Diamond Lakes Arkansas Master Naturalists announce new training classes for 2022
The Diamond Lakes Chapter of Arkansas Master Naturalists recently announced its 2022 training classes for new members.
Arkansas Master Naturalists is a nonprofit organization whose sole focus is to help connect Arkansans to nature through education and volunteer opportunities. There are several chapters across the state, a news release said.
The Diamond Lakes Arkansas Master Naturalist chapter is centered in Hot Springs and was organized in 2014. The chapter has over 60 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 7 miles of the Lake Ouachita Vista Trail.
The 2022 training classes will begin Saturday, Jan. 22. 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 release said.
The DLAMN Education Committee, cochaired by Alan Atkins and Bill Randel, has compiled a schedule with a variety of classes and activities.
Atkins said there are a “plethora of topics to pique the interest of almost everyone.”
Topics such as trail building and maintenance, 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.
Randel said the class presenters are “experts in their fields and we are fortunate they have committed their time to share their knowledge with us.”
Diamond Lakes Arkansas Master Naturalists is accepting applications for membership. Anyone interesting 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 wrrandel@gmail.com for more information.