This program is SOLD OUT. For any questions, or to join the notification list for the FALL cohort, please email Director of Applied Learning, Connie O'Conner at coconnor@cincynature.org.
LIVE IN-PERSON CLASSES
- Tuesdays (June 13, June 20, June 27, July 11, July 18, July 25) from 9 am-5 pm
For more information see: https://ocvn.osu.edu/
$300 for the full course (entire six-day series), including all digital reading materials, certification fee with OSU (for ages 18 and up), and live instruction.
Certification is available to adults only. Application deadline is Tuesday, May 30, 2023, but spots fill fast, so don’t delay! The summer cohort is the only one offered at Cincinnati Nature Center that is entirely in person!
Hosted by Cincinnati Nature Center in collaboration with OSU Extension in the School of Environment and Natural Resources, the mission of the Ohio Certified Volunteer Naturalist program (OCVN) is to “promote awareness and citizen stewardship of Ohio's natural resources through science-based education and community service”. The program emphasizes hands-on natural resource and environmental education coupled with volunteer service. Coursework includes training in geology, plants, insects, birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians, ecology, stewardship, and interpretation. Classes are offered throughout the state, and Cincinnati Nature Center is the largest provider.
Participants of this OCVN course will have 40+ hours of live class time at Cincinnati Nature Center's Rowe Woods, plus weekly supplemental readings and mini quizzes.
To receive certification, upon completing the OCVN course, participants must document 40 hours of volunteer service and/or continuing education at any Ohio organization with a compatible program mission. After certification, 20 hours of volunteer service and 8 hours of continuing education are required annually to remain certified. If you choose not to pursue certification, you are still welcome to take this course for your own knowledge and enjoyment.
This is a great way to meet like-minded new friends and get to know nature center staff while taking your commitment to nature a step further! For more information, contact Connie O’Connor at coconnor@cincynature.org.
Program benefits:
- Learn about the biology, ecology, and natural history of Ohio and how to share the knowledge with others.
- Become part of a local and statewide network of dedicated volunteers.
- Apply your talents and passion to protecting, restoring, and understanding Ohio's natural treasures.
- Meet nature center staff, professors, and experts from a variety of organizations.
Attendance is mandatory; do not register if you will miss more than one of the six full days, as you cannot make these classes up at a later date and will not graduate.
- Tuesday, June 13 from 9 am-5 pm
- Tuesday, June 20 from 9 am-5 pm
- Tuesday, June 27 from 9 am-5 pm
- Tuesday, July 11 from 9 am-5 pm
- Tuesday, July 18 from 9 am-5 pm
- Tuesday, July 25 from 9 am-5 pm
Registrants will meet at Krippendorf Lodge at our Rowe Woods location (4949 Tealtown Rd., Milford, OH 45150).
Please make sure you will be able to attend at least 5 of the 6 classes because these sessions will not be recorded and 40 hours of attendance is mandatory to graduate. You may miss one of the sessions and still graduate.
By registering below, I acknowledge that:
Cancellation and Transfer Policy: All cancellations are subject to a $50 administrative fee per request. No transfers to future cohorts are permitted. Cancellations made with less than two weeks’ notice will not be refunded. No refunds will be issued after May 29, 2023.
Program Policy: Cincinnati Nature Center may update the status or format of programs based on conditions at the time of the program.
Media Release: All participants (18 and older) associated with this transaction grant permission to Cincinnati Nature Center to utilize images, likenesses, actions, or statements in any form taken during a visit to the Nature Center, a Nature Center sponsored event, or virtual presentation for the purpose of promoting the Nature Center in perpetuity.
I understand that only participants ages 18 and up who complete the course will receive certification through OSU.