WELCOME TO OLD RAG CHAPTER

The Old Rag Chapter of the Virginia Master Naturalist program is based in Madison, Virginia, and serves the Rapidan–Upper Rappahannock Watershed. The service area includes the counties of Culpeper, Rappahannock, Madison, Greene, and the western portions of Fauquier and Orange. The large geographic area of these counties, rural in nature, includes major natural resources rich in biodiversity. Among these are the headwaters and tributaries of the Rapidan and Rappahannock rivers, Shenandoah National Park, and two Virginia Wildlife Management Areas.

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. Interested Virginians become Master Naturalists through training and volunteer service. For more information on the Virginia program, visit www.virginiamasternaturalist.org.

We at the Old Rag Chapter value the role and the beauty of nature and wish to play a part in the stewardship of our natural resources. State employees can only do so much in support of our wildlife, our forests, our flowers, our water, our soil, and air. As a knowledgeable group of volunteer educators and citizen scientists, we can add depth and breadth to the conservation and management of Virginia’s natural environments. What we learn through our training, we give back through volunteer service to Virginia and our local communities.

Old Rag Mountain in summer and winter. Left photo ©Carl Zitzmann; right photo ©Pam Owen

Master Naturalist Training. 2008-03-04 — The current course runs from March 4 through May 20.  

Rural Madison Tree Project. 2008-07-09 — Finish mapping the site. Meet at 9  

Wildlife Action Plan Censusing. 2008-08-12 — Presentation to discuss the wildlife census project 

Chapter Begins Stewardship Project at Montpelier. 2008-05-23 — Old Rag Chapter began a long-term stewardship commitment to James Madison's Montpelier with an inaugural garlic mustard pull in the Old Growth forest. 

Project Montpelier. 2008-02-11 — The site is one of the few existing Old Growth Forests on the east coast which, over the years, invasive plants have encroached upon. 

Forestry Field Trip. 2007-11-10 — The Chapter visits Jim Ballard's 100-acre wooded tract. 

Chapter Trainees Learn About Stream Monitoring. 2007-10-13 — On October 13, 2007, the current class of trainees for the Old Rag Master Naturalist Chapter attended a field trip to learn about stream assessment.