On Thursday, September 23rd, 2021, members of the Headwaters Master Naturalists chapter visited Black Bear Composting facility in Crimora. Eric Walter, the owner, showed us around the property and walked us through the composting process. They obtain the compostable waste from residential houses, businesses, and even institutions such as the local Bridgewater College. Once brought…
Most every August, the Friends of the Middle River (FOMR) organize a week of trash removal from different segments of the Middle River as it runs through Augusta County. Members of the Headwaters Chapter of the Virginia Master Naturalists are always invited to participate and earn volunteer service credit hours under the activity: “Trash Cleanups:…
Harrisonburg City’s Public Works department is hosting “Parks for Pollinators: Harrisonburg VA,” a BioBlitz event all September long. “In celebration of pollinators, join us all September long to create a snapshot of the variety of local wildlife. Work alongside City staff to advance the health of local pollinators, which are essential to our ecosystem. Participants…
For those of you who have been hesitant to get back into the social swing of things, now that many pandemic restrictions have been eased, come meet your favorite aerobic bacteria at Black Bear Composting at 4:00PM on Thursday, September 23. This will be our first tour to the Black Bear site in Crimora since…
Surrounded by industrial plants, farm fields, and encroaching subdivisions, Cowbane Prairie Natural Area Preserve in Stuarts Draft is an oasis for wetland loving wildflowers. It is one of 65 protected Natural Area Preserves which are scattered around Virginia and managed by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation’s (DCR) Natural Heritage Program. The program’s South…
Nothing’s changed (well except for the conversion to Better Impact), so this is mainly for newer HMN members. The procedure for proposing a new project is really pretty simple. Prior to submitting a new project proposal, the member should refer to the VMN Volunteer Policy Handbook (“Volunteer Service Requirements,” pages 12-17). Reviewing the handbook will…
On July 2, 2021, Matt Heller from the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy, Division of Geology and Mineral Resources and John Bauman, HMN Field Trips Coordinator, led Cohort VII on a hike to Fridley Gap. After introductions, Matt brought out his cool maps showing the geologic features of the region and described how…
Once again, we are being treated to the wealth of knowledge and generosity of local fungi experts Jack Wilson and Chris & Vicki Vacher on a walk/talk and more, on Sunday, September 12, starting at 9:30AM. Jack shares this “draft plan” for our outing: “To avoid hot weather, we should start at MoonDance Camp (Braley Pond…
On July 15, HMNs Adrie Voors, Art Fovargue, and I, along with other volunteers, participated in the “Heat Watch” project, a nationwide program for heat mapping in local communities. Our job was to drive around a preset 20-mile route with a temperature sensor attached to the passenger’s side window of our car. The device measures…
HMNs: If you haven’t yet, check out Better Impact, the new Virginia Master Naturalists’ volunteer management system at MyImpactPage.com. There you can: find a complete list, with descriptions, of all our approved activities (formerly called “projects”) through which you can get volunteer service credit find and sign up for any scheduled events that may be coming…
