Training classes for new members of the Diamond Lakes Chapter of Arkansas Master Naturalists will begin on Saturday, Jan. 21.
Arkansas Master Naturalists is a nonprofit organization to help connect Arkansans to nature through education and volunteer opportunities, according to a news release There are several chapters across the state.
The Diamond Lakes Arkansas Master Naturalist chapter is centered in Hot Springs and was organized in 2014. The chapter currently has over 80 members who volunteer their time maintaining the Butterfly Garden located on the Hot Springs Creek Greenway Trail, working at the Middle Fork Barrens and Terre Noire nature areas, monitoring water quality as Stream Team volunteers, providing educational hikes, conducting educational classes for children and adults, and monitoring and maintaining the Eastern seven miles of the Lake Ouachita Vista Trail, or LOViT, the release said.
At this time, most classes will include live classroom instruction with field trips afterward so participants can experience firsthand topics covered in the classroom.
The DLAMN Education Committee, chaired Bill Randel, has compiled a schedule with a variety of classes and activities. Topics will include tree identification, eco regions of Arkansas, pollinators, wild edibles, mushrooms, bird identification, aquatic critters, StreamTeam, insects, frogs, mammals, Hot Springs National Park geology, and bats.
The class presenters "are experts in their fields and we are fortunate they have committed their time to share their knowledge with us," Randel said in the release.
The Diamond Lakes Arkansas Master Naturalists are currently accepting applications for membership. Anyone interested in joining can visit the AMN website at arkansasmasternaturalists.org and click on "How do I Join?" Membership applications are available online. Email Randel at [email protected] for more information.