Course Calendar:
Master Naturalist Certificate Program
Master Naturalist Georgia – Baldwin
Mammalogy
Georgia is home to 83 species of mammals from our oceans to the Blue Ridge peaks. In this course you will dive into the evolutionary history of mammals, common mammals to central Georgia, and threats posed to our mammal populations. Friday evening will consist of dinner at Lockerly getting to know your classmates followed by 2 hours of program lecture and activities with Lockerly’s director of education, Kensey Amerson. Saturday we will spend the day alongside Dr. Marcelo Jorge from the University of Georgia setting up cameras around Lockerly as part of long-term mammal study, analysing data, and tracking mammal species through the natural spaces of Middle Georgia.
Program Date: Friday, November 6 from 5:30 – 8:30 pm & Saturday November 7, 2026 8:30 am – 4:30 pm
This course will not be offered again until late fall 2028.
Cost: $115 for Non-members $99 for Lockerly Members
Cost Includes: Dinner Friday night; Lunch Saturday; course materials; 8-hours credit toward master naturalist certification
Geology + Soil Science
Understanding what is under our feet is an important foundation for understanding the ecosystems built upon it. In this Master Naturalist course you will look to Georgia’s past; the formation of the state as we know it today, the basic rock types, the ecoregions that diversify the soil of our state, and dive deep into soil science. After a Friday evening lecture introducing you to the basic geologic concepts, you will spend the day in the field with Dr. Allison VandeVort exploring the geology and soil in the Milledgeville/Baldwin County area.
Program Date: Friday, January 29, 2027 from 5:30 – 8:30 pm & Saturday, January 30, 2027 8:30 am – 4:30 pm
This course will not be offered again until winter 2029.
Cost: $115 for Non members $99 for Lockerly Members
Cost Includes: Dinner Friday night; Lunch Saturday in the field; course materials; 8-hours credit toward master naturalist certification
Ornithology
This course is a wonderful chance to utilize all your senses learning how to identify local birds by sight and sound. Following a group dinner and get-to-know-you with your classmates, Lockerly’s director of education, Kensey Amerson, will introduce you to the different families of birds we find here in Georgia, basic identification characteristics of these groups, and an evening night walk around Lockerly to “see” if we can hear an owl or two. Saturday will begin bright and early in the field with our binoculars in hand and expert ornithologist in tow!
Program Date: March 2027 (Exact Date TBD)
Cost: $115 Non-members $99 Lockerly Members
Cost Includes: Dinner Friday night; Lunch Saturday in the field; course materials; 8-hours credit toward master naturalist certification.
Dendrology + Forestry
Did you know timber is in the top five agricultural products produced in Georgia each year? In this 8-hour credit Master Naturalist course, you will get an introduction to the field of forestry and study of trees. Topics covered will include: tree identification, forestry measurement practices, and dendrochronology (the study of tree rings). The course begins Friday evening at Lockerly where you will enjoy dinner with your classmates and an introductory presentation. Saturday will be spent out in the field with an expert in dendrology and forestry getting up close and personal with the trees of Georgia.
Program Date: Friday, April 30 from 5:30 – 8:30 pm & Saturday, May 1 from 8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Cost: $115 Non-members $99 for Lockerly Members
Cost Includes: Dinner Friday night; Lunch Saturday in the field; course materials; 8-hours credit toward master naturalist certification
Aquatic Ecology
Investigate the watery worlds of central Georgia with this 8-hour credit course. We will dive into the organisms that call our aquatic systems home in both an lentic (lake/pond) and lotic (stream/river) ecosystems. We begin, as always, with a Friday evening dinner and introductory lecture at Lockerly with the director of education, Kensey Amerson. Here you will be introduced to ecology, learn key differences between lotic and lentic systems, and the watersheds of Georgia. Saturday we will start at Lockerly pond sampling both the biotic and abiotic elements before taking an introductory paddle trip down the Oconee River to compare systems.
Program Date: August 2027 (Exact Date TBD)
Cost: $115 Non-members $99 Lockerly Members
Cost Includes: Dinner Friday night; Lunch Saturday in the field; course materials; kayak rental for the paddle trip; 8-hours credit toward master naturalist certification
Georgia Invasives
Not everything organic is natural. In this 8-hour credit Master Naturalist course we will learn about the most common and threatening invasive plants and insects in our Georgia home. Class begins Friday evening with dinner and getting to know your classmates, followed by an introduction to the differences between exotic, invasive, and native, and what
plants and insects we should be aware of as naturalists in Georgia. Saturday we will get our hands dirty (and perhaps our muscles a little sore) as we learn hands-on about invasives from a regional specialist and work to remove invasives in the Milledgeville/Baldwin County area.
Program Date: October 2027 (Exact Date TBD)
Cost: $115 Non-members $99 Lockerly Members
Cost Includes: Dinner Friday night; Lunch Saturday in the field; course materials; 8-hours credit toward master naturalist certification.
Journaling + Naturalist Skills
All the greatest naturalists have one thing in common incredible field journals! In this course, step away from the sciences and focus on the humanities as you learn the art of field journaling and teaching others about the wonders of our world. As always, class will begin Friday evening with an introductory dinner at Lockerly to get to know your fellow participants before we spend some time discussing various tools and techniques for learning, recording, and presenting about the world around us. Saturday will be spent mostly outdoors (weather permitting) putting those skills to practice alongside our expert guest instructor.
Program Date: Winter 2028 (Exact Date TBD)
Cost: $115 Non-Members $99 Lockerly Members
Cost Includes: Dinner Friday night; Lunch Saturday in the field; course materials; 8-hours credit toward master naturalist certification.
Wildflowers of Georgia
Enjoy all that spring in Georgia has to offer during this spectacular naturalist course. Our instruction begins Friday evening with a group dinner at Lockerly and an introductory presentation about the evolutionary history of modern plants, various forms of reproduction, and the study of phenology. Saturday we will venture to various locations to see what spring has to offer us. We will practice identifying plants using field guides and act as citizen scientists helping to collect phenological data as part of an ongoing national level dataset.
Program date: Spring 2028 (Exact Date TBD)
Cost: $115 Non-members $99 Lockerly Members
Cost Includes: Dinner Friday night; Lunch Saturday in the field; course materials; 8-hours credit toward master naturalist certification.
Herpetology
Our master naturalist course would be incomplete without learning about our reptilian and amphibian friends that are so prevalent across our great state. Following a dinner of fellowship with our fellow classmates, we will discuss the differences between reptiles and amphibians, the evolutionary lineage of both groups and which species call Georgia home. Saturday we will spend the day with a local expert surveying for salamanders and snakes. You will even get a chance to get to know a few of the more friendly individuals up close and personal at both Lockerly and Georgia College & State University’s captive reptile collection.
Program date: Summer 2028 (Exact Date TBD)
Cost: $115 Non-members $99 for Lockerly Members
Cost Includes: Dinner Friday night; Lunch Saturday in the field; course materials; 8-hours credit toward master naturalist certification
Fungi + Lichens
The more scientists are learning about fungi and lichen, the more we question the foundations we have built our scientific theories around. Join Lockerly Arboretum director of education and a local mycologist and lichenologist for a weekend diving into the curious world of these holobionts and the symbiotic worlds they create. Our adventure begins Friday evening with a communal dinner and introductory lecture introducing the studies of mycology and lichenology. This will be followed by a full day in the field Saturday getting to know our fungal friends more closely.
Program Date: Fall 2028 (Exact Date TBD)
Cost: $115 Non-members $99 for Lockerly Members
Cost Includes: Dinner Friday night; Lunch Saturday in the field; course materials; 8-hours credit toward master naturalist certification
Lockerly Arboretum offers a unique design to our Master Naturalist program. We offer:
- 10 different core classes, each providing a minimum of 8 instruction hours. Though an individual will successfully complete the 48-hour requirement after only 6 classes, participation in all 10 is encouraged for a more complete education on the natural systems of Georgia.
- Each course consists of a Friday evening lecture at Lockerly Arboretum followed by a full day Saturday in the field getting hands-on experience in the course topic. Dinner Friday evening and lunch Saturday are included in the cost of each class.
- We offer each of the 10 core courses only once every two years, so at minimum it would take an individual approximately a year to complete the 48 hour requirement, but you are welcome to take as long as you like to work through the classes.
- Courses may be taken in any order you choose based on convenience. They are listed below in order they are currently scheduled to be offered (though for the courses further in the future, these are subject to change).