Becoming an Arizona Master Naturalist
New volunteer training courses are held annually from January into early May.
Applications for the 2027 cohort open soon (August 26, 2026)! Continue reading to learn more about the program, and then click the Apply Today button below to access the application when it is available. The application does not commit you to participating. You will be asked to attend an Info Session in September or October (see below to register) to hear more about the program and ensure it is right for you. We encourage you to apply early though as the order applications are received is one consideration in selecting applicants.
Training to become a Master Naturalist develops skills to build relationships with community partners and to engage in projects that benefit the environment and our communities. The training is interactive and consists of weekly virtual class presentations by subject matter experts and regular interative, hands-on field labs. We also include self-reflective assignments to further understand natural and cultural concepts, including best practices in environmental education and justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in our programs.
The Master Naturalist program leads to certification by volunteering across our three pillars of service (education, stewardship, community science) for natural and cultural history organizations in our community. Volunteering and on-going education are essential elements of the course and annual certification.
Master Naturalists are not expected to know everything about the natural world. The definition of a “master” refers to a person who devotes time and energy to learning and practicing their skill. As a “master,” we become more aware of our environment on new levels and seek new ways to engage with it.
Let the fun begin!
Program Details
The Master Naturalist certification program is a comprehensive course of study that includes a variety of topics including:
- Intro to AZ Master Naturalist Program & Community
- Naturalists & Natural History
- Ecological Concepts
- Biogeography of AZ
- Geology
- Weather & Climate
- Study of Organisms
- Land Use in Arizona
- Water Use in Arizona
- Cultural History
- Community Science & Research Skills
- Interpretation & Teaching Skills
Resources such as important website links as well as instructor presentations on each of these topics will be available to participants.
In addition to these topics, the course is enhanced through the addition of several field labs across the Central Highlands in the Prescott, Sedona, and Verde Valley areas.
Course Logistics
The course is structured as follows:
- Zoom classes held every Tuesday and Thursday from 6:30 until 8 PM Arizona, commencing beginning of January and running through April.
- There will be details during the course for the field labs (minimum of 15 hours required) which involve field trips in the Central Highlands area for outdoor assignments followed by write-ups of the experiences.
- This amounts to 60 hours of class and field lab time.
- In addition, you should expect an additional 4 to 6 hours of research, homework, and field journal time each week in order to complete assignments.
- The program concludes with a capstone project that is done by each participant (or in participant teams) that involves a project that the participant undertakes during the course which involves a naturalist experience and can result in volunteer service hours after the course is complete. The capstone project is presented to our course facilitators at the end of the course and input is provided to the participant.
Info Sessions
We will have two info sessions held virtually via Zoom on Thursday, September 17th and Tuesday, October 13th from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. All participants are required to attend one of the sessions to hear more about the AZ Master Naturalist program, course details and logistics, and to ask questions. We want to ensure the program is right for you before we get started.
Please click the button below to register for one today. If you are not able to attend on the scheduled dates, you can still register and select the Not Available Either Date option and we will work with you to satisfy this requirement in an alternative manner.
Volunteer Requirements
This basic structure leads to certification by the Arizona Master Naturalist organization. In order to maintain this certification, the Central Highlands Master Naturalist will be required to complete volunteer service hours by December 31st of each year, as follows:
- First Year: 20 hours, of which a minimum of 5 hours must include State Association or Chapter Service
- Second Year: 40 hours, of which a minimum of 5 hours must include State Association or Chapter Service
- Third Year and thereafter: 60 hours, of which a minimum of 5 hours must include State Association or Chapter Service
- As well as 20 hours of advanced training every year, and this includes at least 5 hours of skills-based training
Since our inception in 2022, we have logged 16,981 volunteer service and 5,746 advanced training hours!
Facilitators
Kathy Winnett-Murray
Kathy Winnett-Murray is an ecologist who retired from being a Biology Professor at Hope College in Michigan in 2021. She earned her B.S. in Biological Sciences at the University of California, Irvine in 1976, her M.S. in Biology at California State University, Northridge, in 1979, and her Ph.D. in Zoology from the University of Florida in 1986. Kathy was fortunate to be part of research investigations in a wide range of ecosystems, from Pacific seabird breeding islands in California and Alaska to the tropical cloud forests of Costa Rica to urban forests and wetlands in west Michigan. She spent several years developing Schoolyard Ecology programs with K-12 teachers, and later created several lab/field experiences for the Association for Biology Laboratory Education and for Teaching Issues and Experiments in Ecology. She is thrilled to be continuing to engage in ecological education and community science through involvement in Arizona Master Naturalists (Central Highlands cohort 2) and her volunteer work in the Prescott region.
Greg Murray
Greg grew up in southern California, and his fascination with the natural world was fostered by his experiences of playing in orange groves and vacant lots near his home, and through camping and fishing throughout much of the west with his family. So of course he majored in Biology at California State University, Northridge, focusing on marine ecology through much of his undergraduate program. After he met his future wife Kathy in his last semester, he changed his focus to marine birds and they ended up living on Santa Barbara Island while working on their Master’s degrees. After they married, they each pursued their doctoral studies at the University of Florida, focusing their research on tropical birds and forest ecology in Costa Rica. Both of them were lucky enough to be offered faculty positions at Hope College in Michigan, where they taught for the next 35 years. They retired from teaching and moved to Prescott in 2021, but still conduct research in Costa Rica. Here in Arizona, Greg is involved in sustainability and conservation issues, and continues to indulge his lifelong passion for science and natural history.
Jim Presley
Jim Presley is a retired IT Technology Director who discovered his love for the lands of the southwest after moving to Arizona from the flatlands of Illinois in 2018. Jim leverages his professional experience to help a number of non-profit organizations focused on natural history, cultural history, conservation, and nature-based leadership development. He also volunteers in the field teaching elementary school students in outdoor habitat environments at Humboldt Unified School District, restoring riparian habitat at Prescott College, and on the trails at the Grand Canyon National Park as part of the Preventative Search and Rescue (PSAR) team. Jim joined the Central Highlands chapter in 2025. He began as the Chapter Chair in January 2026. When not volunteering, Jim loves to run, hike, and explore outdoors.