For an application, email mary.tebo@unh.edu. For more information, visit http://extension.unh.edu/Volunteer/Natural-Resources-Stewards or call Mary Tebo at 603-641-6060.

WOW docents are Fish and Game volunteers who present one of four prepared and interactive programs about wildlife and habitats to elementary school classes in New Hampshire. Training through UNH Cooperative Extension's Natural Resource Stewards training program is one avenue for becoming a Wonders of Wildlife (WOW) docent.

Open to all, the Natural Resources Steward program emphasizes hands-on learning in both the classroom and field with topics that include: New Hampshire's wildlife and its habitats; tree identification, evaluation, planting, and care; land conservation and protection; invasive species identification and management, sustainable living and permaculture, ecological landscaping and more.

After the course, participants are required to complete 40 hours of volunteer service in their own communities, or through one of our partnering agency's programs. Graduates from the Natural Resources Steward Program have volunteered in over 40 different natural resources-related areas including: inventorying natural resources; protecting thousands of acres of land; discovering endangered species; delivering educational programs to adults and children; and measuring NH’s BIGGEST trees!

The next 13-session training course will be held on Fridays beginning September 6, 2013, at the N.H. Fish and Game Department, 11 Hazen Drive, Concord. Sessions run from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. In addition to being a volunteer program, the course can be taken for college credit through Great Bay Community College. This versatile training also serves as the foundation course for Earth Team Volunteers through the Natural Resources Conservation Service and County Conservation Districts.

The Natural Resources Steward Program is sponsored by UNH Cooperative Extension, the N.H. Division of Forests and Lands and Great Bay Community College, in partnership with several other natural resources agencies.

News Source: New Hampshire F&G - Jul. 23, 2013