Osprey Landing on Nest, photo by David Carr

NEW JERSEY VOLUNTEER MASTER NATURALIST CERTIFICATE /

CERTIFIED INTERPRETIVE GUIDE

NEXT COHORT IS SCHEDULED FOR FALL 2013

The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, and other regional environmental organizations are offering a program to train New Jersey Volunteer Master Naturalists (VMN’s). The 40 hour certificate program is based on a national model, currently offered in over 20 states, to develop volunteer citizen stewards of natural resources through science-based conservation, education and service programs.

The program, with both classroom and field-based learning components, will offer a broad range of natural resource and wildlife topics, delivered by field experts in environmental education. Certificate program instructors include a number of well-known Stockton faculty members, including Jack Connor, Rudy Arndt, and Patrick Hossay.

It will also provide trained volunteer opportunities for conservation services, interpretation activities and outreach at the Refuge and at other environmental organizations within local communities, focusing especially on the habitats of the southern New Jersey coastal region, Great Bay and Barnegat Bay and other local tidal areas and on coastal plains and forests in Atlantic, Ocean and Monmouth Counties. Other organizations participating in this program include:

The VMN certificate program will take place primarily at the Oceanville (Atlantic County) site of the Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge and also includes a full day field experience at and around the Sedge Island Natural Resource Education Center, located in Barnegat Bay.

To receive the VNM certificate, participants must also complete, during the subsequent 12 months, 40 hours of approved environmental service, either at the Refuge or another environmental/wildlife site, and complete an additional eight hours of advanced environmental training. The 40-hour service and eight-hour advanced training component must be completed each year to maintain one’s Volunteer Master Naturalist status.

The VMN certificate program is open to staff of environmental organizations, teachers, retired persons and any adult interested in the environment. For more information and to register, contact Stockton College Continuing Studies at NJVMN@stockton.edu or call us at 609.652.4227.

Stockton College also offers the National Association for Interpretation Certified Interpretive Guide (CIG), an intensive 32-hour National Association for Interpretation certification program taught by credentialed Certified Interpretive Guide Trainers. For additional information about this certificate program, click on the title above or contact Stockton College Continuing Studies at cs@stockton.edu or call us at 609.652.4227.

Tuition for the VMN program

Volunteer Master Naturalist Certificate program: $249*, includes 40 contact hours of training (classroom and field experience) and all participant materials.

*Optional additional Sedge Island overnight experience available for small additional fee

The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey Division of Continuing Studies is an approved professional development provider by the New Jersey Department of Education (NJ Dept of Education Approved Provider - #6500)

* Osprey photo by David Carr, 2007

The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey is an equal opportunity college. It does not discriminate in admission or access to its programs and activities or in treatment or employment of individuals on the basis of race, gender, national origin or ancestry, age, religion, disability, affectual or sexual orientation, marital status, familial status, atypical hereditary cellular or blood trait, genetic information, and/or liability for service in the Armed Forces of the United States.