Resources

Advanced Training for Certified Master Naturalists

Besides volunteering for at least 40 hours per year, Certified Master Naturalists are required to document at least 8 hours of approved advanced training every year. Advanced training may include college classes, seminars offered by environmental organizations, or professional workshops.

Courses offered to Certified Master Naturalists at our Host Sites are pre-approved to meet the advanced training requirement.  All other advanced training courses or programs must be approved by your Program Facilitator.

Advanced Training Opportunities offered to Certified Master Naturalists:

This information is provided voluntarily and likely constitutes just a fraction of what is available throughout the state of Maryland.  Inclusion in this listing does not represent an endorsement of materials, programs, or products by University of Maryland Extension or the Maryland Master Naturalist Program. For more information, please contact the organization or individual listed.  To add your event to this list, please contact Joy Rafey at jrafey@umd.edu.

Nature Forward (formerly the Audubon Naturalist Society) https://natureforward.org/ a Md Master Naturalist program Host Site, offers many classes/field trips with a vast offering of ID classes and general nature hikes/walks, as well as cosponsoring more in-depth, quarterly courses through the Natural History Field Studies program. Visit https://natureforward.org/programs/adult-programs/ for complete listings.

The Natural History Society of Maryland www.marylandnature.org offers ongoing advanced training opportunities for those who have completed the Md Master Naturalist training. Programs are listed on the NHS Meetup site:  www.meetup.com/marylandnature 

Online Learning Opportunities
(listed alphabetically by organization)

Below are programs/courses for Maryland Master Naturalists to consider in place of in-person learning while affected by COVID-19 preventative precautions. Note that these resources are provided as reference only and inclusion in this listing is not a specific endorsement of any program content, instructor(s), or sponsoring organization(s). Some programming may be offered free of charge while others may bear a cost, so please check with the programming provider, and note that any cost is incurred by the trainee and not the Maryland Master Naturlaist Program. Questions regarding acceptance of an online learning opportunity for Advanced Training credit should be directed to your Host Site Program Facilitator. To add an item to this list, please email Joy Rafey at jrafey@umd.edu

Casey Trees Virtual Tree Classes
https://caseytrees.org/2020/04/virtual-classes-post/

Change Wildlife Consumers' Behaviour Change for Conservation course
http://www.changewildlifeconsumers.org/change/behaviour-change-for-conservation-online-course/

Coursera:  Searchable online learning platform with a multitude of free and fee-based college-level courses
https://www.coursera.org/

Eastern Region Association of Forest and Nature Schools
http://www.erafans.org/Online-Courses

Entomological Society of America’s Entomology Today:  Learning at Home with Bugs
https://entomologytoday.org/2020/03/27/learning-at-home-with-bugs/

Green Teacher
https://greenteacher.com/webinars/

North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE)’s eePRO Online hub for Environmental Education Professional Development
https://naaee.org/eepro/learning

NAAEE Natural Start Alliance Resources for Working with Children
http://naturalstart.org/resources

NAEE "Professional Development During a Pandemic" Blog Post with Links to Online Learning recommendations
https://naaee.org/eepro/blog/professional-development-during-pandemic 

North American Invasive Species Management Association
https://www.naisma.org/programs/professional-development/webinars/

Penn State Extension:  Beekeeping 101
https://extension.psu.edu/beekeeping-101

Penn State Extension, Teach for Forests:  Forest Education for Teachers and Youth Leaders
https://extension.psu.edu/teach-for-forests-forest-education-for-teachers-and-youth-leaders

Science is Cool (ScIC) Virtual Conference Sessions
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNX3OWFWokDaW0eDJH_7S8Namu_BUj9YL

Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History
https://naturalhistory.si.edu/education/live-video-programs

TEDEd Earth School
https://ed.ted.com/earth-school

UC Davis Entomology/Nematology Seminars
https://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=40968

Wildlife Habitat Council
https://www.wildlifehc.org/

Pre- and Supplemental Readings

Files: 

Volunteer Activity Log for Tracking/Reporting Hours (in MSWord format)

Volunteer Activity Log for Tracking/Reporting Hours (in Excel format)

• Our Natural History:  The Lessons of Lewis & Clark, Daniel Botkin
• Swampwalker’s Journal:  A Wetlands Year, David M. Carroll
• Silent Spring, Rachel Carson
• The Field Guide to Citizen Science, Darlene Cavalier, Caren Cooper, and Catherine Hoffman
• Seeing Flowers, Teri Dunn Chace
• What a Plant Knows:  A Field Guide to the Senses, David Chamovitz
• City of Trees:  The Complete Field Guide to the Trees of Washington, D.C., Third Edition, Melanie Choukas Bradley
• An Illustrated Guide to Woodland Wildflowers and Trees:  350 Plants Observed at Sugarloaf Mountain, Maryland, Melanie Choukas-Bradley
• Sugarloaf:  The Mountain's History, Geology and Natural Lore, Melanie Choukas Bradley
• The Forest Unseen:  A Year’s Watch in Nature, David George Haskell
• Citizen Scientist:  Searching for Heroes and Hope in an Age of Extinction, Mary Ellen Hannibal

• The Homing Instinct:  Meaning & Mystery in Animal Migration, Bernd Heinrich
• Summer World, Bernd Heinrich
• Winter World, Bernd Heinrich
• An Island Out of Time:  A Memoir of Smith Island in the Chesapeake, Tom Horton
• Chesapeake: Bay of Light: An Exploration of the Chesapeake Bay's Wild and Forgotten Places, Tom Horton
• Turning the Tide:  Saving the Chesapeake Bay, Tom Horton
• Water's Way:  Life Along the Chesapeake, Tom Horton
• Seeing Trees, Nancy Ross Hugo
• The Delaware Naturalist Handbook, McKay Jenkins and Susan Barton, editors
• The Practical Astronomer: From Naked-Eye Observation to Using a Telescope...Every Enthusiast's Guide to the Skies Above Us, Brian W. Jones
• The Woods in Your Backyard:  Natural Areas Around Your Home, Jonathan Kays, et. al.
• A Sand County Almanac, Aldo Leopold
• Life in the Chesapeake Bay, Alice Jane Lippson, Robert L. Lippson
• Last Child in the Woods:  Saving Our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder, Richard Louv
• The Nature Principle:  Reconnecting with Life in a Digital Age, Richard Louv
• Vitamin N:  The Essential Guide to a Nature-Rich Life, Richard Louv
• A Year Across Maryland, Brian MacKay
• Aldo Leopold: His Life and Work, Curt Meine
• Life in the Soil:  A Guide for Naturalists and Gardeners, James Nardi
• What It's Like to Be a Bird:  From Flying to Nesting, Eating to Singing - What Birds Are Doing and Why, David Allen Sibley
• Noah’s Garden:  Restoring the Ecology of Our Own Backyards, Sara Stein
• Planting Noah’s Garden, Sara Stein
• Where the Wild Things Were, William Stolzenburg
• Bringing Nature Home, Douglas W. Tallamy
• Interpreting Our Heritage, Freeman Tilden
• The Chesapeake Watershed: A Sense of Place, Ned Tillman
• Saving the Places We Love, Ned Tillman
• In Search of Swampland:  A Wetland Sourcebook and Field Guide, Ralph W. Tiner, Jr.
• Leaning Sycamores, Jack Wennerstrom
• Soldiers Delight Journal:  Exploring a Globally Rare Ecosystem, Jack Wennerstrom
• Chesapeake Almanac:  Following the Bay Through the Seasons, John Page Williams, Jr.
• The Hidden Life of Trees:  Illustrated Edition, Peter Wohlleben

• Fostering Outdoor Observation Skills (manual in pdf), prepared by the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies
• Project WILD, a childhood education initiative of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies
• The North American Conservation Education Strategy:  A Toolkit for Achieving Excellence, prepared by the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies
• Curtis the Crab:  A Chesapeake Bay Adventure, Cindy Freland
• Jordan the Jellyfish: A Chesapeake Bay Adventure, Cindy Freland
• Learn About Groundwater, home-based activities developed by the Groundwater Foundation
• Amphibian Adventures, Hua Lab
• A Wetland Adventure, Hua Lab
• Hands-On Nature:  Information and Activities for Exploring the Environment with Children, Jenepher Lingelbach
• B is for Blue Crab:  A Maryland Alphabet, Shirley Menendez
• Audubon for Kids, National Audubon Society
• Environmental Education at Home, toolkits and activity guides for students presented by the National Environmental Education Foundation
• NSTA Daily Do, activities for kids developed by the National Science Teaching Association
• Project WET, water education resources prepared by the Project WET Foundation
• Peterson Young Naturalists Guide Series - Assorted Topics, sponsored by the Roger Tory Peterson Institute
• 26 Things That Bug Me, Michael J. Raupp
• Invasive Species Handbook: A Resource for Educators - Grades 3-8, Utah State University
• Bat Activities, Kerry Wixted
• Bee & Pollinator Activities, Kerry Wixted
• Leaf Activities, Kerry Wixted
• Track, Scat, and Sign Activities, Kerry Wixted

• Lang Elliott’s Sound Books with CDs, including The Songs of Wild Birds, The Songs of Insects, Etc.
• Photo Guide:  Common Snakes of Maryland, MdDNR Resource
• Tracks & Sign of Insects and Other Invertebrates:  A Guide to North American Species, Charley Eiseman and Noah Charney
• Key:  Guide to Common Mammal Tracks, MdDNR Resource

Flora-Related Guides:

• Mistaken Identity? Invasive Plants and their Native Look-Alikes: An Indentification Guide for the Mid-Atlantic, Delaware Dept of Agriculture 
• Invasive Plants ID Cards, MdDNR Resource
• Plant Invaders of Mid-Atlantic Natural Areas, National Park Service with the US Fish & Wildlife Service
• Native Plants for Wildlife Habitat and Conservation Landscaping: Chesapeake Bay Watershed, US Fish & Wildlife Service
• Vascular Plants of Maryland, USA:  A Comprehensive Account of the State's Botanical Diversity, Wesley M, Knapp and Robert F. C. Naczi 
• The Shrub Identification Book, George W.D. Symonds
• The Tree Identification Book, George W.D. Symonds
• Identifying Trees:  An All-Season Guide to Eastern North America, Michael D. Williams
• Bark:  A Field Guide to Trees of the Northeast, Michael Wojtech

Various Assorted Guides:

• Peterson Field Guides – Assorted Topics, sponsored by the Roger Tory Peterson Institute
• Peterson First Guides (condensed versions of the Peterson Field Guides) – Assorted Topics, sponsored by the Roger Tory Peterson Institute
• Peterson Flash Guides – Assorted Topics, sponsored by the Roger Tory Peterson Institute

If you have a resource to add, please email the link to jrafey@umd.edu

• Creek Critters App, Nature Forward (formerly the Audubon Naturalist Society)
• Marty's Bird Identification Flash Video Games YouTube Channel, Martin Brazeau
• Submerged Aquatic Vegetation (SAV) Fact Sheets, Chesapeake Bay Submerged SAV Synthesis Project
• All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology
• Common Nesting Birds, NestWatch, Cornell Lab of Ornithology
• Tricky Bird ID, FeederWatch, Cornell Lab of Ornithology
• Merlin Bird ID App, Cornell Lab of Ornithology
• Food and Feeder Preferences of Common Feeder Birds, a tool to identify which birds eat what foods at birdfeeders, FeederWatch, Cornell Lab of Ornithology
• Right Bird, Right House, a tool for finding construction plans for cavity nesting birds in your area, NestWatch, Cornell Lab of Ornithology
• DC Environmental Film Fest films watch online 
• Foundations of Interpretation Course ofered by the Eppley Institute for Parks and Public Lands, Indiana University
• From My Backyard to Our Bay a residents' guide to improving the health of the Chesapeake Bay produced by Howard & Montgomery Counties 
• Green Fire: Aldo Leopold and a Land Ethic for Our Time (documentary)
• SEEK by iNaturalist
• Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Wildacres Program 
• Maryland DNR Wildlife Education Resources including Professional Development, Hands-on Learning, Exploration Tools, Resources/Guides, Quick Reference Guides, and Kids Materials
• iBird, Mitch Waite Group
• Nature Play & Learning Places a National Guide published by the Natural Learning Initiative and the National Wildlife Federation 
• Star Walk (App) by Vito Technology
• USA National Phenology Network
• USDA Database of Plants
• UME Home & Garden Information Center
• UME Woodland Stewardship Program
• Wildlife & Wetlands Toolkit, U.S. Global Change Research Program
• WildMaryland101 YouTube Channel, created by Jane Marlow, Natural History Society of Maryland

This listing features species and/or organizations/facilities relevant to Maryland Master Naturalists. If you have a webcam to add, please email the link to jrafey@umd.edu

Virtual Experiences:

• Association of Nature & Forest Therapy Virtual Forest Therapy Walks:  https://www.natureandforesttherapy.org/virtual-forest-therapy-walks

Multi-Subject Live Cams:

• Explore.org:  https://explore.org/livecams 
• National Aquarium:  https://www.aqua.org/Experience/live 
• Smithsonian National Zoo:  https://nationalzoo.si.edu/webcams 

Bird Cams:

• Eagle Cam - Port Tobacco River, Charles County Parks, Maryland:  https://www.charlescountyparks.com/parks/eagle-cam
• Great Blue Heron, Osprey, Peregrine Falcon - Chesapeake Conservancy:  https://chesapeakeconservancy.org/what-we-do/explore/wildlife-webcams/
• Osprey Cam – Baltimore County Parks’ Marshy Point Nature Center (a Maryland Master Naturalist Program Host Site) 2019 ANROSP Award-Winning Master Naturalist Volunteer Project:
  https://youtu.be/rHFLMxM10cw
• Various - Cornell Lab of Ornithology:  https://www.allaboutbirds.org/cams/ 

If you have a program to add, please email the link to jrafey@umd.edu

• EPA Citizen Science Page, https://www.epa.gov/citizen-science
• EPA Handbook for Citizen Science Quality Assurance & Documentation, https://www.epa.gov/citizen-science/handbook-quality-assurance
• Earth Challenge 2020, https://earthchallenge2020.earthday.org/
• FeederWatch, https://feederwatch.org/
• FrogWatch, https://www.aza.org/frogwatch
• Habitat Network, http://content.yardmap.org/
• iNaturalist, www.iNaturalist.org 
• Maryland Biodiversity Project, http://www.marylandbiodiversity.com/
• Monarch Watch https://monarchwatch.org/ Monarch Tagging  https://monarchwatch.org/tagging/
• National Moth Week http://nationalmothweek.org/
• NestWatch, http://nestwatch.org/
• SciStarter searchable citizen science project database, https://scistarter.org/ 
• Wavyleaf Mapping Project, https://vnps.org/wavyleaf-basketgrass-help-stop-now/
• Zooniverse, https://www.zooniverse.org/