A statewide corps of highly qualified volunteers assisting government agencies, schools, and other organizations by providing education, outreach, and service to the beneficial management of natural resources and natural areas within their communities.
Applications for the 2025 cohort are now open.
Partial scholarships of $150 are available for qualified applicants.
Both the application for enrollment and the scholarship application must be submitted by 11:59pm on January 21, 2025.
All applicants will be notified of their status by February 1, 2025, and specific details about the classes will be sent at that time. Please note that all fees will need to be paid by March 1, 2025.
If you have any questions, please email PVMN@PotomacAudubon.org, to the attention of Mary Palmer, Student Coordinator.
Classes begin the weekend of March 15-16, 2025.
Please note that our SCHEDULE FOR 2025 is subject to change!
Thank you for your interest!
Relatively new on the scene, Master Naturalist programs are patterned after the Master Gardener Program that has been offered in numerous states for many years by local extension agents. The basic approach for both programs is to combine education with public service. West Virginia’s Master Naturalist Program is one of the first in the nation. It was established in 2003 by the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR), and it is administered by that agency. It is open to persons age 16 years and older. The Potomac Valley Audubon Society (PVAS) partnered with WVDNR in 2006 to establish the Potomac Valley Master Naturalist (PVMN) program, which is the official Master Naturalist Chapter for the Eastern Panhandle.
Enrollment in the Potomac Valley Master Naturalist program is limited to 20 persons a year. Participants receive 62 hours of classroom and field instruction in a broad range of natural history and environmental education topics. Instructional sessions are held one weekend a month from March through October in areas around the WV Eastern Panhandle, often at Cool Spring Nature Preserve (near Charles Town), the National Conservation Training Center (just outside Shepherdstown) and Cacapon State Park (near Berkeley Springs). Classes only can be attended by PVMN candidates (i.e., Students).
Those who complete the Potomac Valley Master Naturalist program are certified by the state as West Virginia Master Naturalists. This qualifies them to assist with natural resource activities in various ways, such as volunteering in state parks, assisting educators with instruction, participating in wildlife surveys, and other community science activities.
Applications for the Potomac Valley Master Naturalist program are made available on this website in late October or early November, and applications must be submitted by January 21. Applications are competitive; enrollment is limited to 20 persons a year. Those selected for enrollment are notified by February 1.
Cost for the program is $300 which covers all classes and instruction. Partial scholarships are available. Applications for scholarships must also be submitted by January 21. Full payment is due by March 1.
For more information about the program, please send an email to PVMN@PotomacAudubon.org.
Here is an article by one of our very own founding members Clark Dixon! Clark shares some information on flagging. What is flagging? Is this connected to those noisy cicadas? Read all about it in Flagging: Nature’s Natural Pruning.
Additional reading: A Bittersweet Story from Wonderful West Virginia magazine (October 2020)
Are you a PVMN student or member? If you have an interesting tidbit of knowledge, an article, or an event highlight that you would like to share, please contact PVMN@PotomacAudubon.org. We’d love to hear from you!
Sadly, Clark Dixon, died on December 8, 2022. In 2006, after completing the requirements for the West Virginia Master Naturalist certification, Clark, along with his wife Ora and classmate, Cheryl Jennings, established the Potomac Valley Master Naturalist Chapter in partnership with Potomac Valley Audubon Society.
Since that time, Clark had continued to serve on the chapter’s coordinating committee and was its chair emeritus. His favorite place in nature was Cacapon State Park where he inspired many young people through his Natural History workshops in campfire cooking, flint and steel, and vernal pools.
Thanks to the generosity of our PVMN members, we raised the money needed to purchase a memorial bench with a dedication plaque for Clark nearby the campsite of the nature center at Cacapon State Park, a place that was very special to Clark. Once the bench is erected, we will share photos here.
Thank you again for your generosity with this fitting tribute to Clark Dixon, a great man who gave us so much, and who will be greatly missed.
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