The Natural Areas Training Academy (NATA) had another successful year of supporting natural areas managers with professional development opportunities to conserve Florida’s natural resources. NATA offers courses on practical, field-oriented management techniques. These courses prepare the work force of natural resource professionals to efficiently manage Florida’s natural areas.
2024 Highlights
In 2024, we had 367 people enroll in NATA courses, representing over 100 different organizations. These included federal, state, county, city/municipal, non-profit, university, military, and private entities.
We were fortunate to have over 35 amazing instructors and experts from 23 organizations. Our instructors generously donate their time, knowledge, and expertise in our 10 courses in 2024. We could not offer these courses without them, so thank you!
Finally, we had 29 people graduate with a Certificate in Natural Areas Management. This is our largest number of CNAM graduates in a single year! The Certificate in Natural Areas Management (CNAM) is offered by NATA to individuals who complete the four NATA ‘core’ courses and one wildland fire training.
This year revealed a steadily increasing demand for training in natural areas management and NATA was proud to be able to provide it. In September, we started offering TWO sections of each of the core certificate courses.
NATA also had a unique opportunity to collaborate with the National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) to pilot their new Wildland Fire Chainsaws course. Read more about it in our annual report.
In August, we said farewell to Jessica, after 2 years as the Training Coordinator. Jessica’s friendly energy was greatly appreciated by the participants. We welcomed Hannah in November, who is doing a terrific job so far.
Participant Quotes
Below are some quotes from participants that remind us of NATA’s mission, and the driver behind all the work that we do:
“Having quality courses like these available to natural areas professionals and making them affordable allows smaller organizations to send students and offers accessibility to private individuals with an interest in gaining skills in natural areas management.”
“Each [course] has provided information that I had not considered before and has helped me look at my job differently and for the future.”
“[I liked] being able to live out real-life scenarios with people from different agencies. I learned how different agencies work separately, which helps me understand how they can work together.”
Our 2024 Reflection
We are proud to share our 2024 annual report on the Natural Areas Training Academy website. It includes a summary our 2024 achievements, course overviews and highlights, congratulations to our graduates, notes from the staff, and a thank you to our expert instructors.
To everyone who has supported NATA throughout the years: thank you! 2025 is off to a great start and we look forward to another successful year!
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