Maine Master Naturalist Training

PRESS RELEASE                                                                                         January 31, 2014

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:  SUSAN HAYWARD, 782-5238, shayward@bates.edu

 

 

Maine Master Naturalist Program Launches Fourth Year

            The Maine Master Naturalist Program is accepting applications for its 2014-2015 program session to be held at the Viles Arboretum in Augusta. The course provides 72 hours of classroom and outdoor experience, focusing on field natural history: geology, identification of flora and fauna, wetland and upland ecology, ecological principles, and teaching methods. By the end of this certification program, participants will have developed the skills to lead a walk, present a talk, and provide outreach to schools, land trusts, nature centers, and parks.

The training, which runs from June 14, 2014 through May 27, 2015, includes 10 evening classes and seven Saturdays. Tuition of $350 covers course texts, hand-outs, and supplies. Applications are due by March 15; for more information, go to: www.mainemasternaturalist.org.  Upon enrolment, participants agree to give 40 hours of volunteer service at a conservation non-profit or school during the year following certification, and must continue to volunteer (20 hours/year) to remain active Maine Master Naturalist Volunteers.

Maine Master Naturalist Volunteers have led programs from Cape Elizabeth to the western mountains and Belfast, in addition to other sites.Fifty-five individuals have graduated from the program in the previous two years. Thirty-five more individuals, enrolled in the program at Maine Audubon Centers in Falmouth and Holden, will graduate this May. The program’s goal is to develop a network of volunteer naturalists throughout the state.

For more information or questions, please contact Susan Hayward, 782-5238.

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