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The first Louisiana Master Naturalists – Northeast certification workshop is under our belts. Twenty of us gathered in the education center at Black Bayou Lake NWR at 8:30 a.m. and disbanded at 3 p.m. after a day of informative presentations and discussions, and a fabulous hour on the nature trail.

Yes, this is my best shot of the day! What I appreciate about this image is that I was able to find a hole through the thick stuff the snake was hiding in to get a perfectly focused, nicely framed shot of the head and eye.

For a short hike, we saw lots of cool stuff, but snakes ruled the day. To the best we could reconstruct, we saw 5 or 6 broad-banded water snakes, 5 or 6 yellow-bellied water snakes (Nerodia erythrogaster flavigaster), a rough green snake (Opheodrys aestivus) and a ribbon snake (Thamnophis sauritus).

Amy Ouchley’s theme, “Observe, Record, Reflect,” was a powerful idea to me. One of my (many!) reflections on the day is a question: Why so many snakes spotted? I have walked those trail many times and rarely have seen a snake. My tentative answers: a) Many eyes see much more than one pair of eyes! b) The water is receding from being very high. The snakes were ready to be out of the water, drying out and soaking up sunshine–even the water snakes. What do you think?

Finally, we returned to the education center for a short debriefing. The common sentiment? What a treat it had been to be with like-minded folks who freely shared whatever they knew about what we were looking at. It was rich!

I don’t usually do more than one post per evening, but…. y’all aren’t paying attention!

Our first certification workshop is NEXT SATURDAY, March 10, and I have a handful of registrations. Here’s your opportunity to experience Nova Clarke, the Conservation Educator of the Year, in action. And Amy Ouchley and Bette Kauffman are no slouches when it comes to sharing their skills!

So… get on over to our certification page on this very website and get yourselves signed up. Please note that you do not need to have a PayPal account to pay via PayPal. PayPal will take your credit card.

However, if you are a techno-phobe or a PayPal-phobe or whatever, contact Bette Kauffman via email or IM or FB or some such. If you are known to me, especially if you are already a member of LMN-NE, you can bring a check or cash to the workshop Saturday, March 10. The workshop fee is $25.

BUT let me know you want to do that! We need to know who is coming. Registration Form for the workshop is a prerequisite to getting credit towards Master Naturalist certification.

Don’t forget: You need to bring your own brown bag lunch and an appropriate journal and pen. See the Workshop 1 Flyer for details. And dress to walk. Maybe we’ll see some blooming redbuds?!

Not only of Nova Clark for being named Conservation Educator of the Year by the Louisiana Wildlife Federation, but of Louisiana Master Naturalists – Northeast for nabbing her for our charter Board of Directors and Secretary!

Little known fact: After Stuart Hodnett and I, co-founders, Nova Clarke was our first Board member. So there you have it. WE know how to pick ’em!!!

See the News-Star article for details. Nova will receive her award at a banquet in Baton Rouge March 17. I will be in Chicago. Boohooo! Can anyone else go to applaud and take some photos for us?

We are ready to roll! Our first certification workshop, Basic Field Skills, is scheduled March 10, 8:30 – 3, at Black Bayou Lake NWR. And I have just finished making website changes so you can register!

Click on the “Certification” tab at the top of this page and you will find a Workshop Agenda, a “Buy Now” button for paying through PayPal, and a Workshop Registration Form that can be printed and mailed with a check if you prefer.

To make sure that everyone has an optimal experience, our workshops are limited to 25 participants each. Therefore, please do not delay in reserving your seat in the workshop.

Even if you are already a member of Louisiana Master Naturalists–Northeast, you must reserve your seat in the workshop and pay the $25 fee. Non-members are welcome as long as we have space.

Please check out the agenda and note that you need to bring a few things with you, specifically a brown bag lunch, a small notebook and pen for journaling, and a camera (phone cameras are fine).

And please dress for a hike! Yes, of course we will go outdoors! It will not be a long, grueling hike, but we will spend about an hour putting our skills into practice.

I’ve already registered! See you there.

Of course, we were real before, but now we’re a real tax exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization! The letter was in the mail when I got home from a conference in Atlanta today.

That means from now on, membership dues are tax deductible as charitable contributions, as are additional contributions, bequests, and so forth. Please note that I have added “Donate” buttons to the Welcome, Blog and Membership pages.

Workshop fees will NOT be tax deductible since you will receive services in exchange for those funds.

Share with your like-minded friends and the businesses you patronize how they can support our work, too!