Naturalist Core Education Courses being offered by U of I Extension
Register before August 19th for September/October classes

[July 26, 2019]     Naturalist Core Education Course is open to Logan, Menard and Sangamon county residents who are interested in research-based naturalist education for their personal or professional enrichment, as well as those who may be interested in becoming volunteers in our University of Illinois Extension Master Naturalist program by completing an additional training course in the spring of 2020.

Naturalist Education will take place on Wednesday, September 4 through October 16, 2019. Classes are held in venues around our unit. Each day begins at 9 a.m. and concludes at 4 p.m.

Classes are taught by U of I Extension educators, and local and regional experts. Topics to be covered: Natural Divisions of Illinois, Botany, Soils, Forest of Illinois, Urban Systems, Prairies of Illinois, Geology, Ornithology, Mammalogy, Invasive Species, and Ecological Concepts.

The cost of this course is $225 and includes the Illinois Master Naturalist Manual (on which instruction is based), handouts, and related materials.

At the conclusion of the course, students will receive a certificate of completion and be eligible to apply for the University of Illinois Extension Master Naturalist volunteer program.

For those wishing to become Extension Master Naturalists, there is screening process, and an additional three-day volunteer training that focuses on volunteer skills and policies. It is taught by current Extension Master Naturalists, Extension horticulture educator, and other area experts.

Register for the program on the University of Illinois Extension Logan-Menard-Sangamon unit website at https://web.extension.illinois.edu/lms/.  Registration is open until August 19. Questions call [phone].

[Jennifer Fishburn
Horticulture Educator]