Story by Ann Quigley
The Eastern Shore Chapter of Virginia Master Naturalists welcomed 18 new members upon their completion of the Chapter’s Basic Training Course on November 7th.
The Virginia Master Naturalist Program develops and supports a statewide corps of well informed volunteers providing education, outreach, and service dedicated to the beneficial management of natural resources and natural areas within their communities. Interested Virginians become Master Naturalists through training and volunteer service.
The Chapter’s Basic Training Course combined classroom instruction and field trips throughout the Eastern Shore. Locations included the Barrier Islands Center, Edward S. Brinkley Preserve, Eastern Shore and Fisherman Island National Wildlife Refuges, the Nature Conservancy Brownsville Preserve, Savage Neck Dunes Natural Area Preserve, UVA Coastal Research Center in Oyster, and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science Eastern Shore Laboratory in Wachapreague. Experts provided instruction in topics such as barrier island and coastal ecology, entomology, herpetology, mammalogy to prepare students to be Virginia Master Naturalists.
Chartered in 2007, the Eastern Shore Chapter has over 100 members serving as volunteer educators, citizen scientists, and stewards helping conserve and manage the Eastern Shore’s natural resources and public lands. Year-to-date the group has contributed over 7,300 hours of volunteer service to projects including stewardship of local Natural Area Preserves, welcoming visitors to the shore’s National Wildlife Refuges, combatting invasive plant species and planting natives, leading elementary and high school educational trips, and restoring oyster and sea grass habitats.
The Basic Training Course is typically offered annually each fall. Information about the next class will be posted on the Chapter website at https://www.esmn.org/volunteer/.
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