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…
Recap of July 22, 2018, Membership Summer Gathering What started out as an opportunity to gather as many Headwaters Master Naturalists as possible for a summer event, turned into a full day of community building, field trips and continuing education at Grand Caverns Park in Grottoes. Highlights from the day included: Board Meeting with reports…
Just after sunset on July 1, HMNs Peggy Plass and Emily Fugate met at Lake Shenandoah to kick off our latest project—Acoustic Bat Monitoring! Our chapter purchased a handheld bat monitor earlier this summer, and Sunday night marked the first time that it was used to collect data in the field. This spring, the state…
By Cheryl Shull, Cohort V During a recent fishing trip at Elkhorn Lake, my husband and I observed what we believed to be a brown water snake swimming towards us. As I began shooting photos, we quickly realized that we had a timber rattlesnake in our midst. We enjoyed the afternoon watching the snake quietly…
Despite the cool and dry conditions prior to the 2018 Shenandoah Mountain Wildflower Walks on April 28th, three groups of walkers found many species and had a great time in the woods of George Washington National Forest. Prescribed burns scheduled for the Hone Quarry area required us to consider alternative walks, but in the end…
On the evening of Friday, May 4th a group of four Headwaters Master Naturalists and one guest journeyed to the Augusta Springs Wetlands Trail to try our ears at frog and toad call identification. Under the tutelage of HMN and Frogwatch Monitor Kate Guenther we listened to the recorded voices of the frogs and toads…
HMN Jerry Hopkins has an affinity for the Shenandoah National Park. Spending time there since he was a kid, he currently makes frequent trips to his adopted stretch of trail in the Park to keep it welcoming by clearing brush and obstacles which might impede travelers. On a recent beautiful sunny spring day, he generously…
Geology Field Trip in Shenandoah National Park April 12, 2018 After being snowed out in December and postponed in early April, this field trip was finally held on Thursday, April 12. Malcolm Cameron led the trip with Jerry Hopkins attending. Malcolm gave an overview of geologic history of the Blue Ridge and Shenandoah National Park…
