Apply for WANAT

The application for the 2026 – 2027 cohort is now open.

Please read through this page, the About page, and the FAQ before applying.

Please see the About and FAQ pages for information about the Washington State Naturalist Program, including the time commitment for online learning and volunteer requirements, location requirements, and expectations for participation.

When reviewing applications, priority is given to applicants that reside in the same counties as the partner organizations.

Program Schedule (2026 – 2027)

Instructor Information

Dr. Patricia Townsend

Patricia earned a Ph. D. in Zoology from the University of Washington and a M.S. in Zoology from the University of Florida and became a faculty member at WSU Extension in August 2012. While in graduate school, she focused on conservation biology, tropical ecology and researched habitat corridors, pollination ecology, and tropical restoration for a changing climate in Monteverde, Costa Rica. She is happy to be leading the Washington State Naturalist program to help both communities and the environment thrive in the Pacific Northwest. Patricia loves exploring Washington’s diverse ecosystems and meeting the people working to protect them.

Discussion Section

Mondays 5:00pm – 6:30pm

Sarah Bergquist

Sarah Bergquist is the County Director (interim, three years +) for WSU Extension in Island County. With 13 years at WSU, she provides environmental outreach and consultative support to community organizations.  She helped pilot the Washington Naturalists Certification Program for the past three years and is currently working with a team to develop and pilot a Climate Stewards Certificate Program in Island, Skagit, and Snohomish Counties. She has managed Waste Wise, an outreach waste-reduction program, for almost a decade.  A fourth-generation Whidbey Islander, Sarah holds a master’s degree in science education. She actively serves on the Solid Waste Advisory Board, the rePurpose Board, and the Hearts and Hammers Board. In her free moments, she enjoys gardening, camping, learning, and time with family.

Discussion Section

Tuesdays 6:30pm – 8:00pm

Kellee Byard

Kellee earned a B.S. in Environmental Science from the University of Michigan, focusing on Conservation Biology. While in school, Kellee worked in the natural areas team at UM’s Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum to restore native ecosystems and provide education for the public on invasive species, native plants/wildlife, and conservation practices. After moving to Washington, Kellee served a term as an AmeriCorps member with the National Wildlife Federation before joining WSU Extension in January 2023. Currently, they are a program coordinator for the Washington State Naturalist program and the Sustainable Community Stewards. In June 2026 they completed the University of Washington Wetland Sciences and Management certification program. They enjoy learning new plants to ID, birding, hiking, and illustrating in their free time.

Program Coordinator

Apply

The application for the 2026 – 2027 cohort will open on August 1st, 2026.

Scholarships

The Washington State Naturalist Program offers scholarships to a select few applicants. There is a field on the application to indicate you would like to be considered for a scholarship. There will be another field to indicate whether you would still like to be considered for the program even if you are not chosen for a scholarship.

Anyone who wants to be considered for a scholarship will be required to complete a short, separate scholarship application. Once we start reviewing applications, we will communicate whether you were selected scholarship recipient.

Our available scholarships cover $375 of the total $425 tuition (course fee + activity fee), so scholarship recipients will only pay $50 to participate in the program.

What to expect if you are accepted

Applicants are admitted to the program on a first come and first approved basis. We accept approximately 60 – 64 applicants to the program. Once accepted, you will have three days to pay the $325 course fee and register for WSU Global Campus. Scholarship recipients will pay $50 to register. If you are not accepted this year, you will be added to the wait list and given priority consideration for the 2027 – 2028 cohort.

The $100 activity will be paid in January 2027. Scholarship recipients do not need to pay the activity fee.