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
May 1, 2025
Our next Basic Training class begins September 10, 2025, and continues through March 12, 2026, with graduation. Here is a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document in PDF that is intended to answer many of your questions about the upcoming Basic Training session.
We encourage you to carefully review this FAQ document to decide if this program is for you and if you want to apply.
The web page for applications will go “live” June 1 on this web page. Applications must be completed online. We encourage you to apply early — we have more people interested than we have space for.
If you want to be on the list to get information about the 2025-2026 Basic Training class, or if you have any questions, please contact Shirley Devan, Basic Training Committee, at Shirley_devan@icloud.com, and include your phone number along with your name and email.
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, and local governments. Its programs and employment are open to all, regardless of age, color, disability, sex (including pregnancy), gender, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, military status, or any other basis protected by law.