Program includes lunch with naturalists
“Touching Nature” will be the topic at Lunch & Learn from noon to 1 p.m. Tuesday, April 12, at the Waupaca Area Public Library.
Master Naturalists Mary Trainor and Sue Eiler will present the free program, which will include a light lunch catered by a local restaurant.
People may register for the program online at www.waupacalibrary.org/node/4380 or by calling 715-258-4414.
This Lunch and Learn will include some hands-on exploring about the importance and fun of “interpretation” in nature – to be comfortable learning new things about plants and animals, large and small, in the woods, lakes, wetlands, shorelines, prairies.
Anyone may do this with the use of their senses and curiosity.
People want to avoid “nature deficit disorder.”
Recent research has now shown spending time in nature is good for everyone.
However, not all people feel at ease in the wild ecosystems around them.
Trainor and Eiler, local instructors for the Wisconsin Master Naturalist Program, will share stories and specimens during this Lunch & Learn.
The goal of their session will be to motivate and give participants more confidence spending time in the wilderness.
Wisconsin’s Master Naturalist Program seeks to promote awareness, understanding and stewardship of Wisconsin’s natural resources.
It does so through the help of volunteers, who upon completing the program, provide service in one of three areas: education/interpretation, stewardship or citizen science.
The course involves 40 hours of training in natural history, interpretation and conservation stewardship. Students also complete a project.
Topics covered include geology, landscapes, ecology, plant communities, wildlife, interpretation, water, aquatic life and human impacts.
After graduating, volunteers complete 40 hours of service each year, in addition to eight hours of advanced training, in order to maintain their certification.