Build Your Green Cred: Free Master Naturalist Training Offered

Applications are now being accepted for a free 11-week Bellevue Parks & Community Services Master Naturalist Training Program designed to build a group of dedicated community volunteers trained in environmental education and stewardship.

The training program is open to interested students, community members and volunteers ages 18 and up. Participants will meet eleven Fridays beginning Feb. 2012 for a series of in-class lectures, field trips, workshops and restoration projects in and around Bellevue City parks. The program will provide volunteers with training on our area's ecology, hydrology, geology, natural resource management, native plants, wildlife, cultural history and restoration efforts

Volunteers who complete the program will be trained to assist Bellevue Park Rangers with a variety of efforts, such as environmental education and interpretation, habitat restoration, adult and family environmental education programs, nature hikes, wildlife and native plant restoration monitoring and research, community volunteer projects, canoe tours, wetland monitoring, and more.

Upon completion of the Master Naturalist Training Program, naturalists are expected to complete a minimum of five hours of community service per month up to 100 hours of service to Bellevue's natural resource programs. Completion of 100 hours is not to exceed a two-year period.

This is the third year Bellevue has hosted the Master Naturalist Training Program. It has been adopted by 23 states and has successfully trained thousands of volunteers throughout the nation. The program provides opportunities for individuals to make a positive impact in our local community, gain useful and applicable experience, and become an active participant in the preservation of their natural resources. 

Individuals interested in the Master Naturalist Training Program must complete and return an application packet on or before Jan. 6. Complete packets and submittal information is available online at http://www.bellevuewa.gov/9182.htm . For more information, call Alexandra DySard at 425-452-4195.        

-- Information from the