Who can you trust?

Punxsutawney Phil Predicts Spring Is Coming! 

But what does the Woolly Bear Caterpillar predict? (Wait, the Woolly Bear predicts a harsh or mild winter). Who else is in this prediction business? Here are a few more from Weather Lore:

An Introduction to Caves and Karst

An Introduction to Caves and Karst. Lecture held in Martinsville Virginia at the Virginia Museum of Natural History

Date: February 23, 2013
Time: 6 pm
Place: Virginia Museum of Natural History
For: General Public
Cost: No fee

Amateur Mycologists on the Trail at Fairy Stone State Park

As part of the 2012 Virginia Master Naturalist Statewide Conference I was able to go on a Mushroom Ecology and ID Field Session at Fairy Stone State Park.  

I was very pleased to see the trail we were on, the "Oak-Hickory Trail" had the touch of the Blue Ridge Foothills and Lakes Chapter (my chapter!)

I figured the least I could do since I was there with my Nikon was to take a few photos of people enjoying this trail to report back to our chapter. So here is my report...

VMN looking for mushrooms

You can dance if you want to!

The pulsing pigment-producing cells of squid and cuttlefish set to classical music, just beautiful! 

 

Chromatophores are muscle-controlled pigment cells in the skin of cephalopods, such as squid, octopus, and cuttlefish. These chromatophores expand and contract on command in order to help the animal blend in with its surroundings, or to communicate with other animals.

ARE YOU INTERESTED IN THE VIRGINIA MASTER NATURALIST PROGRAM? YOU CAN LEARN MORE ABOUT THESE CITIZEN SCIENTIST VOLUNTEERS HERE. 

BRFAL projects - wanna get involved?

Blue Ridge Foothills and Lakes Chapter of Virginia Master Naturalists have a few projects up their sleeve!

Master Naturalists get involved!

Here is a partial list of some of the volunteer projects BRFAL Members are involved in:

• Virginia Save Our Streams: Water quality monitoring
• Boones Mill Elementary: After School Science Project
• AT Mega-Transect Chestnut Count
• Bluebird Nest Box Monitoring on the Blue Ridge Parkway
• CoCoRaHS (Weather Station Monitoring)
• Emerald Ash Borer Monitoring at Booker T Washington National Monument
• Gill Creek Stream Ecosystem
• Invasive Aquatic Weed ID Project
• Invasive Species Education & Control
• Inventory of Chestnut Trees on the Blue Ridge Parkway from Mills Gap Overlook to Great Valley Overlook
• The Walnut Run Eastern Box Turtle Project
• Various Types Of Bird Watching/Monitoring
• Vegetation Community Delineation of Booker T Washington National Monument
• Water Quality Monitoring - Smith Mountain Lake
• Water Quality Monitoring at Booker T. Washington National Monument
• Wood Duck Box Project at Smith Mountain Lake State Park
• Smith Mountain Lake Buffer Landscaping

If any of these interest you, you can learn more about the Virginia Master Naturalist Program here.
The next BRFAL Chapter Basic Training for Aspiring Virginia Master Naturalists is coming up in March 2012 at The Franklin Center in Downtown Rocky Mount VA! You can get the Draft Schedule of Classes and View the Itinerary here, and get the Information Letter and Application here.  If you have any questions about this upcoming basic training please send an email to:  contact@brfal.org 

We hope to see you at the next training!

Master Naturalist 2012 Training Course Scheduled in Rocky Mount!

The Blue Ridge Foothills And Lakes (BRFAL) Chapter of the Virginia Master Naturalist program (VMNP) is taking applications now until Feb 15, for the 2012 basic training course.  

The classes will be held at the Franklin Center in Rocky Mount, Tuesday evenings from 6:00-8:30 PM beginning March 6 until May 24th.  Additional field trips will be held on Saturdays March 17 & 31, Apr 14 & 28 and May 5 & 19.  The location of Saturday field sessions will vary based on the topic being presented.  The total cost of the program, including materials, is $100.  This fee also entitles each participant to a one-year membership in the BRFAL Chapter of the VMNP.

The BRFAL training program is designed to prepare individuals as Certified Virginia Master Naturalists for the statewide corps of master naturalist volunteers carrying out the VMNP mission of “providing education, outreach and service dedicated to the beneficial management of natural resources and natural areas within their communities”.  As such, it will provide the background knowledge and opportunity for skills development necessary to be effective as a volunteer Certified Virginia Master Naturalist.

To become a Certified Virginia MasterNaturalist, a trainee must:

• Complete 40 hours of basic training, which includes a minimum of 25% time in the field;
• Pass the open-book training assessment with a score of 70% or higher;
• Complete 8 hours of approved advanced training designed to focus volunteer efforts on one or more specific topics of interest; and
• Complete a minimum of 40 hours of service in a BRFAL approved project within 12 months of the completion of the basic training program.

To maintain certification, a Certified Virginia Master Naturalist must complete an additional 8 hours of advanced training and 40 hours of service annually.

Space is limited for this course which covers topics such as: aquatic and terrestrial ecology; taxonomy of plants, mammals, fish, insects, amphibians, reptiles and birds; geology and soil science and others.  If you, or someone you know, are interested in participating please visit the website below.  Perhaps a  home-made "gift certificate" would be welcome.
Directions to the Franklin Center in Rocky Mount VA here
              Rocky Mount is the land between the lakes, just 19 miles from Roanoke and in the shadow of the Blue Ridge. Rocky Mount, the county seat for Franklin County sits at 1200 feet in the eastern foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Application forms and additional information, including the draft syllabus on the Virginia Master Naturalist Program and the Blue Ridge Foothills and Lakes Chapter, can be found here.  For other questions about the Virginia Master Naturalist Program and/or BRFAL Chapter, please call (540) 365-4613 or contact us through the web site.

*This is a press release by Carl Boast and can also be found in our local papers.

We All Live Downstream...

Dan River Basin Association shares this very valuable information with all of us! We All Live Downstream...

Our rivers provide essential water for drinking, fishing, floating and working. The Dan River and its tributaries such as the Smith, Mayo, Banister, Sandy and Hyco rivers are economic engines -- and the very reason many of our communities exist today.   Water quality studies show that while our region is blessed with rivers and an abundance of forest cover many miles of our local rivers and small streams need to be protected against pollution, sediment, and degradation.

BRFAL Members Help Save Our Streams

GOOD BUGS = GOOD WATER

Alongside Blue Ridge Foothills and Lakes Virginia Master Naturalists 

Training Session with Don Kelso (preparing to catch the bugs - macroinvertibrates tell the health of a stream)

Master Naturalists from the Historic Rivers Chapter Amazing Project

VIRGINIA MASTER NATURALISTS IN THE NEWS!
Congratulations to the Virginia Master Naturalists from the Historic Rivers Chapter on a job well done.

Susan Powell helps cut the ribbon at new Freedom Park Interpretive Center (photo from here)

Is 'Brown' the New Green?

Virginia always looks so green, but at times we too encounter drought 
Two years ago the Town of Rocky Mount would not allow us to water any outdoor plants (hanging or otherwise) and began to truck in drinking water. The level at our two lakes was extremely low, boats had to look up to see the docks. Worst case scenario of course was gazing out over the fields upon the Franklin County Farms. This area is predominantly dairy farms, and they got the short end of the stick!

Franklin & Bedford Counties are Dairy Country

Virginia Junior Naturalist Workbook

HERE IS SOMETHING SPECIAL WE CAN DO FOR OUR KIDS AND GRAND-KIDS!

Shellie is sharing this from here.

Virginia Junior Naturalist Workbook

Fairfax Master Naturalists in the News!

Fairfax Master Naturalists Named Cooperator of the Year

Local group recognized for their volunteer contributions

Quietly, a new cadre of volunteers has been growing in Fairfax County. Since their beginning in December 2007, the Fairfax Chapter of the Master Naturalists have trained their members in the field and classroom. Their 138 active naturalists have contributed countless volunteer hours to environmental projects.

Onancock Nature Trail grows 300 feet longer

VIRGINIA MASTER NATURALISTS IN THE NEWS!

Master Naturalists work on extending Onancock Nature Trail

What are your favorite hiking books?

Hiking Trip Reports 

Favorite Hiking Books

If you’re like me you don’t get to spend as much time on the trail as you’d like. But thanks to many great books we get to experience the outdoors through great novels and non-fiction books as well as location guides and hiking guides. Below are some of my favorite outdoor books. Most are about hiking, but a few are outdoor adventures that have inspired and moved me. If you have a favorite be sure to tell me about it and I’ll include it here for others to find. I would love to talk to authors of guides and outdoor adventure books.

Create a Certified Wildlife Habitat

Turn Your Yard Into a Haven for Wildlife!

By providing food, water, cover and places for wildlife to raise their young, your garden can join the nearly 140,000 Certified Wildlife Habitat™ sites across the country.

Start here to certify your habitat >>

Whether you have an apartment balcony or a 20-acre farm, you can create a garden that attracts beautiful wildlife and helps restore habitat in commercial and residential areas. By providing food, water, cover and a place for wildlife to raise their young--and by incorporating sustainable gardening practices--you not only help wildlife, but you also qualify to become an official Certified Wildlife Habitat™.

How to Create a Wildlife-Friendly Garden

Chowing down on invasive species

Kudzu salad with hydrilla vinaigrette, anyone?

Like the saying goes, when life hands you lemons, make lemonade. Instead of bemoaning our invasive species, maybe we should be developing a taste for them.  Read below...

Introducing the vine that ate the south, Kudzu. Don't leave your car parked there for very long.

From a NY Times article by Elisabeth Rosenthal (Read the full article here)

                 Answer for Invasive Species: Put It on a Plate and Eat It

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/10/science/earth/10fish.html

An invasive species, the lionfish is devastating reef fish populations along the Florida coast and into the Caribbean. Now, an increasing number of environmentalists, consumer groups and scientists are seriously testing a novel solution to control it and other aquatic invasive species — one that would also takes pressure off depleted ocean fish stocks: they want Americans to step up to their plates and start eating invasive critters in large numbers.

“Humans are the most ubiquitous predators on earth,” said Philip Kramer, director of the Caribbean program for the Nature Conservancy. “Instead of eating something like shark fin soup, why not eat a species that is causing harm, and with your meal make a positive contribution?”

Invasive species have become a vexing problem in the United States, with population explosions of Asian carp clogging the Mississippi River and European green crabs mobbing the coasts. With few natural predators in North America, such fast-breeding species have thrived in American waters, eating native creatures and out-competing them for food and habitats.

While most invasive species are not commonly regarded as edible food, that is mostly a matter of marketing, experts say. Imagine menus where Asian carp substitutes for the threatened Chilean sea bass, or lionfish replaces grouper, which is overfished. 

Article shared by Rich and Meg Prager, BRFAL Chapter Members of Virginia Master Naturalist.

BRFAL Chapter of Virginia Master Naturalist wants you to get outside, explore and learn something new today. Get involved in something cool, learn more about the Virginia Master Naturalist program here!

September kicks off Fall Stewardship Virginia campaign

An official press release of the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation 

September kicks off Fall Stewardship Virginia campaign

Volunteers at our Virginia State Parks making a difference!

(Richmond, VA)— Stewardship Virginia, a statewide campaign to encourage and recognize voluntary activities with a tangible impact on Virginia’s natural resources, continues its ninth year with events across the state. The campaign features activities in the spring and fall. The fall portion runs through October 31.

2011 Virginia Master Naturalist Advanced Training Rally

The Department of Biology and the Central Virginia Master Naturalists are jointly hosting our third Virginia Master Naturalist Rally on Sweet Briar's campus on 3-5 June 2011.

The weekend is designed to provide educational workshops and activities to enhance the knowledge base, and support the conservation efforts, of Virginia Master Naturalists throughout the Commonwealth. Workshops on a broad array of natural history topics will be led by experts in their fields. The schedule includes time for informal activities on Sweet Briar's 3200 acre campus, and naturalist-led field trips to other sites in central Virginia.

Virginia Master Naturalists Make a Difference!