Theses and Dissertations Collection

ABSTRACT

The role the public plays in protecting nature is crucial. To be effective stewards the public must be environmentally literate. Environmental literacy is understanding the biophysical environment to the degree that it leads to the ability to act as environmental stewards. Myriad studies revealed the public has limited knowledge of nature. The Idaho Master Naturalist Program (IMNP) was created to educate the public about nature and advance environmental volunteerism. This qualitative research studied if IMNP was fulfilling its mission to develop a corps of environmentally literate volunteers. The participants were 18 years or older who attended IMNP between 2008 and 2013. The findings were collected using an Internet-based survey, netting a 52.5% response rate. The findings indicated that 79.2% of the participants believed they had received a satisfactory education to be environmental stewards. Nonetheless, the responses showed the need for modifications to IMNP to enhance the participants’ experience.