OGLESBY, Ill. – The Bureau, LaSalle, Marshall, and Putnam County Master Naturalists welcomed 19 new volunteers to their ranks on September 17.
Colleen Soon, Melissa Araujo, Joanne Fitzgerald, Janell Satler, Katee Johnson, Joann Bowman, Jenny Eckhardt, Jeff Nieman, Cyndi Nieman, Amy Murphy, John Murphy, Joe Jakupcak, Zak Kaufman, Tom Dwyer, Chris Woeltje, Bonnie Claudnic, Bettyann Harrison, Amy Williams, and Brian Johnson successfully completed 6 weeks of training to better share their passion about the environment with their communities.
Experts from University of Illinois and environmental partners led 40 hours of classroom instruction and field work to cover the prairie state’s natural history and environmental issues. Some of the new volunteers’ favorite topics included bats of Illinois, prairie wildflowers, wetlands, ornithology, and streams.
“This is the first time we’ve been able to offer an in-person training since 2019,” says Emily Hansen, Illinois Extension Agriculture Educator. “I’m so happy that we have such a great new group of volunteers. I learned just as much from them as I did from our classes, and I look forward to seeing what the new class will contribute to our future programs.”
The Illinois Extension Master Naturalist program is designed for adults who want to have a positive impact on their community by serving as an environmental steward and naturalist.
Now that they have completed their training, the new volunteers will work toward completing 60 hours of service over the next year with partner organizations such as Starved Rock State Park, Dayton Bluffs Preserve, and Dixon Waterfowl Refuge.
Local Master Gardener/Master Naturalist coordinator, Bettyann Harrison expressed, “We are very fortunate to have these new volunteers in our local service area. Not only are they enthusiastic and excited to improve our local natural areas, each brings with them a strong history of learning in nature and dedication to educating others while preserving our natural environment. I very much look forward to new programs and projects that will be made possible with this graduating class.”
To learn more about the Master Naturalist program or if you’re interested in signing up for the next training, visit extension.illinois.edu/blmp/master-naturalists.
SOURCE: Emily Hansen, Commercial Agriculture Educator
EDITOR: Karina Delgado, Marketing and Communications Program Coordinator
University of Illinois Extension develops educational programs, extends knowledge, and builds partnerships to support people, communities, and their environments as part of the state's land-grant institution. Extension serves as the leading public outreach effort for University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences in all 102 Illinois counties through a network of 27 multi-county units and over 700 staff statewide. Extension’s mission is responsive to eight strategic priorities — community, economy, environment, food and agriculture, health, partnerships, technology and discovery, and workforce excellence — that are served through six program areas — 4-H youth development, agriculture and agribusiness, community and economic development, family and consumer science, integrated health disparities, and natural resources, environment, and energy.