A Community-Based Natural Resources Volunteer Program
Our Mission
To develop a well-informed corps of volunteers to provide education, outreach, and service dedicated to the beneficial management of natural resources and natural areas within their communities for the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Goals
- Natural resource service – To provide, promote and fulfill volunteer service while recognizing and utilizing sound natural resource management, enhancement and conservation practices in accordance with the sponsors’ and program’s mission.
- Enhancement of public understanding through education and outreach – To enhance existing natural resources education and outreach activities by providing natural resources and interpretive training at the local level, thereby developing a supply of dedicated and informed volunteers.
- Develop a volunteer network – To develop a Virginia Master Naturalist volunteer network that can be self-sufficient.
A Virginia Master Naturalist knows…
- All aspects of his or her role as a Virginia Master Naturalist, the mission and objectives of the program, and the guidelines for participation
- What a naturalist is and does and the significance of naturalists and natural history
- Biogeography of Virginia
- Ecology (basic concepts)
- Geology (basic concepts
- Resource management (basic principles)
- Some native flora and fauna in the region
- Process of science
- Roles of Virginia state agencies in the management and conservation of natural resources
A Virginia Master Naturalist can…
- Use a key to identify organisms
- Use a field guide
- Share knowledge with others
- Make and record observations in nature
- Recognize when he or she does not know the answer to a question, but be able to seek out answers from people, books, or other reliable resources