Posted by mark Sturm on March 15, 2006

Q: What does it mean to be a naturalist? If you wanted to describe yourself as an acknowledged naturalist, what knowledge, experience and skills should you possess?

State: Georgia

A: The term "naturalist" is a rather loose term that is interpreted differently by different people and disciplines. Here is my own interpretation and one that I hope covers it reasonably well.

Naturalists work in a wide variety of places but most often in nature centers, zoos, parks, or museums. Naturalists help people learn about the natural world around them so their responsibilities usually revolve around education for both adults and children. When I envision a naturalist at work, I see him/her taking a group on a walk through the woods, helping them understand a bit about the plants and animals and their relationship with the environment that they encounter as they move along. But this is not all that they do. Their responsibilities may also include writing, public speaking, school education programs, animal care, exhibit design, even trail maintenance. There are plenty of career opportunities and, as you can guess, those with the best schooling and work experiences are the ones that get the best jobs.

It's not necessary to have a masters degree but a college education is very important. It's important to have a good grounding in general biology but also have some of the 'ologies under your belt too. In other words, courses in ornithology, herpetology, entomology, botany, and ecology, as some examples, are extremely important. One doesnít need them all but itís important to be conversant in more than just one or two specialized areas of biology. There are no specific programs for becoming a naturalist, that Iím aware of, but majoring in natural resources, conservation, biology, or environmental education are ways of accomplishing this goal. Of course, it's important to have experience in nature observing the natural world firsthand. Being a naturalist is an extremely rewarding occupation although itís certainly not one of the better paying ones but youíll always have interesting things to learn and see. Hope this helps.

John Wiessinger ( March 15, 2006)