Virginia Master Naturalist Program Banshee Reeks Chapter
Virginia Master Naturalist Program 
Welcome to the Banshee Reeks Chapter of the Virginia Master Naturalist Program. This program supports a statewide corps of volunteers providing education, outreach, and service dedicated to the beneficial management of natural resources and natural areas within our communities. We offer an eight-month training course for community members interested in certification as a Virginia Master Naturalist. The course covers topics in biogeography, botany, ecology, ornithology, management and conservation of ecological systems such as wetlands, forest and urban/suburban settings, as well as teaching and interpretive skills in citizen science.
Our chapter is located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains of Northern Virginia, in Loudoun County. The Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve provides use of its Education Center for our training course, as well as 695 acres of forests, successional fields, ponds and streams in which to conduct field studies, advanced training classes, and volunteer service projects. The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries is our advising state sponsor.
State requirements for certification as a Virginia Master Naturalist include a minimum 40-hour basic training course (lectures & field studies), 8 hours advanced training, and 40 hours of service. The Banshee Reeks Chapter has designed a course that is 50 hours of training: 34 in lecture class, 16 hours in the field.
The next scheduled training session for the Banshee Reeks Chapter will begin September 9, 2008, at 7 pm. The class schedule and application will be available from our training page. The total cost of the program is $200 per person, which includes all course materials. Applications are due by September 1, 2008. Class size is limited, and open to anyone 18 years or older by orientation.
If you are a person with a disability and desire any assistive devices, services or other accommodations to participate in this activity, please contact the Chapter Advisor, John Rohm at 540-899-4169. (TDD number is 800-828-1120) during business hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. to discuss accommodations five days prior to the event.
If you have any questions, please send e-mail to vmnbansheereeks@gmail.com.
Directions to the preserve are available from the Friends of Banshee Reeks directions page.