1. Abstract/Background Advanced Virginia Master Gardener volunteers are trained through a service learning process to inform their local communities on crucial environmental issues such as water quality, proper natural resource management, and urban-rural interface concerns including wildland fire prevention and suppression. Currently, three advanced modules exist that focus on different aspects of environmental stewardship and natural resource conservation and preservation: Tree Stewardship, Water Stewardship, and Land Care Stewardship. Volunteers commit to spend 30 hours learning the content of their module along with the Virginia Cooperative Extension programming model. This enables them to determine local needs, develop and design a program to address those needs, implement the program, and then evaluate the outcome of that program. Volunteers also commit to annually fulfill 30 hours of community service implementing what they have learned. Volunteers provide community outreach to raise citizen awareness and initiate action on the topics identified through a needs assessment process. The presence of these Advanced Master Gardeners in specific locales in Virginia has proven effective. Natural Resources & Service Learning David D. Close State Master Gardener Coordinator Department of Horticulture Virginia Cooperative Extension Objectives Train VCE MG Volunteers as Front-line Responders Engage Communities in Confronting Concerns Provide Research Based Technology Transfer Inspire Creative Problem Solving Initiate Timely Responses to Real Needs Discussion Tree Stewards in Tidewater and the Middle Peninsula have responded to tree needs following hurricanes. Land Care Stewards in Hanover County have begun to address dwindling landfill space and how composting and other homeowner habits can impede the flow of recyclable yard waste to landfills. Local citizens and government officials benefit from these programs. Advance MG Service Learning modules provide a forum for multiple local, state, and federal agencies to collaborate with citizen volunteers as they confront globally significant environmental concerns on a local basis. A homeowner creates a natural fire break as a defensible act toward wildland fire suppression. A Virginia Cooperative Extension Agent and VCE MG volunteers construct a compost bin display for the 2006 Virginia State Fair. Home composting helps to keep yard waste out of local landfills and provides excellent growing media and soil amendments for home gardeners. A Virginia Cooperative Extension Agent and a VCE MG volunteer work with a family to create earthworm bins to recycle organic household wastes. ~ Land care stewardship ~ ~ Water stewardship ~ ~ Tree stewardship ~ VCE Master Gardeners and local residents participate in a stream quality survey. An Advanced Trained VCE MG volunteers speaks at the Spring Meeting for the Upper Tennessee River Roundtable VCE MGs host a booth at the local Heritage Festival. VCE MGs work at a Virginia Save Our Streams training session Tree Stewards distribute seedlings at a Virginia Dare Tree Wrap event. Following an Arbor Day classroom presentation by Tree Stewards, students are given a chance to express their understanding of what they just learned. Advanced MG Tree Stewards teach proper pruning techniques to up and coming VCE MG interns. The Tree Stewards of Virginia Beach host an Arbor Day event.