All Montana Master Naturalists need 8 hours of advanced training per year to maintain their certification. The goal of advanced training is to help Master Naturalists increase their understanding of Montana’s ecosystems.
Montana Master Naturalist advanced trainings need to:
- focus on an aspect of Montana’s natural, environmental, or cultural history
- be a formal training or class
Most activities will:
- occur in Montana
- have an outdoor component
Examples include:
- Project WET, WILD, or Learning Tree training
- Plant or animal identification course or presentation
- Water quality monitoring training
- Montana geology or climate course or presentation
- Volunteer orientation for a nature center
- Forest management course or presentation
- Environmental sustainability lecture
Examples that are NOT Montana Master Naturalists advanced training:
- Watching TV (even if it is a Montana nature-related show)
- Birding with friends
- Identifying trees at your cabin with family
- Reading a Montana natural history book
Where to find advanced training:
- Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge
- Montana State Parks
- Montana State University Extension Service
- Montana Audubon
- Montana Native Plant Society
- Montana Natural History Center (Saturday Discovery Days, Evening Lectures, Volunteer Trainings)
- University of Montana — classes and lectures in Biology, Environmental Studies, Wildlife Biology, etc.
