Allen County Indiana Master Naturalist program and Tick Protection

The Allen County Indiana Master Naturalist program trains potential naturalists to become effective volunteers and educators for state, county, and city parks and for nature preserves. The program meets weekly and sometimes twice a week from February until the end of May. The students will spend a considerable amount of time hiking the trails of Fox Island County Park, Matea County Park, and downtown Fort Wayne. This will prepare them for working with the public in outdoor settings. In preparation for this training the first night covered education on tick identification, tick related illnesses, and protection from ticks.  
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The instructor, Russ Voorhees is a naturalist, a retired educator, and active in the IMN community. His task was a complicated one. He needed to provide all the information necessary for the students to keep themselves safe. At the same time, it was important to not frighten them away from the program. Past retention rates would indicate he does this effectively.  Because of Russ’s training students will know what to look for, where to look, what to wear, how to dress, and what pesticides to use. This was an important training session for future Master Naturalists.  ​