💡CE: ESMN Chapter Meeting
2026-03-18 17:00 - 19:00 (America/Halifax) | Virginia Institute of Marine Science Eastern Shore Laboratory, Seaside Hall, 36 Atlantic Street, Wachapreague, VA, United States
Speaker: Zak Poulton – “Technology & Conservation at the Virginia Coast Reserve.”
A certified UAV pilot, Zak creates and maintains the technology and data systems that empower the monitoring and stewardship of the Volgenau Virginia Coast Reserve. He leads a range of drone-based imaging and mapping efforts and builds modern data-collection tools that improve accuracy and efficiency as well as field safety across multiple conservation programs. While his work spans many areas, Zak focuses on innovation and the integration of new technologies that strengthen our capacity to meet long-term conservation and research goals in migratory bird, island stewardship, marine restoration, coastal resilience, and land protection programs.
“We do our best work when science, technology, and teamwork come together. I’m proud to help build the tools that drive conservation across this incredible landscape.”

Schedule:

5:00-5:30: Social time
5:30-6:00 Business meeting
6:00-7:00 Speaker.

Better Impact Info: Log speaker time under Category 2/ Continuing Education.
Check out other ESMN CE Opportunities and VMN CE Webinars.

💡 Cooperative Extension Coffee Hours
2026-03-20 09:00 - 10:00, 2026-04-10 09:00 - 10:00, 2026-05-22 09:00 - 10:00, 2026-06-26 09:00 - 10:00, 2026-07-24 09:00 - 10:00, 2026-08-21 09:00 - 10:00, 2026-09-18 09:00 - 10:00 (America/New_York) | Eastville Community Center, 17202 Courthouse Road, Eastville, Virginia, 23347
Per Northampton County Cooperative Extension:

Northampton Virginia Cooperative Extension is excited to unveil our 2026 Coffee Hour Lecture Series — a year of engaging, seasonal topics designed for gardeners, nature enthusiasts, and lifelong learners across the Eastern Shore.

2026 Topics Include:

– Jan 23 – Ticks & Their Diseases on the Eastern Shore

– Feb 20 – History of Agriculture on the Eastern Shore

– Mar 20 – Planning Your Spring Garden & Plant Exchange

– Apr 10 – TBD

– May 22 – Eastern Shore Birds Through the Seasons

– Jun 26 – Mothing on Virginia’s Eastern Shore

– Jul 24 – Native Edible & Medicinal Plants

– Aug 21 – Planning Your Fall Garden & Plant Exchange

– Sep 18 – Soil Health & Cover Crops

– Oct 23 – Controlling Invasive Plant Species

No registration required — just bring your curiosity and enjoy coffee and conversation with neighbors and experts.

For accommodations or questions, contact Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension Agent Helene Doughty at 757-678-7946 or hdoughty@vt.edu

💡 CE: Invasive Species Spring Webinar Series
2026-03-24 11:00 - 12:30, 2026-04-28 11:00 - 12:30 (America/New_York)
Invasive Species Spring Webinar Series

The Invasive Species Collaborative at Virginia Tech is excited to host a spring webinar series that highlights their partners and affiliates. The webinars will be held monthly from 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM. Free and open to the public! These sessions will not be recorded, so you must attend live.

Dates and topics:

January 27 – Invasive Species Management & State Agencies

February 24 – Mobilizing Volunteers & Communities

March 24 – Restoring Invaded Landscapes

April 28 – Invasion Pathways & Agricultural Biosecurity

Speakers include representatives from: Virginia Department of Forestry, Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, Virginia Master Naturalists, Town of Blacksburg, Loudoun Invasive Removal Alliance, Wetland Studies and Solutions, Inc., Plant SWVA Natives, the Schmale Lab at Virginia Tech, and the Lieurance Lab at Penn State.

Registration for all dates: https://virginiatech.zoom.us/meeting/register/G1Xuv0EqTfWl6v0f4SNWig#/registration

Please log your hours under Better Impact Category 2: Continuing Education.

Birding Field Trip - Mutton Hunk Fen NAP
2026-03-28 08:30 (America/New_York) | Mutton Hunk Fen Natural Area Preserve, 28583 Baker Road, Parksley, VA, United States
FIELD TRIP HIGHLIGHTS: Join Joette Borzik and Maggie Long on a walk through the preserve to look for early migrants and resident breeding birds.

Mutton Hunk Fen, a Department of Conservation and Recreation Natural Area Preserve, protects a globally rare sea-level fen along with hundreds of acres of migratory bird habitat.

The field trip is free. The public is invited to attend. Always be prepared for ticks, the sun, mosquitos, and the weather.

Pre-registration is required; please contact Joette Borzik by text to register at 757-350-1659

💡 Bird Walk at Chincoteague NWR
2026-03-28 08:30 - 10:30 (America/New_York)
8:30 am – 10:30 a.m. Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge

Join us for a guided walk through woodland and maritime habitat. Newcomers to birding are welcome; expect to walk about one mile. Binoculars and scopes will be available. MEET AT THE BATEMAN VISITOR CENTER PARKING LOT. This program is hosted by ESMN and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, National Park Service. Apologies for errors in earlier postings for this event.

VESLT Conservation Talk - POSTPONED
2026-03-30 09:30 - 11:00 (America/New_York)

💡 THE GEOLOGIC ORIGINS OF VIRGINIA'S EASTERN SHORE (VIMS Monthly Public Seminar Series)
2026-04-01 19:00 (America/New_York) | Virginia Institute of Marine Science Eastern Shore Laboratory, Seaside Hall, 36 Atlantic Street, Wachapreague, VA, United States
Dr. Christopher Hein will discuss the geologic origins of Virginia’s Eastern Shore, exploring how ancient rivers, shifting barrier islands, and dramatic changes in sea level shaped the landscape over thousands of years. He will share how processes such as distant ice sheet cycles, coastal migration, and sediment movement formed the land that exists today, including the area where the VIMS Eastern ShoreLaboratory now sits, and what this history may reveal about the Shore’s future.APRIL 1, 20267:00 PM | VIMS Seaside Hall36 Atlantic Avenue, Wachapreague, VAADDITIONAL DETAILS:

Snacks and light refreshments will be providedRegister via QR code For additional details, please contact Dr. Stacy Krueger-Hadfieldat (757) 787-8105 or sakh@vims.edu& MARYVIRGINIA INSTITUTE OF MARINE SCIENCEEASTERN SHORE LABORATORYWACHAPREAGUE, VA

Free and open to the public

Please log. Your hours under Better Impact Category 2/Continuing Education.

💡 Birding Field Trip - Anne Rowe’s Seaview Farm
2026-04-10 08:30 (America/New_York) | Anne Rowe Seaview Farm, 18119 Seaside Road, Cape Charles, Virginia
FIELD TRIP HIGHLIGHTS: Join experienced birder Maggie Long to explore this property protected from development by a conservation easement with the Nature Conservancy. Seaview Farm’s diverse habitats include woodland, pond, and marsh. Expect to see a variety of songbirds, warblers, marsh birds, and more.

WHEN: Friday, April 10th, 8:30 a.m.

LOCATION: Seaview Farm, 18119 Seaside Road, Cape Charles, VA. This is just north of the Ned Brinkley Preserve.

Please register for this trip with the leader Maggie Long by text at 610-500-9971

The Program is free, and the public is invited to attend. Always be prepared for ticks, the sun, mosquitos, and the weather.

Please log your hours in Better Impact under Category 2/Continuing Education, or if you submit a checklist to eBird, Category 14/eBird.

💡🧤 Spring Bird Walk - Chincoteague NWR
2026-04-18 08:00 - 10:00 (America/New_York) | Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, 8321 Beach Road, Chincoteague Island, Virginia, 23336, United States
Celebrate spring migration and the first day of a weekend-long BioBlitz on Assateague Island with a guided walk on Woodland Trail. We’ll look for returning warblers, shorebirds, other wildlife — and explore their habitats.

Newcomers to birding welcome. Binoculars available. Expect to walk at least a mile on uneven terrain. Bring water & bug spray.

Meet at Woodland Trail Parking Lot.

Log your hours under one of these Better Impact activities depending on how you participate:

Category 14/BioBlitz if you submit observations to iNaturalist;

Category 14/eBird if you submit an eBird checklist; or

Category 2/Continuing Ed.

Sponsored by: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, National Park Service, and Eastern Shore Master Nationalists.

🧤 Plant Eastern Shore Natives Educational Table at Annual ANEC Member Appreciation and Arbor Day Celebration
2026-04-25 08:00 - 13:30 (America/New_York) | ANEC, 21275 Cooperative Way, Tasley, VA, 23441, United States
This popular spring event is open to the public from 9am to 1pm, but volunteers are needed in advance to set up and at the end to break down the display.

The Plant ES Natives table is usually located inside and alongside the Birding ES and the ESMN tables. Volunteer windows are usually from 8am – 10:30am and 10:30am-1:30pm. The morning shift is generally busier and requires more volunteers to interact with the hundreds of attendees.

Please contact shannon.alexander@dcr.virginia.gov if you’re interested in volunteering.

Please log your hours under Better Impact Category 15 – E & O/Plant Eastern Shore Natives.

Return to Our Roots - Celebrate Earth Day in Exmore
2026-04-25 10:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | Exmore Town Park, 10A3, A-52, Exmore, VA, 23350, United States
“Return to Our Roots” Celebration Highlights Music, Earth Day 2026, and National Parks Day, April 25, 2026 in the Exmore Town Park. Earth Day activities, vendors, food, live music, kids activities, guest speakers, eco art workshops, blue catfish cooking demonstrations, and health screenings.

Be sure to stop by the ESMN booth and check out the speakers at the WHRO tent! To help with the ESMN table please contact Britt Collins at Britt.Collins0803@gmail.com.

For more info about the Exmore event contact Jane Berge (757) 710-1211 eulaland@verizon.netJane Cabarrus (804) 513-0532 janecabarrus@aol.com.

💡 Bird Walk - Nassawango Creek Preserve at Furnace Town
2026-04-30 08:00 (America/New_York) | Furnace Town Historic Site, 3816 Old Furnace Road, Snow Hill, Maryland
BIRD WALK

FIELD TRIP HIGHLIGHTS: Join experienced birder Maggie Long to enjoy spring migration and amazing bird song within The Nature Conservancy’s Nassawango Creek Preserve at Furnace Town, east of Snow Hill, Maryland. We will look and listen for spring warblers and migrants of bottomland swamps and other diverse habitats.

WHEN: Thursday, April 30th, 8:00 a.m.

LOCATION: Meet in the parking lot at the main entrance of the Furnace Town Historic Site, 3816 Old Furnace Road, Snow Hill, MD.

REGISTRATION: Pre-registration for this field trip is required. Please register with the leader, Maggie Long, by text at (610) 500-9971. The Program is free, and the public is invited to attend. Always be prepared for ticks, the sun, mosquitos, and the weather.

Learn more about us at: www.birdingeasternshore.org

🧤 Clean the Bay Day
2026-05-02 09:00 - 12:00 (America/New_York)
NOTE: The CBF has moved the event from June to May!

As of March 30 there are four clean-up sites on the shore:

Cape Charles

Eastville

Kiptopeke State Park

Onancock (boats, canoes, kayaks, and paddle boards only).

To participate, find the site you are interested in and register here: https://www.cbf.org/resources/ctbd-locations-registration/. Note that hours may vary by location.

Registration closes April 17th.

Log your hours under Better Impact Category 16/Clean the Bay Day. Be sure to include #WOW in the BI description field so that your time is included in VMN’s 2026 “Wonderful Water” service theme!

See less

Artist Cherilyn Colbert hopes her illustration of the Bay and its critters in Virginia, created for Clean the Bay Day, inspires environmental stewardship across the state.

🧤 TNC Open Farm Day
2026-05-02 10:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York)
The 9th Open Farm Day at The Nature Conservancy’s Brownsville Preserve in Nassawadox will be held on Saturday, May 2nd!

This free, public event typically brings a couple hundred folks from the local community out to explore and enjoy themselves in this special, conserved place. TNC VCR staff will be on hand, and volunteer activities will range from helping with family activities, wagon chaperoning, lunch assistance, parking, and more.

Event takes place 10:00 am-3:00 pm, but some shifts may be asked to arrive early.We are also looking for Spanish/English and Haitian Creole/English bilingual volunteers to help with any of the below activities in order to help us provide better access for our full Shore community.

Please reach out to VCR Community Engagement Specialist, Margaret Van Clief at mvanclief@tnc.org or 757-414-9227 with questions or to sign up for one of the shifts listed below –

Family Activities (Nature Arts & Crafts, Educational Nature Games – all will be explained!) (log hours in BI under Category 13:/assist with ed programs):

9:30 am-12:30 pm (4 volunteers, 2 bilingual volunteers)

12:15 pm – 3:00 pm (4 volunteers, 2 bilingual volunteers)

Parking Volunteers (no ESMN volunteer hours):

9:30-11:45 am (1 volunteer, 1 bilingual volunteer)

11:30 am – 1:30 pm (1 volunteer, 1 bilingual volunteer)

Wagon Attendants (maintaining safety & comfort on wagons between parking and Brownsville House grounds) (no ESMN volunteer hours):

9:45 am-12:30 pm (1 bilingual volunteer)

12:15-3:00 pm (1 bilingual volunteer)

Lunch Assistance (working out details – serving, bussing, trash, setting up & breaking down picnic area) (no ESMN volunteer hours):

11:30 am-1:30 pm (4 volunteers, 1 bilingual volunteer)

10:30 am-12:30 pm (2 volunteers, 1 bilingual volunteer)

💡 Wachapreague Seaside Boat Trip
2026-05-02 12:00 (America/New_York)
May 2nd/Rain Date May 3

FIELD TRIP HIGHLIGHTS: Join Captain Meriwether Payne on a boat trip on the seaside during spring shorebird migration. Participants will observe shorebirds and other waterbirds in the marshes, barrier islands, and seaside lagoons, where they rest and refuel on their migration journey.

REGISTRATION: Pre-registration for this field trip is required and costs $20/person payable at departure (cash, check, or Venmo).

There are three time slots available for this trip:

8:00 – 11:00am

11:30am – 2:30pm

3:00pm – 6:00pm.

To register, please text Captain Meriwether Payne at (757) 710-2454 with your preferred time slot.

There is a maximum of 6 participants per trip, and registration will be on a first come first serve basis.

Please bring water, snacks, sun and wind protection, and anything else you may need to spend several hours on the water.

Please log your hours under Better Impact Category 2/Continuing Education.

💡 Guided Bird Walk - Chincoteague NWR
2026-05-07 08:00 (America/New_York)
FIELD TRIP HIGHLIGHTS: Join experienced birders Randy Reed and Maggie Long to enjoy spring migration at the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge is an important location for migrating songbirds and shorebirds to rest and refuel on their migration journey.

WHEN: Thursday, May 7th, 8:00 a.m.

LOCATION: Meet at the Woodland Trail Parking Lot off of Beach Road. U.S. Park Entry Pass or refuge daily entry fee ($10/car) may be required.

REGISTRATION: Pre-registration for this field trip is required. Please register with the leader, Randy Reed, by text at (410) 274-2482. The Program is free, and the public is invited to attend. Always be prepared for ticks, the sun, mosquitos, and the weather.

Learn more about us at: www.birdingeasternshore.org

💡NASSAWANGO CREEK PRESERVE AT FURNACE TOWN BIRD WALK
2026-05-09 08:00 (America/New_York)
FIELD TRIP HIGHLIGHTS:Join experienced birder Joette Borzik to enjoy spring migration and amazing bird song within The Nature Conservancy’s Nassawango Creek Preserve at Furnace Town, east of Snow Hill, Maryland. We will look and listen for spring warblers and migrants of bottomland swamps and other diverse habitats. Due to the fast pace of this field trip, some prior bird identification experience is helpful.

WHEN: Saturday, May 9th, 8:00 a.m.

LOCATION: Meet in the parking lot at the main entrance of the Furnace Town Historic Site, 3816 Old Furnace Road, Snow Hill, MD.

REGISTRATION: Pre-registration for this field trip is required. Please register with the leader, Joette Borzik, by text at (757) 350-1659. The Program is free, and the public is invited to attend. Always be prepared for ticks, the sun, mosquitos, and the weather.

Learn more about us at: www.birdingeasternshore.org

💡 Guided Bird Walk - Chincoteague NWR
2026-05-10 08:00 - 10:00 (America/New_York)
Celebrate Migratory Bird Day Weekend with a guided bird walk along Swan Cove and the Assateague Beach. We’ll look for shorebirds, like this striking American Oystercatcher. Its bright orange bill is perfect for shucking oysters.

Newcomers to birding welcome. Binoculars available. Expect to walk at least a mile on uneven terrain. Bring water & bug spray.

Meet at Toms Cove Naturalist Shack in Parking Lot 1 (end of Beach Road).

World Migratory Bird Day
2026-05-10 08:00 - 17:00 (America/Halifax)
World Migratory Bird Day is officially celebrated on the second Saturday of May in Canada and the US, and the second Saturday of October in Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean. However, every day is Bird Day, and you can celebrate birds and host events any day of the year!

ESMN Picnic!
2026-06-04 15:00 - 18:00 (America/New_York) | Virginia Institute of Marine Science Eastern Shore Laboratory, Seaside Hall, 36 Atlantic Street, Wachapreague, VA, United States
Stay tuned for details!

💡CE: ESMN Chapter Meeting
2026-07-15 17:00 - 19:00, 2026-09-16 17:00 - 19:00 (America/Halifax) | Virginia Institute of Marine Science Eastern Shore Laboratory, Seaside Hall, 36 Atlantic Street, Wachapreague, VA, United States
Speaker: TBD
Schedule:

5:00-5:30: Social time
5:30-6:00 Business meeting
6:00-7:00 Speaker.

Better Impact Info: Log speaker time under Category 2/ Continuing Education.
Check out other ESMN CE Opportunities and VMN CE Webinars.

Marine Life Day at VIMS
2026-09-19 12:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York)
Join us for a fun and educational day exploring marine life found on Virginia’s Eastern Shore! Join staff and students to discover how science and real-world questions intersect in Wachapreague, VA. We will have touch tanks, live displays, creatures under microscopes, crafts and activities, and opportunities to speak with our scientists! Featured research and displays will include shellfish, crustaceans, fish, sharks, and many more!

All activities are free, as is parking. The event proceeds rain or shine. This event is free, open to all ages, and will take place rain or shine.

Register: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/nwbaavt

Sponsored by: Eastern Shore Laboratory (ESL)
