BY RIKKI LUCAS, VMNCRC VICE PRESIDENT
The Fredericksburg-Rappahannock chapter of the Izaak Walton League of America (IWLA) hosted VMNCRC on a beautiful Saturday morning in May. VMNCRC presented the Spring Woods & Wetlands walk on a tiny part of their 123-acre campus. Over 30 attendees spent two hours with VMNCRC nature interpreters, learning about flora and fauna and their telltale signs of springtime.
The walk took us from the historic black walnut tree near the main building (a sign of long-gone homesteads), to the water shield plants growing on the manmade pond (really slimy for their own protection!), through the woods past the blueberries, tulip poplars, native orchids, bursting-heart bushes, and culminating at the headwaters of the Ni River.
Huge thank you to our hosts at the IWLA, and to our VMNCRC walk leaders!
About the Central Rappahannock Chapter
Where We Are
The Central Rappahannock chapter is part of the statewide Virginia Master Naturalist program. We are one of 30 chapters throughout the state.
Who We Serve
Our chapter covers Fredericksburg, Stafford, Spotsylvania, King George, Caroline, Orange, and southern Fauquier.
Membership
In 2025 there were over 100 registered members of the chapter across the covered region. We contribute on average over 3,500 volunteer hours annually to a wide variety of projects and endeavors.
2024 Infographic for the state VMN program
Volunteer Highlights
Citizen Science and Identification
Citizen Science and Identification
Citizen Science and Identification
One of the simplest and most popular volunteer activities is contributing biodiveristy data to photo-driven research databases such as iNaturalist, Merlin, and e-Bird. These databases provide invaluable information on the spatial scale and spread of invasive species, helpful pollinators, and information on biodiverisity in urban areas. If you've got a good camera and the internet, you're good to go!
Image courtesy of Penny Firth, Chapter member
Bird monitoring
Citizen Science and Identification
Citizen Science and Identification
Many Chapter members participate in monitoring projects for at-risk or endangered bird species such as the bluebird and wood duck. The Christmas Bird count, an annual event sponsored by the National Audubon Society, is the nation's longest-running community science bird project and fuels Audubon's work throughout the year. At Caledon State Park, you can spot homes like the one in the photo for wood ducks all over the park. Keep an eye out for wooden bluebird boxes all over the area, too!
Image courtesy of Rob Hix, Chapter member
VA Bird & Wildlife ADOPT-a-Trails
VA Bird & Wildlife ADOPT-a-Trails
VA Bird & Wildlife ADOPT-a-Trails
The CRC has adopted two Virginia Bird & Wildlife Trail (VBWT) loops through the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR). There are 18 sites across these two loops. As site stewards, our responsibility is to complete seasonal assessments of these sites to report conditions at the site, communicate with the site’s owner/ manager, update site information in the VBWT guide, observe and record bird sightings using e-bird, and to record additional wildlife observations into their newly updated Wildlife Mapping program. All of the information collected will be used to make updates to the VBWT guide, build relationships with site owners/ managers, develop new marketing pieces for the VBWT, and improve the overall quality of the trail for visitors.
Image courtesy of Lili Tabada, Chapter member
Outreach & EDUCATION
VA Bird & Wildlife ADOPT-a-Trails
VA Bird & Wildlife ADOPT-a-Trails
A major part of the mission statement for VMN is engaging with the community. We participate in many community events throughout the year, sharing our expertise and our values with children, adults, and professionals. The image above is our booth at the King George Home & Craft Show.
We also host educational events for the Chapter as part of our Continuing Education requirement. These events allow all chapter members the opportunity to learn something new, whether it be about juvenile amphibian identification techniques in the field or how to develop and present interpretive walks to the community.
Image courtesy of Rikki Lucas, Chapter member