The Outreach Division recently welcomed three new faces to the team. Kristin Mullins is DWR’s new volunteer coordinator, and she has years of experience with coordinating volunteers within the Commonwealth. Shelby Crouch came on board as the new Public Information Officer in March, and she too has extensive experience within state government with stops at the Department of Conservation and Recreation and Virginia State Police. Maria La Lima has joined DWR as our new Senior Graphic Designer, and she brings extensive experience in graphic design, most recently as the Graphics Design Manager for the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation. We are glad they are here!
Explore the Wild, DWR’s web-based access app, officially launched in March. The response from the public has been overwhelmingly positive thus far. Thanks to everyone that played a role in making this new initiative a reality. The hope is that Explore the Wild will become Virginia’s “go to” source for information about public land opportunities within the Commonwealth.
The Virginia Birding Classic kicked off on April 15. Outreach and watchable wildlife staff were excited to kick off this inaugural event. This event is anticipated to grow in popularity over the coming years and is helping generate revenue for the agency via the extensive bird watching community.
Hunting outreach and hunter education staff have been busy with the Becoming a Virginia Hunter series of classes. This new approach to introducing people to hunting is a game changer for the agency and has been very successful. Additional sessions are planned for the coming months.
DWR’s agreement with Devil’s Backbone Brewery has been formalized and will run for at least another three years. We appreciate that partnership and their support of DWR projects. If you have ideas for other partnerships or have a project you need help with please don’t hesitate to reach out to Kelsey Steenburgh.
It’s a busy time for Outreach – keep an eye out for an increased presence on YouTube in the coming year and make sure to say hello to the four interns Outreach will be bringing on board for the summer. As always, please let us know what we can do to support you and highlight the important work the agency does.
