Spotlight on Ann and Bruce Bowman

Ann and Bruce Bowman have been Master Naturalists since 2013, graduating as members of Old Rag chapter’s Class 6. They responded to our interview questions in their own words, below.
 
When and why did you become interested in nature and the natural world?

• : I have been a lifelong hunter and have always been curious about the interplay between fauna and flora. Studying forestry and wildlife at VT exposed me to all I really didn’t know. Teaching high school students about tree ID and growing plants in the greenhouse with them made me realize what a natural curiosity about the out of doors young people have. 

• : As my own children grew up, we realized it was much more fun for all of us to be outside and playing in the dirt than in the house. Having the Rapidan River on our farm was a magnet for all kids, so studying the bugs (macroinvertebrates) was just a natural progression.

 
 How long have you lived in Virginia? If not a lifelong resident, where did you grow up/come from?

• : Ann and I are residents of Virginia. I am from Oakton in Northern Virginia and Ann is from The Plains. Our farm is in northern Madison County.

  
What is the most amazing thing you have experienced in nature?

• : Watching brook trout feed in the Tongue River in the Big Horn Mountains of Wyoming while a mule deer was watching me. 
• : Every time I go outdoors I am amazed. For example, having hummingbirds buzz me because I am late with their sugar water.  

  
Describe what you do on your own property (house, farm, woods, etc.) to support a healthy ecosystem.  

• : Owning a hundred acres with Rapidan River and Garth Run as our borders has allowed us to plant and maintain game plots, harvest and process excess deer, limit hunting, and monitor the Rapidan River for macroinvertebrates. We also maintain an active forest management plan that includes harvesting trees as necessary, including patch cutting to encourage wildlife diversity.  
• : We grow a big garden, using cover crops for green manure. We have also fenced off livestock from woodland and water ways as well as prevented development through a conservation easement of our land.  

 
 Tell us about the projects for which you have volunteered and what you would share about those projects with other ORMN members.

• : We have volunteered for the CSWCD Environthon, led Woods Walk at Montpelier, participated in VDWR birding and wildlife trail monitoring, and stream monitoring. Both of us have volunteered in Administrative positions as well as the project work mentioned.

 
Interviewed by Charlene Uhl October 2021
Photographs of Bowman property in fall courtesy of Ann and Bruce Bowman
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