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September 10, 2012
Nearly 200 people descended upon Martinsville and Henry County for the 2012 Virginia Master Naturalist Statewide Volunteer Conference and Training hosted at the Virginia Museum of Natural History. The annual conference, which ran from September 7-9 and also took place at NCI and Fairystone State Park, allowed volunteers of all 29 Master Naturalist chapters throughout the Commonwealth to participate in high-quality advanced training sessions and learn about the unique natural qualities of the southwestern Virginia piedmont.
Dr. Joe B. Keiper, executive director of the museum, welcomed conference participants at a dinner at the museum on Friday, while several members of the museum's education staff, who also are certified Master Naturalists, conducted several Saturday training sessions.
Virginia Master Naturalists are volunteer educators, citizen scientists, and stewards helping Virginia conserve and manage natural resources and public lands. The process for becoming a certified Virginia Master Naturalist typically takes 6 to 12 months. Each volunteer must complete a 40-hour basic training course offered by a local chapter of the program, with an additional 8 hours of advanced training also required. Certification also requires 40 hours of volunteer service.
To learn more about the program, including how to begin the certification process, visit www.virginiamasternaturalist.org.
