Sierra Nevada California Naturalist Training Course
October 1-7, 2017
Applications are open until July 15 extended until August 10
To sign up for announcements of future California Naturalist Trainings in Yosemite,
please join our mailing list here: http://lists.ucmerced.edu/mailman/listinfo/yose-calnat
In 2017, we’ll have the adventure of experiencing California natural history on both the west and east side of the Sierra Nevada! The course will start in Yosemite at the UC Merced Yosemite Field Station. We’ll spend October 4 exploring the immense diversity of ecology, geology, and climate as we cross Tioga Pass from Yosemite Valley to Mammoth Lakes. We’ll spend the remainder of the course at the UC Santa Barbara Sierra Nevada Aquatic Research Lab, just outside the town of Mammoth Lakes. This is the first year and the first CalNat certification course to offer such a range of California natural history.
Deadlines
Applications posted: June 15
Applications due: July 15 extended to August 10
Confirm participation: August 15
The cost will be $900 and include lodging and most meals. Scheduling details for the course and other announcements will be made on our email list, above. Stay tuned, and we’re looking forward to exploring with you!
CalNat Yosemite
The UC Merced Yosemite Field Station, the UC Santa Barbara Sierra Nevada Aquatic Research Lab, and the Yosemite Conservancy are proud to offer the California Naturalist Program in beautiful Yosemite National Park through University of California, Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources. The mission of the CalNat Program is to foster a diverse community of naturalist and promote stewardship of California's natural resources through education and service. This will be a seven day training located at in Wawona, California and Mammoth Lakes, California
The training cost is $900 and includes: cabin accommodations; all lunches, five dinners and graduation brunch; classroom instruction and field sessions; graduation certificate, lapel pin, registration with California Naturalist and website support.
For an additional fee, four academic units are available through UC Davis Extension to teachers and undergraduate students who successfully complete the course.
Course Textbook and Other Required Materials
Students need to purchase a nature journal and the course text: The California Naturalist Handbook. The textbook is also available from Amazon.com. Please allow enough time to complete pre-course reading assignments.
View the 2015 syllabus here.
Past programs
November 2015
23 highly motivated Californians enjoyed 7 days of high-quality teaching, talks, and field trips. Our lead instructor was veteran naturalist Pete Devine of the Yosemite Conservancy.
2015 Naturalists wrote:
"I expected to learn interpretation skills, but because I know a lot about California nature already, I didn’t expect to learn much and I was a little afraid of being bored. I was so wrong! Yes, I learned lots of great interpretation ideas/skills, but also tons of California nature, was never remotely bored...It was a wow experience!"
"I generally thought it was going to be something like my lecture classes in college but it was actually better."
"I will always remember this week as an important part of my journey into becoming a naturalist. I leave with great enthusiasm and even more passion for California natural history."
