Volunteer naturalists create lasting impact across the state

This year, Extension’s Minnesota Master Naturalist program is celebrating its 20th anniversary, looking back to its early days in 2005, when just 22 people enrolled.

Extension Educator Amy Rager was there to help launch the program, which began as an Extension partnership with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, thanks to a National Science Foundation grant that funded it for its first five years. 

“If you had told me then that we’d grow enough to train more than 5,000 volunteers, resulting in 1.2 million hours of volunteer service valued at $35 million, I just wouldn’t have believed you,” Rager says. 

Today, more than 1,000 active volunteers contribute their time and expertise across the state.

Raising the bar with biomes

Back in 2005, some Minnesotans knew about the state’s three main ecological regions, or biomes. But there were few outlets specifically catering to adults who wanted to explore their interest in the biomes and nature in general. Today, with 300 biome courses taught in the past two decades and many volunteer hours logged, that’s definitely changed. 

“We do non-credit environmental education for adults and connect that learning to service that improves Minnesota’s natural environment,” says Extension Educator Andrea Lorek Strauss, who has worked with the program since 2007.

Most states in the U.S. have some sort of Master Naturalist program. Minnesota stands out as one of the few programs with training specifically tailored to biomes, enabling volunteers to choose a region and immediately apply their knowledge to locally relevant conservation issues.

For their initial 40-hour certification, participants start with one of three biome-specific courses:

• “Big Woods, Big Rivers” focuses on the Eastern Broadleaf Forest, which includes three of the largest rivers in the state.
• “North Woods, Great Lakes” covers the Laurentian Mixed Forest with 23 million acres of northeastern Minnesota.
• “Prairies and Potholes” concentrates on the Prairie Parkland Province, which is dotted with “pothole” lakes and is hotter and drier than other regions.

Participants can take all three biome courses if they choose. Lively, regularly updated illustrated textbooks provide course participants with in-depth knowledge of local lands and natural history.

Minnesota’s fourth official biome, the Tallgrass Aspen Parklands in northwest Minnesota, is addressed in the Big Woods, Big Rivers course and in advanced field trips to the region.

“Taking a biome course is a great way to understand the natural surroundings in your own backyard,” Rager says. “It makes the content interesting and relevant, and so exciting to share with your friends, family and community.” 

Creating community for nature nerds

Unlike most environmental learning opportunities in the state, the program caters specifically to adults 18 and older, rather than families or a general-interest audience, using an academic-influenced model similar to that of Extension’s Master Gardener Volunteer Program. 

Over the years, organizers came to realize that getting together to study and volunteer in nature wasn’t just an educational endeavor.

“It also filled social and emotional needs for many participants by creating a community of friends with similar interests,” Rager says. “Our informal name of ‘Nerd Herd’ really captures the spirit of like-minded people.” 

Volunteers can show their pride in the Nerd Herd by collecting unique wildlife-themed pins earned only through years of service. Many will wear their pins as badges of honor at the program’s 20th Anniversary Gala on December 5.

“University of Minnesota Extension provides a bridge from research on campus to the useful application of research in the field,” she says. “And Minnesota Master Naturalists are a perfect example of how well that system can work.” 

Over the years, organized chapters have flourished across Minnesota. An annual statewide conference, added in 2008, has brought volunteers, instructors, and sponsors together to interact, learn, and socialize more. Other University of Minnesota Extension natural resource programs, as well as the University-run Bell Museum, also participate in the Gathering Partners conference.

Other signature events for the program include supporting conservation projects around the state (more than 25 in 2025) as part of National Public Lands Day in the fall. In the spring, volunteers participate in the City Nature Challenge to showcase the biodiversity of the Twin Cities metropolitan area. 

Finding a niche in Minnesota

Strauss says many participants in the Minnesota Master Naturalist program tend to specialize in various biomes or topics, such as mushrooms and lichens for volunteer Tanner Barnharst in the Twin Cities, bird banding for volunteer Margie Menzies in Northern Minnesota, and restoration work for volunteer Steve Poole.

“Our volunteers’ passion, drive and dedication are truly amazing,” Strauss says.

Volunteers educate others through four areas of volunteer service: stewardship, participatory science, education, and program support. Common activities include:

• Native seed collection, cleaning, storing and dispersal
• Invasive species reporting, removal and prevention
• Conservation education program development and delivery
• Environmental educational programs for schoolchildren
• Native habitat restoration and maintenance
• Monitoring bumblebees, frogs, kestrels, songbirds and other wildlife
• Trail maintenance and erosion prevention
• Reforestation efforts, including tree planting, tree watering and bud capping
• Water-quality monitoring
• Local, state and global participatory science projects
• Nature center staffing and support.

As the program looks ahead to its next 20 years, Rager says Extension staff will continue to examine participant evaluations to find ways to improve programming and the volunteer experience. Staff will also work to incorporate new technologies and online tools to complement in-person opportunities. 

“We always listen to our volunteers and refine our programming,” Rager says. “Understanding Minnesota’s fascinating land, plants and animals, and sharing that knowledge with others, is one of the most powerful things people can do to steward Minnesota’s natural resources.”