Virginia Master Naturalist Program 2010 Annual Report: A Preview

As the Virginia Master Naturalist Program Coordinator, I am busy at this time of year combing through the annual reports that our chapters submit in mid-January. These reports contain both statistics (number of volunteers, number of hours) and more qualitative data, including descriptions of significant projects completed during the year. My full report on the program will be ready in March, but as I read the reports, I will post some of the noteworthy statistics and stories here.
I'll kick things off with a few statistics. In 2010, we had more than 1000 active volunteers. Not bad for a program that only started training volunteers 4.5 years ago! Even more exciting to me is the fact that the program reaches many, many more Virginians through the educational programs that our volunteers do. In 2010, Virginia Master Naturalists had more than 55,000 "contacts"--face-to-face interactions in which they shared educational information about Virginia's natural resources. At least half of all the service hours the volunteers complete are on education projects, including booths at special events, nature programs in schools, interpretive walks in local parks, 4H Junior Naturalist clubs, talks for community groups, and more. It's great to know that so many of our volunteers are interested in sharing their knowledge and enthusiasm for the environment with others in their communities!