Parents and teachers: Have you ever seen an opportunity for your kids and said, “I wish we had something like that when I was a kid”?
Students between 14 and 18: Are you interested in learning more about nature and how to take care of it?
If so, this the perfect opportunity for you or your child! A side bonus is that getting out in nature is the perfect social distancing activity.
Funding from the EPA Gulf of Mexico Program is making it possible for the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium, Mississippi State University Extension Service and collaborators to offer a FREE Student Naturalist Course during the first three weeks of June (on Tuesdays and Thursdays).
The program is based out of the Mississippi State University Coastal Research and Extension Center in Biloxi, but it includes field trips throughout coastal Mississippi and Alabama. Transportation for field trips is provided from the MSU Coastal Research and Extension Center.
A full class schedule is available at the registration link, but field trips and topics include:
- Camp Shelby – wildlife conservation and endangered species.
- *Ship Island – barrier island ecology, coastal birds, and marine ecology.
- **Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve – coastal habitats.
- *Dauphin Island and Mobile Bay – sharks and marine fisheries.
- *Pascagoula River – swamps and rivers.
- Biloxi – coastal restoration and marine debris.
*indicates a boat trip
**indicates a kayak trip
The Student Naturalist Program was created last summer with the mission to educate and foster a network of next-generation leaders who can engage their communities in environmental topics.
It is a perfect opportunity to jumpstart your interest in nature or even an environmentally focused career through learning from and networking with environmental professionals.
Last year, 12 Student Naturalists completed the course and have been busy since! They have contributed or led programming that led to more than 275 volunteer hours that helped improve over 35 acres of habitat and remove over 200 pounds of trash from the environment.
If you are interested in signing up for this year’s course, click here to register. Space is limited, so I suggest signing up ASAP. View flier.
If you would like to learn more about this opportunity or the adult version of this course (offered in the Fall), contact me, an assistant professor with the MSU Extension Service and coastal ecology specialist with the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium, at eric.sparks@msstate.edu or 228-546-1025.