As a chapter of the Virginia Master Naturalist Program, the Arlington Regional Master Naturalists (ARMN) provides the training and volunteer opportunities for the citizens of Arlington, and other Northern Virginia jurisdictions, to become Master Naturalists. ARMN is an all volunteer-organization with chapter members serving as officers and administering the program at the local level. The mission of the Arlington Regional Chapter is to train and certify a corps of volunteers to provide education, research, citizen science, outreach, and stewardship of Virginia’s natural resources and public lands. The Virginia Master Naturalist program is jointly sponsored by five state agencies: Virginia Cooperative Extension, Depatment of Game and Inland Fisheries, Department of Forestry, Department of Conservation and Recreation and the Virginia Museum of Natural History.
The process for becoming a certified Virginia Master Naturalist typically takes 6 to 12 months. One starts by applying and completing a basic training course offered by a local chapter of the program. An additional 8 hours of advanced training are also required. An important part of the certification process is the required 40 hours of volunteer service per year.
Note: The Arlington Regional chapter accepts volunteers from any jurisdiction, even those with their own chapters, however eligible volunteer work must be completed within Virginia.
The next training class will be on Mondays from 9 am – 3 pm, beginning on September 13 and ending December 13 (no class on Columbus Day). Classroom sessions will be held primarily at Long Branch Nature Center in Arlington (with a few sessions held at alternate locations), with field training in local parks. The classroom sessions will run from 9 am to noon, with field training from 12:30 to 3:00 pm. Participants are required to attend all training sessions. The next evening training class will most likely begin in February 2011. The deadline for applications for the Fall 2010 training class are due August 22, 2010.
Click here for additional information about the Fall training class.
