A leashed Hiker-dog on a kid-friendly hike.

Arkansas Master Naturalists participated in the June 2 National Trails Day, so members led several hikes around the state and shared their love of the environment.

I participated by leading a kid-friendly hike on part of the Shepherds Spring Loop Trail at Lake Fort Smith State Park. With the heat, a short out-and-back hike was the best option and made it a fun outing for folks at all experience levels.

Becoming involved with Arkansas Master Naturalists placed me with a group of people who share a commitment to conserving and improving Arkansas’ environment and beauty. I’ve benefited from the expertise of members and look forward to continued learning. They are true to their mission of “providing education, outreach, and service” to benefit the natural environment of Arkansas.

When I first got involved, I attended all the training possible and volunteered where I could, not completely understanding how my actions would lead to certification.

To help my understanding, I made graphic organizers to communicate the process of becoming a Certified Master Naturalist and the Continuing Education to maintain certification each year.

The first graphic shows the path from being a Naturalist in Training (NIT) to certification. It made me happy that the trainers decided to use this graphic as part of the Naturalists in Training materials. I appreciated Care Butler’s suggestions as I revised these to be as clear as possible.

The graphic below shows the required Continuing Education and volunteer hour requirements to meet annual certification requirements. Read the pages from bottom to top to follow the sequence for becoming certified or continuing annual certification.

If you enjoy the rich natural environments found in Arkansas, get involved with the Arkansas Master Naturalists. You’ll immediately be immersed in an exceptional group of like-minded folks where you can contribute according to your interests. Through learning and volunteering, you’ll positively impact the natural world in your own backyard, and have a lot of fun in the process!