H2ONCoast

I apologize to any of you who read H2ONC on a regular basis. It seems that I can post to the blog about once a week, but lately, I’ve been pushing that schedule out a bit. The reason is usually travel and this last week was no exception. In a departure from the norm, however, my travel is worthy of a post this week. I was in Cloquet, Minnesota at the Alliance of Natural Resources Outreach and Service Programs (ANROSP) meeting.

ANROSP promotes citizen stewardship of natural resources through science-based conservation, education, and service programs. This 501(c)3 supports and enhances member programs, and facilitates development of new programs. Many different types of programs fulfill the organization’s mission, including Master Naturalist, Certified Citizen Naturalist Volunteer, Master Watershed Steward, Coverts, Master Conservationist, Wildlife Stewards, and many more nationwide. I serve on the board of directors and was one of the early adherents of the organization. When my involvement began, it was as the statewide coordinator of the Arizona Master Watershed Steward Program.

This time, I am pleased to report that I was at the conference on behalf of a new program–Oregon Master Naturalist. The program is just in the formative stages, with a statewide steering committee meeting on a semi-regular basis to design, fund-raise for and eventually build the program. At this point, you are probably asking what are Master Naturalists? Master Naturalists are people from all walks of life with an interest in life-long learning, who train at least 40 hours in a variety of fields related to natural history and who then volunteer some of their time as “payback” to their communities. That volunteer service comes in the form of citizen science, environmental interpretation, or stewardship activities such as restoration plantings, fencing, beach cleanups, etc. The goal of Master Naturalist programs across the country is straightforward: to build a cadre of well-informed volunteers to serve as catalysts for local environmental improvement. Added up collectively, these volunteers can crank out an impressive amount of hours towards this goal. Programs exist in Missouri, Texas, Minnesota, Florida, Virginia, California, Delaware, to name a few. Other programs with similar goals exist in the rest of the 50 states. I am proud to say that Oregon will soon join them. I am also proud to say that OSU, with the special leadership of the College of Forestry and Sea Grant is the primary catalyst for the new program. If other state’s experiences are any guide, expect this one to be a popular program.

It is highly likely that by next fall or winter, the coast will be the site of the first pilot training in the Oregon Master Naturalist program. So if you are interested, keep your eyes open. I will use H2ONC as one way of letting folks know about this opportunity.