To be a Certified Wyoming Naturalist...
Is to serve the wildlands of Wyoming by completing a fourteen-class course focused on Wyoming flora, fauna, and abiotic features, completing forty hours of ecological service in the state, and continuing this effort annually with an additional eight hours of continued courses and maintaining forty service hours annually.
The title of Wyoming Naturalist is awarded to individuals who complete the basic education program and are actively working towards certification by providing volunteer service.
How can I become a Wyoming Naturalist?
Dive deeper into the requirements to join the Wyoming Naturalist Program, certifying as a Wyoming Naturalist, annual events, fees, and more. For a full breakdown of all requirements to join the Wyoming Naturalist Program, see our Wyoming Naturalist Program Handbook and Policy Guidelines.
Cost
The initial program fee per person is $200. Acceptable payment includes online credit card payments and checks written to the Wyoming Naturalist Program. Approved applicants can apply for financial assistance through our sliding scale payment feature.
Selection
Applications for the WNP open annually in the fall. The application may be found HERE and must be completed in its entirety. The application form is closed after 40 applications are received or at the discretion of the steering committee. If more information is needed after reviewing an application, interviews with that applicant may be conducted by phone, video, or email. Applicants will be informed by email of acceptance or rejection.
Safety
Background checks will be required for all applicants accepted into the WNP. The background check fee is covered by the applicant’s initial program fee. Certain volunteer agencies or organizations may require fingerprinting or an additional background check before a WNP participant can volunteer on their projects.
Schedule
Registration opens on the third Wednesday of October every year. The basic training for each new cohort begins on the first Wednesday of each February.* The outdoor field weekend for new cohorts occurs on the third weekend of May. The annual meeting and training is the third weekend in September.** Service and advanced training hours are due by midnight on December 31st.
*Unless February begins on a Wednesday.
**Fourth weekend when September has five weekends.
Qualifications
Anyone over the age of eighteen can become a Wyoming Naturalist. No previous education or experience is needed—only a willingness to learn and to actively steward Wyoming’s lands. Preference is given to full-time Wyoming residents.
Successful participants must have an interest in expanding their knowledge of natural history, possess a willingness to learn and share knowledge with peers, and must be able to pass a background check.
Service
Volunteer service must be unpaid, organized by an agency or non-profit NGO, and have a direct or indirect impact on Wyoming wildlife or wildlands. Service can be classified as stewardship, education and outreach, community science, or program support. See this simple breakdown of what qualifies for service hours.
WHERE WE WORK.
