Forestry
About the Alabama Master Naturalist (AMN) Program
The Alabama Master Naturalist program is a statewide program that strives to promote awareness, understanding, and respect of Alabama’s natural world to the state’s residents and visitors through science-based information and research. The program also develops a statewide corps of well-informed volunteers who provide education, outreach, and services. These volunteers are dedicated to the beneficial management of natural resources and natural areas within their communities.
Full or part-time Alabama residents (over 18 years old) who are interested in nature, enjoy the outdoors, and have a desire to help with natural resource management and conservation are perfect candidates to become an Alabama Master Naturalist. The program is open to adults who reside or work in Alabama for at least part of the year. It is open to all adults regardless of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital or family status.
Become a Certified Alabama Master Naturalist
Becoming a certified AMN requires three steps:
- Complete the online training course (22 topic modules).
- Attend two field days. Field days will resume in February 2024 once we’ve got a handle on where our participants are located and their availability.
- Log 30 volunteer hours in Alabama during the year in which you plan to be certified.
Course Format
The course will be asynchronous so once you sign up it really is work at your own pace. That said, we do plan to schedule live Q&A sessions on Zoom every 2 weeks or so to answer questions and provide guidance to those who want or need it. Every two weeks two new modules will be added to the platform. That said, once they’re added they’re there for good. So, for example, if you join the course four weeks after its release, there will be six modules available.
Registration
Registration: https://aces.catalog.auburn.edu/courses/alabama-master-naturalist
The course fee is $135. Participants are responsible for purchasing copies of A Sand County Almanac and Southern Wonder. Note that this link will not become available until this Friday, October 27.
More Information
For more information about the Alabama Master Naturalist program, contact Wesley Anderson, the program coordinator, at wma0016@aces.edu, or Emily Burchfield at erb0039@auburn.edu. More information is also available on the Alabama Master Naturalist Facebook page.
