Happy Day!
37 smiling people walked across the stage at Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center on Tuesday, October 20th. Each one received a course completion certificate for the Missouri Master Naturalist training.
The program, which is administered jointly by the University of Missouri Extension and the Missouri Department of Conservation, aims to give participants the skills to discover and promote Missouri’s natural resources and communities.
“We try to expose participants to a wide variety of topics.” said Nathan Brandt, Horticulture Specialist for MU Extension. “Missouri birds, mammals, plants, soils, wetlands, forests and prairies are all a part of the course.”
The program, which ran from August through November, takes place in the St. Louis area once each year. Participants have the opportunity to learn at places like Powder Valley, August A. Busch Wildlife Area, Shaw Nature Reserve, Rockwoods Reservation, and Kennedy Woods in Forest Park. Participation is open to the general public and costs around $95.
Each of the graduates agrees to commit at least forty hours of volunteer service to the community during the following year. They can choose to sign up with one of three local Master Naturalist chapters, who provide volunteer opportunities such as planting native Missouri trees at Clydesdale Park, monitoring water quality in Grand Glaize Creek, and surveying terrestrial snail populations in the LaBarque Creek Conservation Area.
Master Naturalists are encouraged to recertify each year by fulfilling the 40-hour volunteer commitment. Members of the Great Rivers (St. Louis) Chapter had logged over 1300 hours of community service by early October.
Those who are interested in participating in 2010 can find contact information at this website: extension.missouri.edu/masternaturalist
