“We’re All in This Together”
2021 WV Master Naturalist State Conference
August 20-22 at Canaan Valley Resort State Park
(Download a PDF of the Schedule) This schedule updated as of 6/4/2021
Pre-Conference Activities – Friday, August 20, 2021
- 6:30 AM to 11:00 PM ”Allegheny Front Migration Observatory Bird Banding – Herb Myers”
- 8:30 AM to Noon “Hop Skip and Jump Part I” – Jackie Burns
- 9:00 AM to Noon and/or 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM (or both) Service Project – Invasives Removal
- 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM – Service Project – Develop Interpretive Signage
- 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM “Rattlesnakes of West Virginia” – Kevin Oxenrider
- 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM Yellow Creek Preserve (Moon Rocks) hike– Ashton Berdine
- 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM “A Walk Through Big Run Bog” – Bill Beatty and Jan Runyan
- 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM “Tour of Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge Visitors Center and Beall South Trail Birding and Wildflower hike”
- 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM Hop, Skip and Jump Part II– Jackie Burns
- 4:15 PM to 5:15 PM Introduction to iNaturalist – Dr. Michelle Mabry
This year’s theme of “We’re All in This Together” relates to the interconnectedness of our natural world. The thread following this theme includes 4 classes and the keynotes: “Growing Caterpillars: A Tale of Bird, Plants and Conservation”; “Plant Symbioses – an Introductory Overview”; “The Interconnected World of Orchids”; and “Cooperation and Competition in our Woodlands.”
Many of the classes also highlight the wonderful wetlands/bogs that make Canaan Valley a very important part of our state. These classes include: “Yellow Creek Preserve (Moon Rocks) Hike”; “A Walk Through Big Run Bog”; “Dolly Sods Bog to Bog Wilderness Hike”; “A Marvelous Bog” and “Our Mountain Peatlands, Why I Think they are Cool and You Should, Too”. If you haven’t experienced a wetland, this will be a beautiful time in our bogs and cranberries should be ripe!
Friday Evening August 20, 2021
- 5:30 PM to 6:30 PM – Dinner Buffet (Vegetarian and Gluten Free available)
- 6:45 PM Welcome
- 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM Keynote “Growing Caterpillars: A Tale of Bird, Plants, and Conservation”-– Jim McCormac
- 8:00 PM to 9:00 PM – Outdoor classes may be Friday or Saturday, depending on weather:
- “Bats” (PowerPoint presentation) – Dr. Jim Van Gundy
- “Night Sounds” — leader TBA
- “The Making of Dolly Sods” (PowerPoint presentation) – Jan Runyan
- Movie on the Restoration of the Shaver’s Fork – Alyssa Hanna
Saturday, August 21, 2021
6:30 AM to 7:30 AM
- Birding
- Yoga with Sheri Kosh
7:30 AM to 8:30 AM Breakfast on your own
8:45 AM to 4:30 AM – Saturday All-Day Classes
- “5 Mile Dolly Sods Bog to Bog Wilderness Hike” – Bill Beatty
- “Natural Stream Stability and Function” – Dr. Pam Edwards and Ed Watson
8:45 AM to 11:45 AM – Saturday Morning Half-day Classes
- “Plant Symbioses – an Introductory Overview” – Zach Fowler
- “Fun with Microscopes” – Laura Miller, Sam Norris and Rose Sullivan
- “Ruby-throated Hummingbirds: Pollinators Extraordinaire” class and animal walk – Jim McCormac
- “Amphibian and Reptile Diseases at Vernal Pools” – Kevin Oxenrider
- “A Marvelous Bog” – Alyssa Hanna
- “Basics of Mushroom Foraging and Identification” – Max Dubansky
1:00 PM to 4:15 PM – Saturday Afternoon Half-Day Classes
- “The Interconnected World of Orchids” – Dr. Katharine Gregg
- “Native Vines are Climbing Everywhere” and Botanical walk – Jim McCormac
- “Caves and Cave Exploration in WV” – Doug McCarty
- “The Natural History of Salamanders” – Dr. Zach Loughman
- “Monarch Butterflies: Conservation and Update” – Sue Olcott
4:45 PM to 5:30 PM – Business Meeting
5:45 PM to 6:45 PM – Dinner Buffet (Vegetarian and Gluten Free available)
7:00 PM – 8:00 PM – Keynote – “Our Mountain Peatlands, Why I Think They are Cool and You Should, Too” – Kevin Dodge
8:00 PM Saturday Evening classes
- Salamander and crayfish walk with Zach Loughman (weather permitting).
- “Night Sounds” — leader TBA
- Movie on the Restoration of the Shaver’s Fork – Alyssa Hanna
Sunday, August 22, 2021
6:30 AM to 7:30 AM
- Bird Walk – Herb Myersor
- Yoga with Sheri Kosh
7:30 AM to 8:30 AM – Breakfast on your own
8:00 AM to Noon
- “Legacy of Coal” – Alyssa Hanna
8:30 AM to Noon
- “Nature Printing” – Sam Norris and Rose Sullivan
- “Crayfish” – Zach Loughman
- “Pollinators: An Introduction to Them and Their Conservation” – Sue Olcott
- “Fungi and Farming” – Max Dubansky
- “Cooperation and Competition in our Woodlands” – Jackie Burns
9:00 AM to Noon
- “Cave Exploration in WV- Exploring Harr Cave #2” – Leader TBA
Noon
The park is letting any of us who want to stay and eat lunch together after the conference to use their private dining room. We would order from menu (you pay for your lunch).