The Ho-Chunk Nation Department of Natural Resources is hosting a Master Naturalist Training in 2023! For one Wednesday of the month (May-September and also November), a mix of indoor/outdoor learning activities will take place across the Ho-Chunk Nation in Hinųkwaseja (La Crosse), Teejopeja (Madison), Tošanąskaeja (White Otter)/ MąąWakącąkeja (Badger), Kickapoo Valley Reserve and Nįoxawanįeja (Black River Falls). Subject matter experts will infuse indigenous technical knowledge into the presentations and overall experiences during each training. Key concepts important to the Ho-Chunk Nation and caring for Mother Earth include weather and climate, ecology, wildlife, water quality, foraging, prairie habitat restoration and geology of the driftless area, as well as Ho-Chunk traditional culture and human connection. The Ho-Chunk Nation land base expands over three states and 10 thousand plus acres of land, so the diversity of this training will be a unique experience. Master Naturalists will gain knowledge about volunteerism applicable to stewardship and citizen science projects on Ho-Chunk and Wisconsin lands. A van will be available each morning for transport from Black River Falls to each location, others can meet us there. This training will require participants to be prepared for outdoor activities such as walking, hiking, and varied weather conditions.

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 Welty Environmental Center is pleased to host the Wisconsin Master Naturalist training in the 190 acres of Big Hill Park. There will be some inside activities; however, we will spend much of our time exploring the three main ecosystems in Big Hill Park: oak savanna, deciduous forest, and freshwater river. We will study each of these three biomes, how they interact, the geology that informs them, and the rich history of the park that includes Wisconsin’s first ski jump, WPA projects, and Native American meeting grounds. Field tips will allow us to expand our knowledge beyond Big Hill Park into the greater reaches of Southern Wisconsin and the Stateline Area. These trips may include visits to the Logan Museum, Beckman Mill, Sweet Alynn Park, Androne Woods, and the Ice Age Trail located in the Janesville Outdoor Lab. During this training, participants will have the opportunity to learn skills that may be used to assist with field trips and other educational programming. Potential training projects include construction and maintenance of raised gardens, improvement and maintenance of blue bird houses, collaboration with Rock County Conservationists on restoring much of the 90 acres of former farmland surrounding the Center to an Oak Savanna, interpretation signage and activities, and curriculum design.

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 Prairie Enthusiasts (TPE) is hosting a field-based Master Naturalist training south of Blue Mounds at their 800+ acre Mounds View Grassland property. The site has remnant prairie, wetlands, a cold-water stream, and oak savanna native habitats and includes prairie plantings and prairie seed orchards. Our classroom will be the rustic Schurch-Thomson barn, a working barn used for research, restoration, and education. The training will be centered on the native grasslands and savannas of the Driftless Area with topics including geology, soils, watersheds, plant communities, prairie pollinators, birds and mammals. A wealth of guest experts will join us to share their knowledge of fire ecology, groundwater issues, seed collecting and more. In addition to the Mounds View Grassland, we will visit nearby prairies and oak savannas and explore the Lower Wisconsin River floodplain area. Come join us and enjoy the prairies in bloom.

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.

Schlitz Audubon Nature Center will be hosting its fifth Wisconsin Master Naturalist training. The training will be held almost entirely outside for field experiences at Schlitz Audubon’s 185 acres. We will explore the property’s diverse habitats including wetlands, forests, restored prairies, and the shoreline of Lake Michigan. Participants will meet birds from our Raptor Program and learn from our skilled naturalists about community science, nature education, conservation, and more. On our field trips, we will visit some of the other unique natural areas around the greater Milwaukee area.

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.

Upham Woods Outdoor Learning Center located near the Wisconsin Dells will become a river classroom over 6 weeks as participants become a certified master naturalist. Upham Woods is located on 318 acres of forested land, including a 210-acre state natural area called Blackhawk Island. Explore all of the special features of this site from old-growth oak forests to unique geology to historical sites. A wealth of guest experts will explore master naturalist topics through three complementary focal points: learning through place-based experiential education, a focus on land stewardship by developing our personal conservation ethics, and opportunities to give service in diverse areas including youth education, conservation work, and outdoor recreation. Accessibility is at the forefront of what we do so all activities will be designed with your access needs in mind. Activities include canoeing, or riding in a pontoon boat, along sandstone cliffs, investigating macroinvertebrates living in the river, and connecting with active research projects including tick studies and deer exclosures.

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 focuses on the Pheasant Branch Conservancy and its watershed. We approach the full curriculum through a lens of water and explore the eutrophication of Madison lakes and remediation efforts centered on prairies. We will use the Conservancy property to look at groundwater, surface water, and restoration management, education and outreach efforts, programming opportunities, plant, animal, and insect populations, policies, and multiple use challenges, benefits, and partnerships. Field trips to Black Earth Creek (BEC) and Devil’s Lake offer an experience and study of the distinct topography, soils, and geologic features associated with glaciated and non-glaciated areas. We discuss several invasive species, their unique ability to survive, and strategies and tips to slow the spread, including decontaminating equipment. Climate change impacts and remediation, shifts in our understanding and relationship with nature, and learning about diverse ways that people experience natural spaces will also be addressed. Overall, this training has both indoor and outdoor time, some sitting, standing, and walking, and several opportunities for hands-on exploration of themes and presentation of concepts.

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.

St. Croix County, Carpenter Nature Center, and The Friends of Willow River & Kinnickinnic State Parks are partnering to offer the Wisconsin Master Naturalist training. We will meet one Saturday a month, March-August, throughout the St. Croix Valley. The training will include some classroom time but will focus mostly on local and regional field experiences to exceptional sites for learning in our topic areas (geology, ecology, plant communities, wildlife, interpretation, water, and human impacts). Many regional experts will be sharing their knowledge, research, tips, and inspiration with us as they lead or present parts of the training.

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.

Trees For Tomorrow (TFT), a natural resources specialty school in Eagle River, will be your host for this Wisconsin Master Naturalist training. Join TFT staff and regional experts in a week-long exploration of the waters, forests, wildlife, and geology that make the Northwoods so special. This training visits several field locations that will require a moderate amount of hiking on and off trail, sometimes on uneven terrain. Transportation is provided to and from field sites via TFT vehicles.

          Lodging: Lodging is available in one of our on-site dormitories for $40/night, made payable to Trees For Tomorrow. Please plan to bring your own towels and bedding.

          Meals: A continental style breakfast is available each morning at no extra cost for the participants. Lunch is available for the week (Sunday-Friday) for an additional fee of $70/person, made payable to TFT. Those not participating in the TFT lunch option will need to bring lunch each day. We do ask that participants commit to the entire week for the lunch option. You are responsible for your own dinner arrangements.

For more information, or to reserve lodging, meals, or discuss dietary needs, please contact Jenny Sadak at 715-479-6456 or jenny@treesfortomorrow.com.

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.

Join us in Bayfield County! The Cable Natural History Museum and Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center are partnering once again to offer a week-long (Monday – Saturday) Wisconsin Master Naturalist training. This schedule allows local and out-of-town participants the opportunity to take the Master Naturalist training during a condensed time frame. This is an active training with field portions incorporated into each day, including on- and off-trail hiking and experiences on the water. We will take you across Bayfield County from Cable to Bayfield and many areas in between, exploring glacial features, waterfalls, barrens, and estuaries. You’ll get an up-close look at northern Wisconsin while banding birds, investigating landforms, identifying plants, and exploring the Lake Superior fisheries. You will be responsible for your own transportation or carpooling to a variety of sites within 45 minutes of Ashland on paved and gravel roads. Lodging near Ashland/Washburn is the most centric to the travel throughout the week.

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.

Waukesha County Parks and Friends of Retzer Nature Center are hosting a week-long Master Naturalist Volunteer Training at Retzer Nature Center, a 480-acre County Park located in the heart of Waukesha County. Join us from July 17-22, 2023, for an exploration of the prairies, forests, waters, wildlife, and geology of Southeast Wisconsin. The training will include limited classroom time at Retzer Nature Center and local field experiences incorporated into 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.