Guest post by Elizabeth Baillie, Virginia Master Naturalist

VMN Education Day Table Ellen Holtman, Elizabeth & Art Bailie with grandson Bryan, Freyja Williams 12/12/2015
VMN Education Day Table Ellen Holtman, Elizabeth & Art Bailie with grandson Bryan, Freyja Williams 12/12/2015

Looking for Nature in Roanoke Valley?  Ask a Virginia Master Naturalist!

A few members of the Roanoke Valley Master Naturalist chapter have been volunteering to provide a day of education and outreach at Center in The Square, Roanoke on a quarterly basis.

Freyja Williams, chapter liaison to CITS, encourages volunteers to “bring something along or just come and help us talk to folks who stop by our tables.”

Some of the items that chapter members have brought and come prepared to talk about include:

  • Donna and son Kevin brought some of their rescue critters
  • Ellen brought a wide variety of skulls and at least one jaw bone
  • Freyja brought tree branches with leaves for identification as well as jaw bones, teeth, turtle shells and a few other odds and ends
  • Art & Elizabeth brought different tree branches with leaves, several skulls and a presentation about bumble bees and the Blue Ridge Bumble Bee Megatransect Citizen Science project

    Bryan Bailie, grandson of Art & Elizabeth, co-teaching about bumble bees and the Bumble Bee Megatransect project at CITS VMN Education Day 12/12/2015
    Bryan Bailie, grandson of Art & Elizabeth, co-teaching about bumble bees and the Bumble Bee Megatransect project at CITS VMN Education Day 12/12/2015
  • Elizabeth and grandson Bryan dressed up in bumble bee costumes and co-taught about bumble bees.

We have great fun sharing our knowledge and answering the many questions of the visitors to CITS!  Please plan to join us for our next VMN Educational Day at the CITS on Saturday, March 19th 10am to 4pm.