The Coastal Plain Region is the farthest to the east and includes all the low-lying areas from the shores of the bay to the Atlantic Ocean. Eastern Cecil, Kent, Queen Anne's, Caroline, Talbot, Dorchester, Wicomico, Somerset, Worcester, Anne Arundel, Prince George's, Calvert, Charles and St. Mary's Counties are all in our Coastal Plain Region, along with the eastern part of Baltimore City.
Listed below are current Master Naturalist Volunteer Trainings and the Host Sites that offer Master Naturalist Volunteer Trainings throughout the year. Please review this listing to see what Host Sites participate in the Maryland Master Naturalist Program in this region and when they typically offer training (i.e., time of year, days of the week, time of day, etc).
Applications are only being accepted by OPEN programs as noted below. To apply for admission to a training, please contact the Host Site and request an application or use their online application link if one is provided. If a Host Site interests you but their training is not currently open, please email the Host Site contact for more information about upcoming trainings at that Host Site.
The cost of the training is $250 per person upon acceptance into the training. Do not send payment with your application.
If you would like to learn more about how your facility/organization could become a Host Site, please contact Joy Rafey at jrafey@umd.edu
Open/Upcoming/Active Trainings
2027 Coming soon!
2026:
AMERICAN CHESTNUT LAND TRUST (ACLT), Prince Frederick, MD (Calvert County)
http://acltweb.org/
Host Site Contact: Autumn Phillips-Lewis, landmanager@acltweb.org
Dates: February 9 - May 26, 2026
Days: Monday evenings, 6:00 - 9:00 pm with some Tuesday classes and Saturday field trips
TRAINING CONCLUDED
MD DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES, Annapolis, MD (Anne Arundel County)
http://dnr.maryland.gov/wildlife/Pages/Education/MDNaturalistTraining.aspx
Host Site Contact: Paula Becker, Paula.Becker@maryland.gov
Dates: February 11 - May 20, 2026
Days: Wednesday evenings, 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm with some Saturday field trips
TRAINING CONCLUDED
HISTORIC LONDON TOWN AND GARDENS, Edgewater, MD (Anne Arundel County)
https://www.historiclondontown.org/
Host Site Contact: Justin Schmitz, gardens@historiclondontown.org
Dates: May 2 - July 18, 2026
Days: Saturdays, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
TRAINING CONCLUDED
LOWER EASTERN SHORE CONSORTIUM, Berlin, MD and surrounding area (Somerset, Wicomico, Worcester Counties)
Co-Hosted by Assateague Coastal Trust, Assateague State Park, Lower Shore Land Trust, and Maryland Coastal Bays Program
Location: Paul S. Sarbanes Coastal Ecology Center and other facilities in the region
Host Site Contact: Robin Jenks Vanderlip, mdnaturalistpf@gmail.com
Dates: July 23, 2026 - March 18, 2027
Days: 3rd or 4th Thursdays, 9:00 am - 4:00 pm with some variation
NO LONGER ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS
ANACOSTIA WATERSHED SOCIETY, Bladensburg, MD (Prince George's County)
http://www.anacostiaws.org/ and https://www.anacostiaws.org/what-we-do/education/adult-education/master-naturalist-program.html
Host Site Contact: Jamie Craven jcraven@anacostiaws.org
Dates: September 12, 2026 - August 14, 2027
Days: 2nd Saturday of the month, 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
NO LONGER ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS
BALTIMORE COUNTY DEPT of RECREATION & PARKS NATURE & ENVIRONMENTAL CENTERS:
Marshy Point Nature Center, Oregon Ridge Nature Center, Benjamin Banneker Historical Park & Museum, Lake Roland Nature & Environmental Center, Cromwell Valley Park, and Holt Park & Center for the Arts (Baltimore County)
https://www.baltimorecountymd.gov/departments/recreation/programs/nature-area/
Host Site Contact: Jessica Jeannetta, jjeannetta@baltimorecountymd.gov
Dates: September 12 - November 14, 2026
Days: Saturdays, 9:00 am - 3:30 pm
NO LONGER ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS
Host Sites (listed alphabetically by primary Host Site name) if a Host Site interests you, please email the contact listed below to inquire about future Master Naturalist trainings:
NOTE: Timeframes are approximate and based on past Master Naturalist trainings and are SUBJECT TO CHANGE
Adkins Arboretum, Ridgely, MD (Caroline County) with Pickering Creek Audubon Center, Phillips Wharf Environmental Center, and ShoreRivers
http://www.adkinsarboretum.org/, http://pickering.audubon.org/, https://phillipswharf.org/,
and https://www.shorerivers.org/
Host Site Contact: info@adkinsarboretum
Timeframe: Varies; one day per month for 9-10 months
Meets Monthly: all day one Weekday per month with some Saturday field trips
American Chestnut Land Trust (ACLT), Prince Frederick, MD (Calvert County)
http://acltweb.org/
Host Site Contact: Autumn Phillips-Lewis, landmanager@acltweb.org
Timeframe: Spring
Meets Weekly: one Weekday evening with some Saturday field trips
Anacostia Watershed Society, Bladensburg, MD (Prince George's County)
http://www.anacostiaws.org/ and https://www.anacostiaws.org/what-we-do/education/adult-education/master-naturalist-program.html
Host Site Contact: Jamie Craven, jcraven@anacostiaws.org
Timeframe: September thru August the following year
Meets Monthly: all day one Saturday per month
Baltimore County Department of Recreation & Parks Nature & Environmental Centers:
Marshy Point Nature Center, Oregon Ridge Nature Center, Benjamin Banneker Historical Park & Museum, Lake Roland Nature & Environmental Center, Cromwell Valley Park, and Holt Park & Center for the Arts (Baltimore County)
https://www.baltimorecountymd.gov/departments/recreation/programs/nature-area/
Host Site Contact: Jessica Jeannetta, jjeannetta@baltimorecountymd.gov
Timeframe: Autumn
Meets Weekly: All day Saturdays
Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, Cambridge, MD (Dorchester County)
http://friendsofblackwater.org/
Host Site Contact: Sue Fischer (Friends of Blackwater), suefischer1@comcast.net
Timeframe: Autumn
Meets Weekly: all day one Weekday with some Saturday field trips
Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center, Grasonville, MD (Queen Anne's County)
http://www.bayrestoration.org/
Host Site Contact: TBA
Timeframe: Autumn
Meets Weekly: all day one Weekday with some Saturday field trips
NO FUTURE TRAININGS ARE PLANNED AT THIS TIME
Elms Environmental Education Center, Dameron, MD (St. Mary's County)
http://elms.smcps.org
Host Site Contact: elmsmdmnprogram@gmail.com
Timeframe: Spring
Meets Weekly: one Weekday evening with some Saturday field trips
NO FUTURE TRAININGS ARE PLANNED AT THIS TIME
Gunpowder Falls & North Point State Parks (Baltimore County and Harford County)
https://dnr.maryland.gov/publiclands/Pages/central/gunpowder.aspx
Host Site Contact: TBA
Timeframe: Autumn
Meets Weekly: all day one Weekday with some Saturday field trips
NO FUTURE TRAININGS ARE PLANNED AT THIS TIME
Historic London Town and Gardens, Edgewater, MD (Anne Arundel County)
https://www.historiclondontown.org/
Host Site Contact: Justin Schmitz, gardens@historiclondontown.org
Timeframe: Spring-Summer
Meets Weekly: all day Saturday
Lower Eastern Shore Consortium, Berlin, MD and surrounding area (Somerset, Wicomico, Worcester Counties)
Co-Hosted by Assateague Coastal Trust, Assateague State Park, Lower Shore Land Trust, and Maryland Coastal Bays Program
Host Site Contact: Robin Jenks Vanderlip, mdnaturalistpf@gmail.com
Timeframe: Summer - Spring of the following year
Meets Weekly: all day 3rd or 4th Thursdays
Marshy Point Nature Center/Cromwell Valley Park, Baltimore, MD (Baltimore County)
http://www.marshypoint.org/ and http://www.cromwellvalleypark.org/
Host Site Contacts: TBA
Timeframe: Autumn
Meets Weekly: all day Saturdays
NO FUTURE TRAININGS ARE PLANNED AT THIS TIME
MD Department of Natural Resources (Anne Arundel County)
http://dnr.maryland.gov/wildlife/Pages/Education/MDNaturalistTraining.aspx
Host Site Contact: Paula Becker, Paula.Becker@maryland.gov
Timeframe: Winter thru Spring
Meets Weekly: one Weekday evening with some Saturday field trips
Nanjemoy Creek Environmental Education Center, Nanjemoy, MD (Charles County)
https://nceec-ccboe.weebly.com/
Host Site Contact: Mike Callahan, mcallahan@ccboe.com
Timeframe: Winter thru Spring
Meets Weekly: two Weekday evenings with some Saturday field trips
Patuxent River Park, Upper Marlboro, MD (Prince George's County)
http://www.patuxentriverpark.com
Host Site Contact: TBA
Timeframe: Winter thru Spring
Meets Weekly: one Weekday evening with some Saturday field trips
NO FUTURE TRAININGS ARE PLANNED AT THIS TIME