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Getting Started

 

Once you’ve familiarized yourself with who we are and what we do, and you think the Texas Master Naturalist Program is right for you, you can begin the next steps to start your journey towards becoming a Certified Texas Master Naturalist.


Registration for the 2023 Volunteer Training Course is now open!

Trainees are reminded they will need reliable access to a computer with Internet and some basic computer skills to navigate our online system for reporting training and volunteer hours to Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and our chapter communications.

All Texas Master Naturalists must pass an annual background check (initiated by and paid for by Texas Parks and Wildlife). Texas Parks and Wildlife uses the Volunteer Management System (VMS), an online tool, to report volunteer and advanced training hours to a central location as part of grant requirements for the Texas Master Naturalist Program. Instruction in the use of the VMS is provided in the training course sessions.

Completion of the training course and initial certification as a Texas Master Naturalist is not the end, but the beginning of many enjoyable hours volunteering with other Texas Master Naturalists to protect and preserve the outdoors of Texas.


The 2023 Volunteer Training Classes will be held March 21 through June 6, 2023. Classes and field trips will be most Tuesdays, along with a Saturday field trip. Our evening graduation ceremony will be our June 13th chapter meeting – trainee families are encouraged to attend this celebration!  This schedule is subject to change to ensure the best training experience.

Click here for 2023 Volunteer Training Course Schedule


Steps to become a Certified Master Naturalist

  1. Submit the Volunteer Training Course Application. Since the Texas Master Naturalist training is ecosystem-based, this Course is only available to those who reside in Bell or a nearby county.
  2. ONCE YOU ARE NOTIFIED YOU HAVE BEEN ACCEPTED INTO THE TRAINING COURSE, pay the one-time training fee of $150.00. You may pay the course fee online through this website (be sure to select the Volunteer Training Course button – dues are included for new trainees) or mail your course fee payment directly to the CTMN Treasurer:
    Central Texas Master Naturalist Chapter
    ATTN: Bruce Polikoff
    PO Box 4344
    Killeen, TX 76540
    Please make checks payable to Central Texas Master Naturalists
  3. ONCE INSTRUCTED TO DO SO, Register as a Texas Parks and Wildlife Volunteer with the Central Texas TMN Chapter and click on the blue “Sign Up” button on the resulting page.
  4. After completing the full 40+ hours volunteer training course, become a Certified Texas Master Naturalist by providing a minimum of 40 hours of Volunteer Service and completing at least 8 additional hours of Advanced Training by December 31, 2024 (yes, that’s right, 2024).

Have more questions? Contact Zoe Rascoe, our Chapter Registrar, and she will get back with you shortly.

Membership in the Chapter is open to qualifying individuals regardless of race, age (must be 18 years of age or older when class begins), gender, religion, disability, or national origin.

 
 

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