VMN State Conference.

The very first Virginia Master Naturalist State Conference was in Wytheville in 2008.  Every conference since has been hosted in a different part of the state.  This year we met at Virginia Beach.  Planning started back in 2019, but everything ended up being postponed for two years due to the pandemic.  It was well worth the wait.  There were about 180 attendees, including four from our chapter: Kamera, Regina, Ed and myself. We all had great adventures, met lots of new friends and learned a lot.

 

Photo by Kathy Fell: Sunrise from the hotel room

Field trips began on Friday. There were 6 to choose from.  I spent two hours in a kayak in Stumpy Lake Natural Area, enjoying the lovely day and learning about the lake habitat.  We saw many different species of birds in and around the lake.  The most common were the cormorants, who liked to hang out in the bald cypress trees in the center of the lake. 

Ed visited the Great Dismal Swamp.  This is a fascinating place with a  lot of  history. Lake Drummond in the Great Dismal Swamp is one of only two natural lakes in Virginia.  The lake water is acidic (pH between 4 and 5) and is stained to the color of tea by the natural tannin from the surrounding peat.   

Photo by Ed Coleman: Lake Drummond

Saturday was a busy day with options for multiple field trips and classroom sessions. 

Saturday morning,  Kamara and Regina attended a mushroom walk at Norfolk Botanical Garden.  

Ed and I visited the Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge.  We were driven around in a safari tram and learned how they manage the area for overwintering waterfowl. 

Photo by Kathy Fell: Back Bay areas that will be flooded for overwintering water birds. 

Saturday afternoon, Ed visited First Landing State Park to learn about the bald cypress swamp.  While there, he came across one of the local residents....

Photo by Ed Coleman: Bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) 

 

 

 

Photo by Ed Coleman: Eastern copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix)

 Kamara and Regina were also at First Landing State park on Saturday afternoon, learning to use the EDDmapS app from Kevin Heffernan. They found several invasive species there, including Japanese honeysuckle and Japanese stiltgrass.

I was at the Norfolk Botanical Garden checking out the native plant garden, pollinator garden and butterfly house.  Though not a pretty flower, the Long leaf pine is quite amazing.  96% of the original coastal Long leaf pine forests have been destroyed.  There are efforts underway to try and restore this species.

Photo by Kathy Fell: Long Leaf Pine at Norfolk Botanical Garden

Saturday evening we were treated to oysters by the beach before dinner.  The oyster farmer was there and explained to all about how farming is helping to restore the oyster population in the bay. 

 

Photo by Regina Flora: Oyster night at the conference

Sunday, there were more choices for field trips and classroom sessions. 

Ed and I went across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge/Tunnel to visit the Magothy Bay Natural Area Preserve.  This area was once cleared and used for farming,  DWR has been restoring the habitat to its original state prior to the arrival of the Europeans.  We took a  hike through time, starting at a soybean field and ending up in a mature hardwood forest.  The Eastern Shore Chapter of the Master Naturalists helped plant Wax myrtle and oak saplings.  Nature provided the rest. 

Kamara and Regina spent the morning at Savage Neck Dunes Natural Area Preserve where they learned about coastal natural communities and the endangered northeastern beach tiger beetle. They even spotted mushrooms growing in sand.

The 2023 State Conference will be in Abingdon.  I'm looking forward to it already!