The Tidewater Chapter of the Virginia Master Naturalist Program covers the Tidewater area of southeast Virginia including Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk and Virginia Beach. The Chapter’s mission is “to develop a well-informed corps of volunteers to provide education, outreach, and service dedicated to the beneficial management of natural resources and natural areas within local communities for the Commonwealth of Virginia”.
The Virginia Master Naturalist Program is jointly sponsored by
- Virginia Cooperative Extension
- Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation
- Virginia Department of Forestry
- Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries
- Virginia Museum of Natural History
The coordinating committee for the Tidewater Master Naturalists has set a goal of training volunteers in fun, interactive and interesting ways about the natural environment in our local area. Much of the required 40 hours of training will be done during field trips to nearby natural areas, such as national wildlife refuges, state parks, city gardens, and small wetlands; the rest will take place in a classroom setting at the Norfolk Botanical Garden. Following training, and to become fully certified, Master Naturalists will volunteer at least 40 hours per year working on projects in environmental education, citizen science and stewardship and will participate in advanced training opportunities.