Photo: Volunteer training session, Tina Dudley
Tina Dudley
On Saturday, February 18, ASNV welcomed 18 new volunteers to our team during our Outreach Volunteer Training. The group included 15 adult and 3 youth volunteers. The afternoon began with refreshments and socializing before the training sessions.
Socializing before the training session, Tina Dudley
Stacey Remick-Simkins, chair of ASNV’s new community engagement committee, thanked everyone for attending and emphasized the importance of public outreach to the core of our mission, which is to engage all northern Virginia communities in enjoying, conserving, and restoring nature for the benefit of birds, other wildlife, and people. Libby Lyons, ASNV President, provided an overview of our chapter’s activities, and Greg Butcher, Vice-President, shared information about the recent State of the Birds 2022 Report.
Greg reported that although, since 1970, the number of birds in the U.S. has declined 25 percent (over 3 billion birds), progress has been made in preservation and recovery of wetland species because of focused conservation efforts. Bald eagles also made a dramatic recovery after DDT was banned -- all of which shows that progress is possible, but it requires investment, which requires public will. ASNV’s work to increase our reach out to the community is connected directly to crucial, species-saving conservation work we need to do in our region as it rapidly develops and grows more densely populated.
“We cannot protect something we do not love, we cannot love what we do not know, and we cannot know what we do not see. And touch. And hear.”
We regularly receive requests for presentations, community nature walks, and tabling for various kinds of events around the region. The newly trained volunteers will help us be better equipped to answer the requests. Our new volunteers also will also help us to attract new members and volunteers, build new partnerships, and undertake some new bird conservation projects we are planning for later this year. The more we can educate the northern Virginia community in how to enjoy and conserve natural resources, the better we can help our avian neighbors and migrating visitors.
The training session begins, Tina Dudley
The volunteer training included opportunities for participants to get hands-on practice with tabling, leading a community nature walk, and giving a presentation. Six ASNV board members participated in the training to help orient the new volunteers. Staff members Tina Dudley, Jill Spohn, and newly-hired volunteer coordinator Meg Oakley also were on hand to answer questions and support the event.
Practice session for providing information at a community event (with practice nature walk in the background), Tina Dudley
We are very fortunate to live in a region with great intellectual talent. Participants in the training had diverse backgrounds and skills. The group included individuals who speak Spanish (five of them!), Portuguese, French, and German. Some volunteers told us they were interested in using their language skills to reach out to diverse communities in northern Virginia. Many of the volunteers have a life-long passion for nature with deep environmental experience, which goes to the heart of why they are volunteering. Among them were expert birdwatchers, a public-school science teacher, an Audubon at Home Ambassador, a nature writer, and several who are or are training to be Master Naturalists. But the group also included people with a new interest in nature and a great desire to help. Two of our volunteers are just 12 years old and excited to share their passion with other young people.
Anyone who enjoys talking to people about nature is welcome to join our Outreach Team! Our next Volunteer Outreach Training will be in the fall, but we are happy to accept new volunteers on an ongoing basis. A video of the training is available, and, after completing a brief quiz, new volunteers can be assigned to support our more experienced volunteers at events. To learn more about volunteering for ASNV, visit the Volunteer with ASNV page on our website. Just fill out the intake form and a staff member will be in touch.
To request a community nature walk, a presentation at your school, home owners’ association meeting or other community event, or an ASNV representative to provide information at an event (tabling), please make your request using the form on our Community Outreach page. We offer talks on Bringing Wildlife to Our Yards, Backyard Birds, Birding for Beginners, and Bird Migration. We can develop talks on other subjects for a suggested $75 donation.
Note that ASNV will continue to host our regular bird walks led by expert birdwatchers, but we are expanding our programs to include more diverse community nature outings that tap into the environmental knowledge and enthusiasm of volunteers who might not be expert at identifying birds but can help us increase the interest of northern Virginians in the natural resources around them.