Year: 2021

Updated and New Conference Info

WV Master Naturalist

Last Day to Register ONLINE is Thursday, August 13th, 2021

The last Day to Register ONLINE is Thursday, August 13th, 2021. After that, you can come to the conference to register the day of the conference.

Free movie on Thursday, August 19th at 7:00 PM

  There will be a free movie on Thursday, August 19 at 7PM in the Canaan Valley State Park Pine Room (night before the state conference, but not part of it).  Open to the public.  Please tell your friends.  The movie is Hidden Rivers of the Southern Appalachians (see movie trailer).  It was part of the American Conservation Film Festival in Shepherdstown and the Park, Friends and MN are sponsoring it here.  It is supposed to be a great film focusing on the biodiversity of the area.  Please come!

New COVID notice, please read.

Our Master Naturalist President and the WV-DNR, in following the most current CDC guidelines, has decided that masks will be required to be worn for indoor activities by all conference participants. ( Please note that the State Park does not require this, at the moment). If people are not comfortable wearing masks indoors, their registration can be cancelled and their money refunded. Members will have to cancel their own hotel reservations. If they mention COVID, their money should be refunded in full. Speakers/instructors will not be required to wear masks while presenting unless they are close to the students. Questions/comments should be referred to Andy Dalton (andreadalton64@gmail.com).

New page added

WV Master Naturalist

A “Classes & Requirements” page is now added, under “What is a Master Naturalist” tab. It has a listing of the core classes and some examples of Elective classes. Links go to the WV DNR site for further information.

Work will continue to get the various “Links” pages updated and pasted after Conference info gets posted on July 1st.

Conference Information (6/27/21)

WV Master Naturalist

Conference Full Agenda and Instructor Biographies have been updated as of Sunday, 6/27/2021. Please visit those pages for the latest changes!

Conference registration will become live on July 1st. A link to the registration form will be provided and open so to sign up for your desired classes. You will then come back to this website to pay via PayPal or send a check.

Registration will be open to Master Naturalists from July 1 to July 31; after that it will be open to all at a slightly higher cost.

Remember to register for lodging at Canaan using your group code as provided by your coordinator. You can do that now!

Online Educational Opportunity: Pollinator Week – June 21-27, 2021

WV Master Naturalist

Did you know that June 21-27, 2021 is Pollinator Week? Check out the USDA Pollinator Week Webinar Series. Register here (https:/home/wp_tc8tsf/mnofwv.org/www.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_5giJkARITpWt2weciXAo2g).

  • Monday, June 21
    • 12:00 pm ET – Edward Henry, National Ecologist, USDA
      Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) | NRCS
      Pollinator Conservation Success Stories
    • 1:00 pm ET – Gail Langellotto, Professor of Horticulture,
      Oregon State University | Selecting Garden Plants for
      Pollinators
    • 2:00 pm ET – Eric McTaggert, Acting Conservation Planning
      Branch Chief, USDA NRCS |Technical and Financial
      Assistance
  • Tuesday, June 22
    • 12:00 pm ET – Matthew Wilson, Food Sovereignty Director,
      Sicangu Community Development Corporation | 7Gen Food
      System
    • 1:00 pm ET – Diana Cox-Foster, Research Leader, USDA
      Agricultural Research Service (ARS) | Who Are the Bees
    • 2:00 pm ET – Jon Koch, Research Entomologist, USDA ARS
      | Discovering the Secret Life of the Humble Bumble Bee
  • Wednesday, June 23
    • 12:00 pm ET – Theresa Pitts-Singer, Research Entomologist,
      USDA ARS |Solitary Bees Aggregate for U.S. Crops
    • 1:00 pm ET – Gloria DeGrandi-Hoffman, Research Leader,
      USDA ARS |How Seasonal Flowers Support the Yearly Cycle
      of Honey Bee Colonies
    • 2:00 pm ET – Vanessa Corby-Harris, Research Physiologist,
      USDA ARS |What Does a Bee Colony Do in the Winter
  • Thursday, June 24
    • 12:00 pm ET – Susannah Lerman, Research Ecologist, U.S.
      Forest Service | The Lazy Lawnmower: A Simple Way to
      Help Native Bees
    • 1:00 pm ET – Byron Love, Entomologist, USDA ARS
      |Impact of Wildfire on Native Bees
    • 2:00 pm ET – Will Glenny, PhD Student, Montana State
      University | Assessing Pollinator Friendliness of Native Plants
      for Restoration on Wildlands
  • Friday, June 25
    • 12:00 pm ET – Sammy Ramsey, Research Fellow, USDA
      ARS |The Threat Posed by Tropilealaps mercedesae to Honey
      Bees and Native Bees
    • 1:00 pm ET – Cameron Douglass, Agronomist, USDA Office
      of Pest Management Policy |Integrated Pest and Pollinator
      Management
    • 2:00 pm ET – Anne LeBrun, National Policy Manager,
      USDA Animal Plant Health Inspection Service | Asian Giant
      Hornet

(More info on Pollinator Week: https:/home/wp_tc8tsf/mnofwv.org/www.pollinator.org/pollinator-week) -jmb

Online Educational Opportunity: The Bee Short Course for Community Scientists

WV Master Naturalist

https:/home/wp_tc8tsf/mnofwv.org/u.osu.edu/beecourse/ (FREE but you’ll need to register)

Here is an educational opportunity (virtual) for citizen scientists from The Ohio State University: “The Bee Short Course for Community Scientists: building wild bee conservation skills together.” –A collaborative effort from: The OSU Department of Entomology and The Chadwick Arboretum and Learning Gardens In partnership with: The U.S. National Native Bee Monitoring Research Coordination Network (RCN). Learn more about the U.S. National Native Bee Network here, and visit their website here. While the RNC is not focusing on community scientists, the network has a large (and growing) following of people who want to help wild bees. The Bee Short Course is an ideal option to train community scientists across the country. Ideally, these trained community scientists will link with local wild bee projects to share their time and skills.

This program is funded in part by a USDA/NIFA Integrated Pest Management Pollinator Health grant, with support from Davey Tree Expert Company. The Bee Short Course is coordinated by Denise Ellsworth, OSU Department of Entomology.

The course started in May and the next class is slated for Friday, June 18th at 10:00 AM Eastern Standard Time.

Please note: the focus of this series is wild bee conservation, not honey bee management.

  • May 21: Randy Mitchell, The University of Akron
    • Bee Botany 101
  • June 18: Jamie Strange, The Ohio State University
    • Melittology 101: An Intro to Bee Science
  • July 16: Olivia Carril, author and biologist
    • Methods of Collecting and Documenting Bees
  • August 20: Heather Holm, author and biologist
    • Insect Photography and Using iNaturalist to Observe and Document Wild Bees
  • September 17: Sam Droege, USGS Native Bee Inventory and Monitoring Lab
  • October 15: Mary Gardiner, The Ohio State University
    • Contributions of Community Science to Entomology: Benefits for People and Nature
  • November 19: Molly Martin, Bee City USA/The Xerces Society
    • From Community Science to Advocacy in Action: Case Studies in Conservation

-jmb