Minnesota Master Naturalist volunteers reach 1 million acre mark

Volunteers with Minnesota’s Master Naturalist program recently reached the 1 million acre mark of restoring, enhancing or in some way improving the state’s land.

“The volunteers take the mission of service to their communities seriously,” said Amy Rager, Master Naturalist program director. “They seek out and find projects that make Minnesota a better place for all of us to live and work.”

To reach the milestone, Master Naturalist projects included such things as prairie seed collection and planting, wetland restoration, invasive species removal, trail enhancement, rain garden implementation and shoreline plantings.

Started seven years ago, the Master Naturalist program is a joint program between the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and University of Minnesota Extension.

Its mission is to promote awareness, understanding and stewardship of Minnesota’s natural environment by developing a corps of well-informed citizens dedicated to conservation education and service within their communities. To date, more than 1,000 volunteers have been trained as Master Naturalist volunteers.

By completing a 40-hour training on one of the major biomes (deciduous, coniferous, prairie) and annually completing eight hours of training and 40 hours of service, people maintain their status as a Master Naturalist volunteer.

To learn more about the program visit www.minnesotamasternaturalist.org.

Tags: news, updates, dnr, naturalist