News Articles

February 28, 2019

Interested in scientifically studying animals? Want to know proper trapping techniques the pros use? Learn how to collect terrestrial mammals and insects with curators from the Virginia Museum of Natural History on Saturday, March 30 on the campus of Roanoke College in Salem! Registration is required by March 15!

February 27, 2019

Congratulations to Ryan Barber, deputy director of VMNH, for being re-appointed to the Marketing, Awards & Communications Commitee of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP)! The committee includes 13 members from multiple U.S. states and Canada. Barber also serves on AFP's U.S. Government Relations Committee. Congratulations, Ryan!

February 27, 2019

Students from Franklin County High School's Teens-N-Tots program visited the museum today, along with pre-K children from the Franklin County community! The Teens-N-Tots program is designed to allow high school students to work one-on-one with the younger students. While at the museum, the pre-K children participated in the museum-led "Dinosaur Dig" program, with the help and guidance of the high school students.

February 25, 2019

We enjoyed hosting students from Blue Ridge Christian Academy today for guided exhibit tours and educational programming inside the museum classrooms! Educator Terri Robertson showed-off some amazing live animals during the "Animal Needs" program, including a Madagascar hissing cockroach, painted turtle, and a ball python!

February 23, 2019

Dr. Kal Ivanov, assistant curator of invertebrate zoology, is in Columbus, Ohio for the annual Ohio Natural History Conference. Dr. Ivanov is presenting his research of Ohio ants at the conference, which has over 250 attendees, including students, educators, faculty, park officials, and museum professionals, making it one of the largest regional meetings entirely focused on natural history. This year's meeting is at the Ohio History Center, which Dr. Ivanov was able to tour during his free time.

February 22, 2019

VMNH educators are in the Harvest Foundation Hall of Ancient Life connecting live with 2nd graders at Berkeley Glenn Elementary School in Waynesboro today! Students are receiving a virtual tour of some of the museum's exhibits and, as seen here, receiving a live look inside the museum archaeology lab, while learning about some of the archaeology artifacts that reside inside the museum's collections.

February 19, 2019

Due to the threat of winter weather, the museum will be closed on Wednesday, February 20, 2019.

February 14, 2019

Ryan Barber, deputy director of VMNH, recently spoke to a group of museum volunteers about the upcoming Jean S. Adams Education Pavilion, which is scheduled to open in Spring 2020. The pavilion will be a multi-season covered structure to be erected adjacent to the museum near J. Frank Wilson Memorial Park. It will include flexible-use outdoor seating and exhibit materials interpreting the natural features and ecology of the park.

February 13, 2019

If you've ever wondered what happens behind the locked doors of the museum's research and collections areas, this is your chance to find out!!

February 12, 2019

Spend your Valentine's Day learning about your real true love...dogs!! For 15,000 years, dogs and humans have developed a unique and complex relationship. This Thursday at 6 p.m., Dr. Elizabeth Moore, curator of archaeology at the museum and and co-editor of the book Dogs and People in Social, Working, Economic or Symbolic Interaction, will discuss the archaeological evidence for dogs in Eastern North America, the roles dogs played in Eastern Native American cultures and the evidence for those roles and relationships in Virginia. The presentation is part of the museum's "2nd Thursday Science Talks" series and free to attend.

February 9, 2019

Curious young minds are back on the campus of James Madison University taking part in the university's "College for Kids" enrichment program for children in grades 1-8! Today, VMNH is teaming up with JMU to provide the students with hands-on lessons in animal classification on the campus of JMU. Additionally, museum educators are connecting remotely with the students from within the exhibit galleries of the Martinsville-based museum!

February 8, 2019

9th graders from Magna Vista High School are at the museum today learning all about fossils and the geologic timescale via exhibit tours and classroom activities! Want your students to have their own museum adventure? Contact us at discover@vmnh.virginia.gov or call 276-634-4185 to schedule a visit today! Scholarship opportunities exist for many school districts!

February 7, 2019

SCIENCE TALK AT THE WAYNE THEATRE Tuesday, February 12 at 7 p.m. On Tuesday, February 12 at 7 p.m., Dr. Jess Jones, restoration biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, will present "South River Mussels Factors Needed to Survive" at the historic Wayne Theatre in Waynesboro, Virginia. Dr. Jess Jones is a Restoration Biologist with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, stationed in the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences at Virginia Tech. His work interests and activities include restoration of endangered mussel populations, conservation management of rivers, ecotoxicology of river ecosystems, mussel propagation and life history, and mussel population dynamics and genetics. He has authored numerous articles and ...

February 6, 2019

Thanks so much to everyone who attended this year's Reptile Festival! The event featured a wide variety of live reptiles, including cobras, rattlesnakes, vipers, alligators, turtles and a host of lizards. Attendees were even able to handle many of the non-venemous animals! Special thanks to Bassett Furniture, Carter Bank & Trust, U.S. Cellular and the Hermes Family Fund for making this event possible! Many thanks to Larry Mendoza of the Virginia Herpetological Society, Mark Kilby of the Luray Zoo, the staff of Exotics & Aquatics, as well as all of the festival volunteers and vendors for being such a major part of this event! This year's festival saw the largest single-day attendance in the museum's history and smashed ...

February 5, 2019

Dr. Nancy Moncrief, curator of mammals, and Liberty Hightower, biology research technician, are attending the annual meeting of the Virginia Chapter of The Wildlife Society in Waynesboro this week networking with other scientists, discussing ongoing research projects, and planning future collaborations. During the meeting, Dr. Moncrief also presented results of her studies of raccoons on the Virginia barrier islands. Also in attendance at this year's meeting are staff of the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, as well as students and faculty members from Radford University and Virginia Tech.

February 4, 2019

The museum is re-opened after the unexpected power outage this afternoon. We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused.

February 4, 2019

Due to a city power outage, the museum is currently closed to visitors. We apologize for this inconvenience and we will update our status, when power is restored.

February 2, 2019

Young learners on the campus of James Madison University are taking part in the university's "College for Kids" enrichment program for children in grades 1-8 today! Students are participating in hands-on programs on campus, while connecting remotely with museum educators back at the Martinsville-based museum!