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Description

The mission of the Minnesota Master Naturalist Program is to promote awareness, understanding, and stewardship of Minnesota’s natural environment by developing a corps of well-informed citizens dedicated to conservation education and service within their communities.

Our core biome courses are designed to give a general overview of one of Minnesota's three biomes:

  • Big Woods, Big Rivers - Eastern broadleaf forest
  • Prairies and Potholes - Prairie parkland
  • North Woods, Great Lakes - Laurentian mixed forest

Each biome training course includes 40 hours of lectures, hands-on activities, videos and field trips that cover in-depth, specific aspects of Minnesota's natural history. After completion of the core course, you will be a certified Master Naturalist in the biome that you take, and you need only take one biome course to start volunteering.

Note: Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, in-person courses require participants to comply with safety guidelines such as social distancing and mask wearing. Specific, updated requirements will be emailed to you before the course begins. Registrants should be aware that in-person courses may be cancelled, suspended and/or moved to online formats based on guidance from local health department officials and University of Minnesota safety requirements. If the course is cancelled, you will receive a full refund. If your course is suspended or moved online we will contact you with options. 

All books and necessary materials are included in the course fee, and will be provided to you during your first class. If your course takes place online, materials will be mailed to the address you provide during the registration process. 

Big Woods, Big Rivers

In this core course, training is tailored to Minnesota's Eastern Broadleaf Forest biome. This area makes a diagonal sash across Minnesota, starting at the northwest corner of the state with a narrow band and widening out in the southeast. It encompasses approximately 12 million acres, and includes three of the largest rivers in the state.

Big Woods, Big Rivers covers topics of geology, glaciers, water, wildlife, humans, ecology, and botany using a variety of teaching techniques, ranging from lectures, classroom discussions, field trips, field work, small group work and readings.

Attendance and Capstone Project

Participants must complete the full 40 hours of training to become a certified Minnesota Master Naturalist Volunteer.

Each participant must complete a group capstone project. Capstone options will be presented on the first day of class, and participants will choose a capstone that they can work on and complete before finishing the course.

Volunteer Service

Following the completion of the training course, Minnesota Master Naturalist Volunteers will be expected to complete 40 hours of volunteer service per year to be considered an active Master Naturalist. Any time spent on the capstone project and any volunteer service hours completed after graduating from the training course may be counted towards the 40 hours. There are four basic areas of service:

  • Stewardship. Natural resource management activities such as invasive species removal or restoration projects.
  • Education/Interpretation. Public presentations of natural resource information, educational materials development, or leading hikes.
  • Citizen Science. Data collection and other support for research projects. Examples include Monarch larval monitoring, plant or animal counts, or water quality monitoring.
  • Program Support. Projects include working in a store or office of the Minnesota Master Naturalist or sponsor or serving as a local chapter organizer.

Help

Course content questions

info@minnesotamasternaturalist.org

Registration questions 

Extension Registration, ext-reg@umn.edu

User Name or Password help

UMN Help Desk, HELP@umn.edu, 612-301-4357.

Visit the Minnesota Master Naturalist website for more information on this and upcoming courses.

The best way to register is to register online and pay with a credit card. If you must pay with a check contact ext-reg@umn.edu and we will provide a mail-in registration form. Thank you.

 

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Enroll Now - Select a section to enroll in
Section Title
BWBR - Impact of Climate Change on Big Woods, Big Rivers
Section Schedule
Jun 03, 2024 to Jun 14, 2024
Type
--
Days
M, T, W, Th, F
Time
9:00AM to 5:00PM
Dates
Jun 03, 2024 to Jun 07, 2024
Campus
Off-Campus
Type
--
Days
F
Time
9:00AM to 11:00AM
Dates
Jun 14, 2024
Campus
Off-Campus
Schedule and Location
View Details
Contact Hours
42.0
Location
  • Off-Campus
Course Fee(s)
Event fee $295.00
Section Details

We are so excited to invite you to join us for a Big Woods, Big Rivers Minnesota Master Naturalist Class with a lens on climate change and how it is impacting the biome.

This course will take place at River Bend Nature Center in Faribault, MN. River Bend Nature Center is situated on the Straight River, with 743 acres of beautiful Maple Basswood forest, prairie, and wetlands. We are just under an hour south of Minneapolis/St. Paul- the perfect spot for a week of learning, community building, and fun!

The class will include all the required content for MN Master Naturalist certification, including geology, plant communities, wildlife, aquatic system, human impacts, environmental interpretation and more. We will meet daily for one full week, Monday through Friday with classes typically from 9:00am to 5:00pm, with graduation the following week, on Friday June 14, in the AM. Each day will include substantial outdoor time to experience the biome first hand.

All participants will complete a small group capstone service project.

Location: River Bend Nature Center, 1000 Rustad Rd, Faribault, MN 55021

In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, this course material is available in alternative formats upon request. Direct requests to Julie Larson, larso143@umn.edu at least two weeks in advance.

If you would like to receive a scholarship do not register now. Instead, complete this scholarship form and wait to be contacted before enrolling: https://umn.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6rIvVxoy9qlFz9j
 
Cancellation requests received more than two weeks before the start of class are refunded minus a $20.00 processing fee.Cancellation requests received less than two weeks before the start of class are refunded minus $50.00. If possible, your full fee may be transferred to another biome course.
Section Title
BWBR - Bell Museum
Type
--
Days
M, T, W, Th, F
Time
9:00AM to 5:00PM
Dates
Jun 24, 2024 to Jun 28, 2024
Campus
Twin Cities (US Central Time)
Schedule and Location
View Details
Contact Hours
40.0
Location
Course Fee(s)
Event fee $295.00
Section Details

Have you always wanted to learn more about the natural world around you? Then this is the class for you! This class will focus on the Big Woods, Big Rivers biome. The St. Paul campus of the University of Minnesota has many excellent opportunities to learn about plants and animals, and you will see some behind the scenes places not readily available to others.

Location: Bell Museum, 2088 Larpenteur Ave West, Saint Paul, MN

In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, this course material is available in alternative formats upon request. Direct requests to Julie Larson, larso143@umn.edu at least two weeks in advance.

If you would like to receive a scholarship do not register now. Instead, complete this scholarship form and wait to be contacted before enrolling: https://umn.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6rIvVxoy9qlFz9j
 
Cancellation requests received more than two weeks before the start of class are refunded minus a $20.00 processing fee. Cancellation requests received less than two weeks before the start of class are refunded minus $50.00. If possible, your full fee may be transferred to another biome course.
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