The North Carolina Master Naturalists Program, run through N.C. Cooperative Extension, provides opportunities for community members to learn about and contribute to conservation and stewardship. Adult students across a wide range of ages and with varied professional backgrounds apply to the year-long Master Naturalists program and form a cohort that attends monthly classes and takes on Impact Projects with partner conservation organizations.
Duke Forest Executive Director Sara Childs spoke to the 2025 Master Naturalists cohort, who were primarily based in Orange County, as part of their September class on local wildlife. Sara shared about ongoing biodiversity initiatives in the Duke Forest, including our Herpetofauna Community Science Program, surveys of ephemeral wetlands, and leadership in the Triangle Connectivity Collaborative. She highlighted the ways we are elevating, promoting, and protecting biodiversity, and in doing so, advancing our strategic goals across stewardship for sustainability, teaching and research, and community engagement.
After hearing about those efforts, we ventured into the Duke Forest and the Master Naturalists received training in the herpetofauna community science data collection protocol with Special Projects Coordinator Maggie Heraty and Senior Program Coordinator Erin Hecht. The group lifted coverboards and recorded observations of reptiles and amphibians to contribute to the larger dataset of herpetofauna in the Duke Forest. Hosting the Master Naturalists was a delight, and we hope they will go forth and share about our work to better understand and protect local wildlife!