Virginia Master Naturalist Training - Roanoke Valley Chapter

On Tuesday, I attended my first session of training to become a Virginia Master Naturalist with the Roanoke Valley Chapter. The course includes 11 three hour classroom sessions and a few weekend field trips. Maintaining a title of Virginia Master Naturalist requires an annual commitment of 40 hours of volunteer service and eight hours of advance training. The mission of the program is:

The Virginia Master Naturalist program is a statewide volunteer training program positively impacting natural resource education and conservation across Virginia. We are a corps of well-informed volunteers providing education, outreach, and service dedicated to the beneficial management of natural resources and natural areas within our communities for the Commonwealth of Virginia. 

My goal is to learn enough about Virginia's natural resources and history to confidently inspire others to have a deeper connection with nature. Specifically, I hope to lead interpretive programs at state parks.

There will be a test at the end of the course and to help me study I plan to journal some of my notes on this blog. The following is the course syllabus and I will link to a separate post that contains a class period's notes. I think my class notes will be interesting for others because each topic is taught by a resident expert in the field.

• Ecological Concepts (and Nature of Naming)
• Weather and Climate, Virginia's Geology and Soil Sciences
• Aquatic Ecology and Management
• Ornithology
• Botany and Dendrology
• Ichthyology and Entomology
• Mammology
• Herpetology
• Forest Ecology and Management, Urban and Suburban Systems
• Interpretation and Teaching Skills, Citizen Science and Research
• Land Use in Virginia, Risk Management and Working with Youth