Today I started the West Virginia Master Naturalist Program, run by WV Department of Natural Resources and the Potomac Valley Audubon Society. To become a certified Master Naturalist you need to take 64 hours of classes 48 hours of core classes and 16 hours of electives) and do 30 volunteer hours (in West Virginia or for West Virginians). And then each year you need 8 additional hours of training and 16 additional hours of volunteer work.Core topics include Amphibians and Reptiles; Aquatic Habitats; Birds; General Ecology; Insects and Spiders; Mammals; Names, Classifications and ID; Nature Interpretation and Teaching; Recording, Sharing and Preserving; Terrestrial Habitats; Trees; Shrubs and Woody Vines; Wetland Habitats; Wildflowers and Weeds; and Wildlife Habitat Improvement.
Electives cover Geology, Succession, Mushrooms, Astronomy, Butterflies, Weather and Climate. (I'm really excited about the mycology class.)
My day was 12 hours long today (about 10 hours of class, plus 2 hours driving), and then tomorrow is more of the same. Classes are one weekend a month, and most of the rest are in (or a lot nearer to) Shepherdstown.
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