Eastside Audubon Launches Birding Field Trip Leader Apprenticeship Program

By Dawn Huss

Eastside Audubon is excited to announce a new birding field trip leader apprenticeship program. If you love sharing your knowledge of birds and nature and you want to help Eastside Audubon offer more opportunities to our community, why not become a field trip leader apprentice? You will not only get trained in how to coordinate and lead your own field trip in your favorite location, but you will get one-on-one guidance from a number of seasoned trip leaders. This is a great opportunity to increase your birding skills while you gain the confidence and know-how to lead a successful Audubon outing.

Candidates do not need an extensive knowledge of birds, but should be enthusiastic and organized. Once you join the apprentice program, you will get an orientation on how to plan and run an Eastside Audubon field trip, a checklist of skills to practice and focus on, and shadowing opportunities with experienced field trip leaders. Graduates of the program will be recognized as Eastside Audubon field trip leaders. The orientation schedule will be set with your availability in mind and all other activities can be completed on your own timeline within a year of starting the program. All we ask from apprentices for this free training is that they continue to share the skills they learn with the rest of our community by leading some field trips of their own on behalf of Eastside Audubon.

If you are interested in signing up or you have questions about the program, please contact Lori Danielson at president@eastsideaudubon.org.