On Saturday, November 10th members of the HMN chapter participated in the Saw-whet Owl banding at Highland Retreat in western Rockingham county. Saw-whet Owls are migrating through our area this time of the year from their northern nesting grounds. Dr. Clair Mellinger, assisted by Charles Ziegenfus and HMN trainee Ben Spory, collected the birds and…
On Saturday, October 20, members of the 2018 HMN Basic Training class explored three sites along the Lost Shoe Loop of the VDGIF Virginia Bird & Wildlife Trail. Class member Lisa Klein describes the morning at Lake Shenandoah below. Lunch and a walk followed at Grand Caverns. The trip concluded with a look at Madison…
Recently, Headwaters Master Naturalists joined other volunteers to help the City of Harrisonburg plant over 50 trees. On Wednesday, October 24, Kathy McKenzie, Cohort V, planted trees around Thomas Harrison Middle School, and on Saturday, October 27, trees were planted along a small tributary at Heritage Forest and Gardens. A variety native species were planted,…
The life of our state wildlife veterinarian is varied and full … and full of responsibility. On October 22, at the Augusta County Government Building in Verona, members of our HMN Chapter were treated to a presentation by Dr. Megan Kirchgessner, who has been the Virginia state wildlife veterinarian with the Department of Game and…
Massanetta Springs: Here we come! September 20 – 22, 2019 Have a favorite naturalist-related presenter, topic, place, or activity you’d like to share with other Master Naturalists from around the state? Now is the time to get involved with planning for the 2019 Virginia Master Naturalist Statewide Conference and Volunteer Training! As announced in the August…
October 8 was a cool, foggy and breezy night on Reddish Knob when 10 Headwaters Master Naturalists and friends joined Billy Flint of James Madison University to look for and learn about terrestrial salamanders. The thick fog made driving up the narrow road tricky, but conditions were perfect for salamanders. The Cow Knob Salamander is…
HMN Continuing Education Committee Chair Margaret Speicher arranged for Headwaters Chapter members to spend the evening of Friday, October 5th at the Stokesville Observatory to learn more about our extraterrestrial world from knowledgeable astronomy enthusiasts. Their were ten members and guests in attendance. The evening started with an interesting power point presentation about astronomy given by Earl…
What’s all the rain good for? MUSHROOMS! This was made abundantly clear to fifteen Master Naturalists who met Peggy Plass at the Edith J. Carrier Arboretum at James Madison University on Sunday, September 23rd to walk, search for and learn about mushrooms. It was awesome! Peggy’s enthusiasm was infectious and soon people were traipsing off…
Nothing is better than gathering a hundred Master Naturalists for a weekend of field trips, skill building, and celebrating the biological diversity of the Commonwealth. On September 7-9, in Fredericksburg, Virginia, the Virginia Master Naturalists held their annual conference and training. Six members of the Headwaters Chapter participated in at least part of the three…
UPDATE: FOMR (Friends of the Middle River) has had to scrap our first set of dates for benthic monitoring at our 9 sites due to persistent flood conditions. We are uncertain as to when and if we will be able to do this volunteer activity this fall, but if we can, it will be ASAP…
Aligning with many things Master Naturalists hold dear, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation is offering its first ever class in the valley to become a steward of the Chesapeake Bay. VoiCeS (Volunteers as Chesapeake Stewards) classes will be held weekly for six evenings on Thursdays beginning on October 11 this fall in Verona. The course includes…
“The Virginia Big Tree Program maintains a register of the 5 (now 3) largest specimens of over 300 native, non-native, and naturalized tree species. The register includes information about each tree’s size, location, and unique characteristics. Each tree must be re-certified every 10 years to maintain its status in the register.” – VA Big Tree…
