Success StoryDeveloping a Statewide Kentucky Master Naturalist Organization and Partner Network



Developing a Statewide Kentucky Master Naturalist Organization and Partner Network

Author: Lee Moser

Planning Unit: Agriculture and Natural Resources Programs

Major Program: Water and Soil Quality and Conservation

Outcome: Initial Outcome

The Kentucky Master Naturalist Program is an extension program with a curriculum designed to engage and educate participants with materials related to various topics such as water resources, archaeology, soils, entomology, outdoor safety, and multiple other naturalist related topics. The program began as a UK course and as an extension program with two offerings (one in Louisville and one in Lexington). The efforts over the past year have involved developing a framework and foundational documents to scale the program to a statewide organization with chapters spread throughout the state with  a centralized program management structure. The group of individuals that have served as the steering committee include UK extension professionals and resource professionals from around the state. The overall goal of scaling this program to a statewide organization is to engage and educate interested Kentucky citizens on naturalist related topics while developing a community around volunteerism associated with natural resource issues around the state. This scaling effort has been the result of several years of effort of community members and this past year has seen the largest puch to develop the framework to make this a statewide organization much like Master Cattlemen or other similar programs.






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