Registration deadline is May 15
The Master Conservationist program, a series of 10 sessions for participants to learn more about contributing to environmental sustainability, is being offered jointly by Greene and Boone County Extension this year, set to begin in June.
The series of outdoor and indoor meetings is intended for individuals to get hands-on experiences and share an interest in the sustainability of Iowa’s natural resources, while also discovering tools they can use to become better stewards and advocates of those resources. Greene and Boone County Conservation, as well as Keep Boone County Beautiful/Boone County Landfill, are also partnering sponsor organizations for the program.
Topics to be covered in the sessions are wide ranging and include physical environment, ecological principles, wildlife diversity, woodlands, prairies and grasslands, wetlands and waterways, water quality, sustainable agriculture, energy use, and waste reduction and recycling.
The meetings will be held every Thursday evening from June 5 through July 24, from 6 to 9:30 pm, with no meeting on July 3. Two Saturday meetings – June 28 and July 26 – are also included in the series, both from 9 am until noon. The classes will be held at various locations throughout Greene and Boone counties.
“Every other year, we bring the Master Conservationist program to Greene County,” said Michael Cooley, county Extension coordinator for Greene County Extension. “More and more people are finding it important to learn how to live a more sustainable lifestyle, and we’re happy to provide research-based information to help them.”
According to Cooley, participants receive education on a wide range of topics, and are asked to give back to their community in return. After completion, course graduates contribute at least 32 hours of volunteer service – one hour of service for every hour of education received. Past service activities of the classes have included prairie planting and seed harvesting, water quality testing, wildlife monitoring, staffing conservation centers, litter cleanup, and conducting educational programs in the community. Once graduates complete all education and service hours, they become Iowa Master Conservationists.
Registration for the program is $35 per person, due by May 15 to the Greene County Extension office. To register, contact the office at 515-386-2138 or email mcooley@iastate.edu. For more information about the Iowa Master Conservationist program and other agriculture and natural resources programs offered by Greene County Extension, visit www.extension.iastate.edu/greene.
