Old Rag Master Naturalists

Old Rag Master Naturalists (ORMN) are volunteer educators, citizen scientists and stewards helping Virginia conserve and manage natural resources and public lands. 

Make a Difference!

Feel that sense of satisfaction when you make an impact through volunteer service and donations! 

Examples of Old Rag Master Naturalist volunteer activities that you can participate in or help fund:

1. Monitor stream health on the Rapidan, Rose, Hazel, Thornton and other rivers in our area
2. Document wildlife observations and maintain bluebird and kestrel trails
3. Lead nature walks at our State and National Parks and help educate others about wildlife
4. Install pollinator gardens
5. Plant trees to protect waterways from runoff
6. Organize community cleanups of local parks and streams
7. Provide advice to homeowners for improving wildlife habitat on their properties
8. Engage youth in environmental education…and hundreds more activities to benefit natural resource education and conservation

Your contributions will help foster our organization goal to conserve natural resources and public lands through education, citizen science, and stewardship.

Last year, your donations helped ORMN do the following:

1. Installed or upgraded four new bluebird trails:
   1. Cedar Mountain Battlefield, Culpeper County
   2. Riverside Preserve, Fauquier County
   3. Germanna's Siegen Forest, Orange County
   4. Orange County Park and Recreation, Green County 
2. Installed multiple new kestrel boxes in our region
3. Purchased educational material that supported outreach programs like Envirothon
4. Purchased supplies needed to monitor local streams

And more!

This year we are also promoting a new program!

Adopt an American chestnut grove!

The American chestnut, Castanea dentata, once dominated portions of the eastern US forests. At one point there were nearly four billion Chestnut trees in the US.  They were the largest, tallest, and fastest-growing trees in these forests. For thousands of years, the original inhabitants of the Appalachians greatly valued the American Chestnut as an abundant food source for themselves and the local wildlife. 

Unfortunately, in the late 1800’s, a pathogen, Cryphonectria parasitica was introduced to the US which led to the chestnut blight. In about 50 years, the American chestnut virtually disappeared from our forests. 

The American Chestnut Foundation is working to develop a blight-resistant and Phytophthora-resistant American chestnut tree through scientific research and breeding, and to restore the tree to its native range in the eastern United States. 

Our organization provides volunteers to help support the goals of the American Chestnut Foundation.  

You too can help support our goal of establishing the chestnut forests here in Virginia!

Funds will go towards buying locally grown, blight resistant chestnut trees, transporting and planting them in suitable areas. 

Please consider becoming a part of our team by adopting a chestnut grove!

For a donation of $225, you will adopt a grove of five trees, and you will receive:

• An official adoption certificate for your chestnut grove
• A picture of your grove after it is installed 
• Satisfaction of supporting chestnut forest revival!

Old Rag Master Naturalists is for everyone who is curious about nature and who wants to be in a supportive group working together on natural resource conservation. We seek to build a diverse and inclusive volunteer corps that is accessible to all.

Our Chapter serves Culpeper, Fauquier, Greene, Madison, Orange and Rappahannock counties. ORMN operates through the Virginia Cooperative Extension, a partnership of Virginia Tech, Virginia State University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and local governments. Its programs and employment are open to all, regardless of age, color, disability, sex (including pregnancy), gender, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, military status, or any other basis protected by law.  An equal opportunity, affirmative action employer.  

The Old Rag Master Naturalists chapter is organized as a non-profit §501(c)(3) organization under the Internal Revenue Service Code.