Naturalists Leadership Training Course

We are offering a course for Mountaineer Naturalists as a training for nature hike leadership.

The course will be mentored by Naturalist leaders with expertise in nature study and experience in
nature hike leadership. There will be three monthly lectures and 4 field trips over the 4 month period,
with an emphasis on using the tools which make identification of plants and animals easier and more
accessible.

The course goal is to have each course participant prepare to lead and later lead a nature hike and
have them continue to lead hikes into the future.

Certification as a naturalist leader can result when the
participant also takes a 2 hour mini-course on hike leadership through the hiking committee.

Course Objectives:
• Develop confidence in the use of guidebooks and guide apps
• Learn to use plant and bird lists for specific hikes or regions
• Learn to list mountaineers activities on the web and how to use these lists
• Brush up on plant, bird and insect identification
• Share a variety of hiking and naturalizing activities together to develop core group spirit
• Have a chance to lead or co-lead a hike with mentorship

The course will be hands-on. Participants are asked to bring laptops or smart pads to class and pads
or smartphones on field trips, though this is not mandatory. The three lectures evenings will focus,
consecutively, on what you can do before, during and after a nature hike to make it successful.