Next Webinar: VMN Educators Bureau Flash Talks
Date: June 12, 12:00-1:00
Description: Virginia Master Naturalists who are part of our program's statewide Educators Bureau will give talks and demonstrations - each no more than five minutes long. Get inspired by these dynamic educators! The full list of topics and presenters is below.
Pre-registration is required.

Meeting Registration - Zoom

The Authority of the Resource Technique (ART): A multi- pronged interpretive approach for dealing with undesirable visitor behavior in protected areas
The Authority of the Resource Technique (ART) is a way to address undesirable visitor behavior in protected areas. It's an interpretive approach that shifts the focus from the authority of a ranger or agency to the natural resources themselves. The presenter will discuss how ART works and the benefits of this approach.
Presenter: David Lauthers, VMN volunteer, Tidewater Chapter
MMC (SW) Ret., Virginia Leave No Trace State Advocate (VaAdvocate@LNT.org)

Why You Should Care About Invasive Plants
I will provide a short introduction to why some plants are invasive, the problems they cause and what you might do about them.
Presenter: Rod Walker, VMN volunteer, Rivanna Chapter
Landowner in western Albemarle County; Founder and President of the Blue Ridge PRISM - see www.blueridgeprism.org; 2023 Virginia Tree Farmer of the Year; Member of the Board of the Virginia Chapter of the American Chestnut Foundation; Member of various forestry-related statewide committees

In Defense of the Eastern Carpenter Bee
My talk will emphasize the importance of our largest native bee, the Eastern Carpenter Bee. I will disprove the fears that it is a giant termite devouring our homes and sheds overnight. I will emphasize the fact she pollinates large blossom flowers (Blueberries, anyone?). I will explain why you are being attacked, so to speak, by a non-stinging male Carpenter Bee. I will suggest ways to "encourage" her to nest elsewhere. My goal is to teach a Win-Win strategy for all Master Naturalists to impart to the general public. In all fairness, I will also discuss how she 'cheats' by feeding directly on the flower ovules. I will also demonstrate the absolute horror of the damage done by woodpeckers who discover her nesting larvae.
Presenter: BeeHurricane Thompson, VMN volunteer, Middle Peninsula Chapter
BeeHurricane is an experienced Virginia Master Naturalist (over 11 years) who has belonged to three different chapters and is a founding member of the Middle Peninsula Chapter. BeeHurricane is the self-designated Defender of the Eastern Carpenter Bee and readily claims he has heard it all regarding this important pollinator of large blossom flowers.

Have You Thanked a Green Plant Today?
While master naturalists immediately see the intrinsic value of our natural environment, native plants and wildlife habitat, we rarely give a second thought to the green plants and algae of the oceans which  through daily photosynthesis…stretching back through the eons have produced the 21 percent of oxygen that sustains every breath we take.  Plus every bit of food we eat - or is eaten by our animals - is plant based.  So have you thanked a green plant today??
Presenter: Michael Walker, VMN volunteer, Fairfax Chapter
Mike Walker was an EPA enforcement lawyer for 39 years and adjunct professor of law teaching Natural Resource law at several schools. He serves on the Bosrd of the Fairfax Chapter.

Survey of Box Turtles on the Northern Neck
Box turtles are one of the most beloved animals to be found in the woods of Virginia. Due to population encroachment, their population has been in decline and in many regions, sightings have become quite rare.  This is not the case in the Northern Neck where the relative abundance of box turtles has made the Northern Neck a good location for Master Naturalist citizen scientists to survey them. By combining the geolocation data with an artificial intelligence program we wrote that identifies box turtles by scute shell patterns, we hope to see how many box turtles are repeats, and how many new box turtles are identified.  We also should be able to identify box turtles from last year that are hit by vehicles in 2025.  In short, we will be better able to determine the abundance and health of Northern Neck box turtles.
Presenter: Robert Dunstan, VMN volunteer, Northern Neck Chapter
Retired veterinary pathologist who has held research and teaching positions in both academia and industry.  I have been a master naturalist for 3 years.

What About the Turtles? Working with the construction industry to save turtles in harm's way
Here in Northern Virginia, our beautiful piedmont landscapes are quickly being converted into varying projects designed for human use. As part of the development process, perimeter silt fences are erected to prevent silt from the disturbed soil from running into local waterways and eventually the Chesapeake Bay. While most affected wildlife can fly, jump, or climb out of the construction area, turtles cannot. This leaves them prone to predation, desiccation, overheating, or starvation in the areas that used to be their forested homes. We at What About the Turtles, led by VMN Tanya Finch, work with the construction industry to gain access to their sites so that volunteers can search for turtles and move them into the surrounding habitat.
Presenter: Tanya Finch, VMN volunteer, Banshee Reeks Chapter
A Northern Virginia native, Tanya has been passionate about animals all her life and started Tanya's Turtle Project in 2021. In April of 2022, Tanya graduated from the Virginia Master Naturalist program and is the chair of the Outreach Committee for VMN’s Banshee Reeks chapter. In her free time, she loves cutting and removing non-native invasive plants, being in nature with her two boxers (dogs), and is enjoying the journey of first time horse ownership.

We Need Bats, and Bats Need Our Help
So often misunderstood, bats possess remarkable adaptations and play a critical role in ecosystems around the world. Here in Virginia, a colorful cast of bat species helps to control insect pests that harm crops and transmit diseases to humans -- and to add wonder to the night skies.
Presenter: Edie Juno, VMN volunteer, Arlington Regional Chapter
Edie Juno is a program manager for climate and land use at the National Wildlife Federation whose work focuses on advocacy, policy analysis, and education to address climate change and support conservation. She holds a BS in biology and earned her MS in conservation ecology and environmental policy. She was part of the Arlington Regional class of Spring 2024. In her free time, she enjoys drawing and painting, birding, and exploring local trails with her husband and dog.

Learning & Recording  Bird Audio--and When To Play It Back
To document observations of bird species, many people first pick up a camera.  Another option is  to record a bird’s calls and/or songs.   Although more expensive equipment is available, it is possible to make decent recordings on a cellphone and to upload them to Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s eBird database. Many birders worldwide now keep and share their birding records on eBird. Recordings of bird calls and songs –whether relayed via audio and video in classes, found on an app like Cornell Lab’s  Merlin Bird ID,  or recorded by a VMN observer--can be used to learn bird songs and calls.  They are also sometimes used to attract birds so they can be observed.  This talk will conclude by briefly outlining  situations in which it is and is not appropriate to play back recordings.
Presenter: Robin Duska, VMN volunteer, Fairfax Chapter
After a career working for the U.S. Government and United Nations in 10 countries, Robin Duska now focuses on environmental volunteering and birding, including by assisting scientists managing the bird specimen collection at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History.  A Fairfax Master Naturalist, she was named Virginia Master Naturalist Volunteer of the Year in 2020; she is also a Fairfax Master Gardener.  Robin formerly co-directed and remains an ambassador for what is now the Wildlife Sanctuary Program (formerly Audubon at Home) for the  Northern Virginia Bird Alliance and has helped produce the Reston Association State of the Environment Report since 2017.  Robin particularly enjoys leading local bird walks  and traveling locally and internationally to see and listen to birds.  She eBirds every day and has recorded audio of about 400 bird species.

Two ways artists have influenced a conservation ethic from 1800s vs. Current artists. 
There has been a monumental shift in American art that serves to influence the conservation ethic. But both feed the same end. Idealized American landscapes vs today's craftivism using upcycled trash show how art has shifted drastically but the end result to inspire environmental stewardship remains the same. Just a few examples will be shown.
Presenter: Nora Cox, VMN volunteer, Central Virginia Chapter
Member of the Central Virginia chapter since 2007 having served in several board positions as well as initiating and committing to most categories of volunteer activities. Since last year have been a volunteer docent at the Randolph College Maier Museum of American Art and learning about the connections between people, art, and the environment.