Eastern Shore Master Naturalists

💡CE VMN EmpowerU Course Offering - Nov 20-Jan 6 ** Online/Virtual **
2024-11-20 00:00 - 2025-01-06 23:59 (America/Halifax) | Virtual
Have you been working on natural resource issues but feel compelled to do more? Taking part in the EmpowerU Training will move your natural resource work to the next level! In this 4 week course using an award-winning curriculum, participants can grow their skills to meaningfully engage decision makers* about natural resource issues. Note that this training is not focused specifically on lobbying elected officials or getting legislation passed, but rather on engaging the right decision-maker for the change you hope to make.The course runs November 20-January 6 and includes eight self-paced online modules and three live Zoom sessions. Full details, including the registration link, are available at http://www.virginiamasternaturalist.org/empoweru.html. Registration deadline is November 26, but earlier registrants may start accessing the online materials starting November 20.

Log your hours under Better Impact Category 2: Continuing Education.
For more continuing education opportunities go to http://www.virginiamasternaturalist.org/continuing-education-webinar-series.html

Please Submit 2025 Membership Dues by January 1
2024-12-01 00:00 - 2025-01-01 23:59
Please send your $20 check or money order to:
Marlene Richard, PO Box 216, Franktown, VA, 23354.
The payment should be made out to “Eastern Shore Master Naturalists.” At this time we do not use any online payment methods.
Thank you.

💡CE: Invasion Biology Wrap-Up with Jacob Barney
2024-12-03 14:00 | Virtual
VMN Continuing Education Webinars – Joint Webinars with Extension Master Gardeners
NOTE: For our VMN CE Webinar series in December, we have two webinars that are being organized jointly with the Extension Master Gardener Program. The EMG program is handling logistics, so please contact emgoffice@vt.edu with questions.
Date: December 3, 2:00 pm Register for the Dec 3 webinar here
Description: Jacob Barney currently serves as the Director of Virginia Tech’s Invasive Species Collaborative (ISC). The ISC is a faculty collaborative that began in the Global Change Center at Virginia Tech with support from the Fralin Life Sciences Institute and the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost. The ISWG nurtures transdisciplinary collaborations and partnerships with government agencies, NGOs, industry, and communities to promote a deep understanding of the impacts of invasive species on ecosystems and society, and foster an inclusive environment where science and policy meet to tackle this global challenge.

Log your time under Better Impact Category 2: Continuing Education.
See more VMN Continuing here.

TNC Holiday Open House at Historic Brownsville
2024-12-05 15:00 - 19:00 | TNC Brownsville Preserve, 11332 Brownsville Rd, Nassawadox, Virginia, 23413
All are welcome to join the staff and volunteers of The Nature Conservancy’s Volgenau Virginia Coast Reserve for this favorite community holiday tradition! Come one, come all. No registration is required.
For more information or to volunteer, please contact VVCR Community Engagement Specialist, Margaret Van Clief at mvanclief@tnc.org.

Note: Information provided as a courtesy. Time spent preparing for or attending this event does not count as volunteer hours.

🦉🦅 🔭 Birding Field Trip - Hills Farm Greenbush
2024-12-11 15:00 | Hills Farm, 19605 Hills Farm Road, Greenbush, VA, United States
Look for woodcock, owls and wintering raptors. Hills Farm is private property conserved by the Virginia Eastern Shore Land Trust with a conservation easement.
Leaders: Joanne Laskowski 410-253-9141 and Hal Laskowski

Log your hours under Better Impact Category 2: Continuing Education.
For more continuing education opportunities go to http://www.virginiamasternaturalist.org/continuing-education-webinar-series.html

💡CE: Webinar from Virginia Tech and Project FeederWatch: Making FeederWatch Inclusive
2024-12-12 13:00 - 14:00 | Virtual
Description: Presenters will share summaries of virtual discussions about increasing inclusivity in the bird feeding participatory science project Project FeederWatch. Project FeederWatch staff will also present on next steps they plan to take based on what they have learned. There will be time for Q&A.
Pre-registration required

Log your time under Better Impact Category 2: Continuing Education.
See more VMN Continuing here.

Audubon Christmas Bird Count - Wachapreague
2024-12-14 00:00 - 23:59
Audubon Christmas Bird Count
FAQ
Contact compiler directly to participate (all birding levels are accepted)
Wachapreague, Saturday, December 14: Compiler Victor Klein, vklein3254@aol.com
Nassawadox, Saturday, December 21: Compiler Joette Borzik, vabirdmom@gmail.com
Chincoteague, Sunday, December 29: Compiler Kevin Holcomb, kevin_holcomb@fws.gov
Cape Charles, Saturday,December 30:Compiler Ellison Orcutt, Mr.ellyo@gmail.com

💡CE: Invasive Plants, Restoration and the Sound of Urban Streams with Gabrielle Ripa
2024-12-19 14:00 | Virtual
VMN Continuing Education Webinars – Joint Webinars with Extension Master Gardeners
NOTE: For our VMN CE Webinar series in December, we have two webinars that are being organized jointly with the Extension Master Gardener Program. The EMG program is handling logistics, so please contact emgoffice@vt.edu with questions.

Date: December 19, 2:00 pm
Description: In this presentation, Gabrielle will present her PhD work on acoustic monitoring of stream ecosystems and the impact invasive species have on the acoustic landscape.
Presenter: Gabrielle Ripa is a PhD student at Virginia Tech who is studying how to limit invasive plants on stream restoration projects in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Because of her background in wildlife ecology, Gabrielle is also seeking to connect the changes to the stream environment, due to invasion and restoration, to the animal community through acoustic monitoring. She hopes her work can inform the design of restoration projects that are better at recovering both plant and animal communities.
Register for the Dec 19 webinar here

Log your hours under Category 2: Continuing Education.
See more VMN Continuing here.

Audubon Christmas Bird Count - Nassawadox
2024-12-21 00:00 - 23:59
Contact compiler directly to participate (all birding levels are accepted)
Nassawadox, Saturday, December 21: Compiler Joette Borzik, vabirdmom@gmail.com
Chincoteague, Sunday, December 29: Compiler Kevin Holcomb, kevin_holcomb@fws.gov
Cape Charles, Saturday,December 30:Compiler Ellison Orcutt, Mr.ellyo@gmail.com

Audubon Christmas Bird Count - Chincoteague
2024-12-29 00:00 - 23:59
Contact compiler directly to participate (all birding levels are accepted)
Chincoteague, Sunday, December 29: Compiler Kevin Holcomb, kevin_holcomb@fws.gov
Cape Charles, Saturday,December 30:Compiler Ellison Orcutt, Mr.ellyo@gmail.com

Audubon Christmas Bird Count - Cape Charles
2024-12-30 00:00 - 23:59
Contact compiler directly to participate (all birding levels are accepted)
Cape Charles, Saturday,December 30:Compiler Ellison Orcutt, Mr.ellyo@gmail.com

First Day Hike Scavenger Hunt at Kiptopeke
2025-01-01 08:00 - 16:00 | Kiptopeke State Park, 3540 Kiptopeke Dr., Cape Charles, VA, 23310, United States
https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/event?id=2024-11-21-15-31-13-275693-nqk
Where
Kiptopeke State Park, 3540 Kiptopeke Dr., Cape Charles, VA 23310.
Various Locations
When
Jan. 1, 2025. 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Ring in the New Year with a self-guided hike at Kiptopeke. This scavenger hunt will take you all over the park and show you spots you never knew existed.
Copies of the Kiptopeke Scavenger Hunt will be available at the brochure holders at the contact station, park office and trail head. You can also download and print it yourself. ksp-scavenger-ksp-scavenger-hunt

About First Day Hikes
Every year on Jan. 1, Virginia State Parks celebrates First Day Hikes. This nationwide initiative invites people to ring in the new year by connecting with nature and making lasting memories at a state park. Ranger-led and self-guided First Day Hikes are offered across the state, giving visitors of all ages and skill levels the chance to explore outdoors. January 1 is a Free Parking Day at all Virginia State Parks. (The admission fee at Natural Bridge still applies).
ksp-scavenger-hunt

Water Quality Sampling with LTER
2025-01-15 00:00 - 23:59 | UVA Coastal Research Center/LTER, 6364 Cliffs Rd, Cape Charles, 23310, United States
The Virginia Coast Reserve-Long Term Ecological Research (VCR-LTER) is looking for 4-6 volunteers to assist in conducting our quarterly water quality monitoring on January 15th (with a weather backup day of 1/16).

The day usually starts about 9am, and all boats are off the water by 2pm. We will leave from the lab in Oyster, with half the crew heading to Red Bank and half going out of Oyster.
Each volunteer will be assigned an instrument and asked to provide readings at each station from the inlet to the harbor.

Volunteers need very warm clothes (no one is getting in the water), and we have some boots on site to borrow.

Anyone who helps in the field is also welcome to stay a few hours to help process the samples upon returning to the lab.
VCR-LTER staff often stay that evening for a cookout, which volunteers are also welcome to join.

You must sign up with VCR-LTER to participate. Please contact shoffman@virginia.edu to sign-up or to get more information.
The lab address is Virginia Coast Reserve LTER, Anheuser-Busch Coastal Research Center, 6364 Cliffs Road, Cape Charles, VA 23310.

Log your hours under Better Impact Category 23.

Academy for Lifetime Learning Spring 2025 Registration Opens
2025-01-15 00:00 - 23:59
https://www.allesva.org/2025-spring-registration/Academy for Lifetime Learning

💡Chapter Meeting: “Coastal Ecosystems in Flux: Nutrients, Restoration, and Future Outlooks”
2025-01-15 17:00 - 19:00 | Virginia Institute of Marine Science Eastern Shore Laboratory, Seaside Hall, 36 Atlantic Street, Wachapreague, VA, United States
All 2024 speaker meetings will be the third Wednesday of every other month month at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) Eastern Shore Laboratory, Seaside Hall, 40 Atlantic Street, Wachapreague. Note that per VIMS you may park on Atlantic Avenue along the yellow curbs.

5:00 pm social time
5:30 business meeting
6:00 pm speaker

About the Speaker

Sophia Hoffman is a coastal and estuarine ecologist with a passion for studying the dynamics of salty environments, from ghost forests and marshes to lagoons and barrier islands. Since 2022, she has been a research specialist at the University of Virginia’s Coastal Research Center (CRC) in Oyster, Virginia, home to the Virginia Coast Reserve Long Term Ecological Research Program.

At the CRC, Sophia is integral to facilitating and conducting long-term ecological research, overseeing laboratory operations, and navigating research vessels along the ESVA seaside. She works closely with a collaborative team on diverse projects that deepen our understanding of coastal ecosystems.

Sophia earned her B.S. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Michigan in 2018 and completed her M.S. in Biology from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi during the pandemic in 2020. Her research background spans a variety of ecosystems, including the bogs of northern Michigan, the salt marshes, streams, and mangrove forests of Texas, and the wetlands of South Florida.

VMN Treemendous 20th Anniversary Kickoff and Program Awards
2025-01-23 13:00 - 14:00 | Virtual
We’re using what is normally our first CE webinar slot of the year for two purposes! First, we’ll kick off the celebrations of our program’s 20th anniversary year. As part of that, we’ll describe plans for our statewide focus project and some new related volunteer opportunities with the Virginia Department of Forestry. We also will describe how you can help with several other initiatives related to the anniversary. We’ll close out the hour by announcing the winners of our 2024 program awards.

Register for the January 23 event

Bee-ginners Beekeeping Course
2025-01-25 09:30 - 15:30
Participants will learn all the basic information about beekeeping and how to get started in this two session training. All participants will be assigned a mentor that will help them get started.
This training is presented for informational purposes and does not qualify for ESMN Continuing Education credit.

💡CE: Snow Geese, Loons and More *** NEW DATE ***
2025-02-08 08:30 - 10:30 | Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, 8231 Beach Road, Chincoteague Island, 23336, United States
BIRDWALK RESCHEDULED – Due to severe weather, the Eastern Shore Master Naturalists have rescheduled this Saturday’s bird walk to Saturday, Feb. 8, 8:30 am to 10.30 am.

Join the Eastern Shore Master Naturalists for a bird walk along Tom’s Cove and Assateague beach to explore winter visitors to Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, the feeding grounds for thousands of migratory snow geese. We also will look for common and red-throated loons, horned and pied-billed grebes, tundra and mute swans, and many types of ducks.
The walk, offered in partnership with CNWR, will be on Saturday, January 25, from 8:30 am to 10:30 am, starting at Tom’s Cove Visitors Center. It is free, except for the CNWR entrance fee. We will provide binoculars and welcome newcomers to birding. It’s a wonderful way to deepen your appreciation of the beautiful seashore.
**** Please check the Chincoteague Refuge Friends Facebook page for any weather-related changes. *****
Contacts:

Stella Dawson 202 230 7832
Laurel Gould 908 300 0047

Log your hours under Better Impact Category 2: Continuing Education.

💡 CE: 7th Annual Prince William Native Plant Symposium - In-person OR Virtual
2025-02-08 09:00 - 16:00 | GMU Verizon Auditorium, 10900 University Boulevard, Manassas, VA, 20110, United States
7th Annual Native Plant Symposium
Keynote speaker Doug Tallamy.
Check back for more details.

Tidewater Oyster Gardeners (TOGA) Annual Membership Meeting (Live and Virtual)
2025-02-08 13:00 - 17:00 | Virginia Institure of Marine Science, 1375 Greate Road, Gloucester Point, 23062, United States
TOGA Annual Meeting Program and Schedule 2025 Draft

Log education portion under Better Impact Category 2: Continuing Education.

💡 CE: Panel Discussion: Ecological Answers that Can Spark Change (VIRTUAL)
2025-02-11 13:00 - 14:30 | Virtual
EVENT DETAILS: $25 fee; registration required.

Join HNP Co-Founder Doug Tallamy and ecological landscape designers Rebecca McMackin and Benjamin Vogt for a dynamic panel discussion on the challenges and opportunities of ecological horticulture. Moderated by Margaret Roach, NY Times columnist, the conversation will address practical tips, tackle common misconceptions, and explore the deeper philosophy behind creating vibrant landscapes that benefit both ecosystems and communities.

Practical ones: like how to get a diverse, dynamic design started if you’re not a professional designer, or whether cultivars of native plants—nativars—really provide ecosystem services the way straight species do, or just look pretty.
Thorny ones: from the hesitation to un-mow your un-diverse lawn because you heard it will create tick habitat (not true!), to dealing with unhappy feedback about your wildish landscape from neighbors or a homeowners’ association.
And there are philosophical questions, too: like how even our individual efforts on a small scale can support not just plant and wildlife communities but human communities—and why it’s urgent that we shift our horticultural mindset to an ecological one.

The presentation, covering topics like these and more, will be moderated by longtime garden writer Margaret Roach. An opportunity for audience questions will follow, so bring yours!

Log your time in Better Impact under Category 2: Continuing Education.

CE: Winter Symposium & CVNLA Short Course - Homes and Habitats
2025-02-12 08:00 - 2025-02-13 16:00
Presented by Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden,
Central Virginia Nursery and Landscape Association,
and Virginia Cooperative Extension
Explore the intricate relationships that exist between ecosystems, communities, and humankind, focusing on the importance of the reciprocal relationships between plants, animals, and humans. Learn how we, as gardeners and landscape professionals, can steward the land to support our natural ecosystems, foster biodiversity and build resiliency in our changing climate.
Join us on Wednesday, February 12 and Thursday, February 13 to hear a variety of engaging experts including Silvermoon LaRose (Assistant Director of the Tomaquag Museum), Jared Rosenbaum (author of Wild Plant Culture: A Guide to Restoring Native Edible and Medicinal Plant Communities), James Golden (author of The View from Federal Twist: a New Way of Thinking about Gardens, Nature and Ourselves), Jared Barnes, Ph.D. (Associate Professor of Horticulture, Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches, TX), Robert Shaut (Casey Trees), Kasey Yturralde (USDA Forest Service), Jessie Ward (Bartlett Tree Research Laboratories) and many more.
Register here.

VIMS Monthly Public Seminar
2025-02-12 19:00 | Virginia Institute of Marine Science Eastern Shore Laboratory, Seaside Hall, 36 Atlantic Street, Wachapreague, VA, United States
Note: Some or all of the time spent on this activity may count as Continuing Education. We typically will not know the expected content in advance. ESMNS should use their own judgement in determining how much, if any, of the presentation is “additional training [that] provides VMN volunteers an opportunity for further learning and to focus on specific topics that interest them and that relate to the volunteer work they wish to do.”

VIMS ESL Monthly Public Seminar
2025-02-12 19:00 | Virginia Institute of Marine Science Eastern Shore Laboratory, Seaside Hall, 36 Atlantic Street, Wachapreague, VA, United States
See above for info.

💡CE: Birding Eastern Shore Field Trip at Brinkley Preserve
2025-02-13 08:00 - 17:00
Better Impact Category 2: Continuing Education

Monarch Larva Monitoring Project Training
2025-02-13 11:00 - 12:00 | Virtual
Be a citizen scientist with the Monarch Larva Monitoring Project (MLMP)! The MLMP team from MJV and the UW-Madison Arboretum co-lead virtual one-day training on how to collect data that contributes to our knowledge about the monarch population. Participants learn about monarch biology, monitoring procedures, and data entry protocols and are able to ask monarch biologists their questions about monarchs and monitoring.
Southern Region Date: February 26, 2025
Time: 10am-3pm Central Time, with 1-hour break at noon
Course fee: $50
More information and registration: https://mlmp.org/get-started/in-person-training?blm_aid=590500865

The Great Backyard Bird Count
2025-02-14 00:00 - 2025-02-17 23:59
Welcome to the New Year! We are gearing up for another incredible February GBBC where the world comes together to celebrate birds. If you are unfamiliar with the GBBC, learn about this easy, fun, and free event, no matter your level of bird-interest.
ESMNs who participate in the count should log their hours in Better Impact in the GBBC activity under Category 14.
How to Participate

VMN CE Webinar Series: Ecological forecasting to anticipate the future of forests and freshwaters
2025-02-24 12:00 - 13:00
Description: Similar to how weather forecasts are used to make decisions ranging from what to wear to disaster preparation, forecasts of ecological systems are increasingly being used to guide environmental decision-making. This talk will introduce ecological forecasting concepts along with applications in forest and freshwater ecosystems.
Presenter: Dr. Quinn Thomas is a Professor in the Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation at Virginia Tech, with a joint appointment in the Department of Biological Sciences. He is also a Faculty Fellow in Data Science. Quinn is the co-director of the Virginia Tech Center for Ecosystem Forecasting, with a mission of using forecasting to understand and manage ecosystems across the globe. Before Virginia Tech, Quinn was a post-doctoral scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, CO. His Ph.D. is in ecology from Cornell University.
Date: Monday, February 24, 12:00-1:00 pm
Location: Zoom, Pre-registration required
*As with all of our VMN CE Webinar Series sessions, this webinar will be recorded and posted to the VMN CE Webinar page within a few days of the live session.

💡 CE: VES Land Trust Conservation Talk: Wildlife Diversity
2025-02-26 09:30
Join the VESLT for coffee, tea, and donuts while learning and discussing the fundamentals of wildlife diversity.
Please RSVP to outreach@veslt.org.

Log your hours in Better Impact Category 2: Continuing Education

💡CE: Monarch Larva Monitoring Project Training
2025-02-26 11:00 - 16:00 | Virtual
Be a citizen scientist with the Monarch Larva Monitoring Project (MLMP)! The MLMP team from MJV and the UW-Madison Arboretum co-lead virtual one-day training on how to collect data that contributes to our knowledge about the monarch population. Participants learn about monarch biology, monitoring procedures, and data entry protocols and are able to ask monarch biologists their questions about monarchs and monitoring.
Southern Region Date: February 26, 2025
Time: 10am-3pm Central Time, with 1-hour break at noon NOTE THIS IS CENTRAL TIME
Course fee: $50
More information and registration: https://mlmp.org/get-started/in-person-training?blm_aid=590500865

Submit hours in Better Impact Category 2: Continuing Education
