Persons requiring further information about the Historic
Rivers Chapter of the Virginia Master Naturalists may contact Shirley
Devan at at 757-813-1322 or by email at sedevan52@cox.net. Information
about the Virginia Master Naturalists Program is also available at the
statewide Virginia Master Naturalist website, http://www.virginiamasternaturalist.org.
Each Virginia Master Naturalist chapter is given responsibility for a specific geographic area in the state. To be eligable for membership in the Historic Rivers Chapter of the Virginia Master Naturalist program, you must live in James City County, York County or the City of Williamsburg. If you do not live in one of these areas, you can still become a Virginia Master Naturalist, but you should find out which chapter serves your area by visiting the Virginia State Master Naturalist Chapter page by clicking here.
Virginia Master Naturalist Volunteers are required to attend a minimum of 40 hours of classroom and field Training (the Historic Rivers Chapter classes are over 50 hours of training). At least 10 of those hours are spent in the field. Each Virginia Master Naturalist Chapter has developed a course of study that is applicable to the area served by the chapter. The after completion of the training course Volunteers must complete 40 hours of volunteer service to qualify as a Virginia Master Naturalist.
There is a fee that must be paid to cover the cost of training and, a person considering applying for the Virginia Master Naturalist program must be willing to devote a considerable amount of time to the program. All required training courses must be completed and all field trips must be taken, and the first years 40 hours of volunteer work must be completed to qualify.
Historic River Master Naturalists can volunteer in many
approved projects. The projects are generally divided into
education/outreach, citizen science/monitoring, stewardship,
or administrative activities.
The Historic Rivers Chapter has been able to obtain some of the very best instructors in the state to train our members. The courses are exciting and stimulating.
A Historic River Virginia Master Naturalist will learn:
| • | All aspects of their 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 |
| • | The biogeography of Virginia, including the physiographic regions and the geological and ecological aspects that make them distinct |
| • | Basic concepts of ecology |
| • | Basic concepts of geology |
| • | Basic resource management principles |
| • | Some native flora and fauna in the region |
| • | The general process of science |
| • | The roles of Virginia state agencies in the
management and conservation of natural resources |
A Historic River Virginia Master Naturalist will be able to…
| • | use a Dichotomous Key to identify organisms |
| • | use a field guide |
| • | share knowledge with others (verbally and/or in writing) |
| • | make and record observations in nature |
| • | ... And, most important of all, will know how to 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 |
The Historic Rivers Chapter Virginia Master Naturalist’s training includes:
| • | Introduction to the Virginia Master Naturalist program |
| • | American Naturalists |
| • | Basic Ecology |
| • | Biogeography of Virginia |
| • | Geology |
| • | Nature of Naming |
| • | Education and Interpretation Skills |
| • | Citizen Science and Research Skills |
| • | Ecology and Management of the systems occurring in the region |
| • | Overview of vertebrates, invertebrates, trees and other plants (biology, ecology, identification, conservation and management of each) |
Most of the information above and a much more detailed description of the training guidelines can be found in the Virginia Master Naturalist Program Guidelines for Basic Training (PDF).