If you are like me, this is one of the most anticipated summers and falls of your lifetime. Getting back together in-person with family and friends and resuming programs and projects that were put on pause due to COVID-19 is something I am really looking forward to.
The Mississippi Master Naturalist Program certification course was postponed last year, but that didn’t mean the program was idle. In 2020, previously certified Master Naturalists provided over 2,800 volunteer service hours. Through these volunteer hours, participants reached or educated more than 2,800 people and directly or indirectly improved nearly 6,800 acres through stewardship activities.
Even though the program was productive, we are eager to add some more certified Master Naturalists to the club! We are currently planning the 2021 course, which will be offered across September and October.
One thing that COVID-19 did teach us was that not everything we did in person in the past needs to continue. As such, we have restructured the course so it’s easier for people to fit it within their schedule. All lectures will be done through pre-recorded videos, which will allow participants to complete a portion of the course on their own time. However, we are still going to keep all of the fun field trips!
There will be four or five field trips that will occur on either Fridays or the weekends. The fieldtrips are being finalized, but will likely cover going offshore on a research vessel to catch sharks, boat trips throughout the marshes of the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve and Pascagoula River, and hiking through the many different ecotones of the Mississippi Sandhill Crane Refuge and DeSoto National Forest – all while learning about ecology and stewardship.
While the program is called the Mississippi Master Naturalist Program, it is open to anyone interested in learning more about nature. We have several Master Naturalists from Alabama and Louisiana – many of which become really good friends and carpooling buddies throughout the course.
If you would like more information or would like to be placed on the wait list for this year’s course, contact me, the director of coastal and marine extension with the Mississippi State University Extension Service and coastal ecology specialist with the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium, at [email protected] or 228-546-1025.
Meet the author
Eric Sparks, Ph.D.
Assistant Director for Outreach and Coastal Ecology Specialist
Eric is the assistant director for outreach and a coastal ecology specialist. His work focuses on estuarine and wetland issues, and his specialty areas include coastal conservation and... Read more
Phone: 228-546-1025
Email: [email protected]