Master Naturalist Program

Pennsylvania Master Naturalist Training in Lancaster County

Since 2013, the Lancaster Conservancy has partnered with Pennsylvania Master Naturalist to prepare citizens to become volunteer leaders in their communities through natural resource conservation education, citizen science, and stewardship. Pennsylvania Master Naturalist is a citizen volunteer initiative with three key components:  an initial 55-hour volunteer training, annual volunteer service, and continuing education in the natural sciences.

Building Volunteer Leadership for Community-based Conservation

Master Naturalist volunteers design and pursue a wide variety of service projects from habitat restoration and native plantings, to nature walks and interpretative displays or publications on natural history, to water quality monitoring and supporting the natural resource conservation efforts of partnering organizations.  Since 2010, Pennsylvania Master Naturalist volunteers in Southeastern Pennsylvania have:

  • engaged in more than 13,600 hours of conservation service
  • contributed $309,000 in conservation value and impact to numerous regional partners
  • reached over 18,000 people through education and outreach initiatives
  • improved 795 acres of habitat through stewardship service
  • dedicated themselves to 3,822 hours of continuing education in the natural sciences

Interested Applicants

Once accepted into the Pennsylvania Master Naturalist program, participants begin by attending an initial intensive training.  This natural history training includes 55 hours of classroom (weekday evenings) and field sessions (Saturday).  Following this training, participants will engage in 30 hours of service in the first year and 8 hours of continuing education in order to become certified as a Master Naturalist Volunteer.  Participants complete annual service and continuing education hours to maintain their status as Master Naturalist Volunteers.

Fall training for Lancaster will begin in August and run through October.  The specific training schedule along with the application and information about training can be found on Pennsylvania Master Naturalist’s website at www.pamasternaturalist.org under “Become a Master Naturalist.”

Pennsylvania Master Naturalist
197 Montour Road
Elysburg, PA 17825
http://pamasternaturalist.org
(570)441-3364

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