Details

Published: January 18 2012

The Florida Master Naturalists of Broward County will have their first meeting as a group at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, January 24, in the Broward County Extension Auditorium, 3245 College Ave., Davie. The group will meet the fourth Tuesday of the month and host Eco-Movies in collaboration with the University of Florida-Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension, Tanawhá Presents, the South Florida Audubon Society, and the Sawgrass Nature Center. The meeting runs from 6 to 6:30 p.m., with the movie to follow. (Please note that despite the address, the auditorium is located south of Nova Drive but north of 30th Street, on the western side of College Avenue, adjacent to the UF-IFAS Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center.)
 
The event is free and open to the public. The Master Naturalists are volunteers and natural resource management professionals who have been trained and certified by the UF-IFAS/Broward County Parks and Recreation Division’s Extension Education Section training program, consisting of three core modules (Coastal Systems, Upland Habitats, and Freshwater Wetlands), along with four specialized courses (Environmental Interpretation, Habitat Evaluation, Wildlife Monitoring, and Conservation Science). The program is a joint venture of Tanawhá Presents and Broward County Extension Education, and students from the first year’s cycle of courses have already contributed by providing 44 interpretive products now in use among myriad parks, natural areas, and nature centers. Volunteers and professionals graduating from the course receive national and state certification as part of the UF-IFAS Master Naturalist Program.
 
The first meeting will consist of a discussion regarding current topics in biological conservation, a listing of significant upcoming ecological events, the formation of some tentative committees, and an overview of new course and naturalist-related activities. The 72-minute movie Fresh will follow. Details about the movie can be found at its Website, www.freshthemovie.com.
 
For further information, contact course instructor Kristen Hoss at kristenhoss@yahoo.com or co-instructor John Pipoly at jpipoly@broward.org.