Take a peek inside...

person's hands holding a tree log

...to see what Central Blue Ridge can offer!

person's hands holding a log that has been split open to reveal the inside wood

VMN Basic Training

Due to the small size of our chapter, CBR is normally only able to hold a Basic Training course every other year.  The most recent course (2026) finished in April, but we maintain a list of people who are interested in taking the training course the next time it is offered.  If you would like to be added to our list, send your name and email address to the Virginia Extension Office in Lovingston, phone 434-263-7180 or email lmacrae@vt.edu.  We will contact you as soon as we schedule the next course.  You might also consider inquiring about training courses with other chapters in nearby areas.


The majority of our members live in Nelson County, but we also have members who live in Albemarle, Amherst, Augusta, Buckingham, and Rockbridge counties.  Our meetings are open to the public, and the schedule for 2026 is below.  However, please check with our chapter administrator (contact information listed below) to ascertain that the upcoming meeting is being held on the date and location as stated.  Thank you for your interest. 

group of 15 volunteers gathered around a large wooden chair sculpture outdoors in a field
Central Blue Ridge Chapter basic training courses include field trips that are both educational and fun!

 

Bi-monthly Chapter Meetings

Our regular meetings are held on the first Thursday of every other month in the conference room at the Nelson Center, which is located at 8445 Thomas Nelson Highway, Lovingston.  The Center is on the west side of U.S. 29, just south of the traffic light in Lovingston.  Turn west at the sign to the County Library and Tourism Office.  The Nelson Center is on the south side of the parking lot.  Use the entrance door with the covered canopy.
 
Our 2026 meetings are scheduled for February 5, April 2, June 4, August 6, October 1, and December 3.    Meetings are open to non-members, and each meeting begins at 7 p.m. and ends by 9 p.m.  A guest speaker is featured during the first half of each meeting, and presentations include a variety of nature topics that are of interest in Virginia.   On rare occasions, a meeting date or location must be changed due to inclement weather or unexpected circumstance.  Please contact our chapter advisor or administrative assistant (emails listed below) to ascertain that the upcoming meeting is still being held as scheduled.
several volunteers gathered together outdoors, looking at newly planted trees
Riparian buffer workshop with the Virginia Department of Forestry.

Chapter Projects

CBR members volunteer in a wide variety of projects with state agencies that sponsor the VMN program, local partner organizations, and a number of other environmental organizations.  On-going projects include Bluebird trails, docent staffing at the Rockfish Valley Foundation Museum, an annual butterfly count, monitoring and maintenance on public trail systems, work in a new county park, assistance at two area wildlife rehabilitation sanctuaries, stream monitoring, and leading walks on nature trails at both public and private locations throughout the area.  If you have information about volunteer projects or continuing education opportunities that may be of interest to CBR members, please contact our chapter advisor.
group of volunteers gathered outdoors
Annual summer butterfly count with the North American Butterfly Association.

Volunteer Project Opportunities

To make it easier for volunteers, especially new VMNs, to find volunteer projects to get involved with, we have created a volunteer opportunity list. Clicking on this link will download a PDF with web links and descriptions of all the opportunities we are aware of. If you discover an opportunity that is not listed in this document, please send a link and a description of the volunteer project to Bruce Slater (brulater@gmail.com). Conversely, if you have a problem using the document, please contact Bruce.

Contacts

Chapter Advisor

Justin Barnes  justin.barnes@dof.virginia.gov      
Phone 804-489-4952
Virginia Department of Forestry Headquarters
Fontaine Research Park
900 Natural Resources Drive
Suite 800
Charlottesville, Virginia 22903

Virginia Cooperative Extension Office for Nelson County

Administrative Assistant:  Cindy MacRae 
Email: lmacrae@vt.edu
Phone: (434) 263-7180
Nelson Extension Office
Located in the Nelson Center on U.S. 29, Lovingston
PO Box 298
Lovingston, VA  22949

Chapter Officers

Bette Dzamba         President                    
Noah Flood             Vice President                    
Cynthia Elkey          Treasurer                
Holly Korab             Member Meeting Secretary        
Amelia McCulley     Board Meeting Secretary        
Anne Slotwinski      Membership Chair/Correspondence     
Bruce Slater            IT Chair                
Susan McSwain      Basic Training Chair            
Libby Carmines       Chapter Host
Stephen Cassola     At-large Board Member
Wendy Kendrick      At-large Board Member
Susan McSwain      Chapter Historian
Lena Kroll                Immediate Past President

volunteer crouched next to a newly planted tree in a protective tube
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Mission Statement

The Virginia Master Naturalist program is a corps of well-informed volunteers who provide education, outreach, and service dedicated to the beneficial management of natural resources and natural areas within their communities for the Commonwealth of Virginia.