Master naturalist program accepting applications

Several University of Illinois Extension units are accepting applications for the Master Naturalist volunteer training program.

Trainees learn the ecology of forests and grasslands, streams and wetlands, and get hands-on experience about plants and insects, frogs, toads and snakes, and birds and mammals.

The Extension unit provides educational support while the partners offer opportunities for volunteer service with the help of local experts.

Master naturalists must contribute 60 hours of volunteer service the first year and 30 volunteer hours each of the following years that they are in the program.

Extension units currently accepting applications include:

Boone, DeKalb, and Ogle; Calhoun, Cass, Greene, Morgan, and Scott; DeWitt, Macon, and Piatt; Fulton, Mason, Peoria, and Tazewell; Henry, Mercer, Rock Island, and Stark; Jo Daviess, Stephenson, and Winnebago; Logan, Menard, and Sangamon; and Madison, Monroe, and St. Clair.

A $250 fee covers classroom sessions and field training, handouts, and the Master Naturalist manual.

For more information visit http://web.extension.illinois.edu.