The mission of the Citizen Science Naturalist Program is to create a community of well-trained volunteers to support biodiversity research at Mount Auburn, as well as at other sites. The volunteers will receive training from a diverse group of local experts that will enable each volunteer to become a capable research assistant and informal educator to the public.

The Naturalist Training Program will include nine sessions covering flora and fauna, as well as field note taking, nature photography, informal educator training and the use of apps for crowd-sourced science. These sessions will establish a foundation on which biodiversity study can be built. Additional learning opportunities will be provided throughout the year, including tutorial walks and field trainings for the implementation of research projects. All current Covid-19 protocols will be enforced during field visits.

All classroom trainings will be held virtually via zoom in 2021. Zoom Invites will be sent out one week before each virtual classroom training. Contact Paul Kwiatkowski, Director of Urban Ecology & Sustainability: pkwiatkowski@mountauburn.org to get on the email list.

All volunteers are asked to provide their own:
All-weather field journal
Waterproof mechanical pencil
Measuring tape or ruler
10x lens
Binoculars
Digital camera, or phone with camera

Training Schedule
Monday March 1, 2021 8-9pm via zoom – Phenology: Jacqui Kluft PhD. Interpretive programs and educational ranger at the Walden Pond State Reservation. Brooks Mathewson M.F.S. Ecologist, author, photographer and educator.

Saturday March 13, 2021 1-3pm via zoom – Amphibians & Reptiles: Joe Martinez EdD. Assistant Curator of Herpetology at the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology. Matt Gage M.S. Curatorial Assistant at the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology. Dom Kemmett, biologist and field scientist.

Tuesday March 16, 2021 8-9pm via zoom – Birds: Jacqui Kluft PhD. Interpretive programs and educational ranger at the Walden Pond State Reservation. Brooks Mathewson M.F.S. Ecologist, author, photographer, and educator.

Saturday March 20, 2021 1-3pm via zoom – Field Notes & Nature Photography: Joe Martinez EdD. Assistant Curator of Herpetology at the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology. Dom Kemmet, biologist and field scientist.

Sunday March 28, 2021 3-5pm via zoom – Insects: Amy Mertl PhD. Assistant Professor of Biology at Lesley University. Maria AlibertiLubertazzi PhD. Adjunct Professor of Invertebrate Biology and Wetland Ecology at the Rhode Island School of Design.

Wednesday March 31, 2021 3-4pm via zoom – Fungi & Lichens: Larry Millman, mycologist. author and explorer.

Saturday April 10, 2021 2-4pm via zoom – Informal Educators, Apps & Crowd-Sourced Science: Susan Rauchwerk EdD. Associate Professor and co-director of the EcoNet Lab at Lesley University. Mark Chandler PhD. Director of Research Initiatives at the Earthwatch Institute.

Saturday April 17, 2021 1-2pm via zoom – Intro to Plant ID & Botany: Samantha Richardson, Plant Records Manager at Mount Auburn Cemetery.

Saturday April 24, 2021 2-4pm via zoom – Mammals: Mark Omura M.S. Collection Manager of Mammalogy at the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology. Chris Richardson PhD. Senior Lecturer in Biology at Lesley University.

For more information, please contact Paul Kwiatkowski, Director of Urban Ecology & Sustainability: pkwiatkowski@mountauburn.org