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Virginia Master Naturalist

   

Volunteer educators, citizen scientists, and environmental stewards are helping Virginia conserve and manage natural resources through a new national program called Master Naturalist. Virginia joined more than 20 other states last year when it launched the program, a collaborative effort of Virginia Cooperative Extension; the Virginia Tech College of Natural Resources; the Virginia Departments of Conservation and Recreation, Game and Inland Fisheries, and Forestry; and the Virginia Museum of Natural History.

Coordinator Michelle Prysby already has 21 chapters operating or forming. Her role is to recruit, train, and inform groups of volunteers on educating citizens about natural resources. Prysby says, “My goal is to achieve high levels of volunteer involvement in a variety of activities, including citizen involvement in scientific research, education, and stewardship.”

People who are interested in nature, enjoy the outdoors, and want to be part of the natural resource management and conservation in Virginia are Master Naturalist candidates. Training and certification takes six to 12 months and starts with a 40-hour basic training course. Eight additional hours of advanced training are also required, plus 40 hours of volunteer service.

For more information, visit
www.virginiamasternaturalist.org, or contact Prysby at (434) 872-4580 or mprysby@vt.edu.