Ontario Master Naturalist Program announces Fall Workshop schedule

Getting out into the field will be part of the fall workshops offered by the Ontario Master Naturalist Program (OMNP) at Lakehead University this fall. All workshops are open to the public and are separate from the OMNP certificate program. Photo: Ontario Nature

Getting out into the field will be part of the fall workshops offered by the Ontario Master Naturalist Program (OMNP) at Lakehead University this fall. All workshops are open to the public and are separate from the OMNP certificate program. Photo by Noah Cole, courtesy of Ontario Nature.

August 12, 2015 – Orillia, ON

The inaugural Ontario Master Naturalist Program (OMNP), which was launched by Lakehead University and Ontario Nature earlier this year, will be offering a series of workshops this fall based on topics of special interest to naturalists.

The workshops are open to the general public and are designed as general interest sessions and are not part of the OMNP certificate program. The topics range from Invasive Species and Mushroom Identification to Species at Risk and Field Sketching. 

“These are topics that we found were of special interest to our first class of Master Naturalists,” said OMNP coordinator Bob Bowles. “By dedicating an entire workshop to these specialized topics, we hope to enhance the skills and knowledge of participants through classroom discussion and fieldwork.”

The workshops take place at Lakehead University Orillia, 500 University Avenue, on four Saturday mornings beginning with Invasive Species on Saturday, August 29. The cost is $65 per workshop or $220 for the series (plus HST). For program details and to register online, visit: lakeheadu.ca/masternaturalist. 

– 30 –

MEDIA:  For more information, please contact:

Communications Officer, Lakehead Orillia – Kathy Hunt, at 705-330-4008 ext. 2014 or kjhunt3@lakeheadu.ca.

Communications Manager, Ontario Nature – John Hassell, at 416-444-8419 ext. 269 (work) or 416-786-2171 (mobile) or johnh@ontarionature.org. 

In 2015, Lakehead University will celebrate 50 years of exceptional education. Guided by its Strategic Plan (2013-2018), Lakehead is known for providing an education focused on independent thinking, unconventional scholarship, and a close sense of community. About 9,700 full-time equivalent students and 2,000 faculty and staff learn and work in ten faculties at two campuses in Orillia and Thunder Bay, Ontario. Lakehead University is a fully comprehensive university: home to Ontario’s newest Faculty of Law in 44 years, the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, and faculties of Engineering, Business Administration, Health & Behavioural Sciences, Social Sciences & Humanities, Science & Environmental Studies, Natural Resources Management, Education, and Graduate Studies.

Maclean’s 2015 University Rankings places Lakehead University 2nd in Ontario and among Canada’s Top 10 undergraduate universities, and 1st among Ontario’s undergraduate universities for Total Research Dollars, Social Sciences & Humanities Grants, and Library Expenses. In 2014, Re$earch Infosource ranked Lakehead 2nd in Ontario and 3rd among Canada’s undergraduate universities.

Visit www.lakeheadu.ca. 

Ontario Nature protects wild species and wild spaces through conservation, education and public engagement. Ontario Nature is a charitable organization representing more than 30,000 members and supporters and 150 member groups across Ontario (charitable registration # 10737 8952 RR0001). For more information, visit ontarionature.org.