A Letter from Our President

Happy New Year Master Naturalists!

What a fantastic 2024! Over 10,000 volunteer hours were logged during our chapter’s 10th anniversary year. We celebrated 39 first-time certifications and 45 re-certifications. My sincerest thanks to everyone who made this happen.

Our 2025 theme is “Do Good, Have Fun, & Don’t Make It Complicated.” Our goal is to be member-driven and nature-focused. You may have noticed that we have already made changes. For example, the website calendar was a big step in simplifying finding volunteer activities. We will continue to improve the calendar with an easy-to-use map.

The Programs Committee has exciting plans for 2025. Each month has a theme, with the chapter meeting and field trip connected to it. For example, our January field trip is a Star Party, followed by a chapter meeting about “Dark Skies.”

You’ll hear us use “Swarm” frequently – an event where we gather a large group to tackle a big project. Each Swarm includes food, community building, and more. Our first Swarm is planned for January 25th. We will share the details at the January 18th Chapter Meeting.

Finally, I invite you to participate in our upcoming Volunteer Fair & Chapter Meeting on Saturday, January 18th, followed by a potluck lunch. This event coincides with the final class for our new members in training. It’s an excellent opportunity to meet and support the new trainees, learn about the chapter’s major volunteer activities, and celebrate everyone who reached a milestone in 2024. Come have fun, build community, and talk shop with your fellow naturalists.

— Gene Janulis, Chapter President