I’m a geologist with a state environmental regulatory agency, but my masters was in paleontology (B.S., U of OK, M.S. U of IA). I grew up in Tulsa, but both of my parents were from Washington County, AR.  I’ve been a MN since Spring 2008, and this is my 2nd year on the curriculum committee.  We build and then coordinate the schedule, organize speakers, locations, resources, try to balance, recruit NITs and provide advanced training.  As a committee, since we are also responsible for recruiting, here is my spiel:

Top Ten Reasons for Becoming a Master Naturalist

1.  A bad day outside is always better than a good day inside. You may have already picked up on this, but I was a girl scout. Then my family spent every August camping at Brady Mountain on Lake Ouachita.  My grandmother outside Fayetteville didn’t have indoor plumbing until I was 12.  I thought everyone in AR camped.  I don’t know about you, but sometimes I have a hard time getting my friends to camp/hike.  AMN is a great outlet for outdoorsy-ness of all types, including camping and hiking

2.  Gain an ability to confuse your friends (and a few of our speakers) who will all think you are a Master Gardener and ask for your landscaping and pest control advice.  Maybe you can capitalize on their ignorance, and help them build a wildlife habitat.  

3.  Have one more volunteer activity to add to your CV & application to replace Mother Teresa.  It’s not padding your resume when you are actually volunteering!  If Mother Teresa’s job is filled already, maybe you could be the new Yul Gibbons. 

4. You don’t have to quit your day job. Flexibility of schedule is a good thing. Curriculum committee was a good fit for me, since I do have a science education background—4 years’ hard slog teaching freshman geology courses at LSU, have done some interpretation work, and like to tell people what to do. 

5. Twenty five or more new instant friends.  I’ve met some interesting people I’d not have come into contact with otherwise.  A classroom setting is always a great way to form close friendships with people. 

6. If you are good at math, you can help us revise the attendance requirements — 40 required hours taken from 29 — 3 hour sessions.  40 is not divisible by 3. You’ll have to complete 42 hours (7 full days).  You don’t need an engineer to work that one out!  

7. Catch up on science since you slept through it in school.  Hint: now 5 biologic kingdoms.

8.  You can pursue your own natural interests.  Flexibility in how you earn your service and advanced training hours is a given.  We are an all volunteer organization, so you have a voice in all aspects of the organization. 

9. Constructively channel any obsessive tendencies.  In my own case, instead of making winter outfits for my cat, I am busily overpreparing comprehensively thorough training for you for the Paleobiology session for the central chapter.

10.  It’s Arkansas, so we have to make our own fun. In summary, forgive me for stating the obvious, but Master Naturalists ROCK!  Respectfully submitted,

 Darcia Routh, P.G., M.N.