Take your love of nature to the master level

Do you love to go for walks to see the emerging wildflowers, to hear the call of frogs in our ponds, to listen to the songs of the birds newly arrived from the south? Perhaps you find joy in nature all year long. If so, the Minnesota Master Naturalist program may interest you. It is an opportunity to learn about our woods, waters and wildlife, to meet others who share your

interests, and to encourage people to appreciate nature's gifts at our door.

The Master Naturalist program is sponsored by the University of Minnesota Extension and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Its mission is to promote awareness, understanding, and stewardship of the state's natural environment. It trains a corps of volunteers who work to conserve and study our natural resources and to share their knowledge with others.

Minnesota biomes

Minnesota has many different habitats, from boreal forests to tallgrass prairies to the floodplains of the Mississippi, St. Croix, and Minnesota rivers. Therefore, the training for the Minnesota Master Naturalist program is focused on these three different biomes: North Woods, Great Lakes; Prairies and Potholes; and Big Woods, Big Rivers. Anyone in the state can choose a biome region of training. The courses are focused on the geology, flora, and fauna of each biome. One can take one or more of the training courses.

The North Woods, Great Lakes biome encompasses the Arrowhead region of Carlton County, the Iron Range and up the North Shore to the Canadian border. The class discusses the geology and biology of the Northwoods and Lake Superior watershed, the boreal forest, the birds, butterflies, all the critters that call this home, and much more. What a treat to hear experts in the field talk about what they love.

Certification

The Master Naturalist certification requires 40 hours of instruction, which includes classroom time and field exploration. Once one has completed the training, a Master Naturalist gives back to the community at least 40 volunteer hours a year and takes at least eight hours of continuing education instruction. The continuing education hours are a real perk of being a Master Naturalist. It's a chance to learn from experts in all areas.

The next North Woods, Great Lakes instruction class will take place May 28-June 1 in Grand Marais and June 3-7 at Boulder Lake in Duluth. Interested? Find out more at http://www.minnesotamasternaturalist.org.

Volunteer activities

What are some of the volunteer activities Master Naturalists engage in?

•Citizen science projects such as the Christmas bird count, wetland and river monitoring, monarch butterfly watch, the AVID (Assessing Vegetation Impacts from Deer) program, the Bee Atlas, and many more.

•Outreach/education opportunities to lead school and park field trips.

•Stewardship projects including invasive species removal, seed collecting, native planting, and stream monitoring.

All of these projects benefit our community and the ecosystem we share.

Here in Carlton County we are blessed with many chances to be out and enjoy the natural world, whether it be Jay Cooke State Park or our own backyards. Master Naturalist-led programs, open to all, are listed at http://www.minnesotamasternaturalist.org.

The Head of the Lake Chapter of the Master Naturalist Program, a resource for information on area nature events, can be found on Facebook. It hosts a wildflower walk at Jay Cooke State Park (Leimer Road entrance) at 1 p.m. Sunday, May 26.

Come meet a Master Naturalist and enjoy spring in the Northland.

Betsy Dugan is a member of the Carlton County Extension board and a Master Naturalist.