Seventeen new members were added to the Historic Southside Chapter of the Virginia Master Naturalists in May as part of their graduation from their basic training program.

Each new member attended classroom instruction in ornithology, entomology, geology, wetlands and forests, as well as field trips to local areas such as the Dismal Swamp, Piney Grove and the Blackwater Ecological Preserve, to learn about the area’s natural features.

They have joined other chapter members to help conserve and manage local natural resources, having already contributed more than 70 hours of volunteering in local environmental projects, including the installation of a pollinator garden by the Windsor library, monitoring blue bird boxes on designated trails in Isle of Wight County and answering questions at the Master Naturalist booth at the Earth and Arts Festival in April.

To learn more about the Virginia Master Naturalists program, visit www.vmnhistoricsouthside.org.