Discover the wonders of our natural resources and lead others by becoming a Minnesota Master Naturalist (MMN). Who can become a Minnesota Master Naturalist? Any adult who is curious and enjoys learning about the natural world, shares that knowledge with others, and supports conservation. If you enjoy hiking, bird watching, following tracks, or identifying wildflowers, you’ll love being a Minnesota Master Naturalist Volunteer.

The Minnesota Master Naturalist training courses consists of in-classroom training and field trips. Courses are designed to be a general overview of Minnesota’s three biomes: Big Woods, Big Rivers (BWBR); Prairies and Potholes (PP); North Woods, Great Lakes (NWGL); plus advanced training (ADV). The courses locally available are:

• Feb. 25th to April 1st, 2017 BWBR – Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve (East Bethel, MN) Instructor Caitlin Potter (email). Dr. Potter is the education and outreach coordinator at Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve. Her background is in wildlife ecology, and she holds a B.S. in Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology as well as a masters and Ph.D in ecology and evolutionary biology. She studied wildlife and animal behavior all over the world (mostly monkeys in Ethiopia) before finding her true passion doing environmental education! Now, she runs school field trips and public events at CCESR, works with scientists to get their results into the hands of students, and organizes several citizen science projects. The course cost is $275* and includes course manuals and supplies.

• May 30th to June 13th, 2017 BWBR – Field Biology (Anoka-Ramsey Community College) Instructor Joan McKearnan (email).  The course cost is $275* and includes course manuals and supplies.

*If the course cost is a hardship, please fill out the scholarship application and send (MMN).

Master Naturalist are trained to be stewards of our natural environment and to teach these skills to others.