2024 Ilinois Master Naturalist Conference

Sitting between two mighty rivers, the Illinois and Mississippi, west-central Illinois is a landscape shaped by water and home to wetlands, prairies, and woodlands.
Explore the land between the rivers this September at the 2024 Illinois Master Naturalist Conference. This annual gathering brings Master Naturalist volunteers and coordinators together to learn and grow their skills as advocates, teachers, and environmental stewards.
On Thursday, Sept. 26, hit the road for the field trip of your choice to explore conservation sites on the journey to Macomb. That evening, get your campfire songs ready for a bonfire, food, insect night lighting, and a bat walk at Lake View Nature Center.
Then, on Friday, Sept. 27, grow your knowledge about conservation and ecology with a day of sessions with environmental experts from across the Midwest at the Spoon River Outreach Center in Macomb. World-renowned oak tree expert Guy Sternberg will start the day with the keynote address on native trees in a changing climate.
Registration open August 5-September 15.