Eastern Shore Master Naturalists

💡CE: Snow Geese, Loons and More *** NEW DATE ***
2025-02-08 08:30 - 10:30 (America/Halifax) | 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

💡 CE: How to Use the Flora of Virginia App - Virtual
2025-02-26 19:00 | Virtual
The real work to protect Virginia’s spectacular open spaces is teaching our citizens to care about what’s in their own backyard. So, we launched the Ambassador Program to train Flora App power users to educate others on using the App to identify natives to protect, invasives to pull, and more.
To date, we have 22 highly trained Ambassadors, offering programs on identification of native and invasive plants in their towns and schools, and at events like the State Fair of Virginia.
Ambassador Program Step 1:
Discover the Power of the Flora of Virginia App Webinar
ALL ARE WELCOME to join this presentation to learn Flora App basics and more about the Ambassador Program.
Date: Wednesday, February 26, 2025
Time: 7:00PM
This engaging session introduces the Flora of Virginia App, the go-to resource for identifying native, naturalized, and invasive plants in the state. Whether you’re a professional botanist or a plant enthusiast, this app is invaluable for tasks like identifying species, delineating wetlands, selecting natives for gardens, or managing invasives in ecosystem restoration projects. And, with our most recent update, you can Create and customize plant lists for your needs—whether it’s a project-specific shopping list, a collection of your favorite plants, or a shareable record of a trip.
Enhance your fieldwork with the latest botanical science, pinpoint plant ranges, and create accurate species lists with this indispensable tool.
Please register.
Tip: Be sure to download the Flora App before the webinar to follow along live on your phone. Let’s explore Virginia’s incredible plant diversity together!

Log your hours in Better Impact Category 2: Continuing Education

🧤 Volunteer: Kiptopeke State Park Volunteer Clean-Up Day
2025-03-01 09:00 - 15:00 | Kiptopeke State Park, 3540 Kiptopeke Dr., Cape Charles, VA, 23310, United States
Join us on Saturday, March 1st, from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm, for a rewarding day of community service at Kiptopeke State Park! Help us preserve the beauty and functionality of this treasured park while enjoying the great outdoors.
Activities include painting and touch-ups, minor carpentry work, and general clean-up.
The park will provide all necessary tools, equipment, and instructions for each task. All skill levels are welcome – just bring your enthusiasm and wear clothes suitable for outdoor work.
For more information or to register, please contact kiptopeke@dcr.virginia.gov.
Help keep Kiptopeke beautiful – your efforts make all the difference!
Other details:

Phone: 757-331-2267.
Email Address: kiptopeke@dcr.virginia.gov.
Meet at Park Office.
Please pack a lunch and dress for the activities/weather.
Standard parking or admission fee applies: No.
Extra fee: No.
Registration required: No (registration is encouraged).
Children welcome: Yes.

Log your hours in Better Impact: Category 12 Public Land: Kiptopeke State Park (DCR)/Assist with Visitor Areas Maintenance.

💡CE: Owl Prowl at Brownsville Preserve
2025-03-01 17:30 - 20:00 | TNC Brownsville Preserve, 11332 Brownsville Rd, Nassawadox, Virginia, 23413
Meet at The Nature Conservancy office for an after-hours foray in search of nocturnal birds. Limit of 15 Participants. Registration Required: info@birdingeasternshore.org.
Be sure to register in advance – event may be full.

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

🧤Volunteer Opportunity: Assist with Drone Work on Cobb Island
2025-03-10 00:00 - 2025-03-13 23:59
The VCR LTER is looking for 1 or 2 volunteers who are able to assist with drone work on Cobb Island March 10-13. This work is a unique opportunity to see both North and South Cobb Island in their current separated forms.

This fieldwork will be long days on the island, but not too physically draining. If everything goes smoothly, we may not be going out all four days.
You may sign up for one or more days. You must be available for the entire time. As of now, the schedule is 7:30am- 4pm, but this timeframe may shift.
You would be helping our student by walking around the island to install ground control points and then help keep an eye on the drone during flights.
Pack plenty of water and snacks, since you will be out on Cobb the whole time.
Note that bathroom access is limited to the boat ramp restrooms and the island itself.
No one will be getting wet, but there will be a potentially chilly ride out there depending on the weather, so we always recommend lots of layers (i.e. long sleeve + fleece + windbreaker or coat).
Footwear is person-dependent on the island. Some wear old sneakers, others wear tall boots, and others wear hiking boots. If you are unsure of what to wear, volunteers can always borrow workboots that we have at the CRC.

Please sign up HERE and reach out to Sophia Hoffman pbe8et@virginia.edu with any questions.

Log your hours under Better Impact Category Category 23.

Total Lunar Eclipse!
2025-03-14 01:00 - 05:00
A total lunar eclipse is coming soon. Here’s when to spot it.

💡 CE: 2025 Virginia Marine Debris Summit
2025-03-18 00:00 - 2025-03-20 23:59 | Norfolk Botanical Garden, 6700 AZALEA GARDEN RD, Norfolk, VA, 23518, United States
Registration is open until March 10th.
https://www.givesignup.org/TicketEvent/VAMarineDebrisSummit2025

The Virginia Marine Debris Summit (VMDS) is co-hosted by Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program and Clean Virginia Waterways. This 3-day event will focus on solutions to measurably reduce plastic pollution from entering Virginia’s freshwater and tidal rivers, estuaries, wetlands, beaches, and ocean. Speakers will share dynamic programs that have made a difference and can be replicated throughout the state. The summit will include in-depth solution-based discussions on the four major goals of the 2021-2025 Virginia Marine Debris Reduction Plan: Consumer Single-use Plastics, Derelict Fishing Gear, Microplastics & Microfibers, and Abandoned & Derelict Vessels. We will also discuss and share ideas for the updates to the 2026-2030 VMDRP. Join us for panel discussions, new ideas, updates to ongoing projects, networking, creating workgroups and even an opportunity for “Speed Dating With The Experts”. Be inspired by our amazing Keynote Speakers, Bonnie Monteleone of Plastic Ocean Project and Judith Enck of Beyond Plastics.
Marine debris has become one of the most widespread pollution problems in the world’s oceans and waterways, impacting wildlife, human health and safety, habitats, and economies. It is an enormous and growing problem, and it is important for Virginia to play its part in reducing debris from land-based and water-based sources.

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

💡ESMN Chapter Meeting “Virginia’s Dynamic Energy Landscape”
2025-03-19 17:00 - 19:00 | Virginia Institute of Marine Science Eastern Shore Laboratory, Seaside Hall, 36 Atlantic Street, Wachapreague, VA, United States
Speaker: John Larson of Virginia Power
Topic: Virginia’s Dynamic Energy Landscape
Schedule: 5:00 pm social time; 5:30 business meeting; 6:00 pm speaker.
Business Meeting Agenda: TBD
Location: 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.
Speaker Bio: John Larson joined Dominion Energy in 1996 and is currently the Director of Public Policy and Economic Development. During John’s career at the company, he has held various leadership positions in generation business development, alternative energy technologies as well as transmission construction and operations. He is well versed in offshore wind through his experience in the development and early permitting activities for Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) Pilot Project.
Currently, a large part of his time is spent on Dominion Energy’s Business to Business, Workforce Development and Community Outreach activity for as the Company moves forward implementing the requirements of the Virginia Clean Economy Act, including the 16,100 MW of solar, 5,200 MW of offshore wind and 2,700 MW of storage, with the objective of maximizing opportunities for Virginia’s vendors, subcontractors and suppliers.
John resides in Henrico County, Virginia with his wife and has three adult children. He graduated with a B.S in Chemical Engineering from North Carolina State University.

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

💡 CE: World Sparrow Day Walk at The Nature Conservancy’s Brownsville Preserve in Nassawadox.
2025-03-20 09:00 - 11:00 | TNC Brownsville Preserve, 11332 Brownsville Rd, Nassawadox, Virginia, 23413
WHAT: World Sparrow Day Walk – A guided walk on Brownsville Preserve through conserved sparrow habitat to look for these and other bird species on the Vernal Equinox! Led by TNC Migratory Bird Specialist, Mario Balitbit.
WHEN: Thursday, March 20th, 9:00-11:00 am
WHERE: The Nature Conservancy’s Brownsville Preserve, Nassawadox – Specific meet up location TBD.
RSVP: This walk is free and open to the public, but we are requesting registration so that we can communicate in advance regarding weather, what to wear, etc. Please contact Community Engagement Specialist, Margaret Van Clief at mvanclief@tnc.org for more info or to sign up!

Better Impact Category 2: Continuing Education

💡CE: Birding at Meriwether’s Seaview
2025-03-22 08:30 - 10:30
Better Impact Category 2: Continuing Education
Explore diverse habitats protected by Virginia Eastern Shore Land Trust conservation easement. Shorebirds and a variety of passerines.
Please pre-register with Trip leader. Field trips generally last 2 hours unless noted otherwise. Always be prepared for ticks, mosquitoes, and variable weather conditions. Bring water.

💡CE: BIRD WALK: Step into Spring! Chincoteague NWR Bird Walk
2025-03-22 08:30 - 10:30 | Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, 8231 Beach Road, Chincoteague Island, 23336, United States
Red-winged blackbirds are strutting their stripes and egrets their breeding plumage!
Eastern Shore Master Naturalists will lead a bird walk on Saturday, March 22 from 8.30-10.30 am at Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge. We will walk explore the early spring arrivals and the last winter visitors.
The walk is offered in partnership with CNWR and welcomes newcomers to birding. We will provide binoculars and a telescope. Please join to learn more about our wonderful natural surroundings.
Meet at the Woodlands Trail parking lot.
Contacts: Stella 202 230 7832 or Laurel 908 300 0047.

Log your hours under Better Impact Category 2: Continuing Education (OR, if you prefer, under the eBird activity if you submit to eBird).
Check out other ESMN CE Opportunities and VMN CE Webinars.

💡VMN CE Webinar: Virginia Gray Fox Project
2025-03-26 12:00 - 13:00 | Virtual
Description: This webinar will include reasoning for, methodology, and preliminary results of the Virginia Gray Fox Project (VGFP). The VGFP is a collaborative project between Virginia Tech and Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources. The project consists of a statewide remote camera trap survey to establish the current distribution of gray foxes and exploration of historical data to assess evidence for gray fox distributional decline. Out of public interest and the sheer size of the project, the VGFP has grown to include a community collaboration in which members of the commonwealth are actively participating in data collection and data processing. The status of these efforts and the plan for our second field season will be discussed.
Presenter: Victoria Monette is a second-year Wildlife Conservation PhD student at Virginia Tech working in Dr. Marcella Kelly’s lab. She is broadly interested in carnivore ecology, movement, and spatiotemporal interactions among carnivores. Her PhD research will include a state-wide camera survey to determine current gray fox distribution, quantify evidence of presumed gray fox decline across VA, and determine the relative impacts of bottom-up (i.e., habitat change) versus top-down (i.e., interspecific competition) ecological pressures on gray foxes using an occupancy modeling framework. She will create a current distribution map of gray fox occurrence across the state and use historic camera surveys to assess evidence of decline. Results will be used to develop conservation management plans for the gray fox across Virginia.

Register for the March 26 Webinar

Better Impact Category 2: Continuing Education.
For more CE, check out other ESMN CE Opportunities , VMN CE Webinars, and VMN High Five from Nature CE Series.

🧤Volunteer: Brinkley Workday
2025-04-02 10:00 | Edward S. Brinkley Nature Preserve, 20199 Seaside Road, Cape Charles, VA, United States
Per Jim McDaniel:
We have planned two workdays to clear some the invasives at Brinkley. And we have plenty! Paul Anderson and I took out about 100 small ailanthus and callery pears last month but there are plenty of targets left including privet, wineberry, and multiflora roses!
Based on what I have learned and the season, the jobs would be physical removal/pulling of small plants, cutting and treating stumps of larger plants with triclopyr [herbicide] and either “basal bark” treating or “hack and squirt” treating some of the larger ones. [I may also do some foliar spraying of herbicide on the multiflora rose that is appearing. Herbicide use is limited by state law.]
I have the chemicals and applicators. Volunteers will need to bring any tools they want to use – loppers, weeders, hatchets, etc. – and protective gear like gloves. Eye protection and a face mask/respirator are optional. Please wear long sleeves and long pants to prevent skin exposure to chemicals. We have working restrooms, but you will need to bring your own water and snacks.
Weather permitting this is planned for Wednesday, April 2 and 9.

Log your hours under Better Impact Category 8, Brinkley/Trail and Habitat Maintenance.

VIMS Speaker Series: “An Anthropologist Walks Into a Marine Science Institute”
2025-04-02 19:00 - 20:00 | Virginia Institute of Marine Science Eastern Shore Laboratory, Seaside Hall, 36 Atlantic Street, Wachapreague, VA, United States

Project Learning Tree Education Workshop
2025-04-08 09:00 - 15:00 | Eastern Shore Soil and Water Conservation District, 22545 Center Parkway, Accomac, VA, 23301, United States
2025 marks the “Treemendous” 20th anniversary of the Virginia Master Naturalists. One way in which local VMN chapters are encouraged to celebrate this occasion is through education activities utilizing Project Learning Tree.
Project Learning Tree (PLT) is an award-winning environmental education program designed to teach about the environment with a focus on trees and forests. The Project Learning Tree curriculum is designed for teachers and other educators, parents, and community leaders working with youth from preschool through grade 12. The lessons and activities can also be adapted for adult audiences. Topics include trees and forests, wildlife, water, air, energy, waste, climate change, invasive species, community planning, and more.
A workshop on utilizing the PLT curriculum is being offered to ESMN volunteers by certified PLT trainer, Julie Head, Eastern Shore Soil and Water Conservation District Education Director. The PLT training will be a one-dayevent at the ESSWCD offices in Accomac April 8, 2025, 9:00am – 3:00pm. Cost is $11.00 for the Project Learning Tree guide. Seating is limited to 12 participants.
ESMN volunteers attending the training are encouraged to use skills and knowledge acquired in chapter education and outreach activities.
To register for this workshop, go to:
https://project-learning-tree.odoo.com/event/accomac-soil-water-conservation-district-41/register
For more information contact Julie Head.

Better Impact Category 2: Continuing Education.
For more CE, check out other ESMN CE Opportunities , VMN CE Webinars, and VMN High Five from Nature CE Series.

💡CE: Native Plants and Backyard Bird Habitat on the Eastern Shore
2025-04-08 17:00 - 19:30
Shannon Alexander from Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources will discuss the Native Plants Initiative and Roberta Kellam will provide advice and information about how to attract more birds to your yard with native plants and other wildlife-friendly practices.
Eastern Shore Community College, Room 148 Academic Building. Learn More: www.birdingeasternshore.org / info@birdingeasternshore.org

🧤 Volunteer: Brinkley Work Day
2025-04-09 10:00 | Edward S. Brinkley Nature Preserve, 20199 Seaside Road, Cape Charles, VA, United States

💡CE Webinar: Spotted Lanternfly in North America: Insights, Impacts, and Preparing for the Future
2025-04-16 13:00 - 14:30 | Virtual
Please register.
Join us for an insightful webinar featuring a panel of experts discussing the spotted lanternfly invasion in North America. Learn about the biology and management of this invasive pest, debunk common myths, and gain updates on how human-mediated transport is driving its spread. Experts will also share the latest findings on cold tolerance thresholds and their role in assessing the risk of northward expansion. Additionally, discover how Washington is preparing for the spotted lanternfly invasion and its potential impacts, including threats to cultural resources.
Speakers:
Julie Urban, Penn State University, Amanda Roe, Natural Resources Canada, Jessica La Belle, Washington Invasive Species Council

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