Natural History Docent Program

The Friends Education Program relies on volunteer docent naturalists to conduct the 4th Grade Nature Walks and to assist with adult walks and other activities and events. Many docents have a background in education or science, while others are birders or have interest in natural history. The unifying qualities of the docent corps are a love of Madera Canyon and a desire to share their knowledge about the canyon with others.
An important requirement for becoming a docent is gaining a broad practical knowledge of Madera Canyon and the Sky Island (link) region. Through training sessions and other activities, docents are encouraged to learn about a variety of natural history subjects such as canyon ecology, geology and land formation, field zoology, field botany, and archeology. Docent training sessions are held in February with:

1. Classroom work for walk protocol/procedures and introduction to the nature of the canyon. New docents receive the program’s Docent Manual, a Madera Canyon nature slideshow CD, and a copy of Madera Canyon Wildlfowers. (link to shopping?)
2. On-trail work with ideas and techniques to enable docents to help visiting students become “field naturalists,” improve their own powers of observation, and gain first-hand experience of the plants, animals, and other features of interest along the trail.

The 4th Grade Nature Walks are held on Thursday mornings in the spring and fall. On the walks, new and inexperienced docents are paired with experienced lead docents to observe and learn. 
Docents are encouraged to continue their education throughout the year by attending nature walks, workshops, and activities sponsored by the Friends and other organizations on Madera Canyon, the Sky Islands, Arizona, and Mexico.

The Friends Education Program is always looking for reliable, enthusiastic docent volunteers willing to make a commitment to learn about the canyon and share this information with others. Prospective docents must be members of the Friends of Madera Canyon and be willing to volunteer on Thursday mornings for three to four weeks in October/November and 9 to 10 weeks in February, March, and April (including mandatory training sessions). Anyone interested in volunteering for this program, please contact the Education Director, Doug Moore, at maderaedu@msn.com or  (520) 682-0459.