If you are nodding yes to any of these, then the MN Master Naturalist volunteer course may be for you. You don’t need any special expertise other than a love of the outdoors for this course. It provides the grounding to build on that love through hands-on learning and field days along with tons of resources to grow your knowledge.
The multi-day, 40 hour course is offered through the University of MN Extension. It is taught by experienced naturalists who open up and widen your knowledge base so you can earn your certification and do all of the above.
MN offers three biome-centered course and the Big Woods, Big Rivers course, which focuses on our Driftless region, is being offered for the first time nearby in Winona for two weeks in this August (the nearest location before this was Rochester)! The instructor is Sara Holger, who founded Project Get Outdoors and works as the Driftless Naturalist bringing outdoor experiences to children and people of all ages. She long taught the course at Whitewater State Park.
The course textbook and the course itself provide deep information and valuable resources to help you to understand and interpret our area ecology, natural history and unique features.
The course immerses you in information, activities and hands-on field experiences that help equip you to be a volunteer in your community and area in promoting the outdoors and being a steward of the land.
After certification, you volunteer 40 hours annually in outdoor/nature related activities that can include doing citizen science, assisting organizations and communities in nature-based service (Arbor Day plantings, invasive control work, serving on boards and commissions, organizing events or interpretive programs, etc). Your training helps you be a knowledgeable volunteer and advocate for organizations you work with and with the public.
Eight of your 40 volunteer hours are devoted to training. Attending online webinars or outdoor-related classes, attending conferences and going on guided hikes are just a few ways to add to your knowledge and expertise. It helps equip you to better serve your community. Those 40 hours annually keep your certification up - and let's face it - it's just fun to add to your knowledge base!
I found the ongoing volunteer opportunities to be abundant. I serve on our city's Park and Rec Commission and Natural Resources Advisory Group; provide interpretative programs at libraries and in other educational settings, volunteer for invasives control and created and write this blog to encourage others to discover the wonders of the Driftless regions many trails, flora, fauna and fungi.
For me, the opportunity to use this blog as a link for people to encourage hiking and deeper discovery of the natural world has been profound. And your learning cohort become friends and colleagues that support you in your ongoing learning and work.
Becoming certified as a MN Master Naturalist volunteer was a life-changing experience. There are so many ways to give back to organizations and communities through knowledgeable volunteerism.
I hope you too can be part of this experience through the Master Naturalist volunteer course and certification.
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