Great news FMN! The long wait is over. It’s back and better than ever! The Noman M. Cole water recycling facility in Lorton is opening its doors to the public on 5 December 2026 for tours of the entire facility. Now wait – please keep reading! I’ve been on this tour and it is surprisingly […]
Dateline 14 October 2026: FMN enjoyed a most unique day of volunteering for Meadowood Special Recreation Management Area (SRMA) on the Mason Neck peninsula. The event was hosted at Pohick Bay Regional Park on an absolutely beautiful, smooth water fall day. The primary attraction was the Wilderness Inquiry canoe mobile, a traveling troop of young […]
The 2026 acorn collection season is now closed. Many thanks to all the volunteers who donated acorns and nuts; and a special thank you to those that monitored the bins and transported donations to the Warrenton cold storage facility. DoF sent a nice thank you message to the chapter complimenting FMN’s contribution to the new […]
Fairfax County Park Authority recently announced their Elly Doyle Awards for 2026. FMN Margaret Fisher was honored with the 2026 Sally Ormsby Environmental Stewardship Award for her environmental contributions spanning a 30 year period. Her FCPA award cited the following accomplishments during this time: “An environmental steward, Fisher has educated and inspired others across Fairfax […]
The VA Department of Forestry (VDoF) Acorn and Seed Collection Program was established to sustain the native tree population in Virginia by collecting native tree seeds, raising trees on farms, and reforesting areas that may have been destroyed by fire or disease. For 2026, Virginia Master Naturalists has again partnered with VDoF to collect various […]
The following success story was sent in by FMN Anna Dixon and we are glad she did. Anna also contributed in large part to the successful outcome. Please follow this story of accomplishment to see how the three communities worked together to create a living testament to service at Antioch Baptist Church. Anna’s story, “Saturday, […]
The VA Department of Forestry (VDoF) Acorn and Seed Collection Program was established to sustain the native tree population in Virginia by collecting native tree seeds, raising trees on farms, and reforesting areas that may have been destroyed by fire or disease. For 2026, Virginia Master Naturalists has again partnered with VDoF to collect various […]
Hello FMN volunteers – nature sojourners, citizen scientists, outdoor enthusiasts, and nature journalists. FMN recently added Soldiers to Scientists as a chapter partner and created two activity codes to record support hours for relevant projects (E170: Soldiers to Scientists Educational Projects and S170: Soldiers to Scientists Service Activities, under Community Outreach). Through SciStarter , S2S […]
As many read in the recent VMN Newsletter, the VMN State Program office recognizes volunteers who complete 250, 500, 1,000, 2,500, and 5,000 hours of service. These are cumulative volunteer hours starting when a volunteer joins the program. Volunteers may start recording hours as soon as they are accepted into the program… even while in […]
At its meeting on June 24, the Fairfax County Park Authority Board approved a resolution honoring 21 individuals as 2026 Outstanding Volunteers. These peer-nominated individuals were recognized for their dedication to their community and their invaluable service to the Fairfax County park system: (Three of the awardees are FMN) * Avril Garland, Accotink Stream Valley […]