The purpose of the Vermont Master Naturalist Program (VMN) is to advance conservation, build community, and connect people to the landscapes around them. VMN accomplishes this by creating community teams of naturalists with specific multi-disciplinary training in their town's natural history who can 1) understand and "read" the landscapes of their area, 2) engage citizens in local education initiatives and conservation projects, and 3) provide expertise to aid local decision-making around ecological issues.