Berks Nature is recruiting a dedicated group of volunteers to be trained as “Berks Nature Ambassadors”. What does this mean? It means that you will receive basic training related to all the good conservation work that we do. Upon completion of your training, you will officially become a volunteer Berks Nature Ambassador. Our Ambassadors will be our trained volunteers that can help train others, lead projects, answer questions, and simply help enhance and protect the environment!
This program brings together Berks County residents with various backgrounds all dedicated to learning about and protecting our environment and delivers 20+ hours of training to a select group of recruits who in turn volunteer to help Berks Nature conserve the land in Berks County and beyond. Lessons in topics such as hydrology, invasive plants, educational materials, and more equip the trainees for many projects that benefit
the community.
“I became an Ambassador because I believe in the value of volunteering, and volunteering for Berks Nature gets me outside to see all the corners of Berks County. I spend most of my Ambassador hours doing stream clean-ups and stream monitoring. If you have any interest in the outdoors and preserving or improving Berks County’s landscape and meeting like-minded folks, I encourage you to become a Berks Nature Ambassador as well!” – Jerry Griffith, Berks Nature Ambassador
The Spring 2021 Berks Nature Ambassador Class training schedule starts Tuesday, April 20th, and continues through early June. The course also includes hands-on field trips to be scheduled COVID permitting. The fee for the program is $100 for Berks Nature members and $125 for non-members, which helps offset the costs for program materials and our Environmental Educator’s time. Scholarships are available for those with financial hardships.
Eligible applicants must be able to attend the April 20th Welcome Night and at least 3 other training opportunities. At the end of the training, our new Berks Nature Ambassadors will receive a certificate, an official Berks Nature Ambassador vest, an abundance of interesting knowledge of our natural world, and become part of the Berks Nature family.
Full training schedule:
April 20, 2021: Ambassador Welcome Night, 6-9 p.m.
April 27, 2021: Education Training (with a focus on the Enviroscape, and Nature Scene Investigation, among other things), 6-9 p.m.
May 15, 2021: Hydrology Part 1, 9 a.m. -4 p.m.
May 22, 2021: Hydrology Part 2, 9 a.m. -12 p.m.
June 5, 2021: Field Trip to Bob’s Woods at Earl Poole Sanctuary & Invasives pulling/training, 10 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
June 8, 2021: Ambassadors Graduation Night!, 6-9 p.m.
Certificates will be awarded to attendees who have completed the Berks Nature Ambassador requirements! An email will be sent out about a tentative tree planting in early April if you wish to join as part of your 3 required trainings.
Download an application here: https://berksnature.org/ambassadors/
For more information about Berks Nature Ambassadors, please contact Michael Griffith by telephone at 610-372-4992 x108 or by email at [email protected].
