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 a Kestrel Box!

Kestrels are the smallest falcon in North America with a size between an American Robin and a Crow. These beautiful birds play an important role as natural pest controllers by consuming numerous crop pests, which is an important ecosystem service. 

Sadly, our Kestrel population has declined nearly 78% since the 1970’s.

Our volunteers will assist the Virginia Grassland Bird Initiative through Citizen Science efforts by monitoring nest boxes within the Old Rag Chapter’s area. The data collected will aid in the understanding of optimal Kestrel nesting/breeding sites, improve habitat and provide additional breeding information which can help us to restore the Kestrel population. 

Please consider a yearly adoption of one of our nest boxes!

Nest box adoptions are symbolic (we do all of the work!) and nest boxes adoptions make a great gift! 

Adopting a kestrel box helps us increase the number of places kestrels have to nest in our area.

Funds will go towards buying and installing new boxes, replacing or fixing damaged boxes, and purchasing supplies to build the specialized cameras used to monitor the boxes without disturbing the birds. 

Please consider becoming a part of our team by adopting a box!

For each $100 adoption, you will receive:

• An official adoption certificate for your Kestrel Box
• A picture of your box after it is installed 
• A report on the birds nesting in your box at the end of the next breeding season 
• Satisfaction of supporting kestrels!

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.