“This was a great program. I love being out in the field getting hands-on experience — using my senses to learn and experience nature really drives it home” –Master Naturalist Participant, 2022 Cohort
“I like how the program was horizontally integrated with field time, lecture time and lab time. It was great seeing the results of real science.” –Master Naturalist Participant, 2022 Cohort
James L. Goodwin Master Naturalist Program
Are you a community member, teacher, educator, land trust employee, conservation planning board member or natural resource professional looking to increase your knowledge of the natural environment?
If so, join us for our Master Naturalist training. The mission of James L. Goodwin Conservation Center’s Master Naturalist program is to develop a diverse community of naturalists who promote stewardship of the environment.
Through this year-long program, participants will learn about the ecosystems of Connecticut, the animals and plants that inhabit our area, and current conservation issues affecting our wildlife and natural resources. The program typically meets in-person all day one Saturday each month and then meets virtually one evening each month. At each in-person meeting we try to visit a different habitat type (e.g., meadow, young forest, mature forest, beach, rocky shore, estuary, inland sand plains, urban forest, stream, pond, trap-rock ridge) and explore the flora, fauna, and fungi that live there. These locations include sites all over CT. The program also includes a project and volunteer outreach component.
The Goodwin Master Naturalist program is sponsored by the Friends of Goodwin Forest.
The application deadline for the 2024-2025 program year has passed. We anticipate the next program starting in the fall of 2025 (applications hopefully opening this spring with a summer 2025 deadline) although there’s a chance it won’t start till spring of 2026 due to limited capacity and resources to run the program. Partial scholarships may be offered to help offset the cost of the program for those in financial need.
Juan Sanchez
The Goodwin Conservation Center’s Master Naturalist Program is the work and passion of a team led by Juan Sanchez. Juan Sanchez received a Masters in Science and Natural History with his Teaching certification from UCONN. His education experience spans four decades. His field work and research are equally impressive, spanning the hemisphere from the Amazon basin to inventorying lichen in Newfoundland and Ontario. He is a board member of the Connecticut Bird Conservation Research and Connecticut Botanical Society, and a member of the CT Entomological Society and CT Science Teachers Association. Juan left his position as Naturalist at the Goodwin Center but is still actively involved with the program.