Blue Ridge Foothills and Lakes Chapter of Virginia Master Naturalist

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Blue Ridge Foothills and Lakes Chapter of Virginia Master Naturalist

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Interested Virginians become Master Naturalists through training and volunteer service. Who Can Participate?

Blue Ridge Foothills and Lakes Chapter (BRFAL) of the Virginia Master Naturalists are volunteer educators, citizen scientists, and stewards helping Virginia conserve and manage natural resources. Mission
The Virginia Master Naturalist Program is a statewide corps of volunteers providing education, outreach, and service dedicated to the beneficial management of natural resources and natural areas within their communities. People who are curious about nature, enjoy the outdoors, and want to be a part of natural resource management and conservation in Virginia are perfect candidates to become Virginia Master Naturalists. It is open to all adults regardless of race, color, national origin, s*x, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, s*xual orientation, or marital or family status. Overview
The process for becoming a certified Virginia Master Naturalist typically takes 6 to 12 months. One starts by completing a 40-hour basic training course offered by a local chapter of the program. An additional 8 hours of advanced training are also required. An important part of the certification process is the required 40 hours of volunteer service.

10/29/2026

Owl-solutely fantastic event! Thank you so much for including us!

10/19/2026

We appreciate Dan Quinn, Franklin County Union Hall District Board of Supervisors for bringing this presentation to us! Please join us!

I have agreed to present the 15-year story of my work at Jacks Creek Farm to the Blue Ridge Foothills & Lakes (BRFAL) Virginia Master Naturalists Blue Ridge Foothills and Lakes Chapter of Virginia Master Naturalist. The presentation will be on Sunday, October 25, 2026 at 4:00 at the SML/Moneta Library and it is free and open to the public. I will cover my work on eleven practices under consultation with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), National Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), VA State Biologists and VA Department of Forestry (DOF) personnel. The agenda is posted below.

The Blue Ridge Foothills and Lakes (BRFAL) chapter is a local regional branch of the Virginia Master Naturalist (VMN) program. The Virginia Master Naturalist Program is a corps of well-informed volunteers who provide education, outreach, and service dedicated to the beneficial management of natural resources and natural areas within their communities for the Commonwealth of Virginia. Some key aspects of that mission include:

-A focus on local communities: Although the program is statewide, it is a chapter-based program that encourages volunteers to focus their learning and service in their own communities.

-A focus on natural resources: This focus distinguishes our program from some other programs, such as Virginia Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners, which is focused on home horticulture.

-A focus on volunteerism: The primary purpose of the VMN Program is to train, develop, and support volunteers who will participate in natural resource conservation through volunteering.

10/03/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1FxJ9M7PiA/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Wild Ones: Native Plants, Natural Landscapes promotes environmentally sound landscaping practices to preserve biodiversity through the preservation, restoration and establishment of native plant communities.

09/26/2026

Check out this powerful new program:
Seniors Connecting with Nature https://brfal.blogspot.com/2026/09/seniors-connecting-with-nature.html

09/15/2026

Check out our latest blog post on Nature Fest, a big hit this year, thanks to the collab with Roanoke Valley Master Naturalists, Bedford Extension Master Gardeners, Save Our Streams, and Izaak Walton League of America!

BRFAL members had a wonderful time participating in Explore Park’s annual Insect Fest on August 29, 2026. More than 500 people from across...

08/04/2026

Check out our latest Happy Bird Day blog post!

07/11/2026

Baby bluebirds at the Bird Day Party! Come see 10am to 2pm

07/11/2026

Come visit us for Bird Day nature expo 10-2 Smith Mountain Lake State Park

07/11/2026

Come join us today for a Happy Bird-Day Party at Smith Mountain Lake State Park

07/11/2026

Come on out for a Happy Bird-Day Party!

Address

Smith Mountain Lake, VA

Website

http://brfal.blogspot.com/

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