Keep up with the latest happenings of the Virginia Master Naturalist Program.
The Pollinator
News from the Virginia Master Naturalist Program 
October 2014
Thank you for subscribing to our new Virginia Master Naturalist statewide newsletter!  We will be using this publication as a tool to communicate with our volunteers, sponsoring agencies, partners, and others about the great work that Virginia Master Naturalists do.  Follow the links below each article to read the full articles, which are posted on the VMN blog.  We encourage you to forward this issue to others and to invite them to subscribe to future issues.  Also, we welcome submissions from chapters and volunteers about their activities as well as submissions from our sponsors and partners about initiatives that would be of interest to our audience.  Please contact Michelle Prysby if you have something to share.

From the State Program Office

Greetings from the Virginia Master Naturalist program!  This newsletter is one of many new program initiatives you have likely seen over the past year and there are many more to come.  After we finished the strategic planning process, we put a lot of time and energy into moving forward with the ideas that many of you proposed to make our program even better as we continue to grow.  We updated our website and improved our communications.  We now have a statewide calendar of events and started a monthly continuing education webinar series.  We hired Michelle Prysby to serve as the special projects coordinator to lead the implementation of a few key initiatives, including the completion of our basic training course curriculum.  This is definitely an exciting time for our program, and we look forward to working with all of you as we continue to make it the best it can be. 

The primary goal of our newsletter is to improve communications among our existing network, but we also aim to inform those not part of our organization about all the great work being done by the program to conserve the state's natural resources.  We've included a section on volunteer news to highlight special events and projects occurring around the state, a "Laurels" section to highlight awards received by the program, its chapters, and its volunteers, and a section to highlight the needs and initiatives of our sponsoring agencies and other natural resource organizations throughout the state.  Please let us know if there is anything else you would like to see included in future editions so we can continue to make the newsletter a valuable resource for our growing community.  The ideas and creativity that you all bring to this program are what make it so great!  Thanks for all your support and I hope to cross paths with many of you soon.  
Cheers, 
Alycia 

Volunteer News
Volunteers Learn Together in Newport News
 
Virginia Master Naturalist volunteers from across the Commonwealth came together September 26-28 at the Virginia Living Museum in Newport News for the sixth Virginia Master Naturalist Statewide Conference and Training.  
A Zoo In My Shopping Bags

This month's featured volunteer project is one that has educated more than 13,000 youths and adults since its inception seven years ago.
Full article �
Laurels

Virginia Master Naturalists have been recognized by local, state, and even national organizations for the outstanding work they do.  
VMN Volunteers Share Their Photographic Talents

This year marked the third annual photo contest held at the statewide conference.  
From Our Sponsors and Partners

DEQ Logo
The signing of the new Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement on June 16, 2014,  represents a renewed commitment from Virginia and its Bay Program partners to continue protecting the Chesapeake Bay, its tributaries and surrounding lands.
Volunteer Alerts

If you are a Virginia Master Naturalist volunteer, we ask that you take a few moments to update your contact information (email, phone number, and mailing address) in the VMN Volunteer Management System.  And, while you are at it, take another few minutes to make sure your volunteer hours are up-to-date.  We rely on the data in the VMS to know who and where our volunteers are and to keep track of their activities.  Your volunteer data are critical for the reports that we must submit to program sponsors for risk management purposes and to help us understand the impacts and accomplishments of the program so that we can continue to improve it and make it a worthwhile endeavor for all involved. For information on using the VMN-VMS, look at the "Getting Started on the VMN-VMS for Volunteers" document.  Thanks so much!
Contributors  
This edition of The Pollinator was written and edited by VMN volunteer Susan Roth (Arlington Chapter) and VMN Special Projects Coordinator Michelle Prysby, with text and photo contributions from many VMN volunteers and chapters.  Please contact us if you are interested in contributing to a future issue.  
 
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Virginia Cooperative Extension programs and employment are open to all, regardless of age, color, disability, gender, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, veteran status, or any other basis protected by law. An equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Virginia State University, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture cooperating. Edwin J. Jones, Director, Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg; Jewel E. Hairston, Administrator, 1890 Extension Program, Virginia State, Petersburg.