The Coastal Plain Region is the farthest to the east and includes all the low-lying areas from the shores of the bay to the Atlantic Ocean. Eastern Cecil, Kent, Queen Anne's, Caroline, Talbot, Dorchester, Wicomico, Somerset, Worcester, Anne Arundel, Prince George's, Calvert, Charles and St. Mary's Counties are all in our Coastal Plain Region, along with the eastern part of Baltimore City.
Listed below are current Master Naturalist Volunteer Trainings and the Host Sites that offer Master Naturalist Volunteer Trainings throughout the year. Please review this listing to see what Host Sites participate in the Maryland Master Naturalist Program in this region and when they typically offer training (i.e., time of year, days of the week, time of day, etc).
Applications are only being accepted by OPEN programs as noted below. To apply for admission to a training, please contact the Host Site and request an application or use their online application link if one is provided. If a Host Site interests you but their training is not currently open, please email the Host Site contact for more information about upcoming trainings at that Host Site.
The cost of the training is $250 per person upon acceptance into the training. Do not send payment with your application.
If you would like to learn more about how your facility/organization could become a Host Site, please contact Joy Rafey at jrafey@umd.edu
Open/Upcoming/Active Trainings:
BLACKWATER NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, Cambridge, MD (Dorchester County)
http://friendsofblackwater.org/ and https://www.shorerivers.org/
Host Site Contact: Sue Fischer (Friends of Blackwater), suefischer1@comcast.net
Dates: September 7 - December 7, 2023
Days: Thursdays, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm, with some Saturday field trips
ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS: email suefischer1@comcast.net for more information
ANACOSTIA WATERSHED SOCIETY, Blaensburg, MD (Prince George's County)
http://www.anacostiaws.org/ and https://www.anacostiaws.org/what-we-do/education/adult-education/master-naturalist-program.html
Host Site Contact: Kendra Bierman, kbierman@anacostiaws.org
Dates: September 9, 2023 - August 10, 2024
Days: 2nd Saturday of the month, 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS: to apply click HERE
Earlier 2023 Trainings - NO LONGER ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS:
PATUXENT RIVER PARK, Upper Marlboro, MD (Prince George's County)
http://www.patuxentriverpark.com
Host Site Contact: Monica Stiefel, monica.stiefel@pgparks.com
Dates: February 16 - June 8, 2023
Days: Thursday evenings, 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm, with some Saturday field trips
NO LONGER ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS
ELMS ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION CENTER, Lexington Park/Dameron, MD (St. Mary's County)
http://elms.smcps.org
Host Site Contact: Margarita Rochow & Candace Milcarzyk, elmsmdmnprogram@gmail.com
Dates: February 28 - June 27, 2023
Days: Tuesday evenings, 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm, with some Saturday field trips
NO LONGER ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS
GUNPOWDER FALLS & NORTH POINT STATE PARKS (Baltimore County and Harford County)
https://dnr.maryland.gov/publiclands/Pages/central/gunpowder.aspx
Host Site Contact: Shannon Davis, shannonm.davis@maryland.gov
Dates: March 4 - June 3, 2023
Days: Wednesday evenings, 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm, with field trips the first Saturday of each month, 9:00 am - 3:30 pm
NO LONGER ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS
AMERICAN CHESTNUT LAND TRUST (ACLT), Prince Frederick, MD (Calvert County)
http://acltweb.org/
Host Site Contact: Autumn Phillips-Lewis, landmanager@acltweb.org
Dates: March 6 - June 12, 2023
Meets Weekly: Monday evenings, 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm, with some Saturday field trips
NO LONGER ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS
ADKINS ARBORETUM, Ridgely, MD (Caroline County)
with Pickering Creek Audubon Center, Phillips Wharf Environmental Center, and ShoreRivers
http://www.adkinsarboretum.org/, http://pickering.audubon.org/, https://phillipswharf.org/, and https://www.shorerivers.org/
Host Site Contact: Jenny Houghton, jhoughton@adkinsarboretum.org
Dates: March 16 - December 21, 2023
Days: 3rd Thursday of each month, 9:30 am - 4:00 pm, plus Saturday trip(s)
NO LONGER ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS
Host Sites (listed alphabetically by primary Host Site name)
if a Host Site interests you, please email the contact listed below to inquire about future Master Naturalist trainings:
NOTE: Timeframes are approximate and based on past Master Naturalist trainings and are SUBJECT TO CHANGE
Adkins Arboretum, Ridgely, MD (Caroline County) with Pickering Creek Audubon Center, Phillips Wharf Environmental Center, and ShoreRivers
http://www.adkinsarboretum.org/, http://pickering.audubon.org/, https://phillipswharf.org/,
and https://www.shorerivers.org/
Host Site Contact: Jenny Houghton, jhoughton@adkinsarboretum.org
Timeframe: October thru June the following year
Meets Monthly: all day one Wednesday per month with some Saturday field trips
American Chestnut Land Trust (ACLT), Prince Frederick, MD (Calvert County)
http://acltweb.org/
Host Site Contact: Autumn Phillips-Lewis, landmanager@acltweb.org
Timeframe: February thru June
Meets Weekly: Monday evenings with some Saturday field trips
Anacostia Watershed Society, Blaensburg, MD (Prince George's County)
http://www.anacostiaws.org/ and https://www.anacostiaws.org/what-we-do/education/adult-education/master-naturalist-program.html
Host Site Contact: Kendra Bierman, kbierman@anacostiaws.org
Timeframe: September thru August the following year
Meets Monthly: all day one Saturday per month
Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge/ShoreRivers, Cambridge, MD (Dorchester County)
http://friendsofblackwater.org/ and https://www.shorerivers.org/
Host Site Contact: Sue Fischer (Friends of Blackwater), suefischer1@comcast.net, and Suzanne Sullivan (ShoreRivers), ssullivan@shorerivers.org
Timeframe: September thru December
Meets Weekly: all day Thursdays with some Saturday field trips
Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center, Grasonville, MD (Queen Anne's County)
http://www.bayrestoration.org/
Host Site Contact: TBA
Timeframe: September thru December
Meets Weekly: all day Wednesdays with some Saturday field trips
Elms Environmental Education Center, Dameron, MD (St. Mary's County)
http://elms.smcps.org
Host Site Contact: Margarita Rochow, mrrochow@smcps.org
Timeframe: February thru June
Meets Weekly: Tuesday evenings with some Saturday field trips
Gunpowder Falls & North Point State Parks (Baltimore County and Harford County)
https://dnr.maryland.gov/publiclands/Pages/central/gunpowder.aspx
Host Site Contact: Shannon Davis, shannonm.davis@maryland.gov
Timeframe: September thru November
Meets Weekly: all day Mondays with some Saturday field trips
Marshy Point Nature Center/Cromwell Valley Park, Baltimore, MD (Baltimore County)
http://www.marshypoint.org/ and http://www.cromwellvalleypark.org/
Host Site Contacts: Ben Porter, bporter@baltimorecountymd.gov (Marshy Point NC), and Brina Doyle, bdoyle@baltimorecountymd.gov (Cromwell Valley Park)
Timeframe: September thru November
Meets Weekly: all day Saturdays
MD Department of Natural Resources (Anne Arundel County)
http://dnr.maryland.gov/wildlife/Pages/Education/MDNaturalistTraining.aspx
Host Site Contact: Paula Becker, Paula.Becker@maryland.gov
Timeframe: February thru May
Meets Weekly: Wednesday evenings with some Saturday field trips
Nanjemoy Creek Environmental Education Center/CCBOEd, Nanjemoy, MD (Charles County)
https://nceec-ccboe.weebly.com/
Host Site Contact: Mike Callahan, mcallahan@ccboe.com
Timeframe: March thru June
Meets Weekly: Tuesday & Thursday evenings with some Saturday field trips
Patuxent River Park, Upper Marlboro, MD (Prince George's County)
http://www.patuxentriverpark.com
Host Site Contact: Monica Stiefel, monica.stiefel@pgparks.com
Timeframe: February thru June
Meets Weekly: Thursday evenings with some Saturday field trips