Master Naturalist training is coming to central Nebraska starting in April. Apply online now for a chance to learn about our state’s natural resources and start sharing that information with others.
The Spring 2012 Nebraska Master Naturalist Training and Certification will be Saturdays, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., April 14 through June 9, at natural resource education centers focused around the Grand Island and Kearney areas. This expert-led training costs $250 per person.
Master naturalists receive 60 hours of in the field training in natural resource subject areas such as ecosystems, plants, and animals. Once certified, Master Naturalists are asked to provide 20 hours of volunteer service a year in order to maintain their certification. Naturalists provide environmental education, habitat management, citizen science research, and outdoor skills mentoring to a variety of natural resource agencies and conservation organizations around the state.
“Since 2010 more than 100 certified master naturalists have become an essential part of a volunteer network dedicated to conserving Nebraska’s natural resources,” said Annabel Major, coordinator of the Master Naturalist program, which is supported by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and the Nebraska Environmental Trust.
Master naturalists have worked with 42,000 Nebraskans, have supported more than 100 natural resource programs, and have provided the equivalent of $65,000 in volunteer service for the state, Major said.
Online tools such as the Master Naturalist website (http://naturalist.unl.edu) and the Nebraska Nature Network (http://nebraskanaturenetwork.org) help volunteers find opportunities to connect and serve.
Apply now for the spring 2012 Nebraska Master Naturalist training and certification in central Nebraska at http://naturalist.unl.edu or by calling 402-472-8689.
More details at: http://go.unl.edu/9ay