Montana Master Naturalist Course – now wait listing for Spring 2011!
Who can be a Montana Master Naturalist?
Any adult who is curious and enjoys learning about the natural world, shares that knowledge with others, and supports conservation. If you enjoy hiking, bird watching, following tracks, or identifying wildflowers, you’ll love being a Montana Master Naturalist. Montana Master Naturalists are a motivated group of fun and interesting people: teachers, retired professionals, nature guides, hunters, eco-tour operators, farmers, and . . . YOU!
The Montana Master Naturalist 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.
Course Logistics and Cost
FALL 2010 ***CLASS IS FILLED*** Call to get on the wait list for the spring 2011 course!
We are pleased to offer a Fall 2010 Montana Master Naturalist Course, taught by MNHC Naturalist Alyssa McLean. This is a 6-week course beginning September 7th and ending on October 14th, with the class meeting each Tuesday and Thursday evening from 4-7pm, plus three full-day Saturday field trips. Call MNHC at 327-0405 or email office @ montananaturalist.org to register. These classes fill up quickly, so make sure to sign up early!
The cost of the course is $295. A $50 deposit must be paid upon registration to hold one’s spot.
3 college credits will be available (pending approval).
Master Naturalist Certification is possible with 8 hours of post-class volunteer service.
SPRING 2011
We are pleased to offer our usual Spring Montana Master Naturalist Course in 2011, taught by MNHC Naturalist Brian Williams. This is a 12-week course, beginning in mid-February and running until early May. There will be a three-hour class each week plus three full-day Saturday field trips. Registration is not yet open for this course, but you can call our office at 327.0405 to put your name on the wait list, and we will contact you in the fall when we have confirmed the course dates.
Attendance Policy
Participants must complete at least 40 full hours of basic training to become certified Montana Master Naturalists. One make-up night is included in most courses.
Volunteer Service
Following the completion of the training course, Montana Master Naturalists will be expected to complete 40 hours of volunteer service per year to be considered active Master Naturalists. Any time spent on the Capstone Project and any volunteer service hours completed after graduating from the training course may be counted towards the 40 hours. There are four basic areas of service:
- Stewardship Projects—these projects involve natural resource management activities, such as invasive species removal or restoration projects.
- Education/Interpretive Projects—these projects would be public presentations of natural resource information, educational materials development, or leading hikes.
- Citizen Science Projects—these projects would focus on volunteers gathering data and returning it to researchers to support the research projects. Examples would include: Monarch larval monitoring, plant or animal counts, or water quality monitoring.
- Program Support—these projects include working in a store or office of the Montana Master Naturalist or sponsor, or serving as a local chapter organizer.
For a list of organizations with which you can volunteer, as well as upcoming advanced training opportunities, click here. >>
Scholarships
Scholarships may be available. Call MNHC for more information.
