VOLUNTEER NATURALISTs

Do you love Montana’s geology, wildlife or wild plants and want to learn more?
Have you ever considered being a volunteer?


Volunteer naturalists are an integral part of the Montana Natural History Center, helping with tours of the Center, at the Phil Wright Zoological Museum of the University of Montana, and on classroom visits and field trips with local schools. Volunteer naturalists receive in-depth training by staff in natural history and interpretive skills.

Shown here are 4th grade students led by Volunteer naturalists along an interpretive hike along the river during the Winter Ecology Visiting Naturalist field trips in February 2005.

If you're interested in becoming a Volunteer Naturalist, please print and complete the Volunteer Application or contact 327-0405 for more information.

VISITING NATURALIST IN THE SCHOOLS

The Visiting Naturalist in the Schools Program engages nearly 500 4th and 5th grade students in ecology, biology, life sciences, earth sciences and natural history each year. Through experiential inquiry-based field trips and monthly classroom visits, students connect concepts learned in science to processes and cycles in our natural environment.

We use naturalists to promote science learning, as well as the valuable life-skills they model. What is a Naturalist?

• Naturalists are Scientists
  Observing the world around them.
  Exploring with tools, which aid in observation and discovery.
  Experimenting through the inquiry process.
  
• Naturalist are Writers
  Recording observations in a journal.
  Communicating results of inquiry.
  Practicing language arts in an authentic context
  
• Naturalist are Artists
  Drawing maps of the land.
  Presenting discoveries in a creative manner.
  Celebrating our home through a sense of place.
  
  Teachers receive a full day professional development opportunity centered on the themes of the VNS program, with substitute reimbursement pay. Each participating school receives a resource trunk full of teaching supplies, equipment and resource guides for use by VNS classrooms throughout the year.

Comments from last year’s teachers:
• I wanted to thank you for such a great year. This has been such an awesome opportunity for the students to really become naturalists and learn about stewardship of our lands and water. Thanks so much for all you did.
• The program provides exposure to natural settings and blends class work with field work.
• Excellent! Helps the students see real life application for what they are learning.
• The VNS program creates interest and excitement in the world around us—promotes observation skills which is the foundation for exploration.
• It meets many of the science and weather goals and adds depth and breadth to our science instruction.

Teachers interested in scheduling a visit should contact Lisa Moore, Youth Programs Coordinator.



MNHC thanks the Steel Reese Foundation for their generous funding of this program.