Valerie Kenyon Gaffney was born in a small town outside of Syracuse, New York. She attended the State University of New York as well as Auburn Community College before moving to Washington DC, in 1982. Her first job was in the Circulation Department of the Washington Post, followed by brief stints in the advertising and preprint departments before being promoted to the production department. At the time of her retirement from The Post in 2018 she was an Assistant Superintendent in the Mailroom, serving as Advertising Materials and Quality Assurance Manager. She said it was the best job she ever had, “until retirement that is, which while not paying as much, is now my best job ever.”
 
Valerie related that a friend once told her you should never retire without a plan – or the rest of your life will be spent sitting on a couch. Shortly after retirement she became active in the Virginia Native Plant Society’s local chapter and has served as its Treasurer for the last three years. In 2018, she completed Virginia Master Gardener training and is also a member of two Prince William County garden clubs.
 
When and how did you become interested in nature and the natural world? “We always had birdfeeders growing up and I played outside all the time”, Valerie noted. “My mother had a large vegetable garden that I had to help weed. I made a commitment that when I had an outdoor space as an adult, it would be filled with flowers and plants that didn’t need weeding,” she continued. “Well, I do have a garden with flowers and plants, but I still have to weed!”
 
“When I worked at the Washington Post, one of my managers was very interested in nature and birds”, she shared. “He introduced me to Doug Tallamy’s writings, which changed my whole perspective on nature. As I read more, and heard Doug speak on several occasions, I became so convinced of the importance of native plants that the only yard that has curb appeal for me is one with native plants.”
 
Describe what you do on your property to support a healthy ecosystem.
Valerie bought a townhouse in Woodbridge in 2007 “The previous owner had done nothing with the yard,” she explained. “There was nothing for any birds to eat, even house sparrows! I essentially had a blank canvas.” Given her experience with the Virginia Native Plant Society, she decided to install primarily native plants. She planted Joe Pye Weed, common milkweed, and nandina. “Sometimes you don’t know what you don’t know,” Valerie exclaimed, who at the time was no Master Gardener. She planted the nandina near her floor to ceiling kitchen windows, where it grew so large it blocked out all natural light. “Then I did the research I should have done initially and replaced the nandina with viburnum, which I bought from a local native plant vendor.” This plan had a spectacular display of berries the first year and was filled with birds. Unfortunately, Valerie was not told by the nursery owner that she needed another species of viburnum in order to get berries every year – so in the second year while the plant flourished, it didn’t berry. “So I got another species of viburnum mailed to me from a reputable vendor in Nebraska and sure enough, I have had loads of berries each year that draw in lots of birds, including after the Eastern Bluebird, the Catbird, another of my favorites.”
 
Valerie’s yard is a certified Audubon at Home Wildlife Habitat and provides endless entertainment for her cat Eleanor Rigby. “The catbirds will visit the viburnum to pick berries for their young, which they feed in sight of my floor-to-ceiling kitchen window. I can always find Eleanor Rigby there, pawing at the glass.”
 
Valerie is very passionate about cats being kept indoors. She even wrote an article for Bird Box, the Virginia Bluebird Society newsletter which was subsequently reprinted in the North American Bluebird Society newsletter about the peril that cats pose to birds (scroll down to page 5 for her article). In this article she cites the gruesome statistic from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology on how many birds are killed by cats: “an estimated 2.4 billion birds annually and the No. 1 human-caused reasons for the loss of birds, aside from habitat loss.”
 
What is the most amazing thing you have experienced in nature?
 
In November 2018, one of Valerie’s friends – the same colleague who introduced her to Doug Tallamy -  invited her to join him and two others to go raptor trapping on Short Hill Mountain, an extension of the Kittatinny Ridge near Purcellville. The station has one blind, two bow traps for capturing larger raptors and one mist net for smaller raptors. 
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According to the very detailed records kept for that day, “It was a good day, not a great day and there was a little flurry of action just after 10:00 a.m. For the day, we caught one 1st year Cooper's Hawk, four 1st year Red Tail Hawks, and one adult Red Tail hawk.”  The photo accompanying this interview is one of Valerie about to release the first catch of the day, a female Cooper’s hawk, with a Wing Chord of 257mm, and weighing 540 grams. Alas, the licensed bander who owned the station passed away in 2018 and it was Valerie’s one and only raptor trapping adventure. “But it was truly the thrill of a lifetime,” she reminisced.
 
As the Virginia Bluebird Society (VBS) President, what would you say have been your greatest achievements since you assumed this position – and what do you see as the challenges ahead?
Valerie has been active in the Virginia Bluebird Society for ten years. She started feeding bluebirds during a snowstorm when she observed two males digging through the snow, feeding at the bird seed feeder. That very afternoon she went out and purchased live mealworms, put up a couple of feeders and now makes her own suet cakes for the birds. “I was hooked on bluebirds,” she said.
 
The following spring a friend of hers said they needed volunteers to monitor the bluebird trail at Marine Corps Base Quantico. She ended up monitoring that trail for several years and now monitors a nine-box trail on a golf course in Dumfries. This same friend recruited her for the Virginia Bluebird Society’s Board, which she joined six years ago. In 2019, she became President of the Society and has served in that capacity since then.

In terms of accomplishments, she is especially proud of the work VBS has done to increase engagement with middle and high school students through grants for installation of nest box trails and nest boxes with cameras at schools. Despite the pandemic, VBS was still able to site trails at schools in Harrisonburg, Clifton, and St. George, and has placed nest boxes with cameras at several schools and community centers throughout the state.

She cites the late 2020 hiring of a part-time State Coordinator as being an important first step in increasing outreach to the community. Through a mini-grant provided by Virginia Association for Environmental Education (VAEE), lesson plans have been developed that correlate with Virginia Fourth Grade Science Standards of Learning to use with the nest box cameras provided to schools by VBS.

In terms of challenges, she mentioned recruiting a more diverse corps of volunteers. “Right now our board of directors is majority older, white women. I would really like to have a more ‘colorful’ board, and one that includes a few younger people. I know they’re out there. The trick is finding them and drawing them into our nest,” she explained.

Valerie continued, “The work we do is important, and as climate change accelerates and habitat loss increases, it will become increasingly important to continue protecting our native cavity nesters and extending our ecosystems. Collaborating with schools, with groups such as Master Naturalists and Master Gardeners, all helps to spread the word.” Combining her personal involvement with Virginia Bluebird Society, Master Gardeners, and Virginia Native Plant Society is what she calls “cross pollination.”

Valerie concluded the interview with three wishes for everyone to do: put up a nest box in your backyard; plant more natives; and come volunteer with VBS.

Interviewed by Charlene Uhl, September 2021
 
Photos courtesy of Valerie Kenyon Gaffney:
Bee on sneezeweed
Bluebird in the rain
Monarch on milkweed
Catbird fledging through kitchen window
Photo of Valerie with Cooper’s hawk taken by Kevin O’Neill on Short Hill Mountain
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SPOTLIGHT ON OUR PRESENTERS MICHELLE PRYSBY
Click here to see text with photos.

Michelle Prysby was born in North Carolina and completed her undergraduate degree in biology at North Carolina State University. She then moved to St. Paul, Minnesota to pursue a Master’s degree in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior at the University of Minnesota. As a
She next served as the Citizen Science Director for the
Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont, an environmental education center within Great Smoky Mountains National Park. In 2005, she moved to
Charlottesville, VA, where her spouse had accepted a job, and where her sister lives. That year, she accepted the position of Virginia Master Naturalist Program Coordinator and Extension faculty member in the Virginia Tech Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation. She helped to establish the first ten Master Naturalist chapters in the state. In 2012, she left to work at UVA for two years, then returned to the VMN program in 2014 and now serves as the program director. This position has allowed her to travel throughout the State and work closely with our State agency partners.
When and how did you become interested in nature and the natural world?
“I can’t remember when I wasn’t interested in nature,” Michelle stated. “My parents recognized this interest and helped foster it in me through books, pets, access to nature, and trips to zoos.” When Michelle was in fourth grade, her family took a six- week camping trip in the western U.S. They visited Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons, and many other natural wonders. She still remembers how much she enjoyed
part of her Master’s research, she
started the Monarch Larva Monitoring Project and
conducted studies of monarch population ecology.
experiencing those amazing places. Another influence that encouraged her to experience the natural world was a neighbor. “She would have been a Master Naturalist if the program existed back then,” Michelle remarked. Her neighbor was a Master Gardener who also loved birds. “She developed a love of birds that I still have. I would constantly be watching the birds in our yard and learning how to identify them. I can remember seeing my first pileated woodpecker and running over to her yard to tell her about it,” she recalled.
As an adult, her interest in the natural world led her to get a bachelor’s degree in biology. She never considered any other major, unlike many college students who often consider several different majors before choosing one. “I always saw myself as having a career related to the environment, perhaps a park ranger or something similar,” she explained.
Describe what you do on your property to support a healthy ecosystem.
“Our home is in a suburban environment, like many people who live near a metropolitan area,” she stated. “We try to consider our environmental values when we decide what to buy, what to plant, when we do something to our house.” They have installed solar panels to reduce the energy consumption of fossil fuels. Pawpaw trees grow in the front yard, which provides food for zebra swallowtails. “We are making an effort to balance the ecology of the yard by building on what was here when we first moved in - such as a large Chinese chestnut tree that provides shade- with the plants we install.” They try to use primarily native plants on their 1/3 acre of land and have created a habitat for pollinators. “We have to balance this with the other uses we have for our yard,” Michelle explained, “such as space for our dog to run and growing food for us to eat.” Their garden includes strawberries, black currants, raspberries, and figs. “The birds get to eat a fair amount of what we plant as well, so it is serving as habitat for them, too,” she said with a smile.
They are also trying to manage the invasives that are rampant in their community by aggressively removing them from their own property. “There are up to a dozen invasives including trees of heaven, porcelain berry along the fence with our neighbor, and English ivy to name a few,” Michelle sighed. “It is an ongoing battle for anyone with land, regardless of the amount of acreage you have.”
What is the most amazing thing you have experienced in nature?
Michelle had a theme for the four things she recalls as the most amazing things she has seen in nature. That theme was movement and migration. “When I was in graduate school, I had the pleasure and privilege of visiting several wintering sites in Mexico where the Monarch butterflies go,” she shared. “I went to Bracken Cave in Texas to see the free-tailed bats leaving the cave by the thousands at dusk.” And while at a conference in Portland, Oregon she visited a local park where hundreds of Vaux’s swifts emerged in the evening creating breath-taking swirls in the skies. She also has made two trips to East Africa, where she observed the mass migration of wildebeest on the Serengeti. Although these examples are all a bit exotic, Michelle also says she greatly appreciates the day-to-day natural wonders that are all around
us in Virginia.
As the VMN State Director, what would you say have been your greatest achievements since you assumed this position – and what do you see as the challenges ahead?
“Our achievements – and I am not attributing them to just myself – include expansion of the Virginia Master Naturalist program to 30 chapters. This includes a current membership of more than 3,000 volunteers. More than 6,000 individuals have graduated from VMN basic training courses throughout the
State over the last fifteen years,” Michelle said with pride. “This wouldn’t have been possible without the leadership roles our volunteers take on,” she continued.
“Having Master Naturalists work in nature is vitally important and it is what attracts folks to becoming Master Naturalists.”
Michelle stressed the importance of having volunteers take on a leadership role. “This is the linchpin for success,” she emphasized. Michelle noted that over the years some chapters have shut down. Her observation was that it almost always is due to a lack of volunteers for the administrative work that is so vital to the success of a chapter. “In order to be successful in our efforts to conserve nature, we need to recognize the importance of having a cadre of volunteers willing to take on leadership responsibilities – be it a Board member, an officer like the President or Secretary or Treasurer or a committee chair,” she stated. “Without that support, the work of the work of Master Naturalists won’t be possible.”
Interviewed by Charlene Uhl, July 2021
Photos courtesy of Michelle Prysby

• ➢  Michelle Prysby viewing the 2017 solar eclipse
• ➢  The Minnesota State Fair has been one of Michelle’s favorite events over the last quarter
  century, and she was excited on this visit to the fair in 2018 to see a display about the
  Monarch Larva Monitoring Project, a citizen science program she co-founded back in 1996!
• ➢  Observing the wildlife migration in Serengeti National Park has been one of many memorable
  moments in nature for Michelle
• ➢  Watching the mass congregation of Vaux’s swifts in Portland, Oregon was special not just
  because of the birds, but because the phenomenon draws in a huge crowd of community members, all coming together to watch an amazing natural show. 

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Born in a hospital in the District of Columbia when her parents lived in Alexandria, VA, Mary Frances LeMat (Mary Fran) continues to claims the city as her birthplace, and returned to live in DC during her adult working life.  Her father worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.  He moved the family to a farm in upper Montgomery County, Maryland, where they lived during her childhood. She enjoyed being outside as a child and that continued into her adulthood.  As she and her siblings left home as young adults, her father bought a farm in Highland County Virginia, to serve as a place for the family to gather, which they have been doing for the past 50-plus years.
 
After graduating from college as a math major, Mary Fran started a computer programming company with two friends. They soon secured a number of government contracts and grew to employing over 200 staff. Mary Fran served as CEO of the company until 2006 when she and her husband Harold decided to retire. They had enjoyed living in DC but wanted to retire in a more rural environment. They chose to build on land in Rappahannock County that Harold had previously purchased. They also continued to make regular trips to Mary Fran’s family farm in Highland County, where they are working hard to keep the invasive plants on this farm at bay.
 
When and and how did you become interested in nature and the natural world?
“I grew up visiting our family’s farm and was always looking for secret places to go”’ Mary Fran recalled. “I never had any formal training in nature but learned to watch and observe the birds and the animals that were on our land.” When she retired, she wanted to learn to identify trees and birds. “It helps to have a focus and makes you more aware of everything around you.” She saw an ad in a local newspaper offering training to become a Master Naturalist. She applied and was accepted into the second class offered by the Old Rag Master Naturalist chapter. She found her class experience eye-opening. “I was a total neophyte with no scientific knowledge,” she explained, “And I was enthralled by the different presentations we got from experts, who stressed the impact our actions have on nature.” It made her recall remarks her father made, based on his work at USDA, about how simple changes like contour farming could have an enormous impact on the ecosystem.  “One statement in a book by Douglas Tallamy has remained with me after all these years. He said that next to concrete, lawns are the most debilitating surface to the health of the Earth.” Mary Fran truly appreciates the role to which Master Naturalists aspire – to be conservators of our natural world.
 
Describe what you do on your property to support a healthy ecosystem.
The 400-acre family farm in Highland County is a major focus of Mary Fran’s and her husband’s efforts. Local hunters are allowed to use the land for hunting, in order to control the deer population. About 120 acres are used by a local farmer for grazing cattle. The remaining land is steep and rocky in places and has become overrun with invasive plants, including Japanese barberry and autumn olive – some reaching up to 10 feet in height. “Beginning in April or May and throughout the summer, my husband and I go to the farm to spray these invasive plants,” she said.  “While I no longer can hike up these steep hills, I can spray these plants from my [Kawasaki] Mule. I have a great seat belt and a roll bar and I am tireless in my pursuit.”
 
What is the most amazing thing you have experienced in nature?
Mary Fran described the geology on their Highland County farm as the first thing that came to mind. “The geology is amazing in this area of western Virginia,” she noted. “We have found so many fossils and underground karst areas. It is just fascinating.”
 
What ORMN approved projects have you enjoyed the most?
Mary Fran has been active in many volunteer efforts, all of which she thoroughly enjoyed, such as the annual Butterfly Count. She most wanted to emphasize, particularly to new Master Naturalists, the value and importance of volunteering for administrative service. She served two terms as ORMN Secretary and just retired from serving as Vice President. She found her administrative experiences interesting, challenging and demanding – and very glad she served in this capacity. “We tend to deceive ourselves when we think our organization doesn’t need us to volunteer for administrative positions,” she said. “You have to remember: it won’t run by itself.”
 
Mary Fran has experienced a number of physical challenges over the last few years, including knee replacements in 2007 and 2018, and a stroke in 2019. She was recently diagnosed with a degenerative disorder which has begun to compromise her balance. She uses two walking sticks, which means binoculars are impossible to use. But she has sought out volunteer opportunities that she can do, given her physical limitations, including bluebird box monitoring, data submissions of the Annual Butterfly count, Feeder Watch and Spotted Lanternfly monitoring. She is project manager of the Virginia Bird and Wildlife Trails Monitoring Project (VBWT) for ORMN, under which ten small teams each make quarterly hikes on one of the VBWT on the Skyline Drive. With her own small team, Mary Fran monitors the Timberlost Trail, which is handicap-accessible. She is quick to point out that her physical challenges have not stopped her from having adventures. She and her husband are taking an eight-day “one day, one country” cruise at the end of August in the Balkan Sea. “We’ll just figure it out as we go along,” she said with a smile.
 
As a member of the Recruitment Committee, Mary Fran knows there are folks with physical challenges who are interested in becoming a Master Naturalist. “My experiences have made me much more aware of the importance that we find ways to connect people who have physical challenges with experiences in nature,” she said. “It would be great to have a place on our website that could feature accessible programs, volunteer activities and the like.” She knows there is an audience out there for these opportunities - because she is one of them.
 
Interviewed by Charlene Uhl, July 2021
 
Photo credits:
Photographs courtesy of Mary Fran​

​Although born in Illinois, Dorothy “Tepp” Tepper’s family moved to Silver Spring, Maryland when she was four years old. She graduated from the University of Maryland College Park with a B. S. degree in Earth Sciences education and intended to teach junior and senior high school students. But during her student-teaching experience, she found her passion for earth sciences was not matched by her students and decided not to become a teacher. After college, she took a year off in Bar Harbor, Maine, to figure out what she wanted to do. She became fascinated with the geology of the area, so she got her M. S. in Geological Sciences from the University of Maine and went to work for the U.S. Geological Survey. Her career at USGS took her to many amazing geological sites throughout the United States including the Grand Canyon, the Yucca Mountain proposed nuclear waste repository in Nevada, and the Finger Lakes region in upstate New York. She has lived in Virginia for the last 20 years and continues to be fascinated by the geology of our state.
 
When and how did you become interested in nature and the natural world?
Tepp’s parents were from New York City and weren’t outdoors people except for sailing. But she, her sister and brother enjoyed being outside as much as possible. When they were in elementary school, they used to use spoons and trowels to dig holes in their yard. Their goal was to dig their way to China. Her father had to redirect them once when they were digging too close to the house foundation and had them fill that hole back up. “We really thought we would be able to dig our way right through the Earth to China,” Tepp said. She was active in the Girl Scouts from Brownies through Seniors and looked forward every year to two weeks or more at Girl Scout resident summer camp. Tepp’s career continued her involvement in and appreciation of the natural world and led her to become a Master Naturalist several years after she retired.
 
Describe what you do on your property to support a healthy ecosystem.
Tepp lives on 2.3 acres in Amissville. Her property is half lawn and half woods. She has installed a perennial garden that contains native plants for pollinators. “But it’s more what I don’t do that is important,” she explained. “I don’t rake the leaves off the lawn but allow them to decompose and enrich the soil. I leave the dead wood that falls in the wooded area on my property so it can be used by animals and insects – both for food and for shelter. I don’t use pesticides or herbicides.” Tepp has one of the few gravel driveways in her community because it allows the rain to percolate into the soil and not run off. She explained that her actions are not lazy but purposeful and what she sees as the better way to care for and enjoy her property.
 
What is the most amazing thing you have experienced in nature?
Tepp was challenged to choose one (so she chose two) from the many adventures she has had. She is an accomplished amateur photographer and had her own darkroom when she was in high school. Her photograph “Cardinal Family Feeding” won the 2018 VMN Statewide Photography Contest in the fauna category.
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​Again with her friends, she went to Alaska for a week in August to photograph grizzlies fishing in a salmon stream in Hyder within Tongass National Forest. “We were on a viewing platform on a hillside – not enclosed and less than about 100 feet away from grizzlies catching salmon.” She noted that “while the bears could have easily reached us, they were totally focused on catching and eating as many salmon as they could.” She explained that the bears in Alaska experience a complete hibernation, unlike many bears in the continental U.S. “Alaskan grizzles sleep for months and never leave their dens, which are often snow caves, she explained. They need to build up enormous fat reserves that will last them until the spring thaw.” When asked why she risked being so close to such powerful wild animals, Tepp said she tries to live by a quote of Eleanor Roosevelt’s:  “Do one thing every day that scares you.”

​What ORMN approved projects have you enjoyed the most?
Tepp has participated for several years on the Butterfly Count sponsored by the North American Butterfly Association. She once heard butterflies described as “flying flowers” an image that captures why these insects are so wonderful to watch and energizes her to help collect data to safeguard their continued presence in the natural world.
 
Right after graduating from the Basic Training Class 8 in 2017, Tepp joined the Basic Training Committee and has been a member ever since. She feels this is an area where she can really give back to the Old Rag Master Naturalist chapter. She became one of the class presenters on geology and this year worked ona team with Bonnie Beers, Kathleen Aucoin and Alex Bueno to put together a virtual self-guided geology field trip to Shenandoah National Park for Class X. “Working with these three members was one of the best team experiences of my life,” she said. “Each person on the team brought their unique skills and knowledge to come up with a way to give Class X a genuine field trip while upholding the restrictions of the pandemic.” She is working with a Shenandoah National Park Association representative- to try and make this field trip experience available to everyone in ORMN.
 
In July Tepp will begin her third year as the ORMN Secretary and values the opportunity this position gives her to know about a lot of things going on within the chapter. She looks forward to each graduating class as a source of “new blood and fresh ideas” that will keep the ORMN chapter active and responsive to the needs of our community and the natural world around us. She looks forward to Class X graduates becoming active leaders as they participate on approved projects and volunteer to serve in the many areas of the chapter that will benefit from each person’s unique skills and experience.
 
Interviewed by Charlene Uhl, May 2021
 
Photo credits:
Tepp hiking across a crater in Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii, courtesy of Zoe Sollenberger
Cardinal Feeding Family courtesy of Tepp Tepper
Giraffes crossing a valley in Tanzania courtesy of Tepp Tepper
Grizzly going after salmon in Fish Creek, Alaska courtesy of Tepp

Barry Buschow was born in North Carolina where his father was stationed at the Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base.  His family moved to Falls Church, Virginia when it was a small hamlet – not the urban center that it is today. He loved to play in the woods and streams near his home, often bringing salamanders, frogs, and turtles back where he created habitats for them in large tubs. He would always take them back to their natural habitat at the end of the season. He once found a 28-½ inch long bullfrog and that landed him on the front page of the local newspaper North Virginia Sun, which is no longer published.
 
Barry’s family could not afford to send him to college so he attended a computer school, and then worked the graveyard shift at Goddard Space Center while attending the North Virginia Community College during the day.  “I can remember never feeling like I got enough sleep,” Barry recalled. Exhibiting his tenacity and commitment to the goal of getting a college degree, he was able to save enough money to transfer to Virginia Tech in his sophomore year. Barry was initially a biology major but was convinced to change to business as a more “job friendly” major. He played on VA Tech’s baseball team and remains active in its Alumni Chapter to this day. After graduating he worked for a contract engineering company for 31 years. When his wife, an artist, found the home of their dreams in Culpeper, they both retired and moved to an established neighborhood of 20 homes with large lots and many mature trees throughout the community.
 
When and how did you become interested in nature and the natural world?
As noted earlier, Barry was always exploring the outdoors. His second love was baseball. “When I was nine years old I was active in Little League baseball. I would carry my mitt with me everywhere” Barry said. He would constantly throw things – balls, rocks, anything that he could hold in his hand - to improve his throwing skills. “One day I was walking around in my backyard and I saw a robin on a fence.  I picked up a piece of chuck mulch and threw it at him – and it killed the bird.” Barry said that memory still disturbs him and is part of the reason he has such a strong motivation to take care of nature. Shortly after moving to their current home, Barry saw an ad for the ORMN Basic Training Class and immediately applied. He completed his Master Naturalist training in Class 8 and has been active in the chapter ever since. “The Basic Training Class taught me how much I don’t know,” Barry said with a smile, “but it also taught me how to find the answers.”
 
Describe what you do on your property to support a healthy ecosystem.
Barry explained that the first three years on their property were spent in getting a better understanding of invasive plants and effective ways to remove them. Many of their invasives had to be cleared by hand which was very time-consuming. This included taking out 30 autumn olives and a number of Bradford pears. Last summer they established a ¼ acre pollinator garden which is a major source of nectar for his wife’s five beehives. They also had to install a bear fence to protect the hives.
 
Barry is a big fan of bluebirds and maintains five bluebird boxes on his property as well as monitoring two trails for the chapter. Since bluebirds usually don’t use all the boxes each year, he has seen tree swallows and chickadees nest in the boxes as well.
 
Last summer a large oak tree was downed by lightning. Barry had to remove the tree and stump and used the space to create a Milkweed Garden.
 
What is the most amazing thing you have experienced in nature?
Barry immediately said that 28-½ inch bullfrog took the prize – then continued by saying “Now every day is amazing. This morning when I was monitoring my bluebird houses, I saw that a bluebird laid eggs in a moss chickadee nest. The bluebird did not wait to build a straw nest over it.”  He particularly enjoys the different birds that visit his property, including owls and hummingbirds. He noted that the hummers came a little early this year and he had to find and fill his feeders right away.
 
What ORMN approved projects have you enjoy the most?
Barry is active in supporting a number of bluebird trails, including the ones at Hoover Ridge County Park in Madison and the Culpeper Sports Complex. He is also a monitor for a portion of the Appalachian Trail in Shenandoah National Park as well as a member of the ORMN South River Falls Trail monitoring team. Barry also volunteers for Friends of the Rappahannock projects, including riparian buffer restoration and stream monitoring. “There are so many interesting opportunities among ORMN-approved projects and just not enough time to volunteer for all of them,” he said with regret.
 
As the President of ORMN, what would you say were its greatest achievements in your first year as president – and what are the challenges ahead?
“I have been so proud at how many members have risen to the challenges of continuing our activities during the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said. “Members have been creative, patient, resourceful, committed and persistent in carrying on – be it the administrative duties, our Basic Training Class, or finding new ways to support our chapter’s projects.” He made specific note of the scholarships that were established by the ORMN Board in his first year of office: one for individuals to participate in the Basic Training; a second for members to attend VMN seminars and annual meetings; and a potential third scholarship for high school students who are interested in conservation. He also praised the efforts of Dera Cooper, Alex Bueno and Carolyn Smith in transitioning members to the new VMN data system.  Of ORMN’s 95 members, 56 members - almost 60% - have signed on so far.
 
Barry feels the main challenge of the chapter going forward is keeping members involved in chapter activities, particularly members from the some of the earlier classes. “We need to listen to the interests and needs of all our members – what they are interested in, want to learn and where they want to volunteer,” he explained. Barry continues to support the chapter’s communication and continuing education efforts as some of the most viable ways to reach out to all members. “Every single person who becomes a certified Master Naturalist contributes to the relevance of our chapter. We need to get them all involved in promoting good conservation practices on their own property and throughout Virginia.”
 
Interviewed by Charlene Uhl, April 2021
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​Gail Swift was born in Connecticut, but her family moved to Maine and then New Hampshire when she was very young. “I came to love nature early in my life,” Gail explained. “Kids in New England are always outside, regardless of the weather and sometimes because of the weather.” As an adult, she had an eclectic career in the hotel business booking conventions. This involved a lot of travel, both domestic and abroad, and she acquired many skills that have made her an exceptional volunteer in both the Master Naturalist world and her home town of Washington, Virginia, where she has served as the town’s elected Treasurer since January 2019.
 
When and how did you become interested in nature and the natural world?
“While I was always interested in nature, it wasn’t until we moved to Rappahannock County that I had time to get involved,” Gail explained. While working in the hotel business, she was on the road so much that she basically just came home to do her laundry. Once she moved to Central Virginia, she was encouraged by Jenny Fitzhugh to become a Master Naturalist and was accepted into Class 7. It was there that she found her passion in macroinvertebrates. “Who would have thought that I of all people would love bugs in the water?” Gail exclaimed. She became a certified stream monitor and monitors Thornton River near her home. “I became fascinated by what the bugs told us about the water quality,” she said. “I get so excited when we find a waterpenny beetle - those beetles are so sensitive to pollution that you only find them in really uncontaminated water.”
 
Gail also appreciates being outside while working with her three dogs on agility training. She has two Cavachons and a Norfolk Terrier. Hamlet the Cavachon has participated in competitive trails throughout the state, and the new Norfolk Terrier is just beginning his training. “Agility training requires regular practice – usually 2-3 times a week – as well as competing every 2-3 weeks,” she explained, “so it is a big commitment in time to do it right.” This sport, like many others, has been suspended due to the pandemic; however, it is finally starting up again. But Gail and Lynne Leeper, a member of Class X, continue to work their dogs on a regular basis. “Dog agility trials have the owner literally running with the dogs,” she explains. “So it’s great exercise and you’re outside in nature. What’s not to like?”

Describe what you do on your property to support a healthy ecosystem.
“My husband and I moved to Washington, Virginia in 2012, where we bought a 100-year old house,” Gail noted. Then five years later they moved to another 100-year old house with two acres of land at the opposite end of town when it came on the market. “There were over 100 boxwoods on the property that had been decimated by the boxwood blight,” she said. “They were overgrown and blocked many of the windows of the house.” Gail consulted with Janet Davis, owner of Hill House Farm & Nursery in Castleton, who helped her develop a five-year plan to create a series of native plant areas on the property. First up was removal of the boxwoods. “We are now two years into the plan and the outline of the natural gardens is in place,” Gail reported with pride. “Everything we plant is native, including the outdoor living room and a large pollinator garden that attracts a multitude of insects.” Her garden of dozens of natives includes swamp milkweed, bottlebrush, buckeye, liatris, cardinal flower and monarda. Some of her plants are so prolific in her garden that she needs to find “new homes” for their offspring.  One ongoing challenge is getting rid of the multitude of tiger lilies, replacing those with purple coneflower and Black-eyed Susans.  

What ORMN projects have you enjoy the most?
Without hesitation Gail said stream monitoring was her favorite project. While it can be time-consuming, she truly enjoys the collegiality among the monitors. This project has been in hiatus during the pandemic and she is looking forward to getting back with her team to discover what bugs are in the river. She has also appreciated participating in the bee study conducted at the Piedmont Environmental Council’s property in Warrenton.
 
As immediate past President of ORMN, what would you say were its greatest achievements – and what are the challenges ahead?
During Gail’s tenure as ORMN President, the chapter undertook a major update of the organization. That included drafting by-laws and an operating  handbook, and developing the website. “It was two years of insanity with a great team,” Gail said, noting that “some members took total responsibility for getting their particular area up-to-date.” She specifically recognized Connie Chamberlin, Dana Squire, the late Caroline Watts, and so many others, for their tireless work during this process. It was very demanding and “I became known as the Queen of Delegating”, she said.  “But the entire board and many other members really stepped up to the challenge.” 
 
“I am so proud of our chapter and the many members who committed their time to this effort,” Gail said. “They have taken us to the next level with their great ideas, their tireless efforts and their commitment to ORMN being the best it can be.”
 
Gail concluded by saying “Challenges moving forward for the chapter and VMN overall will be maneuvering our good work in this ‘new’ world we will be living in.”
 
Interviewed by Charlene Uhl, March 2021
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Charles grew up in the panhandle of West Virginia and Victoria in Baltimore, Maryland and later northern Ohio. Charles is an economist by training and after several years of environmental energy consulting, joined the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics where he worked on the Consumer Price Index and other issues for over 20 years. Victoria is a retired lawyer who specialized in labor law, representing corporations and unions in employee benefits and compensation issues and securities law.  When they lived in the DC area, they had a house on a small 50- by 100-foot lot with a large oak tree. They added birdfeeders and some plants – but it was still “city life.” As a couple they looked forward each year to their two- or four-week vacation where they would visit natural areas such as Grand Teton National Park. “It was cultural shock to return to city life and the ‘teeming masses’ after each vacation,” reflected Victoria. Charles added, “There is no real life in big buildings. The real life is out in nature.” In the 1990s they began to search where they would like to live when they retired. They visited many beautiful areas around the country, including Big Sur in central California, Idaho and many other places around the United States. Then they were delighted to find an undisturbed 50-acre wooded lot on Red Oak Mountain in Rappahannock County where they now make their home.
 
When and how did you become interested in nature and the natural world?
Victoria remembers not being an “inside kid” or a “TV kid”– rather, she was always out in nature while she was growing up. When living outside of Cleveland there was tobogganing and skating. In the summers of the suburbs of Baltimore there were woods, streams and ponds where she looked for toads and salamanders and other wildlife. Every summer her family would vacation at the Maryland beaches, which were not nearly as developed as they are now.  She and her sister delighted in searching for sand crabs, shells, horseshoe crabs and feeding the shore birds. Even when living in the city, she and Charles would bike along the trails where they lived.
 
Charles remembers spending a lot of time in the woods of West Virginia as a child. He remembers feeling a connection with nature and the natural world. Their annual vacation to be in nature was a continuation of the joy he felt as a child when he was outside.
 
When they moved to Rappahannock, they met Robin Williams, an ORMN member, at a yoga class. Her love of nature was so infectious and effervescent they both became interested in becoming Master Naturalists. Charles was in the class of 2008. Victoria took the class several years later. They both began volunteering even before finishing the Master Naturalist program.
 
Describe what you do on your property to support a healthy ecosystem.
Before moving to Rappahannock, Charles completed a 3-year landscape design program with a focus on woody plants. “But once we moved here” he said, “our world view changed and we became more oriented toward native plants.” They attribute much of that change to another Master Naturalist, Bruce Jones. In the 1970s Bruce had purchased a 250-acre cattle farm in Rappahannock County. He spent many years turning this farm into a nature preserve, including meadows, fields, forest and a pond restored and managed for native plants, pollinators and animals. Under Bruce’s friendly mentoring, the Fortunas deepened their understanding of the immense value of this natural ecosystem. They also appreciate Bruce for sharing his preserve and expertise with many groups – both Master Naturalists and other community organizations – and that he is dedicated to educating the public on the importance of conserving the natural ecosystem.
 
The Fortunas’ land is almost completely wooded and filled with native trees such as oaks, hickory, and beech as well as pines and poplars. They also have a rich understory of hackberry, spicebush, redbud and dogwood. “We designed and built our home to blend in with nature” Charles explained. They are continually working to eradicate nonnative plants on their property as well as along the roadways near their home. “We spend a lot of time each spring pulling garlic mustard,” Victoria noted. “We even pull it up along the roadways near our home. When our neighbors see piles of garlic mustard along the roadside, they know the Fortunas have been at it again!”
 
 “We walk our property every day and you never see the same thing,” Charles stated. Nothing is too small to observe and appreciate. Charles described observing a moss colony on their property, which overnight was covered with frost from the recent cold weather. “We are so fortunate to live in this incredible part of nature,” he said. Victoria noted that central Virginia has biodiversity rivaling any place in the country. She shared that on a warm night this January she had seen a spotted salamander. “It was ginormous – almost 5 inches long,” she exclaimed.
 
What is the most amazing thing you have experienced in nature?
Victoria
“We were doing a 20-mile circuit hike over the top of the Teton Mountains. The elevation went from 7,000 feet and 60 degrees at the hotel to 11,000 feet and 40 degrees at the ridge line. A thunder storm with pouring down rain rolled in suddenly. Lightning was striking all around us. We were totally soaked, cold and miserable – but we had to complete the circuit, as we had not planned to spend the night in the backcountry. Charles kept complaining that we hadn’t even seen any big animals. So tired and focused on getting back, he failed to notice a huge male moose sitting on his haunches in a willow grove not four feet away from the trail. Even sitting down, the moose was taller than Charles who is six feet tall. I called to Charles softly so he could turn around and see the big guy, then we quietly but quickly proceeded down the trail and eventually made it back to the hotel.”
 
Charles
“We were in the Polynesian Islands north of the Tahiti Chain. We were staying at a little hotel with about 30 huts on the beach. The hotel offered boat tours to an island atoll that had a break in the rim. You could get suited up in your scuba gear and when the tide was running into the center of the atoll lagoon, the rushing current would take you into the lagoon. Victoria decided to stay in the boat but I jumped in, ready for the ride! The water was about 50 feet deep and there were dozens of sharks – nurse sharks and reef sharks about 4 to 8 feet long - on the bottom and all around feeding on the fish as they flowed with the current rushing into the lagoon. The guides were from nearby islands and had a French macho attitude – but for me, it was a real adrenaline rush to see this amazing event.”
 
Tell us about your activities with the Master Naturalist program
Charles and Victoria have been active in a number of ORMN projects, including the Socrates Project (they were on the project committee for both the 1st and 2nd editions). They are energized by Citizen Scientist activities that connect them directly with the natural world. They have worked more than ten years on the Buck Hollow Project, which is focused on removing invasive plants the from the alluvial forest area along the Thornton River. The project started at the Buck Hollow Trail Head in coordination with Shenandoah National Park. Targeted invasives included Oriental bittersweet, Japanese honeysuckle, multiflora rose, garlic mustard (a personal target for the Fortunas), Oriental lady’s thumb, Ailanthus altissima (tree of heaven), and Japanese stilt grass.  Victoria initiated and organizes the Rappahannock  Audubon Christmas Bird Count, and has helped organize the NABA Rappahannock Butterfly Count, as well as participating in other NABA Butterfly Counts in the region.
 
Charles always remembers something he learned in the Master Naturalist class: that the geometric progression of the human population’s growth rate has overwhelmed the Planet. Both Charles and Victoria are committed to helping people learn about the natural world in the hope that they will join them and others as champions for nature – be it through participation in an organized project, contributing to environmental organizations, or creating a natural habitat in their own backyard.
 
Interviewed by Charlene Uhl, February 2021
Photo courtesy of Patricia Temples
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Alfred Goossens grew up in The Netherlands, where his family was always in touch with nature. This country, which is half the size of South Carolina and one of the most densely populated countries in the world, values nature and has many forests and nature reserves which were  wonderlands for Alfred during his childhood.  His love of nature led Alfred to get his BS degree in Tropical and Subtropical Agriculture, after which he intended to become a planter. Instead he took a job in South Africa where he became a flavor chemist (a profession that uses chemistry with a strong ability of taste and smell to create natural and artificial flavors). The company he worked for bought a company in Baltimore, which transferred him there in January 1968. “My profession as a flavor chemist was on the ‘preferred profession list’ of the U.S. government and I had my green card within several months!” he recalled. He went to work for International Flavors and Fragrances (IFF) and he and his wife went on to live in Jakarta, Amsterdam, Hong Kong, Singapore and then back to Manhattan before retiring in Madison County in 2008. He was a member of ORMN’s Class 3. “It was a great experience to continue my interest in nature that I had as a kid, my education and much of my professional life.” Alfred jumped right in to volunteer for “lots of projects” and immediately became a member of the ORMN Board as Treasurer.
 
When and how did you become interested in nature and the natural world?
“I got my love for nature from my mother,” Alfred observed.  “We had a big garden filled with trees, shrubs, perennials and annuals.” The family also had a large vegetable garden, in which Alfred loved to work from an early age. “I knew the name of most of what grew there in both Dutch and Latin,” he recalled. He started his first herbarium when he was 12 years old.  His post-secondary education and his profession as a flavor chemist all point to his enduring interest in the natural world.
 
Describe what you do on your property to support a healthy ecosystem.
When Alfred and his wife Valerie bought their property in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, they built their dream home. Valerie, an avid gardener, landscaped their home with both native and cultivar plants and had a large vegetable, herb and flower garden. Outside the small area around their home, however, they let nature be in control. After twelve years on this land, they decided to move to a smaller home site which they are still exploring. The area is great for nature walks “but I am dedicating most of my spare time to The Socrates Project right now,” Alfred stated. He knows that once the second edition of this seminal publication comes out, there will be time for “plenty of other projects to do that take me outside with Mother Nature.” 

Even though born in DC, Robin considers herself a lifelong Virginian, albeit one who loves to travel. “Traveling is similar to being out in nature, it’s just another type of discovery,” she explained. She spent two years in France after high school, where she lived with her aunt and uncle and attended the Alliance Francaise and the Sorbonne. A third year aboard was spent in art school in Florence where she worked in sculpture.  “Living aboard was very reasonable back then and the dollar went far, particularly with student credentials,” she noted. She returned to the States and obtained her degree from the University of Maryland in anthropology and comparative literature in 1969. “And one of my goals was to make enough money to make the next trip to Europe and later to get to more parts of the world,” she stated, “and I have seen a great deal of it, all wonderfully fascinating.”
 
Robin has lived in a number of places in Virginia, including Alexandria, where she was a travel agent as well as worked with antiques. She also lived in in Fairfax, Marshall, and Luray. She and her husband settled in Rappahannock in 2004. She became a certified Master Naturalist in 2009. When asked why she initially applied for the class, she said “I saw the ad for the class and it sounded like fun to me!” She has been having fun ever since, as her over 1,900 hours of volunteer service attest.
 
When and how did you become interested in nature and the natural world? While Robin spent a lot of time during her childhood in nature, it was with horses. She also taught horseback riding for many years. “You see a lot of nature when you’re riding a horse,” she explained. Since becoming a Master Naturalist, she has found her niche – invasive plant removal. She has long been interested in native plants and became concerned about how invasive plants such as garlic mustard and autumn olive were affecting Virginia’s native flora. “The more I learned about invasives, the more I saw them as I drove around Virginia. It depressed me seeing trees along roads being killed by nonnative vines.”
 
Describe what you do on your property to support a healthy ecosystem.
Robin and her husband Bill have 25 acres in Rappahannock. Their neighbors raise cows and also cut hay on Robin’s land. While her husband “loves to mow grass” she insisted on a big pollinator garden where she plants a large variety of native plants, including native host plants for butterflies and native nectar sources for butterflies and bees. Trees on her property include oaks, elms, hollies, and nut trees; shrubs include dogwoods, viburnums, spicebush and wafer ash; flowering plants include mountain mints, common violets, asters, mallow, indigo and wild senna. She encourages using locally native plants, if possible.  “In doing this” she says, “you will enjoy most of our native wildlife. They are adapted to the native flora.”    She recommends Douglas Tallamy’s book Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants as an excellent source for good plants to use.
 
Robin doesn’t cut down the plants in her pollinator garden when they are finished flowering. Instead, she leaves the seed heads and debris in the garden to provide food for birds during the winter, which also provides cover and haven for toads, skinks and other wildlife.   “The birds own my garden, not me,” she stated.  An example of “birds rule”: Robin planted pussytoes (Antennaria) in her pollinator garden specifically because it is host plant for the American Lady butterfly. She was delighted to see multiple caterpillars on her pussytoe plants that season. “Then a family of catbirds found them – and those little assassins ate every single one!”
 
Robin and her husband have spent a great deal of time removing invasive plants from the wooded edge to their hay field. “When we take out the invasive plants, native shrubs and then trees come up. It is fun to see and learn from what grows naturally.” They now have hickories and oaks and many other species that had been previously crowded out by invasives.
 
What is the most amazing thing you have experienced in nature?
“I had always wanted to see a Giant Swallowtail butterfly”, Robin shared, “as they are the largest butterfly in North America.” [Note: Giant Swallowtails are 4 – 6 inches in size.] “While these butterflies are most commonly seen in Florida, where they are considered a serious pest by citrus farmers,” she continued, “they are occasionally seen further north including here in Virginia.”
 
To entice this butterfly to her farm, Robin included one of the Giant Swallowtail’s favorite food – wafer ash (Ptelea trifoliate) – in her pollinator garden. While walking her dog one morning “a Giant Swallowtail flapped by my head and set down on my wafer ash, where it laid eggs on top of the leaves.” Robin explained that most butterflies lay their eggs on the underside of host plant leaves to hide the emerging caterpillars from hungry predators. Giant Swallowtails, however, have evolved a different way to deter predators. Their caterpillars look unappetizingly like bird droppings. Robin had her husband build a cage around the plant where the Giant Swallowtail had laid her eggs, in recognition that the mortality rate of butterfly larvae is enormous. “This was in July,” she said. “Three caterpillars survived and pupated in late summer. We took them into our garage, where they were dormant until the following May, when they emerged and flew away. I got to watch the whole process from egg-laying to mature butterfly.”

Going from a career as a banker to becoming a Master Naturalist might seem like a major life shift – but for Dera Cooper, it was a natural progression that reflects her lifelong love of animals and being outside in nature. Born in Dallas, Texas, Dera and her family moved around the United States as they followed her father’s career as an engineer. Connecticut was the last place she lived with her family before getting married and starting a family of her own. Her career as a banker included stints with JPMorgan and Bank of America, where she primarily worked with large nonprofits – including several conservation-oriented firms – as well as colleges and universities. When she and her husband David, who also had a career in banking, retired in 2016 they moved from Chevy Chase, Maryland to Madison County.
 
When and how did you become interested in nature and the natural world?
Dera has always loved animals. “There have always been dogs in my life”, she said. Like many girls, she also wanted to have a horse but to her disappointment, that never happened. Her interest in mammals continued when she became a Master Naturalist. One of her first volunteer activities was with the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI), where she drove a 15-passenger van that took visitors around the SCBI facility in Front Royal. She learned a lot about different endangered species and had the incredible opportunity to see an annual exam of one of their clouded leopards. [Note: This cat is considered a threatened species with a decreasing population trend. Since 90% of what is known about clouded leopards comes from research on captive populations, SCBI’s collaboration with international partners is providing critical information to efforts to protect this threatened animal.]
 
Describe what you do on your property to support a healthy ecosystem.
Dera and her husband moved to Virginia in 2016, where they brought a 54-acre parcel. “Part of the land was originally a tree farm,” Dera explained. The owner had planted a lot of different trees (mostly non-native) that he liked but in no particular order. There was also a significant amount of non-native invasive species on the property such as ailanthus, autumn olive, and bittersweet. Dera and her husband initially focused on removing plants that threatened their pond’s dam. “We have worked each year to remove the invasives and let the land ‘do its own thing’,” she explained. Some land is still in hay production and they have a good variety of pines and hardwoods such as hickory and oak. They have observed many mammals, including foxes, groundhogs, and in their first year, two young bears that walked up their driveway while they were sitting on their front porch (they moved inside right away). “There is a natural stand of blue sedge in the front yard that we don’t mow,” Dera explained. “We leave it for the birds.”
 
What is the most amazing thing you have experienced in nature?
When Dera and David lived in Maryland, they had a weekend house on the Eastern Shore. “I was standing outside looking over the water and a bald eagle barreled down from the sky, caught a humongous snake, and flew off. It was truly breathtaking” she said.
 
As the VMH Coordinator for ORMN, what would you like our members to know?
When they first moved to Virginia, Dera became friendly with her neighbor who encouraged her to become a Master Naturalist. As a member of ORMN’s Class 8, Dera took to heart the request made during class that member support in administrative functions was critical to the continuation of the chapter. So when the VMN Coordinator at the time stepped down, she accepted the responsibility and has been in this position for three years. “It is so important for each of the members to help with administrative tasks,” she said. “And to make a pitch for my area, you can put in your time in the comfort of your own home and earn volunteer hours really quickly!”
 
Dera described the importance of reporting volunteer hours, particularly volunteer hours for our State sponsors. “Our sponsors need this information to justify their involvement with us, which sometimes includes funding.” She continued, “If members don’t record volunteer hours, ORMN doesn’t get credit for all the time we collectively invest in our sponsors and partners.”
 
At the end of each calendar year Dera’s team “scrubs the data” to make sure everything is accurate. They check each entry for correctness and consistent language. They then compile it for inclusion in ORMN’s annual report which is submitted to the State VMN office. The State VMN compiles the data from chapters across the State and submits it to the various sponsors and partners.
 
Dera and her team are always ready to help any member who has problems with entering information into the VMN system. “The system is set up to allow you to go back and easily correct something you may have entered incorrectly.” The Volunteer Management System is being updated this coming year and Dera hopes it will be easier for members to use. She also hopes that members will take her plea to heart.  “Your volunteer hours are so valuable!” she said. “We want to be sure that our sponsors and partners know of the exceptional contributions made by the members of Old Rag Master Naturalists and you are recognized for all your hard work.”
 
Her ending request: “Let’s make sure VMN, our sponsors and our partners recognize how much we value them by documenting the many, many hours of support we give them each year.”
 
Interviewed by Charlene Uhl, November 13, 2020
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