Duanne's narrative about the Master Naturalist training continues below, by telling that each "graduate" has responsibilities after completing the program.
Maybe we could help out with his project? I'm thinking this topic could be one that may come up at the CLA annual meeting on July 26th. Also, Duanne's last paragraph here tells how others may choose to contribute.
The Master Naturalist program has also just been completed at the North Lakeland Discovery Center, meeting one full day a week for six weeks. After each of these training sessions, master naturalists are literally told to “go forth and do good work” upon graduation.
They are required to complete forty hours of volunteer service annually, as well as twenty hours of additional annual training in order to maintain certification. At the completion of the program, graduates are asked to select a topic for what is known as a “Capstone Project,” a longer-term effort carried out by each graduate.
So now you’re probably wondering what my project is… ok, ok, you twisted my arm. At the risk of sounding a bit self-serving, my project is entitled “Hear ‘em Sing.”
If I can raise $1500, some of which I already have, we will purchase two hearing assistance devices that will enable those with high frequency hearing loss----(Some of your neighbors fit this description. They’re the ones always saying, “What?”)----to once again hear birds they haven’t heard in years.
The unit is produced by a Cornell University spin-off called Song Finder (www.hearbirdsagain.com). These units will be given to the Discovery Center for loan to people like me. They are a shirt pocket transmitter and small pair of head phones. If you think you’re hearing everything, go to their website and play some of the bird songs there. I have never heard a yellow warbler in the wild. I’m looking forward to that.
If you’d like to help send a check to the Discovery Center; attention Hear ‘em Sing project.
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