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Join the Old Rag Master Naturalists
MADISON— Do you love nature, want to learn more about it, and want to share that knowledge through volunteerism? Join the Old Rag Master Naturalists, a chapter of the Virginia Master Naturalist (VMN) Program.
The chapter is now accepting applications for its 2008 class, set to start March 4. The goal of the VMN Program is to produce a corps of citizen volunteers to help further understanding of our natural environment.
The 40-hour training teaches prospective Master Naturalists skills in education outreach, environmental stewardship, and citizen science. The training program covers the full spectrum of natural sciences—from basic ecology to biodiversity, research tools (taxonomy and classification; interpretation; basic science skills; key-based identification); botany and forest ecology; watersheds and water ecology; climate and weather; and native fauna. Old Rag’s training focuses on the ecosystems in its service area of the Piedmont and Blue Ridge regions of Virginia.
The 2008 training will be held in Madison and Rappahannock counties on Tuesdays, 6–9 p.m. and will be delivered in 12 classroom sessions and 4 field trips by professionals in the various fields. Following the training, participants must give 40 hours of volunteer service and take an additional 8 hours of advanced training annually to be certified as Master Naturalists under the VMN Program. The cost of the training is $125, with additional fees of up to $25. Class size is limited to 20, and the application deadline is February 1.
Formed in 2006, the Old Rag chapter serves Madison, Rappahannock, Culpeper, Greene, and the western portions of Fauquier and Orange counties. It graduated its first class in December 2007. The VMN Program is sponsored by Virginia Cooperative Extension; the Virginia Departments of Conservation and Recreation, Forestry, and Game and Inland Fisheries; and the Virginia Museum of Natural History.
For additional information, or to receive an application, call Jack Price at 540-987-9166, send e-mail to contact@oldragmasternaturalists.org, visit the chapter’s website at www.oldragmasternaturalists.org, or write to Old Rag Master Naturalists, General Delivery, Syria, Virginia 22743. Applications are also available at local libraries and Virginia Cooperative Extension offices.
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