CURIOUS? BECOME A VIRGINIA MASTER NATURALIST
Learning about wetlands. Photo by Jennifer Trevino.
People who are curious about nature, enjoy the outdoors, and want to volunteer in stewardship, outreach, and citizen science projects supporting natural resource management and conservation in Virginia are perfect candidates to become Virginia Master Naturalists.
APPLICATION INFORMATION
June 26, 2025
Applications are now closed for the 2025-2026 Basic Training Class because the class is full.
If you want to be on the list of interested people for the 2026-2027 Basic Training Class, send your name and phone number to Shirley Devan, Basic Training Committee, sedevanhrc@gmail.com
Polyphemus Moth. Photo by Mike Powell
HISTORIC RIVERS BASIC TRAINING
Basic training covers the background knowledge and skills that every naturalist needs to have. We tailor our course to fit our local environment and community.
The Historic Rivers Chapter Virginia Master Naturalist’s training includes:
- Introduction to Virginia Master Naturalist Program
- Risk Management
- Building Master Naturalist Skills
- Biodiversity and Evolution
- Virginia Geology and Biogeography
- Ecology Concepts
- Climate & Weather
- Forest Conservation
- American Naturalists
- Dendrology
- Botany and Native Plants
- Wetlands Ecology
- Entomology
- Freshwater Ecology and Macroinvertebrates
- Butterflies
- Ichthyology
- Herpetology
- Ornithology
- Mammalogy
Io Moth Caterpillar. Photo by Susan Powell
Virginia Cooperative Extension is a partnership of Virginia Tech, Virginia State University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and local governments, and is an equal opportunity employer. For the full non-discrimination statement, please visit ext.vt.edu/accessibility