The UC California Naturalist program is developing a statewide network of educated and committed volunteers who are interested in the state's natural landscapes and sharing their passion for natural resource conservation with the public.
"I didn't come away from the course an expert," Blauert wrote. "But the course gave me a lot of foundational information so I am better prepared to learn on my own."
A teacher at Merced Union High School, Blauert said he was attracted to the program to be better prepared to explain the outdoors to the student groups he takes on field trips. In the article, he listed four top take-away lessons he gained from the process:
- Vastly expanded knowledge of local environments and their inhabitants
- Meeting and networking with interesting people
- Comprehensive understanding of the environments of our field trip destinations
- Beginning an exciting community service project