Registration

2026 East Central Illinois Master Naturalist In-Person Training Class Interest Form

Thank you for your interest in becoming an East Central Illinois Master Naturalist! The Spring 2026 In-Person Training Class will be held between March 25, 2026, and June 17, 2026, at various sites across Champaign, Ford, Iroquois, and Vermilion Counties each week. There will be one required Saturday field trip to Kempton Prairie on May 9th and one required post-graduation Seminar on the UIUC Extension Volunteer Reporting Platform.

This registration will close January 2, 2026, and we will be in contact with everyone in the latter half of January 2026 to sign up for an in-person or Zoom informal interview.

If you prefer the Hybrid version (E-Learning modules, Zoom Meetings, and 5 Field Trips), the Spring 2027 Hybrid Class waitlist registration is HERE

Questions? Contact Melissa Berg at mkberg3@illinois.edu or Karla Griesbaum at kherzma2@illinois.edu

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Contact Information

First Name

Last Name

Street Address

Street Address 2

City

State

ZIP

Daytime Phone

Evening Phone

E-mail Address

Why are you interested in becoming a Master Naturalist? A brief explanation is sufficient!

Are you a current volunteer anywhere? If so, with what organization and what duties do you perform there? Volunteer experience is *not* a pre-requisite for acceptance into the Master Naturalist Training Program.

If you are not currently volunteering, have you volunteered with any organization in the past? If so, with what organization and what were your duties?

Do you have any education, training or experience with anything related to natural resources/environment? If so, please briefly tell us about it!

Are you employed by any environmental/natural areas organizations? If yes, please list your employer and your title(s)?

Do you have any formal (or informal) teaching experience? If yes, please describe your experience(s). (Please include the age demographic: child, teenage, adult, senior)

What personal attributes do you have that you would be able to share with the program?

Are you able to attend in-person training classes from approximately March 2026 through June 2026 on a weekday (M-F) with occasional Saturday Field Trips? (If you prefer a hybrid training option, 2027 Training Wait List Registration listed below)

Yes

2027 Hybrid Registration https://registration.extension.illinois.edu/start/2027-hybrid-east-central-illinois-master-naturalist-training-class-wait-list

Please describe your availability to volunteer once you graduate. (For example: I work and am only available on nights and Saturday mornings. Please note any time limitations/personal commitments - we appreciate volunteers' lives and are very flexible!)

If you are accepted into the Master Naturalist Program and you successfully complete the training, do you agree to fulfill the required 60 hours of volunteer service in approved activities to the East- Central Illinois Master Naturalist program partners within 24 months following training?

Yes

Civil Rights Compliance - Participant Info

As part of our commitment to providing equal opportunities in our programming, University of Illinois Extension is required to collect and report overall statistics about the race, ethnicity, and gender of program participants. Your responses are voluntary and appreciated.

Gender

Ethnicity

Race