Bong Naturalist Association, a local Friends of Wisconsin organization affiliated with the Richard Bong State Recreation Area (RBSRA) located in Kenosha County, is hosting this training focused on learning about nature education, nature restoration, and connecting natural communities. We will cover geology, water and plant communities, wildlife, ecology, climate and weather, natural history, human connections, and how Master Naturalists can use their new knowledge in our community. The training includes mostly hands-on outdoor experiences and interactions with expert guest speakers, with some indoor instruction.

RBSRA includes over 4,500 acres of remnant and restored prairies, savannas, oak woodlands, old field grasslands and wetlands. It is home to native and migratory birds, wildlife and fish and offers unique recreation opportunities such as dog training, model airplane flying, rocketry, falconry, and hunting. The recreational aspects are managed and co-exist with the rare species and habitats. RBSRA is easily accessible to urban communities; our mission is to serve people of all ages and abilities.

The Wisconsin Master Naturalist program is a network of well-informed volunteers dedicated to conservation service, leadership, and lifelong learning. The Master Naturalist training provides 40 hours of education in a variety of natural history topics and Master Naturalist service areas. Through expert-led trainings, Master Naturalists are equipped to address challenges facing the state by making positive impacts through stewardship, citizen science, and educational activities. Trainings have an emphasis on outdoor field experiences with some classroom instruction and are taught by professional natural resources educators and scientists. Once trained, Wisconsin Master Naturalists record 40 hours of service and 8 hours of advanced training each year to maintain certification and receive a recognition pin.

Present day southeast Wisconsin has a rich and varied history of land use patterns going back thousands of years. That landscape is the culmination of decisions made (and not made) that affect our land, water, flora, and fauna. Join Wehr Nature Center as we explore how we arrived at the present, and chart forward to possible futures.

Participants will explore a 400-million-year-old fossilized reef; hold a 30,000-year-old tree fragment; go behind the scenes at the School for Freshwater Sciences; learn how wildlife rehabilitation reveals our complicated history with wildlife; discover how a Milwaukee neighborhood organized and turned a cold-war missile base into a nature preserve; and see how climate change is connected to it all.

The Wisconsin Master Naturalist program is a network of well-informed volunteers dedicated to conservation service, leadership, and lifelong learning. The Master Naturalist training provides 40 hours of education in a variety of natural history topics and Master Naturalist service areas. Through expert-led trainings, Master Naturalists are equipped to address challenges facing the state by making positive impacts through stewardship, citizen science, and educational activities. Trainings have an emphasis on outdoor field experiences with some classroom instruction and are taught by professional natural resources educators and scientists. Once trained, Wisconsin Master Naturalists record 40 hours of service and 8 hours of advanced training each year to maintain certification and receive a recognition pin.

Friends of Urban Nature (FUN), a coalition of Madison Parks, friends groups, and nature groups, plans to offer its seventh Wisconsin Master Naturalist training. This training offers a special focus on learning about nature recreation, nature education, nature restoration, and connecting communities and kids with nature.

Each session has a mix of indoor and outdoor education featuring morning and afternoon field experiences. Naturalists and topic experts will help you discover and interpret the history, geology, human impacts, ecology, birds and wildlife of nearby urban natural areas including Warner Park, Cherokee Marsh, UW–Madison Arboretum and the Lakeshore Nature Preserve.

Information about Wisconsin’s historic prairies, oak openings, lakes, rivers, and streams, and the native birds, wildlife and natural ecosystems they support, will be woven into the training, reinforcing the Master Naturalist training materials. Participants will also meet representatives of parks, friends and nature groups to learn about many opportunities for Master Naturalists to engage as volunteers, and participate and help provide leadership in citizen science, education, stewardship activities, job opportunities, and community involvement.

The Wisconsin Master Naturalist program is a network of well-informed volunteers dedicated to conservation service, leadership, and lifelong learning. The Master Naturalist training provides 40 hours of education in a variety of natural history topics and Master Naturalist service areas. Through expert-led trainings, Master Naturalists are equipped to address challenges facing the state by making positive impacts through stewardship, citizen science, and educational activities. Trainings have an emphasis on outdoor field experiences with some classroom instruction and are taught by professional natural resources educators and scientists. Once trained, Wisconsin Master Naturalists record 40 hours of service and 8 hours of advanced training each year to maintain certification and receive a recognition pin.

Beaver Creek Reserve, located near Eau Claire in Fall Creek, WI, is partnering with the Wisconsin Master Naturalist program to offer another great training from Sunday, July 28- Friday, August 2. Beaver Creek Reserve has over 400 acres of land, which allows individuals to explore diverse ecosystems home to many native plant and animal species. Our expert staff and guest speakers will share their knowledge of environmental topics both inside and outside the classroom. Topics include plant and wildlife identification, aquatics, astronomy, and human impact on the environment.

Our training focuses on the natural landscape and all that it encompasses in the Chippewa Valley! Activities include hands-on team building exercises, daily 1-3 mile hikes on paved and rugged terrain, and standing and sitting for long periods of time. Presentations have an emphasis on outdoor field experiences with some classroom instruction, and will be led by professional educators and scientists from the local area.

For the most immersive experience, there are various optional programs offered outside the scheduled course period, such as observatory and telescope viewing, bat monitoring, and morning nature hikes. Though these are optional programs, we encourage attending to truly get the most out of the Master Naturalist experience here at Beaver Creek Reserve.

We also highly encourage participants to stay on-site during the training. This allows for easier accessibility to programs outside the scheduled course period, and continued relationship building with other Master Naturalist participants. Lodging is offered at a reasonable cost payable to Beaver Creek Reserve. For more information or to reserve lodging, contact Megan Giefer at megan@beavercreekreserve.org or call (715) 877-2212 for more information.

The Wisconsin Master Naturalist program is a network of well-informed volunteers dedicated to conservation service, leadership, and lifelong learning. The Master Naturalist training provides 40 hours of education in a variety of natural history topics and Master Naturalist service areas. Through expert-led trainings, Master Naturalists are equipped to address challenges facing the state by making positive impacts through stewardship, citizen science, and educational activities. Trainings have an emphasis on outdoor field experiences with some classroom instruction and are taught by professional natural resources educators and scientists. Once trained, Wisconsin Master Naturalists record 40 hours of service and 8 hours of advanced training each year to maintain certification and receive a recognition pin.

This training will be held at the brand-new Kohler Center for Marsh Education at the Sheboygan County Marsh. The Sheboygan County Marsh is the 2nd largest intact wetland in the state of Wisconsin and is home to plentiful flora and fauna. There will be a heavy focus on the phenology of wetland ecosystems. This experience will include a canoe tour of the Sheboygan Marsh and an optional climb up the tallest wooden tower in the state of Wisconsin. There are numerous Master Naturalist volunteer opportunities with the addition of the new education center. Come and learn how you can be involved monitoring wildlife in this area, assisting in school programs, and leading your own creative programs for the community.

The Wisconsin Master Naturalist program is a network of well-informed volunteers dedicated to conservation service, leadership, and lifelong learning. The Master Naturalist training provides 40 hours of education in a variety of natural history topics and Master Naturalist service areas. Through expert-led trainings, Master Naturalists are equipped to address challenges facing the state by making positive impacts through stewardship, citizen science, and educational activities. Trainings have an emphasis on outdoor field experiences with some classroom instruction and are taught by professional natural resources educators and scientists. Once trained, Wisconsin Master Naturalists record 40 hours of service and 8 hours of advanced training each year to maintain certification and receive a recognition pin.

Present day southeast Wisconsin has a rich and varied history of land use patterns going back thousands of years. That landscape is the culmination of decisions made (and not made) that affect our land, water, flora, and fauna. Join Wehr Nature Center as we explore how we arrived at the present, and chart forward to possible futures.

Participants will explore a 400-million-year-old fossilized reef; walk ice age bluffs; hold a 30,000-year-old tree fragment; go behind the scenes at the School for Freshwater Sciences; learn how wildlife rehabilitation reveals our complicated history with wildlife; discover how a Milwaukee neighborhood organized and turned a cold-war missile base into a nature preserve; and see how climate change is connected to it all.

The Wisconsin Master Naturalist program is a network of well-informed volunteers dedicated to conservation service, leadership, and lifelong learning. The Master Naturalist training provides 40 hours of education in a variety of natural history topics and Master Naturalist service areas. Through expert-led trainings, Master Naturalists are equipped to address challenges facing the state by making positive impacts through stewardship, citizen science, and educational activities. Trainings have an emphasis on outdoor field experiences with some classroom instruction and are taught by professional natural resources educators and scientists. Once trained, Wisconsin Master Naturalists record 40 hours of service and 8 hours of advanced training each year to maintain certification and receive a recognition pin.

Friends of Urban Nature (FUN), a coalition of Madison Parks, friends groups, and nature groups, plans to offer its seventh Wisconsin Master Naturalist training. This training offers a special focus on learning about nature recreation, nature education, nature restoration, and connecting communities and kids with nature.

FIELD EXPERIENCES

Each session has a mix of indoor and outdoor education featuring morning and afternoon field experiences. Naturalists and topic experts will help you discover and interpret the history, geology, human impacts, ecology, birds and wildlife of nearby urban natural areas including Warner Park, Cherokee Marsh, UW–Madison Arboretum and the Lakeshore Nature Preserve.

TOPICS

Information about Wisconsin’s historic prairies, oak openings, lakes, rivers, and streams, and the native birds, wildlife and natural ecosystems they support, will be woven into the training, reinforcing the Master Naturalist training materials. Participants will also meet representatives of DNR, parks, friends and nature groups to learn about many opportunities for Master Naturalists to engage as volunteers, and participate and help provide leadership in citizen science, education, stewardship activities, job opportunities, and community involvement.

The Wisconsin Master Naturalist program is a network of well-informed volunteers dedicated to conservation service, leadership, and lifelong learning. The Master Naturalist training provides 40 hours of education in a variety of natural history topics and Master Naturalist service areas. Through expert-led trainings, Master Naturalists are equipped to address challenges facing the state by making positive impacts through stewardship, citizen science, and educational activities. Trainings have an emphasis on outdoor field experiences with some classroom instruction and are taught by professional natural resources educators and scientists. Once trained, Wisconsin Master Naturalists record 40 hours of service and 8 hours of advanced training each year to maintain certification and receive a recognition pin.

The North Lakeland Discovery Center, in beautiful Northern Wisconsin, will host a Wisconsin Master Naturalist training in August and September. Programming will be held at the Discovery Center campus and outdoor classroom. Guest experts, from professors to Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources staff, will share a wealth of knowledge each day.

The Wisconsin Master Naturalist program is a network of well-informed volunteers dedicated to conservation service, leadership, and lifelong learning. The Master Naturalist training provides 40 hours of education in a variety of natural history topics and Master Naturalist service areas. Through expert-led trainings, Master Naturalists are equipped to address challenges facing the state by making positive impacts through stewardship, citizen science, and educational activities. Trainings have an emphasis on outdoor field experiences with some classroom instruction and are taught by professional natural resources educators and scientists. Once trained, Wisconsin Master Naturalists record 40 hours of service and 8 hours of advanced training each year to maintain certification and receive a recognition pin.

Hunt Hill Audubon Sanctuary is situated on nearly 600 acres of mixed forest with four lakes. We have a large, relatively new lecture hall as well as a library for indoor classes while outdoor teaching areas abound. We have some of the most beautiful and unique habitats found in Wisconsin: fens/bogs, old growth forests, meadow, restored native prairie and seven miles of hiking trails. Our knowledgeable and dynamic teachers will have you completing your certification with the sentiment that this was one of the best weeks you’ve ever had. Hunt Hill is a residential camp with kitchen facilities. For the most immersive experience, we encourage participants to stay on site during the training. We will offer meal and lodging options at an additional a reasonable cost payable to Hunt Hill. For those who may be interested, contact the Hunt Hill Program Coordinator, Sage Dunham, at contract@hunthill.org or call (715)635-6543 for more information.

The Wisconsin Master Naturalist program is a network of well-informed volunteers dedicated to conservation service, leadership, and lifelong learning. The Master Naturalist training provides 40 hours of education in a variety of natural history topics and Master Naturalist service areas. Through expert-led trainings, Master Naturalists are equipped to address challenges facing the state by making positive impacts through stewardship, citizen science, and educational activities. Trainings have an emphasis on outdoor field experiences with some classroom instruction and are taught by professional natural resources educators and scientists. Once trained, Wisconsin Master Naturalists record 40 hours of service and 8 hours of advanced training each year to maintain certification and receive a recognition pin.

Bong Naturalist Association, a local Friends of Wisconsin organization affiliated with the Richard Bong State Recreation Area (RBSRA) located in Kenosha County, is hosting this training focused on learning about nature education, nature restoration, and connecting natural communities. We will cover geology, water and plant communities, wildlife, ecology, climate and weather, natural history, human connections, and how Master Naturalists can use their new knowledge in our community. The training includes mostly hands-on outdoor experiences and interactions with expert guest speakers, with some indoor instruction.

RBSRA includes over 4,500 acres of remnant and restored prairies, savannas, oak woodlands, old field grasslands and wetlands. It is home to native and migratory birds, wildlife and fish and offers unique recreation opportunities such as dog training, model airplane flying, rocketry, falconry, and hunting. The recreational aspects are managed and co-exist with the rare species and habitats. RBSRA is easily accessible to urban communities; our mission is to serve people of all ages and abilities.

The Wisconsin Master Naturalist program is a network of well-informed volunteers dedicated to conservation service, leadership, and lifelong learning. The Master Naturalist training provides 40 hours of education in a variety of natural history topics and Master Naturalist service areas. Through expert-led trainings, Master Naturalists are equipped to address challenges facing the state by making positive impacts through stewardship, citizen science, and educational activities. Trainings have an emphasis on outdoor field experiences with some classroom instruction and are taught by professional natural resources educators and scientists. Once trained, Wisconsin Master Naturalists record 40 hours of service and 8 hours of advanced training each year to maintain certification and receive a recognition pin.