Press Release: March 09, 2009

Master Naturalist program to offer training in habitats, wildlife

BILOXI, Miss. — Mississippi Master Naturalist Program courses will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursdays from April 16 to June 4 at the Mississippi State University Coastal Research and Extension Center in Biloxi. Class enrollment is limited, and pre-registration is required.

The course fee is $65, which includes program costs, supplies, course notebook and other educational materials. 

The program helps participants expand their knowledge of local habitats and helps them identify ways to protect land and water resources. Master Naturalists receive 40 hours of training in natural resource and wildlife management. They also must complete 40 hours of volunteer service to meet certification requirements.

Natural resource professionals, university professors and extension agents will conduct classes and field trips about archaeology, native plants, habitats, insects, watershed management, forestry, fisheries, soils and birds. 

To register, contact Chris Boyd, an assistant extension professor who works with MSU and the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium, at (228) 546-1025 or cboyd@ext.msstate.edu.