Michigan Naturalist Program

April to October 2026

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Program Components

• Monthly Sessions
  • HYBRID REGIONS:
    • Four hours of in-person, coordinated classroom and field-based experiential learning
    • All classes will be held, rain or shine.
    • Sessions will be located in the general area of the region that you select. Specific date, time, and location information for each region can be found on the MNP website.
  • VIRTUAL OPTION:
    • Three hours of live Zoom sessions
    • Two optional, independent in-person outdoor opportunities
      • Recommended locations will be provided including parks, native preserves, and bogs.
• Virtual Lessons
  
  • Comprehensive online course content, including knowledge checks and assignments, to expand on the in-person learning experience

Program Topics
Each session studies one or more of the following core subjects:

• Air
  
  • Weather
  • Climate Change
• Land 
  • Geology 
  • Spatial Ecology
  • Coastal Regions
• Water
  • Lakes, Rivers, and Wetlands
  • Great Lakes
• Flora
  
  • Trees
  • Plants
  • Invasive Species
• Fauna
  
  • Ornithology
  • Herpetology (Amphibians & Reptiles)
  • Entomology
  • Ichthyology
  • Mammalogy 
• Humanities
  
  • Conservation
  • Traditional Ecological Knowledge
  • Interpretation

Program Expectations

• This program is for adults (18+) only. 
• Internet access and an email address are required in order to complete the online portion of this program.
• In-person sessions will include moderate amounts of walking and a variety of outdoor conditions. These conditions may contain variable steep or rough terrain. If special accommodations are needed, please make note of this within registration. 
• Transportation to each in-person session will be the participant's responsibility.
  • A Michigan State Park Recreation Passport and parking fees at some locations may apply. 
• Plan to wear weather and activity appropriate clothing such as closed toed shoes or hiking boots, hat, long pants, etc.
• A camera, hand lens, field guides, related apps preloaded on smart phones, and binoculars may prove helpful on outdoor experience walks. 

Michigan Naturalist Certification Information

• Requirements
  • Full attendance in monthly sessions
    • All in-person classes will be held, rain or shine.
  • Completion of each D2L unit's short assignment and 80% or above on all open book knowledge checks
    • Each successful assignment and knowledge check completion provides a digital badge.

Program Fee: $200

• Registration includes six live (in-person for hybrid regions, or Zoom for virtual option) sessions, handouts, and online course content.
• Registration does not include in the required books for this program. Participants will be responsible for obtaining the following books.
  • Bringing Nature Home by Douglas W. Tallamy
  • Kaufman Field Guide to Nature of the Midwest
  • Managing Michigan's Wildlife: A landowner's guide (Available as a free PDF in the D2L classroom upon course enrollment.)

Cancellation Policy
All cancellation requests on or before April 5, 2026, will be refunded in full. Requests received on or after April 6, 2026, will be refunded less a $100 cancellation fee. Requests received after the start of the program will not be refunded.

Scholarships
Scholarships are available and help offset the program registration fee. If you would like to apply for a scholarship, first complete the scholarship application below (“Application for a MNP Scholarship” button). Do not complete the participant registration for your region until you receive an email with details regarding your scholarship application. This email will provide instructions on how to complete your registration for MNP.

Maximum class size is 30 participants per hybrid region and 70 participants for the virtual option. Registration is not considered complete until payment is received.