Education Update Fall 2025
Growing Stewardship in the Umpqu
Exciting News! In partnership with the Oregon State University Extension office, Umpqua Watersheds will design and facilitate the field course for the Master Naturalists program in Southern Oregon. We’re pleased to announce this brand-new initiative, which will enable Umpqua Watersheds to take a hands-on, integral role in shaping environmental education for adults across our region — from curious citizen scientists and recent high school or college graduates to retirees and lifelong learners. It’s a chance for Umpqua Watersheds to deepen our impact, inspire stewardship, and help cultivate the next generation of informed, active naturalists in Southern Oregon.
The Oregon Statewide Master Naturalist program offers a rich understanding of ecosystems and the interconnectedness of life throughout Oregon. It organizes its field-based components around eight ecologically distinct ecoregions within the state. These are defined based on climate, geology, and vegetation patterns, as established in the Oregon Conservation Strategy. To complement the statewide curriculum, participants also select a specific region in which to complete their field-based training—gaining hands-on, real-world experience that deepens their understanding of local ecosystems and prepares them to contribute meaningfully to conservation and education efforts in their chosen area.
More than just highlighting the diversity of our watershed and the surrounding region, this field class empowers participants to put their knowledge into action, contributing to the vitality and resilience of local ecosystems. After completing their coursework and field training, Oregon Master Naturalists contribute 40 hours of volunteer service on projects of their choice, right in their own communities.
This is more than just continuing education – it’s transformational as participants connect with and learn from leading experts in the region, build relationships with others who share their values and passion for the natural world, and gain the skills and confidence to lead community projects, support conservation efforts, and help educate others. And the best part is that the field course is local – focused on the very ecosystems in our backyard. It’s more than information – it’s inspirational and involvement.
This marks one of Umpqua Watersheds’ new, focused, and hands-on efforts to provide real, relevant, and remarkable learning opportunities for people of all ages throughout the Umpqua Watershed. We offer year-long educational experiences and opportunities for kids and adults alike. If this kind of work inspires you and you would like to get more involved, we invite you to join our committee. Your passion, skills, and leadership can help shape the future of environmental education in our community!
We’re proud to help cultivate the next generation of informed, active naturalists right here in Southern Oregon and look forward to working together with local experts, educators, tribal, and community members to bring this to life in the Umpqua!