The Oregon Master Naturalist Program, coordinated by OSU Extension and hosted at the College of Forestry, trains those with an interest in the outdoors how to be effective natural resources interpreters.
Participants study an online core curriculum, offered through OSU’s Professional and Continuing Education, in natural history and natural resource management specific to Oregon, then meet with university scientists and other experts for classroom instruction and fieldwork specific to their ecoregion.
Master naturalists learn skills and information that supplement their involvement in outdoor activities, including volunteer efforts in their communities. Master naturalists must volunteer at least 40 hours every year to keep their certification. So far, Oregon master naturalists have conducted education programming for watershed councils and state parks, as well as worked in citizen science, including bird counts and invasive species elimination.
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Above: Rob Pabst and Oregon Master Naturalist Paul Westerberg measure trees at Cascade Head Experimental Forest. (Photo: Jim Johnson)
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