The first Southern Piedmont Chapter training cohort successfully completed their 40 hours of classroom and field training, during which they learned about natural resource management, local flora and fauna, and naturalist skills. Photo by Terri Mewborn.
The first Southern Piedmont Chapter training cohort successfully completed their 40 hours of classroom and field training, during which they learned about natural resource management, local flora and fauna, and naturalist skills. Photo by Terri Mewborn.

Looking at the map of Virginia Master Naturalist (VMN) chapter locations and the list of counties where they are active, one used to see a gaping hole over much of Southside Virginia. The area to the east of Danville and to the south of Farmville had not had any VMN activity. And yet, this area is home to many state lands, natural resources, and outdoor recreation areas such as Occoneechee State Park, Staunton River State Park, Difficult Creek Natural Area Preserve, Dick Cross Wildlife Management Area, several Scenic Rivers, the John H. Kerr Dam and Reservoir, and the Tobacco Heritage Trail.  It’s also home to the newly designated Southside Virginia Conservation and Recreation Complex, an area that will be the largest land holding of the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, at more than 10,000 acres. These are all public lands that could benefit from the volunteer stewardship, education, and citizen science that Virginia Master Naturalists provide, if only we had volunteers there.

Enter the new Southern Piedmont Chapter of Virginia Master Naturalists! In 2021, five volunteers jumped in to coordinate the formation of a new chapter. Taylor Clarke, Extension Agent in Mecklenburg County, stepped up to be the Chapter Advisor. Over many months, the team did all the logistical and administrative legwork to establish the new chapter. They planned their first training course for new volunteers, recruited instructors and ensured that their curriculum matched state program requirements, established partnerships and projects with several public lands and local non-profit organizations, and found a meeting space that would be centrally located in the wide geographic area they hoped to serve. This work took hundreds of hours—all volunteer time by this group who are passionate about bringing the VMN program to their part of Southside.

The team had been building community interest in natural resources and in the VMN program through the Southside Online Naturalist Group (SONG), a public group that continues to engage people in learning about nature over social media and through nature walks and educational programs in the area. This long-term recruitment strategy, plus outreach activities at local farmers’ markets and community events, helped them quickly fill their first training course with community members eager to learn about natural resources and contribute to conservation.

In August 2022, the Southern Piedmont Chapter graduated their first cohort of Virginia Master Naturalist volunteers, and they have been hard at work! In 2022, this group of 18 volunteers have already completed more than 2,200 hours of volunteer service, on top of everyone completing the 40-hour training course and a collective 300 hours of continuing education. Their service activities have included maintaining area trails, collecting seed for Virginia Department of Forestry reforestation projects, piloting a new bat monitoring project with Virginia Tech scientist Jesse De La Cruz, leading interpretive programs at Occoneechee State Park and Kerr Lake, adopting sections of the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resource’s Bird and Wildlife Trail, and surveying for the invasive spotted lanternfly with Virginia Cooperative Extension.

The chapter already has a list of a dozen people ready to participate in their next training course to become VMN volunteers. The positive community response and the amazing amount and diversity of volunteer service hours demonstrate how much the program was needed in this part of the state. We look forward to seeing what more they accomplish!

While leading an interpretive walk at Occoneechee State Park, Virginia Master Naturalist volunteer Terri Mewborn points out how rotting logs in a forest provide habitat for other species. Photo by Alex Qualls, Virginia State Parks.
While leading an interpretive walk at Occoneechee State Park, Virginia Master Naturalist volunteer Terri Mewborn points out how rotting logs in a forest provide habitat for other species. Photo by Alex Qualls, Virginia State Parks.
Virginia Master Naturalist volunteers in the Southern Piedmont Chapter observed a significant problem with litter in area waterways and natural areas. They now organize regular work days to clean up trash, making their area public lands better for both wildlife and humans who want to recreate there. Photo by Terri Mewborn.
Virginia Master Naturalist volunteers in the Southern Piedmont Chapter observed a significant problem with litter in area waterways and natural areas. They now organize regular work days to clean up trash, making their area public lands better for both wildlife and humans who want to recreate there. Photo by Terri Mewborn.

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