During winter and spring, additional training is interspersed in regular teaching weeks. Fellowship participants attend subsequent training sessions throughout the year as assigned. Fellowship participants teach an average of 8 half-day ecology, confidence, outdoor skills, and cultural history classes Monday through Friday. They are required to work some evenings and weekends beyond the M-F teaching schedule. Professional Naturalist Fellowship participants are formally evaluated throughout the course.
Feedback is positive and specific and includes a follow-up meeting with the evaluator.
Program participants evaluate themselves and their peers as part of the learning process. Professional Naturalist Fellowship participants serve as a liaison for a variety of groups. The liaison must prepare for the group's arrival, welcome them, teach some day classes, teach and manage evening activities and serve as the Eagle Bluff representative. The liaison will generally teach half-time during the day to allow extra time for meeting group needs and preparing for evening activities. The liaison must remain on emergency call throughout the nights when their group is in residence.