Master Naturalists Now Accepting Applications for Basic Training Course

The Eastern Shore Chapter of Virginia Master Naturalists (ESMN) are offering their Basic Training Course from Sept. 5-Nov. 7. The Basic Training Course prepares attendees for volunteer service as a Virginia Master Naturalist to help Eastern Shore communities conserve and manage natural resources and public lands. There is no minimum requirement for volunteer hours, but graduates are expected to volunteer.

Classes will he held each Thursday from 9:00am to 4:00pm at the Virginia Institute for Marine Science Eastern Shore Laboratory in Wachapreague and at various Eastern Shore field locations. The fee for the 10-week course is $150 which covers all materials and field trips. Limited scholarships might be available. Space is limited and the application deadline is August 22, 2023.

The course is taught by experts in the Eastern Shore’s natural resources; botany; birds,insects, fishes, and mammals, the natural processes that create the barrier islands and the bayside coasts, and other topics.

The Eastern Shore Chapter sponsors and supports dozens of projects, providing a wide range of volunteer service opportunities to its members throughout Accomack and Northampton counties. Members work with various groups in diverse settings such as wildlife refuges, parks, and nature preserves to carry out the VMN mission.

To apply, access the online application at https://bttr.im/n0nre . If you have questions or would like additional information please contact the ESMN Basic Training team at esmn.training@gmail.com. More information is available on the chapter’s website at https://www.esmn.org/ .

Since the Eastern Shore Chapter was chartered in 2007, members have volunteered thousands of hours to conserve and protect the Eastern Shore’s abundant natural resources. Projects include stewarding Mutton Hunk Fen, Savage Neck Dunes and other Natural Area Preserves and public lands, oyster restoration projects, planting pollinator gardens and removing invasive plants, leading educational field trips, and many others.