2018 Virginia Master Naturalist Basic Training--Blue Ridge Foothills and Lakes Chapter

The Blue Ridge Foothills and Lakes (BRFAL) Chapter of the Virginia Master Naturalist (VMN) program is accepting applications for the 2018 Basic Training class from now until January 15, 2018, or until the class is filled.

Training is held on Monday evenings beginning February 12 through the end of April. There will be three Saturday field training workshops, March 24, April 7 and April 11. Graduation will be held on Saturday April 28. An abridged class schedule is included below.

The VMN program is a statewide corps of volunteers providing education, outreach, and service dedicated to the management of natural resources and natural areas within their communities. The BRFAL Chapter has projects in Franklin, Bedford and occasionally Patrick counties. In addition to providing volunteer services, VMN’s participate in ongoing education and citizen science activities to further their knowledge and experience.

Who can participate? People who are curious about nature, enjoy the outdoors, and want to be a part of natural resource management and conservation in Virginia are perfect candidates to become Virginia Master Naturalists. VMN is open to all adults regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital or family status.

To learn more about VMN and its chapters, visit http://www.virginiamasternaturalist.org/ . To learn more about the BRFAL Chapter and its projects, visit  http://brfal.blogspot.com/ or contact us:

Phone: 540-365-4613 email: BRFAL.VMN@gmail.com or snail mail to: P.O. Box 42, Wirtz, VA 24184

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	BRFL VMN 2018 Training Schedule
Date	Presentation	Presenter
Mon-12-Feb	Welcome and Introduction	Lecture TBA
	Navigating the VMN/VMS
	Naturalists Report
	Journal
	Risk Management
	Eco-Concepts
Mon-19-Feb	Herpetology	Lecture TBA
	Lake and Stream Ecology
Mon-26--Feb	Dendrology	Lecture TBA
	Mammalogy
Mon-5-Mar	Entomology	Lecture TBA
	Forest Management
Mon-12-Mar	Ichthyology	Lecture TBA
	Geology, Soil Geomorphology
Mon-19-Mar	Projects/Regulations	Lecture TBA
	Ornithology
Sat-24-Mar	Geology and Soils	Field Day
	Stream Ecology
Mon-26-Mar	Plant Identification, Taxonomy	Lecture TBA
	and Nomenclature
	Weather
	Naturalists Report due
Mon-3-Apr	Environmental Presentations	Lecture TBA
	Astronomy
	Journals Due
Sat-7-Apr	Field Techniques for	Field Day
	Observing Nature
	Birds and Insects
	Dendrology
	Wildflowers
Sat-14-Apr	Field Practical Exercises	Field Day
	Assessment
Sat-21-2017	Leave Open for Possible Make-Up
Sat-28-Apr	Graduation	Networking

James River and American Chestnut (right) from citizen science data collection site on BRP

Bald Knob Stream Clean Up

Department of Conservation and Recreation Sponsor Ryan leading training session