Submitted by The Whale Museum.

Registration is now open for a summer virtual session of The Whale Museum’s Marine Naturalist Program. This dynamic and high-quality program will be six sessions and run on the following dates: July 28-30, 31-day off, and August 1-3. The objective of this program is to provide a learning experience that assists adult graduates in becoming qualified regionally as professional or volunteer naturalists. Clock hour credits are also available. The main focus of the training is the ecology, current status and conservation of Southern Resident Killer Whales and other local marine species as well as discussions about the environments they live in. The course includes presentations on cetaceans, pinnipeds, otters, intertidal invertebrates, seabirds, and a variety of other topics such as geology and marine conservation. Faculty includes Whale Museum staff, professional naturalists, marine scientists, and environmental educators active in the region.

Presentations will be delivered through pre-recorded videos and videoconferencing/webinar software, such as Whova and Zoom. Tuition is $475 for non-museum members (includes an orca adoption and a Whale Museum membership) and $425 for museum members/orca adopters. A limited number of Diversity and Inclusion scholarships are available. There are no prerequisites other than high school graduation and a sincere interest to learn. While the Summer MNTP is virtual, we hope to be able to offer an additional in-person field trip weekend program on San Juan Island later this year with MNTP participants being given first opportunity to enroll. More details will be announced as soon as we can confirm. Please refer all questions to Tracie Merrill, Education Curator, by email at tracie@whalemuseum.org. Registration information can be found on the Whale Museum website at www.whalemuseum.org. Links, class materials, and agendas will be sent to registrants closer to the start of class sessions. Don’t wait to reserve your spot!