I stumbled upon the Arkansas Master Naturalist program about 18 months ago on a family trip to Pinnacle Mountain State Park when I saw one of the group's pamphlets. I learned that the organization's purpose was to enhance and promote nature through a highly educated force of ardent volunteers.
To become an Arkansas Master Naturalist you must acquire at least 40 hours of education during one of the annual January-to-May training periods. Classes are typically held in two sessions each Saturday, and there are plenty of courses to pick from. You could probably rack up closer to 55 hours if you wanted to. Upon completing the 40 hours you will receive your Arkansas Master Naturalist pin. The mission is then to complete at least 40 hours of nature-related volunteer work in the public interest during the June to May period. If you make that goal, you attain the title of Certified Arkansas Master Naturalist.
There are chapters of the organization now in central Arkansas, the Arkansas River Valley, Northwest Arkansas and North-Central Arkansas. It is an independent, non-political, non-profit organization and I am on its board of directors. For a better understanding of the group and all that we do, go to http://home.arkansasmasternaturalists.org/
The group is packed with diverse and interesting people. Just in my immediate circle, I know a semi-retired Methodist minister, geologist, retired pharmaceutical company manager, professor of physics, lifelong caregiver and research psychiatrist. Long-term members are community-driven people, good-natured and fun to be around. Once you have your naturalist title you can pretty much engage in any type of volunteer work you like. Some of my colleagues like to group together on workdays, where have made tremendous strides in trail-building at places like Burns Park and Pinnacle Mountain State Park. Others, like me, are often drawn to things we can do on our own, like trail-intepreter gigs, or wildlife-habitat creation.
Here's my advice to you, though, if you are considering doing this: Don't get involved if you just want the education. There are plenty of books you can read if this is what you are after. Instead, join if you want to learn a ton and then put that knowledge and passion to work to help preserve, protect and promote the natural resources of Arkansas. You will find an organization that needs your passion, time and expertise.
My volunteer work has mostly centered around wildlife habitat and helping out the good folks at the Pinnacle visitor's center. With two other master naturalists, I helped build some bluebird house kits and then organized the assemply of those houses by third- and fourth-grade kids at Don Roberts Elementary School in Little Rock. They kids then painted the boxes, and my wife and I hung them up in carefully selected locales around the campus. Every week to 10 days I monitored the boxes to see what was nesting, and in the end. about 5 bluebird nests were built in the boxes.
I have also spent a lot of time at Pinnacle doing such things as helping to clean the alligator and turtle enclosures, leading tours of the Kingfisher Trail and wading through water with kids looking for crawdads. All good fun.
This year I hope to expand what I am doing with wildlife habitat by creating nesting boxes for wood ducks, screech owls, bats, mason bees, bluebirds and the like. I also have a goal of creating a frog-and-toad presentation for elementary kids.
If you are interested in the organization, message me or hit the website. Classes start in January. It would be a treat to see you involved. But if you would like to support the organization financially I can probably give you a few ideas.
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