The California Naturalist Certification Course is a welcoming, community-centered program designed to connect people from all backgrounds with California’s natural environments. Whether you're reconnecting with a lifelong love of nature or just beginning to explore your curiosity about the natural world, this course is designed to be accessible and supportive for participants at all experience levels.

Our focus is on building core naturalist skills, nurturing curiosity, and strengthening relationships—with each other and the land. Rather than emphasizing the memorization of Latin names, we center storytelling, observation, and learning from both guest experts and the lived experiences of fellow participants.

This course is especially designed for those who may not yet identify as naturalists. If you are already highly experienced and seeking advanced or technical training, a different program may be a better fit.

Dates: January 8 - April 19, 2026

Fees: $500, full or partial fee waivers based on need, using a pay-what-you-can-afford model

Delivery Mode: Hybrid (Thursday Nights on Zoom - 5:30-8 pm, Weekend Field Trips in West Marin)

Contact: Vini Souza, Education Partnerships Coordinator, Vini.souza@egret.org 

Application for California Naturalist Certification 2026

Applications Due by October 27, 2025

Organization Description: Audubon Canyon Ranch protects our natural and human communities through land preservation, nature education, and conservation science. Audubon Canyon Ranch acts as guardian of a system of nature preserves spanning 26 properties in Marin, Sonoma, and Lake counties. These 5,000 acres provide significant habitat to wildlife and have been placed in our care by generous donors to steward and protect in perpetuity. ACR works to improve global environmental health by conserving and stewarding valuable natural resources, managing for ecological resiliency, providing scientific solutions to ecosystem management, and teaching generations of conservationists in ways that strengthen natural and human communities.