My Master Naturalist Journey

Do you enjoy spending time in nature and want to learn more about our natural world? Would you like to volunteer for nature education or environmental services projects? Are you interested in attracting pollinators to your yard by growing native plants? If not, read no further. If so, I would suggest finding a Master Naturalist course in your area.

When I moved to Charleston almost 10 years ago, one of the first places friends took me was the Caw Caw Interpretive Center, a 700-acre county park and wildlife refuge just west of the city. For a mere $2 admission, I was introduced to rice fields, cypress groves, marshland habitat, and maritime forest ecosystems, all within the boundaries of the park. I’ve seen enormous alligators sunning themselves on canal banks, bald eagles and osprey soaring overhead, Carolina anoles scurrying along the swamp boardwalk, and red-winged blackbirds flitting among the cattails. I’ve heard the vomitous squawking of great blue herons and the low grunting of pig frogs. Miles of trails connect these habitats, and I have rarely encountered other humans during my rambles. When I feel the need for healing solitude, Caw Caw is my place.

Finding a Master Naturalist Course 

Caw Caw is also where I learned about the Master Naturalist program. There I attended bird and other nature walks led by Master Naturalists, who, besides being both passionate and knowledgeable about their subject matter, also encouraged participants to become involved in volunteer and educational programs by obtaining a Master Naturalist certification. I made a mental note to check it out once I retired.

Well, retirement came sooner than planned, and a quick internet search for “master naturalist programs near me” brought me to the Clemson Extension website, where I learned that the 12-week course is sponsored by Charleston County Parks, is offered in both spring and fall, costs $600, and is limited to around 10 students. The website further noted that registration opens on the first Sundays in February and August at 7 p.m. Since the spring course was already full, I set up a reminder to log in at 6:30 p.m. on August 7. I made sure my Charleston County Parks account was active and all my information was current. The moment the “enroll now” button was activated at 7 p.m., I successfully enrolled for the Fall 2025 Master Naturalist course.

Attending My Master Naturalist Class 

My Master Naturalist class participants and instructors.

Since our classes were scheduled to meet every Tuesday from 9-5, I expected to see mostly retirees in class, but it turned out only two others besides me were retired. I met some inspiring young people whose employers allowed them to attend the course to enhance their work in wildlife, conservation, and interpretation fields. They included Jared, a 28-year-old director of a nature camp on Seabrook Island; Carly, a recent college graduate who worked with a sea turtle rescue program; and Tendaji, a poet, musician, and interpreter of Gullah-Geechee history and culture. As I got to know my classmates, I found we were all united in our love of nature and desire to learn as much as possible about our local ecosystems.

During orientation, we were each given a pile of books: field guides to birds, reptiles, trees, and beaches; a course manual; a hand magnification lens on a purple and orange Clemson lanyard; and a “Rite in the Rain” all-weather field notebook.

Photo 1: Master Naturalist course materials. / Photo 2: A groovy phytoplankton specimen. / Photo 3: Boneyard Beach on Lighthouse Inlet, the site of our lecture on dolphins. / Photo 4: Pitcher plants in Francis Marion National Forest. / Photo 5: "Big Papa,” Lord of Caw Caw.

Our coursework consisted of classroom lectures and field trips to various sites around Coastal South Carolina. We met with the Department of Natural Resources, where enthusiastic and dedicated employees described efforts to refurbish local oyster beds. We spent a day at an estuary, travelling by boat to collect marine specimens that we attempted to identify using special flow charts. We visited maritime forests to learn about trees and birds and spent time on beaches and barrier islands to learn about their formation and to identify shells. We also visited longleaf pine ecosystems, a fish hatchery, and a raptor conservation center. We observed phytoplankton under a microscope, learned about conservation easements and land trusts, and became familiar with using Latin scientific names for various flora and fauna. (Easiest: Cardinalis cardinalis – Northern Cardinal.)

A newly banded warbler ready for release on Kiawah Island.

My most memorable moment was observing bird banding on Kiawah Island. A group of naturalists set up a series of nets to capture migratory birds who use Kiawah as a stopover for rest and refueling on their way further south, a sort of Buc-ee’s for birds. The bird banding staff noted the weight, sex, age, girth, and other characteristics of each bird in a logbook. To weigh a bird, they inserted the bird headfirst into a piece of PVC pipe on a scale. To assess approximate age, they relied on counting tail feathers. To assess girth, they blew on a bird’s belly to reveal its stomach, then rated it from 1-5 for fatness (although one very round hummingbird was rated a 7). Staff then affixed a tiny metal band around one foot of each bird. My classmates and I each got to hold a bird before releasing it. It was a delight to briefly hold and release my yellow warbler. I imagined she was flying to Ecuador.

Our final exam was self-graded and therefore low pressure. We were asked to identify 50 items such as animal skulls, leaves, shells, insects, plants, trees, and birds – some in a lab, others outdoors. I am happy to report that I got more correct than incorrect answers! At our course graduation, we received certificates and wooden name badges identifying us as master naturalists with the South Carolina Master Naturalist program. In addition, each of us was given an online account with the Coastal Master Naturalist Association (CMNA).

Maintaining a Master Naturalist Certification 

To maintain certification as a Master Naturalist in South Carolina, I must complete 8 hours of advanced training and 22 hours of volunteer work annually, tracked in a Clemson Extension database. So far this year, I’ve accrued 7 hours of advanced training through both in-person workshops and online presentations. From this training, I learned more about invasive species, how to brew tea from native plants such as Yaupon Holly (Ilex vomitoria), tips for creating a backyard wildlife habitat, and information about the South Carolina Oyster Recycling and Enhancement (SCORE) program.

Tuberous roots of the Florida betony plant, a flowering member of the mint family Lamiaceae that is native to Europe, western Asia, and northern Africa.

Volunteer service examples include education and interpretation, bird counts, water quality monitoring, native plant restoration, litter pickups, and invasive species removal. I recently volunteered at Caw Caw to weed and replant garden beds in their pollinator garden. Earlier this week while weeding, fellow volunteers and I dug up dozens of tuberous roots of the Florida betony plant, which is an invasive species in South Carolina. These roots are edible; they have a crunchy texture and mild, earthy radish-like taste. (Note: Confirm whether plants are edible before consuming them.)

I also plan to volunteer with SCORE to help build reefs using recycled oyster shells and would also like to participate in litter and invasive species removal projects. As I learn more about topics that interest me, I may even one day lead a nature hike at Caw Caw.

If you enjoy spending time in nature and want to learn more about your local ecosystem, volunteer your time to environmental causes, or foster an appreciation of nature in others, completing a Master Naturalist course is an excellent start. And if you’re ever in Charleston, I’d love to take you to Caw Caw!

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Chris Sondag graduated from Northeast Missouri State University in 1985. She retired from the Federal government in December 2024 after 22 years as an immigration officer. She lives in Charleston, South Carolina.

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