Become an Instructor for Nebraska Master Naturalists
Our Instructors are a vital part of our program. They equip Certified Master Naturalists with the science-based knowledge and hands-on skills necessary to conserve Nebraska’s natural legacy. The Nebraska Master Naturalist Program is one of many programs across the country that has grown rapidly and become highly successful. These programs contribute thousands of hours of highly skilled volunteer time towards the conservation of natural resources, resulting in millions of dollars in conservation value.
If you would like to lend your time and talents to instruct contact us at jamie.bachmann@nebraska.gov
Preparing for Your Session
Our program is an introduction to many topics; volunteers go on to get more specialized training after the core training has been completed. We encourage the sharing of opportunities, so if you have a project or program that Master Naturalists could be involved in, please tell us about it.
We want to create a well-rounded and highly educated volunteer. Whenever possible, please feel free to incorporate interpretive techniques, citizen science and research methodology, human-resource interaction issues, cultural history, and discussion of current resource management into your program.
Please provide a brief list of resources for the participants for further exploration into the topic. This may include books, guides, journals, films, or website references. Please also list relevant sites in the state where participants can further explore this resource.
If you would like to see sample curriculum outlines and presentations from past Master Naturalist programs, they’re available on our Curriculum Resources site.
Training Logistics
You will have a volunteer facilitator available to you at all times to help you keep track of people and resources. We ask that instructors arrive 30 minutes ahead of the start of the session.
Topics, depending on the subject, are allotted anywhere from 2 to 4 hours of training time. Please be sure to allow for frequent breaks. If you feel more time is required for your topic, please let us know and we will try to adjust the schedule.
We ask that your materials be available to post on our resources page (via Google Drive), which is only available in PDF format (unless otherwise requested) for review by other Master Naturalist instructors, program partners, and Master Naturalists. If you have any concerns about sharing your materials, please let us know so that we can take the proper precautions.
Your participants come from various backgrounds, ages (minimum age of 19), and skill levels. Some have no background in the natural resources and some who are specialized. Because of this, we have found that group work and discussion time is very well received. Some of our participants have difficulty getting around, so please keep that in mind during your excursions.
Above all, we want this to be an engaging and positive experience for everyone involved. If there is anything that we can do to make your life easier, please let us know. Your contribution is extremely valuable to us and all of our Master Naturalists. Thank you so much!
If you have any questions, please contact Program Coordinator Jamie Bachmann at jamie.bachmann@nebraska.gov
