Two local chapters of West Virginia Master Naturalists are offering a free presentation open to the public. The presentations are typical of the kinds of classes one would enjoy while becoming a Certified Master Naturalist or as an ongoing member.
Thursday, March 12 at 7:00 PM, the Tygart Valley Master Naturalist Chapter is sponsoring a program on coyotes at the DNR Operational Center on Ward Road in Elkins. The presenter is Dr. Sheldon Owen of the WV Extension Service. Coordinators from Tygart Valley and Canaan Valley Master Naturalist chapters will be present after the presentation to introduce the Master Naturalist program and answer questions about their upcoming classes.
Saturday, April 4 at 7:00 PM, the Canaan Valley Master Naturalist Chapter is sponsoring a program titled Extreme Environments, Amazing Adaptations: The Plants of Mount Everest.
The presenter is Elizabeth Byers, the Senior Watershed Scientist for the WV Department of Environmental Protection (and a favorite Master Naturalist Instructor). For many years Elizabeth has been spending part of the year in Nepal and has recently completed an illustrated guide to the vascular flora of Mount Everest for the National Parks of Nepal.
Elizabeth has been watching glaciers melt in the Himalayas for forty years. She writes: “On these newly exposed piles of rubble and ice, the most miraculous wildflowers are taking root.
Their resilience and beauty in such an extreme environment offer a tiny ray of hope amidst the cataclysm of climate change.” She will lead us up through spectacular forests of fir, birch, and rhododendron, over carpets of primroses and gentians, to reach the alpine zone. We will learn about the amazing adaptations of native species to the unique and challenging environments of Mount Everest National Park, Nepal, and discover some of the connections to our own special flora here in West Virginia.” Coordinators will also be present to answer questions about the Master Naturalist program after this presentation.
If these programs are interesting to you, you may want to consider becoming a Master Naturalist yourself. To do so you would begin by joining one of the eight chapters currently active in West Virginia. There are chapters in surrounding states as well. For a modest fee, you would then complete the 62 hours of course work. Classes are on all manner of subjects related to the world of nature–birds, insects, wildflowers, butterflies, reptiles, fish and more, including habitat, hydrology, and invasive species, to name a few. For the nature lover, the classes are invariably engrossing, taught by highly qualified experts from around our region, and usually include some relatively easy outdoor, hands-on activities. In addition, you would complete thirty hours of volunteer service in an area that interests you. Volunteer opportunities abound in a wide range of possibilities from field work to desk work. There is a generous four-year time frame for completing the classes and the volunteer hours. Once certified, you may keep your certification indefinitely by taking a few classes and performing some volunteer work each year.
The 2020 schedule for classes at Canaan Valley Chapter has been set for the following weekends: April 17-19, May 1-3, July 10-12, and August 28-30. If you attend all these classes, you will be able to complete your coursework in one summer. Tygart Valley Chapter classes meet on Saturdays. For 2020, those Saturdays will be April 18, May 16, July 18, August 15, September 12, October 17, and November 14. For more info on the Canaan Valley chapter, contact Andrea Dalton AndreaDalton64@gmail.com or 304-866-7037. For more information on the Tygart Valley chapter, contact Tommy Zeitz TZeitz@aol.com. You may also visit the Master Naturalist website at mnofwv.org for further information and history.
Meanwhile, mark your calendars for March 12 and April 4 and join us for these fine upcoming presentations.
