List of State Naturalist and Master Naturalist Programs

[Cirsium]

Many states have, or are starting, state naturalist or master naturalist programs. These programs provide an excellent opportunity to participate in conserving, preserving and restoring your state’s natural resources. The training is often provided by University faculty. The volunteer work can often be accomplished in your local area working on a project important to your local ecosystem.

There is a national level organization that many of the states participate in - the Alliance of Natural Resource Outreach & Service Programs (ANROSP). If your state hasn’t started a state naturalist program, they may be able to help you get one started.

Alliance of Natural Resource Outreach & Service Programs

Welcome to the website of the Alliance of Natural Resource Outreach & Service Programs- a national organization formed to support the development and maintenance of adult- natural resource education and stewardship programs such as Master Naturalists- Watershed Stewards- and Conservation Stewards.

Home


ANROSP Resources
Resources
From the FAQ’s on the Resources page:

What type of training do member programs provide?
There is no single hard-and-fast model of how to establish a curriculum; diversity and adaptability are program hallmarks. In general, "basic" training in a variety of natural resource concepts is given across a 10-14 week period. Participants usually receive 40 hours of training, although this can vary from 30 to 120 hours, depending on the specific program.

Training covers a broad range of natural science topics; main themes include an overview of basic ecology; terrestrial & aquatic ecosystems and their associated flora, fauna, and conservation issues; interpreting for the public; invasive species; watersheds & streams; and management issues. Each program tailors training to fit the local ecosystems and program goals (i.e. some programs have a greater focus on volunteer stewardship, others are targeted more towards environmental education, or professional development).

Courses have a classroom and field component, so participants experience and practice what they learn immediately. Several programs also require a final project or “capstone” that allows trainees to synthesize and apply what they learned. Following training, volunteers may be expected to provide a set number of hours of service annually on approved projects, generally to equal the number of hours of basic training. Because “basic” training covers a huge amount of information in a relatively short period, most programs require some form of advanced training or continuing education, to explore particular topics or concepts in greater depth.

State-level conferences for program participants are often a venue to deliver a variety of advanced training opportunities.
http://nralliance.org/admin_tool/fck...es/faqlist.pdf

Arizona

Our mission is creating a corps of well-informed volunteers to deliver quality environmental education programs and to promote stewardship of Arizona's watersheds and natural environment.

Arizona Master Naturalist News Web Log ("Blog")


Arkansas

To develop a corps of well-informed volunteers to provide education, outreach, and service dedicated to the beneficial management of natural resources and natural areas within their communities.

http://www.armasternaturalist.org/


California

The UC Master Naturalist is a science based environmental education and outreach program designed to increase environmental stewardship and citizen participation in resource conservation throughout California.

Master Naturalists - Home Page


Colorado

Fort Collins
Master Naturalists are volunteer educators with the City of Fort Collins Natural Areas Program.

Master naturalists: volunteers: City of Fort Collins

Gore Range
By completing this coursework, you’ll gain an understanding of the natural history in our valley and discover exciting opportunities to get involved in caring for our natural world.

Gore Range Natural Science School - Colorado


Connecticut


Delaware

The program's mission is to educate and train citizens throughout the state to serve as volunteers in environmental education; monitoring, restoration, conservation and protection of Delaware's natural resources. Volunteer opportunities include aquatic education, wildlife surveys, tree planting, native seed collection and more!

How can you help to conserve our Green Infrastructure?


Florida

The mission of the Florida Master Naturalist Program (FMNP) is to promote awareness, understanding, and respect of Florida's natural world among Florida's citizens and visitors.

Florida Master Naturalist Program Homepage


Georgia

The Georgia Master Naturalist program is a series of weekly programs with specific environmental topics. This program is a hands-on environmental education that explores habitats and ecosystems in Georgia and human impacts on those environments. The sessions are customized to local habitats such as swamps, ponds, rivers, wetlands, mountains, forests, farms, urban landscapes and the issues affecting them. This program is a combination of lectures and outside hands-on learning through field studies and relevant resources.

Georgia Master Naturalist Program: Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources


Hawaii


Idaho

The Idaho Master Naturalist Program aims to develop a corps of well-informed volunteers to actively work toward stewardship of Idaho’s natural environment.

Idaho Master Naturalist Program


Illinois

The University of Illinois Extension Master Naturalist program provides science-based educational opportunities that connect people with nature and help them become engaged environmental stewards.

Illinois Master Naturalist Program - Current Flagship Progams - University of Illinois Extension


Indiana

The Indiana Master Naturalist program can provide you with many hands-on opportunities to learn about our Hoosier natural resources. It also provides a way for you to share that knowledge, along with your life experiences, through volunteer service.

Untitled Document


Iowa

Kansas

Kentucky

Maine


Maryland

This program is in the developmental stage and will be released the fall of 2009. It teaches science based concepts and principles in biology, zoology, ecology, forestry, geology, and many other science disciplines.

Maryland Master Naturalist Program - Maryland Cooperative Extension


Massachusetts


Michigan

The Master Naturalist program, is similar to the Master Gardener program with a focus on conservation and the environment. The program consists of 25 hours of Education and then there is a 30-hour volunteer requirement to complete Master Naturalist certification.

MSUE Kent County Portal

Michigan Conservation Stewards Program - "Conservation Stewards gives people the chance to learn from local and statewide experts about local natural resources and efforts to protect them," says Shari Dann, Michigan State University (MSU) Extension conservation specialist.

Michigan Conservation Stewards Program


Minnesota

The Minnesota Master Naturalist Program is designed to teach adult participants about natural and cultural history of the three major biomes of Minnesota.

Minnesota Master Naturalist Home


Mississippi

A Master Naturalist will receive 40 hours of in-depth training in natural resource and wildlife management. This information will be taught by regional experts at the Mississippi State University Coastal Research and Extension Center with field trips to discover and learn more about south Mississippi’s wildlife and natural habitats. Master Naturalist volunteers will promote environmental stewardship within their community through conducting educational activities, projects, and demonstrations. An additional 40 hours of volunteer service is required to obtain certification in the program.

Environmental Extension


Missouri

The Missouri Master Naturalist™ program is an adult community-based natural resource education and volunteer service program sponsored jointly by the Missouri Department of Conservation and the University of Missouri Extension. Our mission is to engage Missourians in the stewardship of our state's natural resources through science-based education and volunteer community service. Missouri Master Naturalist volunteers support conservation efforts and natural resource education in their local communities.

Missouri Master Naturalist


Montana

The Montana Master Naturalist Basic Course consists of 40 hours of in-classroom training. The training includes lectures, in-class laboratories, and outdoor field trips. You’ll learn naturalist skills such as Montana rock, plant, and animal identification; how to identify mammal skulls by their teeth, natural history interpretation skills, keeping a journal, drawing from nature; collecting insects, and much, much more. The course is designed to be a general overview of the local ecology and focuses on the richest sites to study Montana’s landscapes and native species.

Montana Natural History Center The Montana Master Naturalist Course


Nebraska

A Master Naturalist Program is a volunteer recruitment, management and training program designed to train "master volunteers" to conduct conservation education, outreach, and service in their community.

http://snr5.unl.edu/invasives/images/Outreach/NMNflier.pdf


Nevada

The Nevada Naturalist Program is a new, adult, environmental education program created to develop a corps of education naturalist volunteers to serve in southern Nevada.

University of Nevada Cooperative Extension - Nevada Naturalist


New Hampshire

The New Hampshire Coverts Project trains volunteers to promote wildlife habitat conservation and forest stewardship.

UNH Cooperative Extension - Wildlife - Coverts Volunteers


New Jersey

New Mexico


New York

4. Master Naturalist Program
(Kristi Sullivan, Steve Morreale, Gary Goff)
The first statewide Master Naturalist Program, held at Cornell’s Arnot Forest, was a huge success. Because of the overwhelming interest in the program, we limited participation to 31 people from across the state, with an additional 12 people on a waiting list hoping to attend future programs. During the 2-day pilot program, we addressed these issues and more, covering a variety of topics from three main categories: ecosystems, contemporary conservation issues, and organism identification.

http://www.dnr.cornell.edu/ext/forestconnect/ForestConnect%20summary%202008.pdf


North Carolina

North Dakota


Ohio

The mission of the OCVN program is to promote awareness and citizen stewardship of Ohio's natural resources through science-based education and community service.

Ohio Certified Volunteer Naturalist - About OCVN


Oklahoma

Do you love the sound of bird songs and want to know who's singing? Do you want to know how to identify native plants and use them in your landscape to attract birds and butterflies? Do you love nature and want to learn more about natural resources right here in Oklahoma? Then join us as a member of the Oklahoma Master Naturalists! We are a group of volunteers dedicated to learning about and preserving Oklahoma's rich biological diversity and sharing this knowledge through education, outreach, and service within our communities.

Oklahoma Master Naturalists | Home


Oregon

The Master Watershed Stewardship program (MWS) is a statewide program within the Oregon State University Extension Service (Forestry and Agriculture programs) and Oregon Sea Grant. MWSP offers educational sessions and materials to help watershed groups and individuals understand how their watersheds work and apply this knowledge to watershed stewardship on their own land or in their community.

Detailed Information


Pennsylvania

The Master Naturalist training program is a national initiative that aims to connect people with their local ecosystems through intensive natural science training and local conservation service work. It is a venture directed toward developing local corps of “master volunteers and service providers” to offer education, outreach and service dedicated to the understanding and management of natural areas within their communities.

Pennsylvania Institute for Conservation Education


Rhode Island


South Carolina

The South Carolina Master Naturalist Program is a statewide corps of volunteers providing education, outreach, and service dedicated to the beneficial management of natural resources and natural areas within their communities. Interested South Carolinians become Master Naturalists through training and volunteer service.

SC Master Naturalist : Public Service : Clemson University : South Carolina


South Dakota


Tennessee
Environmental Education in Tennessee - Tennessee Master Naturalist Survey


Texas

The Mission: To develop a corps of well-informed volunteers to provide education, outreach, and service dedicated to the beneficial management of natural resources and natural areas within their communities.

Texas Master Naturalist - Home


Utah

Each Utah Master Naturalist Program module will consist of 40 hours of instruction, 40-50% of which is spent in the field. Classroom and field activities will include instructor presentations, guest presentations on relevant resource issues, small group presentations, final project presentations, take-home assignments, and open discussions.

Utah Master Naturalist Program - Utah Botanical Center - utahbotanicalcenter.org


Vermont


Virginia

The Virginia Master Naturalist Program is a statewide corps of volunteers providing education, outreach, and service dedicated to the beneficial management of natural resources and natural areas within their communities. Interested Virginians become Master Naturalists through training and volunteer service.

Virginia Master Naturalist Program Home


Washington


West Virginia

The mission of the West Virginia Master Naturalist Programtm is to train interested people in the fundamentals of natural history, nature interpretation and teaching, and to instill in them an appreciation of the importance of responsible environmental stewardship.

West Virginia DNR - Wildlife Resources


Wisconsin

Any adult (18 or older) can participate and no previous experience or training is necessary. The courses are taught by university professors and customized to focus on the native ecosystems in our area. After recieving training Wisconsin Naturalists help to preserve our natural resources by participating in a variety of projects from working as educators at natural areas to helping scientists conduct research projects at natural areas.

Cofrin Center for Biodiversity


Wyoming

[Staff]

Good to see this information at our fingertips.

Thank you Cirsium.

[hazelnut]

That program sounds like it is more in line with the goals of Wildlifegardeners.

Thanks for the info, Cirsium.

[Hedgerowe]

I have been told that Maryland's program was not ready for release this year after all. They anticipate being able to have it up and running, ready for enrollment, in the fall of 2010.

[THBFarm]

Is it appropriate to post about the online Windstar Wildlife Institute habitat naturalist programs? They are a non-profit educational org are based in MD, and they offer a basic self-paced course as well as a more advanced Master Naturalist course. I have done both courses (between 2002 and 2005) and I recommend them. The modules go into great detail about catering to the needs of wildlife in a residential setting, as well as good depth into ecological issues. Many of the instructors were from regional USDA and wildlife agencies, as I recall.

The link for their web site is WindStar

[Cirsium]

One of the central features of the Master Naturalist programs is the requirement to volunteer a certain amount of hours in support of the sponsoring organization's environmental programs. Most of the Master Naturalist programs are sponsored by universities. They are looking at these programs as a partner type of relationship with the participants. They will provide the volunteers with some first class training in exchange for some (now well trained) volunteer work on environmental projects in their area.

This core public service element is why organizations like Windstar were not included in the list.

[THBFarm]

no problem - I just posted it because when I started getting really into the idea of gardening for wildlife, I had a hard time finding any kind of education/training for it. All these state programs are just great. Wish there was one for Massachusetts!

[Cirsium]

Your comments prompted me to have a fresh look at Massachusetts to see if a State/Master Naturalist program had been started. I didn't find a state naturalist program, but the University of Massachusetts Extension's Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation Program does have some great resources available:

UMASS Extension's Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation (NREC) Program provides educational programs and materials that enable people to make informed decisions and take actions to preserve or enhance the quality, productivity and sustainability of natural resources and natural systems.

Natural Resources & Environmental Conservation - About NREC

Some interesting publications:
Natural Resources & Environmental Conservation
Natural Heritage - Publications

They seem like a progressive environmentally focused group. Have you considered contacting them to see if they would be interested in starting a State Naturalist Program? Might be an interesting opportunity!

[Equilibrium]

THBFarm> I'm soooooo GLAD you asked about Windstar. I've been biting my tongue over how this Windstar disappointed me personally beyond belief. Cirsium> You need to take a close look.... not even a real close look... at their articles and newsletters. I think there's much more to it than just not including the core public service element. Their master naturalist programs look to be a one size fits all. Looks like a "student" in CA follows the same online course of study as a "student" in Maine as a "student" in North Dakota. I'm thinking these two master naturalist programs share one thing... the same course name. I unsubscribed from their newsletters years ago. They were consistently including articles that were poorly researched complete with misguided recommendations. And... I'm not out of my mind. Example 1) A farm pond stocking article that recommended large-mouthed bass and bluegill then grass carp for algae... with no mention the large mouthed bass and bluegill should only be used in their native ranges and that grass carp require a permit??? 2) An article about cutting down snags that never bothered to mention snags should be left in place whenever possible??? 3) An article discussing attracting deer with no mention of ecological problems deer create in the absence of predators??? 4) An article on frogs complete with a photo of a White's Tree Frog... which just just so happens to be a very adorable Australian species. Cats are adorable too... why not include them as wildlife in their articles since it seems anything goes with them??? And get this, when I asked to unsubscribe I got this schpiel about how space is limited and they can't address everything or some crap like that. One size doesn't fit all when educating master naturalists that are going to be working with the public within a given area. Sorry... but... Windstar seems to be nothing more than a vehicle to sell more mad bluebird products. And speaking of bluebirds and other cavity nesters like purple martins... here's Windstar's knowledge center article on habitat for cavity nesters, WindStar - Did they miss something here as in... no mention of providing species of native flora to attract the insects these birds MUST have to feed their young and no mention whatsoever of active and passive sparrow control for those offering nest boxes to cavity nesters??? Everything about Windstar in my opinion is more of a "let's help you feel good" about what you're doing without delving into any serious wildlife issues so they don't have to worry about upsetting any of their membership. We're talking an organization with a national distribution here and while we're signing up for their e-magazine... could we buy a mad bluebird goldtone watch to support their cause while we're shelling out over $200 bucks to take their online naturalist courses. The master naturalist courses offered by the universities are around $100 and we're going to get a much bigger bang for our buck.

[THBFarm]

Hmmm, well I take some of your points, wildlife gardening is so very specific to locale, it is not easy to cater to a national audience. Although my course materials included CDs and info for my particular region. I took these classes in the early 2000s when there was very little education/training available for wildlife gardeners. I'm not sure whether they have updated their courses to reflect the newest science and research available, but they certainly filled a need I had at the time to learn about some best practices for habitat landscaping. And re: the plugs to sell products, I am fairly used to that kind of stuff from the NWF and other non-profit orgs. Sorry you were disappointed. We have many resources and information available to us these days - these forums included!