Nebraska Master Naturalist

2012-02-20T16:18:00.000-06:00

NEBRASKA MASTER NATURALIST MEETING MINUTES

FEBRUARY 18, 2012

We met at Mt Crescent Ski Resort, Crescent, Iowa. 8 members attended.

Prior to the 4 o'clock meeting, some members skied/snow boarded at Mt Crescent; some visited Hitchcock Nature Center, Honey Creek, Iowa. (about 2 miles north of Mt Crescent) Chad Graeve, Pottawattamie County Hitchcock Park Land Manager gave a brief informative presentation. He outlined his long term plan to restore the prairie ecosystem in the park by controlled burning and reintroduction of grazing animals. Currently he burns over half the 1200 acre park annually.

General Business

The meeting started with discussing what Master Naturalists have been doing and upcoming volunteer opportunities, trainings and events.

Two upcoming trainings/events:

Scotts Product Solution Seminar for Independent Hardware and Garden Centers, Open to the public and free. The training is Feb 29, 2012 9am -3pm at Harrah's Casino, Council Bluffs, IA. Lunch is compliments of Scotts. To register www. scottssti.com One of the highlights of this training, per Amy, is the discussion of the chemicals' breakdown and their length of life in the soil.

Nominate someone for the Master Conservationist Award. Nominations have been extended to March 1, 2012. This award recognizes conservationists across Nebraska for their dedication to soil and water conservation and wise use of natural resources in their farming, ranching and landscaping efforts.

These awards are sponsored jointly by the Omaha World Herald and UNL Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources. For more info contact: Jill Brown UNL 402-472-2871 or jbrown14@unl.edu

Other volunteer opportunities are:

Loess Hills Prairie Restoration Work Day at Hitchcock Nature Center, Honey Creek, IA. April 14, 2012 9am to 12pm. Bring work gloves. Contact chad.graeve@pottcounty.org for more info.

Bioblitz at Camp Brewster April 28 -29, 2012. A bioblitz is an attempt to identify and record every living species in a 24 hour period, essentially a snapshot of the ecosystem at that time. If repeated at roughly the same time annually, it shows changes in temporal patterns. Tentative schedule is start noon on Saturday, April 28, 2012, and continue as late as needed depending on the bats and moths, start early next morning April 29, 2012 to help the bird guys and finish at noon. This will not be open to the public. Fontenelle is conducting a public bioblitz, the previous weekend, April 21 and 22, 2012.

Contact lprucinsky@fontenellforest.org for more info.

Please remember to share Master Naturalist opportunities via the listserv at masternaturalist@listserv.unl.edu

Upcoming monthly meetings will be scheduled the 2nd Saturday of the month.

March 10, 2012, Nebraska Nature & Visitor Center, Alda Nebraska.

We will meet at 11.00am to meet nature writer, Jeff Kurrus when he reads his new child's book about cranes. “ Have you seen Mary?”

After his presentation, we will eat lunch together at the café across from the NNVC and view cranes in the vicinity.

April 14, 2012 Chytrid (reptile) fungus training in Lincoln with Dennis Ferraro

May 12, 2012 TBA possible visit to the new Nebraska Wildlife Rehab Inc., Louisville, NE

Other ideas: Water Quality Monitoring, Wetlands Restoration, River Otter Survey, Monsanto Field Day.

Training

CPR/ First Aid was requested by NMN's. Annabel would like to offer this but costs thru the Red Cross are prohibitive and other options are being explored at this point. When offered, it would be at a time outside the regular monthly meetings.

Spring Master Naturalist Training: April 11, 2012 to June 9, 2012 in the Kearney/Grand Island area.

Summer Master Naturalist Training: a week long overnight training the third week in June in the Niobrara area

Both Master Naturalist Trainings are in need of help to:

Facilitate a session ( Useful if you need a makeup session)

Help instruct in areas of expertise

Help prep

General help, especially in the evenings for June training.

Contacts:

Send your ideas for monthly meetings to Amy Campagna at masternaturalistresources@gmail.com

Master Naturalist, Rebecca Osborn Reagan, will be scheduling help for upcoming trainings. She will be sending out an announcement soon.

Other Business

After discussing volunteer opportunities, we met with Laura Friesell, of Mt Crescent Ski Resort. At her request, the Master Naturalists began her meeting by explaining the Master Naturalist program. Laura wanted to know more about the program and was interested as she is an outward bound instructor, on skii patrol at Mt Crescent and spends much of her time outdoors.

Laura's purpose in inviting the Master Naturalists to the facility was to seek suggestions on programs they could develop at the resort in their off season--April to October.

This winter the resort implemented the Boy Scout Winter Sports Merit Badge. They plan to offer more merit badges like Indian Lore, and Geocaching.

The resort is planning to install a zip line this spring, groups will be able to reserve the facility for their team building events.

The resort would like to host a major event each month.

Some brainstorm ideas were: a mud run, a dog park, horse trails, a Renaissance Faire, youth camps, joining the Living Loess tour.

Laura thanked us for our ideas.

Next meeting: March 10, 2012, 11 am to around 3 pm, Nebraska Nature and Visitor Center, Alda, Nebraska

Submitted by Dorie Stone

Master Naturalist Monthly Meeting: January 2012

2012-01-18T11:36:00.001-06:00

Introductions: 23 members in attendance. The meeting was started with member introductions and updates on what Master Naturalists have been doing and what volunteer opportunities are available across the state. One upcoming opportunity brought up is the Nature Conservancy’s seed collection in February.

Please remember to share Master Naturalist opportunities via the listserv at masternaturalist@listserv.unl.edu.

Business: Annabel discussed the plans for the year. Regular meetings will continue on the 2nd Saturday of the month. Master Naturalist Amy Campagna will be coordinating monthly meetings, and ideas for meetings should be directed to her (masternaturalistresources@gmail.com). Several suggestions were made: flood recovery efforts along the Missouri, Safari Park, foraging walks, Sandhill ecology, basic first aid training, Sandhill cranes, and a Halsey weekend. Some suggestions will require differing from our 2pm to 4pm format. Any changes will be announced well ahead of the meeting.

Planning for the Spring training session is underway. The training will be held in the Grand Island/Kearney area in April/May/June. Member input was requested regarding training schedules. The Wednesday/Saturday format seemed to work for most. The MN program is considering a week-long overnight camp format for the summer. Input on the idea was requested with most agreeing that it would be a good option for students and teachers.

The meeting was followed with a birding excursion to St. Mary’s Island, just across the river in Iowa, led by Rick Schmid with the Fontenelle Nature Association. A beautiful day allowed members the opportunity to see several species of song birds and a good representation of raptors including a kestrel and a merlin along with several hawks, harriers and bald eagles.

Next Meeting: February 11th, 2012. Location TBA.

Master Naturalists at St. Mary's Island with Rick Schimd of Fontenelle Nature Association.

E-mail: naturalist@unl.edu
Website: http://naturalist.unl.edu
Find us on Facebook at http://facebook.com/masternaturalist
Check out our Blog at http://nebraskanaturalist.blogspot.com
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Subscribe to the Naturalist Network at http://snr.unl.edu/naturalist/contactus.html

See Things Differently with the Nebraska Master Naturalist Annual Workshop November 4-6, 2011 in Nebraska City

2011-10-07T01:32:00.000-05:00

Join us for three days with the Nebraska Master Naturalists at our Annual Workshop in Nebraska City, NE.

Participants will engage in a variety of hands-on learning experiences including continuing education for Nebraska Master Naturalists. The public is also welcome. Register by October 26th to ensure your space. Rooms are only held through October 16th, so register soon! Cancellations made after October 31st will be charged a $50.00 cancellation fee. Go to http://naturalist.unl.edu or scan the barcode to register today!

Registration: Master Naturalist $75.00 (includes Master Naturalist Awards Luncheon), General Public $100.00 (includes Master Naturalist Awards Luncheon), Master Naturalist Awards Luncheon only $20.00.

Lodging: Lodging is available at the Lied Lodge and Conference Center, Nebraska City. Call 800-546-5433 to make your reservation. Be sure to mention code "Nebraska Master Naturalist" to receive event pricing. Visit http://www.liedlodge.org for more information.

The agenda includes the following special events and activities:

Annual Workshop: Friday, November 4th 4:00 pm at the Lied Lodge and Conference Center. Come socialize with Master Naturalist partners and participants, enjoy wine tasting, star gazing and a chance to get to know each other.
Annual Workshop: Saturday all day, November 5th at the Lied Lodge and Conference Center. Start your day with Tai Chi and yoga followed by workshops including; Tree Identification, Lessons on Native American Culture, Outdoor Cooking, Story Telling, Meteorology, Sustainable Agriculture and much, much more.
Master Naturalist Awards Luncheon Saturday, November 5th, noon to 2:00 pm, Lied Lodge and Conference Center. Family and friends are welcome to join us as we celebrate the accomplishments of our volunteers over the past year.
Sunday morning, November 6th starting at the Lied Lodge and Conference Center. Join us for our off-site sessions, including: On the Road to Study Invasive Species (until 12:00 pm), Exploring the Birding World (until 12:00 pm), Certification for Project Learning Tree and Project WET (until 2:00 pm). A box lunch is available for an additional $7.00.
Check it out!
- Theme 2012 Vote: Help us decide what next year's theme will be for the Nebraska Master Naturalist program, and you'll start seeing things in a different way too!
- Silent Auction: Shop around while you're here for great gifts for family and friends!
- Volunteer Opportunity Marketplace: See what exciting new volunteer opportunities are out there looking for you!
- Pre-Workshop Event: Friday, November 4th 10:00 am to 4:00 pm at the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center, Nebraska City, NE. Tour the Center with certified Lewis and Clark Interpreters. Cost is $5.00 with all proceeds going to the Center.

Massages are available on Friday evening, and can be scheduled by contacting rguthmiller@gmail.com for more information.

Click the link below to donate to the Nebraska Master Naturalist Program, help us build a scholarship fund for future Master Naturalist. https://nufoundation.org/sslpage.aspx?pid=2102 (external link to NU Foundation).

Nebraska Master Naturalists Leading The Way In Conservation

2011-09-15T16:48:00.000-05:00

Spring 2011 Master Naturalists exploring geology at Schramm Park.

One year ago, 31 amazing individuals graduated from our first ever Nebraska Master Naturalist training.

By the end of 2011, 100 volunteers will have become Certified Master Naturalists. These volunteers have already provided 1500 hours of volunteer time in the vicinity of Omaha, Lincoln, Grand Island, and Kearney performing wildlife management, habitat conservation, education, and other services for more than 50 natural resource agencies and organizations. Based on the 2010 estimated value of volunteer time for Nebraska, Master Naturalists have already provided salary savings of over $25,000 to natural resource agencies.

These trained volunteers are valuable members of the natural resources community, who will eventually provide millions of dollars in salary savings and resource conservation for participating agencies and the public as the NMN program continues to grow.

Summer 2010 Master Naturalist sneaking a peak and hoping for snake

Examples of service include the development and instruction of a naturalist training and citizen science program for rural landowners in North Central Nebraska with Calamus Outfitters, coordinating and funding the construction and donation of a bat house for Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center, harvesting and planting prairie seeds with the Nature Conservancy, assisting in finance and accounting at Fontenelle Forest, and volunteering on Family Fishing programs with the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. These interactions with instructors, coordinators, agency personnel, and others lead to relationships that help to foster leadership among Master Naturalists and inspire the development of innovative service projects

Master Naturalists are dedicated leaders and role models in their community. If you are looking for a volunteer to help you lead an educational program, conduct land management, or lead citizen science research, please visit our website at http://naturalist.unl.edu to get connected to the Master Naturalist community. Help us to help YOU conserve Nebraska's natural legacy!

2011-07-19T14:58:00.000-05:00

Nebraska Master Naturalists in the NEWS!

Nature Conservancy workers and volunteers spend hours harvesting grasses by hand to ensure a supply of seeds for planting new prairies

PHOTOS FROM KEARNEY HUB

Posted: Saturday, July 16, 2011 11:00 pm | Updated: 11:53 pm, Fri Jul 15, 2011.

By LORI POTTER Hub Staff Writer

WOOD RIVER — Dickcissels hiding in tall grasses sang on a hot, humid Saturday morning as five seed gatherers slowly walked through a prairie southwest of Wood River.

The Nature Conservancy’s Mardell Jasnowski and Nanette Whitten and volunteer Jim Peters of Lincoln used scissors to clip slender wheat grass seed heads. Dan Glomski, assistant director of the Nebraska Nature and Visitor Center at Alda, and volunteer Will Goding of Grand Island used their thumbs and index fingers to strip wedge grass seeds from stems.

The slow, repetitious work is necessary to have the ingredients for the seed mixes desired for planting into other prairies next year, said Jasnowski, operations assistant for TNC’s Eastern Nebraska Project Office at Aurora.

Last Saturday’s harvest was on Crane Trust land along Denam Road south of the Platte River. Most of TNC’s monthly volunteer work days to collect seeds and do other prairie management work are at the conservancy’s Dahms-Derr Tract restored prairies two miles south of the Wood River Interstate 80 exit.

That site’s west prairie was seeded from 1999 to 2002, and the east side, a native Sandhills prairie, was seeded in 2002. There are trails for public hiking and parking in a graveled driveway at the brick Derr house.

“There are usually five to six people” helping on work days, Jasnowski said. “A lot of them lately have been from the Master Naturalist Program.”

The program, which is offered across Nebraska, recently started a new training session in the Grand Island and Kearney area.

Volunteer hours are a program component and a good fit with work needed at TNC’s prairies. “That’s been a real plus for us, to use those people,” Jasnowski said.

Anyone can help at the June-through-October work days. She said work often is scheduled on the second Saturday of a month, but the timing depends on when plants have seeds ready for harvest.

Weather affects scheduling of outdoor work and determines how quickly plants mature.
“Native plants, just like everything else, got a late start this year because it was cool and wet,” Jasnowski said. “Now, there’s kind of this mad rush because everything is coming (to harvest) at once.”

“We’ll accept volunteers anytime,” she added. “If somebody has a day off and wants to come out, we’ll meet with them.”

The early July focus was on plants in wet or moist soils, including sedges and the slender wheat and wedge grasses harvested last Saturday, and on a few flowering plants, such as spiderwort.

TNC officials manage prairie diversity with prescribed burns, grazing, and some herbicide control and cutting of trees and invasive weeds. The tools used and their timing depend on annual conditions.

“It’s different every year,” Jasnowski said.

Although TNC has a seed collector that can be pulled through large stands of sedges, she said most seed gathering must be done by hand.

“With some seed, you just have buckets strapped to you or that you carry with you,” Jasnowski said. Species such as slender wheat grass can be cut as single stems or in bunches, with the entire heads going into the bucket. Others plants must have the seeds stripped from the stems.

Whitten, a Texan, is TNC’s seed collection specialist. She first came to south-central Nebraska three years ago as a volunteer who wanted to work in prairies, but away from the Texas heat.
Jasnowski said TNC obtained grants to pay for Whitten to do prairie and seed processing work for six months this year.

“We usually keep the seeds separate and in the fall, when we’re ready, we’ll mix to where it will go,” she said, whether the site is a wetland or higher ground.

Seed processing involves use of a screen to remove foreign material. It’s a job Whitten focuses on during rainy days at a nearby TNC seed barn.

Jasnowski said seeds harvested last Saturday probably will be used in 2012 near the Dahms-Derr Tract, where dirt work is being done to create sloughs. “That’s why we want grasses and sedges,” she said, adding that this is a good year to harvest seeds from plants that thrive in moist-to-wet soil.

Places where different or a more diverse mix of plants are desired will be overseeded. That commonly is done in February and March, preferably on top of snow that can provide good starter moisture, Jasnowski explained.

Some of the 2011 harvested seeds will be shared with Aurora’s Prairie Plains Resource Institute.

According to the institute’s website, its goal since 1980 has been to preserve native Nebraska habitats. Native prairies and wetlands are restored and maintained on institute land, and on other private and public lands for use in community education, recreation and sustainable economic development.

email to:
lori.potter@kearneyhub.com

2011-06-09T21:14:00.000-05:00

Nebraska Master Naturalist

2011-06-09T15:45:00.000-05:00

Nebraska Master Naturalist

May 23, 2011 Barbs and Backlashes No Comments

It was a busy weekend again this past weekend; another “working weekend” at least for a portion of it. I want to tell you about what I did.

Yesterday I taught a couple of topics for Nebraska’s Master Naturalist program. This is a program where folks who are very interested in Nebraska’s natural resources can receive over 60 hours of in-depth training about those resources and Nebraska’s outdoors. Participants in this program receive a well-rounded education about all of Nebraska’s natural resources and outdoor skills. After completing this program, the Master Naturalists can then use their training and knowledge in a variety of ways–habitat restoration, ecotourism, volunteer in nature centers or state parks, teach and mentor anglers, hunters, and other outdoors folks, citizen science, school programs and classes, etc., etc. Honestly, how the graduates use their training is limited only by their imagination. The graduates will possess a wealth of information about Nebraska natural resources and great outdoors and they can share that with others in a variety of ways. Be sure to go to their website and check it out, http://snr.unl.edu/naturalist/index.html .

This weekend the Master Naturalist students had some aquatics training. Herb Angell our boating law administrator (http://outdoornebraska.ne.gov/boating.asp) taught them some water safety and kayaking, and then I taught a session on Nebraska aquatics and some basic fishing skills. For those of you who know me and know how I can ramble, would you believe I got all of that done in an afternoon!? It was not easy because to talk about Nebraska aquatics I had to include aquatic ecology, limnology, entomology, biochemistry, physics, ichthyology, biology and physiology, and I am sure there were a few more topics I managed to sneak in there. Anyway, I hope I did not bore the 28 or so students that were there. The folks who are enrolled in this program are there because they very much want to be there and learn; it is always easy to teach folks like that and I do not know about them, but I have fun doing it. I am very impressed with the commitment those students have made!

We had the sessions yesterday at Platte River State Park, http://outdoornebraska.ne.gov/parks/guides/parksearch/showpark.asp?Area_No=224 . Platte River SP is undergoing some changes as that area is going to be used for even more educational programs and events. It was the perfect spot for the Master Naturalist sessions yesterday; I have been there for a lot of events and programs already and I am sure I will be there a lot more in the future.

If any of you are motivated to become even more involved in Nebraska’s natural resources or if you just want to increase your knowledge and appreciation of those natural resources, I would highly recommend the Master Naturalist Program. Check it out, consider it; I will guarantee you will learn a lot and that it will be learning you can share with a lot of other folks!

Welcome To Our Newest Master Naturalists!!!

2011-06-07T20:23:00.000-05:00

Naturalist Network,

It's been a long time coming. Since the end of last summer, after graduating our first 31 Master Naturalists, we've been waiting to meet our newest members. Well, the day has finally arrived!!!

On Sunday, June 5th, we welcomed 29 Certified Nebraska Master Naturalists to the family. And what a celebration it was! After two months of hard work, both inside and outside of the classroom, I think everyone was ready to see the fruits of their labor. Not only did our Master Naturalists come to 10 long days of classes, participating in some fun activities like kayaking, trap shooting, water testing, insect collecting, bird watching, and much much more, but they gave us some wonderful at home investigation assignments, teaching us about the wonders of interpretation and exploring the interactions between humans and the natural resources.

You'd think after all that, we'd be pleased...and we definitely were!!! But, to top it all off, on our graduation day our participants provided us with some of the most amazing final projects we've ever seen! Every time we watch these projects, we are in awe at the level of talent and creativity that these dedicated volunteers have to offer. And this year's projects were just as good as the last. Not only are these folks a pleasure to be around, but they are a pleasure to watch in action. We watched a thought provoking film on 'the nature connection', saw the journey of the Bur Oak, learned how invasive species impact Nebraska, and that was only the start of it! Check out http://naturalist.unl.edu later this week to see a full summary of all of these fantastic projects, as well as the wonderful projects from last summer.

And to think, these projects are now available to Nebraskans everywhere! These Certified Nebraska Master Naturalists are the resource that never stops giving. We at the Nebraska Master Naturalist program cannot wait to recognize all of their accomplishments at our Annual Nebraska Master Naturalist Meeting in November. We thank the family and friends of all of our Master Naturalists who support their involvement in the program, and the Master Naturalist Class of 2010 for helping us put this program together.

But of course, none of this would have been possible without the help of our Certified Nebraska Master Naturalists, the Fontenelle Nature Association, Gifford Farms, Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo, the Nebraska Environmental Trust, the University of Nebraska, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, and all of our dedicated partners that help to make this program so successful. They have provided us with funding, facilities to host our program, instructors to lead our programs, guidance throughout the development of the program, and the encouragement to move forward in building a better Nebraska.

For your dedication, your encouragement, and much more, we thank you!

Welcome to the family Spring 2011 Class of Certified Nebraska Master Naturalists! Remember, this is just the beginning!

Patty Albright
Mary Lou Alfieri
Darlene Backhaus
Judy Bouma
Elizabeth Chalen
Doug Clark
Marty Davis
Sharon Draper
Bob Fuchs
Chrissy Galata
Jody Galata
Betty Grenon
Dianne Guinn
Janie Helt
Roger Kadavy
Clem Klaphake
Chris Lohry
Martha Mays
Carrie Nunez
Adrian Olivera
Mary Jo Rome
Mick Szydlowski
Eric Scholar
Cindy Schutte
Lavonne Tripp
Ray Turkle
Chris Vosicka
George Walters
Deborah Woracek

Coming Soon!

2011-03-23T11:19:00.001-05:00

Nebraska Master Naturalist will be hosting a Fontenelle Nature Association, Gifford Farms, and Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo partnership program. This will be the first focus training in the Omaha area. We are very excited to launch this program, so stay tuned to the Naturalist Network for news as it happens.

Thank You to the Nebraska Environmental Trust

2011-02-02T09:30:00.000-06:00

Nebraska Master Naturalist is excited to be featured in the Nebraska Environmental Trust's 2010 Annual Report alongside many other worthwhile Nebraska natural resource programs. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln received a grant from the Nebraska Environmental Trust in 2009 to begin development of the Nebraska Master Naturalist Program. We would like to thank the Nebraska Environmental Trust for recognizing the great success of this yearling program, and for their continued support.

Read the Annual Report here

Congratulations Certified Nebraska Master Naturalists!

2010-09-15T06:14:00.001-05:00

The first class of Certified Master Naturalists has graduated in Nebraska! And boy did we CELEBRATE!

On August 28th at Spring Creek Prairie we celebrated the graduation of the inaugural Master Naturalist Class. Thirty-one participants graduated with more than 64 hours of in-depth field and classroom training, led by Nebraska’s experts. They have spent the past two months exploring, contributing, and connecting hands-on to Nebraska’s natural resources through training in ecosystems, plants and animals, conservation biology, and so much more!

We celebrated alongside our graduates and their wonderfully supportive families, who have allowed them to spend their summer in class with us. We enjoyed great food, great friends, and some beautiful Nebraska weather! So many of our fantastic partners turned out for the event, and great times were had by all! With the help of some special guests, including Jim Douglas, Wildlife Division Administrator with the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, Scott Hygnstrom with University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension, and Mark Brohman, Executive Director of the Nebraska Environmental Trust. Touching words were said and inspiring stories were shared. It was the type of event you to remind you that the countless hours and sleepless nights were well worth it!

Through this program, we have had the opportunity to meet some of the best that Nebraska has to offer, and now we celebrate the beginning of a legacy! Help us share this legacy with the rest of Nebraska. If you are interested in getting involved, visit our website at http://naturalist.unl.edu and subscribe to our listserv to stay in touch. If you represent a natural resource program with volunteer opportunities, please contact us with information about your program, as well as volunteer and education opportunities you provide, for us to share with our graduates. Help us welcome our graduates to the Master Naturalist family!

"Being a Master Naturalist makes me feel so much more prepared because I have learned so much about all the different parts that make up what we love, Nature! I got to meet all those great people and discovered new places. I am really excited to now be able to "...cross the creeks and go find the river"."

"It was an adventure! Wonderful, talented people and so much valuable information. Loved it! Now, 'On to the Creek"

"What an adventure we had in our classes! What an adventure to meet these fascinating people! Thank you all for the opportunity to share the experience. OK, lets find the Creek!"

Nebraska Master Naturalist Program

2009-10-03T12:01:00.000-05:00

Posted: 10:25 AM Aug 28, 2009

Become a Nebraska Master Naturalist

Conservation Volunteers need to become Nebraska Master Naturalists.

Nebraskans with a passion for natural resources now have the opportunity to become "Master Naturalists." The new Nebraska Master Naturalist Program will equip participants with the scientific knowledge and hands-on skills training that make them ideal volunteers and can enhance their lives.

"This is something I've been wanting for several years," said Keanna Leonard, education director at Rowe Sanctuary, which hosts up to 15,000 visitors during the six-week Sandhills Crane migration season. "We want to provide our volunteers with the science background that gets them up and going quickly. We don't want people to think science is scary or unapproachable."

Rowe Sanctuary is one of 16 partner organizations across the state involved in the Nebraska Master Naturalist Program. The program is based in the School of Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, funded primarily by three-year grants from the Nebraska Environmental Trust ($170,000) and Nebraska Game and Parks Commission ($75,000), announced in spring 2009.

"These are highly trained volunteers that are going to be a valuable asset to wildlife and habitats across the state," said Kristal Stoner, wildlife diversity program manager at the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. "It is fantastic that the Master Naturalist Program has come to Nebraska. The folks who become Master Naturalists are going to make a difference."

The program will create a network of dedicated volunteers for organizations and agencies focused on habitat conservation, environmental education, citizen science, outdoor skills and ecotourism. Participants will receive 40 hours of primary training alongside scientists, land managers, local experts and professional educators.

Through this unique opportunity, participants will learn about topics such as Nebraska's natural history and ecosystems, plants and animals, conservation biology and what it is to be a Master Naturalist.

Following the primary training, an additional 20 hours of intensive training will be focused on the participant's area of interest: citizen science, resource management, interpretation and outreach, and outdoor skills. In return, participants will be asked to contribute 20 hours of annual service to their community. A modest fee will be charged for the training, which is scheduled to begin next year.

"This is one of the most exciting programs I have been involved with in quite some time," said UNL Extension Wildlife Specialist Scott Hygnstrom. "We have such a diverse and extensive level of interest. It seems like everyone wants to be a part of the program."

"The Master Naturalist Program gives people a chance to learn about Nebraska's diverse ecosystems and to connect with others who share a passion for nature and conservation," Major said. She is currently taking names of people who are interested in becoming Master Naturalists, and of organizations what could use Master Naturalists as volunteers.

More information on how to become a Master Naturalist is available online, or by contacting Annabel Major at naturalist@unl.edu or (402) 326-8628