Master Naturalists are trained community members who are interested in and have an attachment to our regions natural areas and resources. The program is designed to educate and train a corps of volunteers who in turn provide support to conservation partners in the form of stewardship and education. The training provides opportunities to connect people with nature and helping them become engaged environmental stewards.

The 2020 face-to-face training will take place on Mondays, beginning March 16, 2020 running through May 18, 2020, from 5:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. The first session will be held at the University of Illinois Extension Office, 421 W. Pines Rd. Oregon, Illinois 61061 and the following sessions will be held at Kickapoo Mud Creek Nature Conservancy, 1919 N. Limekiln Rd, Oregon, Illinois 61061. Some classes have hands on learning components and will be held at different natural sites and local conservation areas. A set schedule with locations listed will be announced closer to the start of training. There will also be a Saturday workshop at an alternate location.

The cost for the Master Naturalist training is $250 and includes a comprehensive state curriculum, speakers, as well as other programmatic materials. Topics may include but are not limited to: Geology, Soils, Botany, Mammalogy, Ornithology, Herpetology, Weather and Climate, Prairies, Wetlands, Forests, Ethics, and Interpretation.

We encourage you to bring a brown bag meal. All classes begin at 5:00 p.m. and end by 9:00 p.m. the exception being the day time, Saturday, field trip.

Please make every effort to attend all classes.

For further questions or if you need a reasonable accommodation to participate in this program, please contact Elizabeth Sosa at the Ogle County Extension office at 815-732-2191.