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Anne Lewis

South Dakota Volunteer Naturalists

2 member(s) linked

Member profile details

Membership level

4. Program Membership - Active and Renewal

First name

Anne

Last name

Lewis

Organization

South Dakota Discovery Center

Address 1

805 W Sioux Ave

Address 2

Box 1

City

Pierre

State

Zip Code

57501

annelewis@sd-discovery.org

Phone

605-224-8295

Cell phone

605-222-9562

Program Name

South Dakota Volunteer Naturalists

Photo

Program Web Site URL

sdvolunteernaturalists.org

Program Mission

The mission of the SD Volunteer Naturalists Program is to empower well-informed volunteers to provide education, outreach, and service dedicated to the well-being of the natural world and to foster people's connection with nature, the environment, and natural areas within our local communities and the state of South Dakota.

Program Description (include how it meets membership criteria)

South Dakota Volunteer Naturalists are people who enjoy nature and the outdoors and want to make a difference in their communities. Whether it's staffing a presentation at a pollinator festival, making observations on iNaturalist, or collecting water quality samples, South Dakota Volunteer Naturalists contribute to the well being of nature and help connect people to the outdoors and the environment.

To become a South Dakota Volunteer Naturalist, participants must complete 40 hours of training including online classes, journaling assignments and 2 field trips.

After completing the training year, South Dakota Volunteer Naturalists continue on in ther journey.
- Pay an annual membership fee of (This is included in your class fees during your training year.)
- Comply with the Code of Ethics and the Standard of Conduct
- Pursue volunteer and advanced education hours as able

Volunteer Naturalists in good standing can attend quarterly online member meetings, track their volunteer and advanced education hours on the Track It Forward platform, and participate in regional meet ups and gatherings for advanced education and volunteer opportunities.

The +30 is a distinction offered to Volunteer Naturalists who have completed their training year. Volunteer Naturalists who have completed at least 20 hours of volunteer service and 10 hours of advanced education between Jan 1 and Dec 31 will earn the +30 distinction. Volunteer Naturalists are encouraged to earn the +30 distinction annually. The +30 is not a requirement for maintaining your status in the program.

The South Dakota Volunteer Naturalist program is a collaborative effort of the South Dakota Discovery Center, Black Hills Parks and Forest Association, South Dakota State University Extension, and SOuth Dakota Game, Fish and Parks. The South Dakota Discovery Center serves as the fiscal agent for the organization.

Program Partners

The South Dakota Volunteer Naturalist program is a collaborative effort of the South Dakota Discovery Center, Black Hills Parks and Forest Association, South Dakota State University Extension, and SOuth Dakota Game, Fish and Parks. The South Dakota Discovery Center serves as the fiscal agent for the organization.

Curriculum (general objectives and topics, types of instructors, and planned time frame)

The South Dakota Volunteer Naturalist training course is 12 weeks long, meeting Tuesday nights from 7:00pm CT/6:00pm MT - 9:00pm CT/8:00pm MT. We meet via Zoom for a time of small group discussions and learning from subject matter experts. In addition to the Zoom class, the course also consists of weekly journal questions posted in the discussion forum and two field trips.

Below is a bulleted overview of what is required to complete your training year.

Required
Attendance
We meet weekly via Zoom for two hours (120 minutes).
You must attend 11 out of the 12 sessions.
You may miss one session. No make up is necessary.
You may miss two sessions but must complete a make-up session at the end of the course.
If you do not attend 11 out of 12 sessions, you will need to retake the course next year.
Attendance is taken by Zoom log in.
We do not record sessions.

Assignments
You must complete a minimum of 8 weekly journal entries submitted through the forum discussion groups.
You may complete more.
Journal entries are due the last day of the course.
You are encouraged and expected to complete the readings and videos but this will not be required (aka checked).

Field trips
You must complete two during the training year.
Field trips are approximately 6 hours long.
There are multiple field trips around the state.
You will sign up for field trips after the course is live. Sign up is through Track It Forward. You will receive an invitation to join Track It Forward at the first class.

Encouraged
Forum participation
You are encouraged to read and comment positively on other people's journal entries.
Member participation

You are invited to participate in member events both online and regional.

Not required
During your training year you are committing 40 hours plus to the program. You are not expected to volunteer during your training year.
You are not expected to earn extra Advanced Education hours during your training year.

Course Content
Introduction and Overview
Indigenous Perspectives
Physical Geography of South Dakota
Climate and phenology of South Dakota
Mammalogy
Biomes and ecosystems
Ornithology
Entomology
Herpetology
Aquatic Macroinvertebrates and Ichthyology
Conservation and Human Impacts
Botany
Make Up Week: TBD

Describe the service component of your program

After you complete your South Dakota Volunteer Naturalist training, you can continue to be part of the program in the following ways.

Pay annual dues. This is required to remain part of the program.
Continue volunteering: Opportunities via Track It Forward, volunteer water quality monitoring, iNaturalist, Backyard Bird Count, Project Feederwatch, other participatory science project, for any organization with a conservation mission (BHPFA, any national, state or local park, SD Discovery Center), write for blog.
Continue advanced education. Can be remote.
Earn distinctions annually (+30). We will discuss this during the class.
Take leadership positions (regional leaders, assist with field trips, etc.)