundation, this project was put together by science communication practitioners,…
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ESMNs in Action – Counting Butterflies for Science
The 2024 North Northampton County Butterfly Count was conducted on a warm and cloudy Sunday in early August. Two teams of four Eastern Shore Master Naturalists (ESMN) identified 243 individual butterflies from 28 species. This annual count is conducted to support the North American Butterfly Association’s (NABA) butterfly monitoring efforts. Butterflies are in peril due…
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Sleek Minks and Rolling River Otters
(Featured Image: Young mink on Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge by Tom Koerner, USFWS) Minks and river otters are semi-aquatic mammals that live throughout our diverse Virginia, including our Eastern Shore natural areas. They are not uncommon animals, however they are not easily observed. These two members of the weasel family have streamlined long bodies and…
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A View From The Course
Late July and the ten-week schedule is slowly filling for this year’s Basic Training Course. The large easel paper on my small dining room wall begins to take shape, becoming increasingly colorful. Green post-its signal field adventures. Savage Neck beckons. So does Wreck Island and Mutton Hunk. Brownsville Preserve and Fisherman Island will be new…
Eastern Shore Master Naturalists
Managing and preserving the Eastern Shore of Virginia’s natural resources and natural areas through education, outreach, citizen science, and stewardship.