New Master Naturalist Class Starting in January

The Sagebrush-steppe Chapter of the Idaho Master Naturalist Program is offering a new training session starting January 11. The cost is $60 per person. The volunteer Idaho Master Naturalist Program consists of 48 hours of training and education for participants and 40 hours of volunteer service by participants for certification. The program mission is to develop a corps of well-informed volunteers to work toward stewardship of Idaho's natural environment. The Sagebrush-steppe Chapter is based in Boise and is sponsored by the Idaho Botanical Garden, the Foothills Learning Center and Idaho Fish and Game's Morrison Knudsen Nature Center. Volunteers will complete their volunteer service with these three organizations during their first year of participation. Training topics include geology, ornithology, herpetology, aquatic ecosystems, ecology, mammalogy, botany and more. Classes will be a mixture of lectures by professionals, hands-on activities and field trips. Trainings are held most Tuesday mornings from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. through the end of April. For more information, contact Elizabeth Dickey at the Idaho Botanical Garden at 208-343-8649 or by email at elizabeth@idahobotanicalgarden.org. To download the registration form, visit the Idaho Botanical Garden Website (on the left column, choose Education, then Adult Education and Sagebrush-steppe Master Naturalist Program).