The Whale Museum in Friday Harbor, WA, has been training marine naturalists since 1994. We are offering our 2023 marine naturalist training program (MNTP) spring session as a hybrid program. Dates for this session are: April 18-22 with virtual presentations and April 24 & 25 with optional in-person field trips. Our marine naturalist training course is an intensive 7-day overview of the natural history of the San Juan Islands and the marine waters of Washington and Southern British Columbia (known as the Salish Sea). These will be mostly full days, usually running from around 9:00 am-5:00 pm Pacific Time. This course includes an in-depth treatment of the ecology and conservation of local marine species, including cetaceans (especially Southern Resident killer whales), pinnipeds, mustelids, and marine invertebrates and birds. Not only will participants learn identification and biology of species but also about TWM's marine mammal research (San Juan County Marine Mammal Stranding Network, Marine Mammals Sighting Network/Database, Be Whale Wise laws and guidelines and Soundwatch Boater Education Program, and collaboration in shore based observation/acoustic research at Lime Kiln Point State Park). Presentations will be given by highly trained local naturalists, environmental educators, and scientists. The upcoming spring session will be a dynamic, high-quality hybrid experience that leaves graduates qualified as a regional professional or volunteer naturalist after completing 10 practicum hours. Clock hours are available. For the virtual portion, presentations will be recordings and live Q & A sessions through the video platform, Whova. Hands-on learning and field identification will be emphasized during the in-person portion here on San Juan Island. The in-person component is completely optional at an additional price and will not affect certification. Field trips are only open to those who have completed a MNTP session. Field trips will include kayaking; a tour of The Whale Museum; bird watching; a tour of Friday Harbor Laboratories, and a west side field trip to San Juan County Conservation Land Bank properties and salmon habitat restoration sites, and Lime Kiln Point State Park, featuring a geology hike as well tours of the lighthouse. If only registering for the virtual portion, the price is $425 for TWM/SSAMN members and $475 for non-members. Presentation recordings will be made available to participants for up to 3 months afterwards. For those interested in registering for the field trips as well, that is an additional $350 for TWM/SSAMN members and $400 for non-members. For only the virtual portion, a limited number of Diversity & Inclusion scholarships are available. Price for the field trips does include an opening reception, snacks, lunches on the 24th and 25th, and transportation to field site locations from TWM. Please note: participants are responsible for their own accommodations and travel to SJI if needed. There are only 18 spots available for the field trips. More information as well as course registration can be found at https://whalemuseum.org/pages/marine-naturalist-training . You can email Tracie Merrill, Education Curator at TWM, at tracie@whalemuseum.org with any questions. Sent from Outlook<http://aka.ms/weboutlook>