Vermont Master Naturalist Returns to the Mad River Valley - Join the 2025 Cohort!Why - Advancing conservation, building community, and connecting Vermonters to the wild heart of place.
Vermont Master Naturalist: Mad River Valley builds a community of neighbors with a deep interest in nature who together learn to better understand and “read” the Mad River Valley landscape. The Vermont Master Naturalist Program (VMN) was created to advance conservation, build community, and connect Vermonters to the wild heart of place through professional training and local volunteer projects. This program brings Valley citizens valuable natural history training and welcomes them into a cohort of learners who care about their place. The Mad River Valley benefits long-term from a community of naturalists acting as a creative brain trust for solving ecological issues facing our wild lands and serving as expert resources for conservation education in our schools and communities. Who - Local residents with a sustained interest and background in at least one natural history discipline. Participants are chosen by application process. VMN and partners work with local leaders, groups, and municipalities to build a base of local support and sponsorship for programs, projects, and the participants. Trainings are developed and led by VMN and other regional and local experts. Participants must reside in the Mad River watershed towns of Warren, Waitsfield, Fayston, Duxbury, or Moretown. What - Field-based natural history training across earth, life, and social sciences that weaves together landscape pieces, patterns, and processes. The Mad River watershed has a rich natural heritage with habitat ranging from montane forests to dry oak hilltops & spruce swamps. The Valley's geologic and human history give rise to many natural communities - each with a diverse suite of plants and wildlife. Through a series of field days in key natural areas, participants explore the processes that shape each place and learn a timescale for the major events that have created the landscapes we see in the Valley today. Core topics that will be explored are geology, glacial history, wildlife ecology, botany, and human settlement patterns, providing a more detailed understanding of the region’s natural communities and landscape. While the focus will remain on the Mad River Valley, a broader and more nuanced understanding of Vermont’s natural environment as a whole will be gained. In addition, each VMN participant will be supported as they consider ways to deepen their naturalist skills of observation and description outside of the field days. Stewardship -
In addition to the field days, each VMN candidate will undertake a team project totaling at least 20 hours (per person) and be expected to prepare for and lead a guided walk for fellow VMN classmates, sharing insights into the region’s ecology and natural history. Upon completion, certified Vermont Master Naturalists will continue to support the local community, while receiving continued mentorship in their future naturalist endeavors. |
About Vermont Master Naturalist
Vermont Master Naturalist emphasizes deep investigation at the local level, and training naturalists to serve as environmental ambassadors. VMN began in Burlington in 2016, where it has trained cohorts of master naturalists since. Over 400 people have graduated from the Vermont Master Naturalist's many regional programs.
Alicia Daniel, VMN Founder, is a lead faculty with University of Vermont’s Field Naturalist Program, and has adapted this graduate-level approach for Vermont communities. |
When - Field day trainings are scheduled for a full day on six Sundays.
- May 18: Geology and Wildflowers
- June 29: Glacial Geology
- August 24: Rivers
- September 14 (or 21): VMN Conservation Field Day
- October 5: Human History
- December 14: Winter Tracking
Want to Join the 2025 Cohort?
You can apply to the program here. Applications are due March 15, 2025.
Contact
Contact the program coordinator with questions or comments or interest.
Erin O’Neill, VMNMRV Coordinator
Email - [email protected]
Erin O’Neill, VMNMRV Coordinator
Email - [email protected]
Photos by: Brad Long, Amy Todisco, Brad Long, Phyllis Montgomery, Eva Frankel, C.H. Diehl (top to bottom, left to right)