This page contains information about the following aspects of the 2017 Annual Meeting:
- Presentations
- Information About Corpus
- Annual Meeting Agenda and Registration Information
- Sponsors
- Vendor Opportunities
- Texas Waters Day
- Silent Auction
- Chapter Project Fair
- Photo, Art & Media Contest
- Annual Video Contest
- Chapter Advisor Awards
To stay up to date with the Texas Master Naturalist Annual Meeting, learn about registration details as they are posted, and be the first to see the meeting’s agenda, join the TMN Listserv. The TMN Listserv acts as the main communication tool for the Master Naturalist Program. Event details, local training opportunities and statewide announcements are frequently sent out on this email list. Details on how to join the TMN Listserv can be found here: Texas Master Naturalist Listserv.
Presentations
Friday Presentations:
- Education and Interpretation – Danielle Bradley
- The Search for America Eel – Stephen Curtis and Kevin Mayes
- Making a Difference One Child at a Time – Craig Hensley
- Bringing the Night to Life – Craig Hensley
Saturday Presentations:
- Training at Texas Department of Corrections Ellis Unit – Scott Ball and James Langley
- Nature Play on a Budget – Lauren Young
- Texas Waters Event at the Texas State Aquarium – Michael Jones
- Interpretive Trail Guiding – David Powell
- Beach Finds, Dunes and Plant Life – Peggy Romfh
- A Wild, Wild Life on the Mid-Texas Coast: Invertebrates – Peggy Romfh
- EASO – Ed Ellerbe
- Sound the Alarm: How Birds Send and Spread a Warning – Scott Kiester
- Dendrology 101 & Tree ID Techniques – Craig Hensley
- Ecosystem Ecology Through Forest Ecology – Craig Hensley
Sunday Presentations:
- TMN Sunday Awards
- 2017 VMS Roundtable
- 2017 eCoordinator – Admin 201 – Cheryl Foster, Dale Hughling, Brad James, Clyde Camp, TMN VMS Team
- Finding Common Ground and Advancing Positive Conservation Outcomes in Environmental Issues – Craig Childs, Richard Heilbrun, Ben Eldredge, and Jaime Gonzales
About
Aside from our annual meeting this year, Corpus Christi has a plethora of wonderful sites and places to visit if you are looking for something else to do while in this gorgeous city. From fine dining downtown to attractions like The Texas State Aquarium there are plenty of options to keep you busy and entertained while enjoying your stay in Corpus. To view some popular Corpus Christi destinations, dining and more, please visit the Visit Corpus Christi website here.
Additional Resources:
- Visit Corpus Christi Video
- Dining Options in Downtown Corpus Christi
- Parking Map
- Enjoy Corpus Christi Tours
*NOTE: The Texas Master Naturalist 18th Annual Meeting will be held at the Omni Corpus Christi Hotel. There is a block of rooms reserved specifically for our meeting attendees at Omni Corpus. Registration for the 18th Annual Meeting will include lodging (except for Commuter Options), so you DO NOT need to book a hotel room on the Visit Corpus Christi website linked above.
Agenda and Registration
Aside from our annual meeting this year, Corpus Christi has a plethora of wonderful sites and places to visit if you are looking for something else to do while in this gorgeous city. From fine dining downtown to attractions like The Texas State Aquarium there are plenty of options to keep you busy and entertained while enjoying your stay in Corpus. To view some popular Corpus Christi destinations, dining and more, please visit the Visit Corpus Christi website here.
Additional Resources:
- Visit Corpus Christi Video
- Dining Options in Downtown Corpus Christi
- Parking Map
- Enjoy Corpus Christi Tours
*NOTE: The Texas Master Naturalist 18th Annual Meeting will be held at the Omni Corpus Christi Hotel. There is a block of rooms reserved specifically for our meeting attendees at Omni Corpus. Registration for the 18th Annual Meeting will include lodging (except for Commuter Options), so you DO NOT need to book a hotel room on the Visit Corpus Christi website linked above.
Agenda and Registration
The Texas Master Naturalist 18th Annual Meeting will be held at the Omni Corpus Christi the weekend of October 20th through 22nd, 2017.
Registration Closed!
Registration is CLOSED!
The deadline for registration is Friday, September 29th, 2017.
We have a FULL AGENDA filled with 117 different presentations and field sessions with a variety of topics and speakers from around the state. Join us and enjoy this weekend of comradery and learning!
Annual Meeting 2017 Booklet FULL-8.2
Please note, all agenda items are tentative at this time, except for meal times. Registration costs are also on the skeleton agenda, along with the accommodations for each registration level. As in years past, registration includes signing up for technical sessions and field session attendance as many of the classrooms and space available on the field sessions is limited. Please prepare before registering with your preferred attendance at sessions. Our field sessions typically fill up very quickly.
Annual Meeting 2017 Skeleton Agenda
Annual Meeting 2017 Registration Costs
All hotel room reservations for the meeting dates (Friday night & Saturday night) will be made through the TMN Annual Meeting Registration Page.
Extended Stay Lodging at Omni Corpus Christi
The Omni Hotel has offered a discounted lodging rate for TMN volunteers registering with the conference and interested in arriving early or staying late. This discounted rate is available for a stay 10/19 through 10/23. If you are interested in making a reservation for those additional nights not lodged during the conference (10/20 and 10/21), please make that selection on your event registration.
The Omni hotel has also shared a direct link and reservation phone line to use to make those earl/late extended stay reservations through. See below:
Dear Attendees of the Texas Master Naturalists Conference,
We look forward to having you as our guests! Mary Pearl and I have made your reservations for Friday, October 20th and Saturday October 21st (as paid for via registration), but it is our understanding many of you would like to book an additional day before or after the conference (or both); listed below are instructions on how to book your additional nights.
If you have a roommate(s) on Friday and Saturday and you and your roommates(s) are traveling together on the additional days, please know only (1) of you needs to make reservations for the additional nights and billing may be split upon arrival.
Hotel Information:
Omni Corpus Christi Hotel (Hotel Name)
900 N. Shoreline Blvd., Corpus Christi, TX 78401 (Hotel Address)
Reservation Information:
1-800-843-6664 (Omni Central Reservations #)
Or
Your guests may also book online:
Click on this link https://www.omnihotels.com/hotels/corpus-christi/meetings/2017-master-naturalist-annual-conference
Choose dates pre and post dates needed
Group Code: 14500814304
Meeting Name |
Additional Dates Available |
Room Rate Based on Occupancy |
Parking |
Deadline to Reserve |
Texas Master Naturalist Annual Conference |
10/19, 10/22, 10/23 |
$105 Single/Double $135 Triple/Quad |
Self Parking $5 Valet Parking $22 |
Thursday September 29, 2017 |
Sincerely at Your Service,
AMANDA CAMPBELL
Convention Service Manager
361-886-3558 direct
Sponsors for the 18th Annual Meeting
For more details, check out Sponsorship for the TMN 18th Annual Meeting.
If you have any questions or want more information, contact Mary Pearl Meuth at mpmeuth@tamu.edu or (979)-845-7294.
Current 2017 Sponsors:
- Texas Wildlife Association
- Texas Nature Conservancy
- Texas SeaGrant Program
- Texas A&M Institute of Renewable Natural Resources
- LCRA Parks
- Hill Country Conservancy
(As of April 2, 2017)
Vendor Opportunities
Vendor set up will be on Friday, October 20th from 10 AM to 12 PM with take down and move out on Sunday, October 22nd starting at 10 AM. There will be ample time throughout the conference for attendees to browse the vendor areas, with breaks and socials scheduled to be held in the vendor space. We kindly ask that all vendors donate an item for the Silent Auction. The money raised from the silent auction will be used to pay for scholarships for Master Naturalists from each chapter to be able to attend our conference the following year.
More information and the Vendor Application can be found here: Vendors for 2017 TMN Annual Meeting
Vendors will also receive special recognition through the conference programs at time of press. Please have all vendor applications submitted by September 29th 2017. Space may be limited and vendors may be selected by program coordinators based on space. For more information contact Mary Pearl Meuth at mpmeuth@tamu.edu or (979)-845-7294.
Texas Waters Day
More information will be available about the Texas Waters Day event costs, registration and agenda later this summer. For questions, please email Johnnie Smith at johnnie.smith@tpwd.texas.gov
Silent Auction
The Silent Auction raises funds used for TMN project grants, scholarships to the annual meeting, and to bring in speakers and trainers for future annual meetings. Help us continue to support these goals by thinking of items that your local chapter or local partnership organizations can donate to this year’s Silent Auction. The Rio Grande Valley Chapter has developed the following items for use:
Request Letter for Silent Auction: Please share this request letter as you think about items to bring for donation to the Silent Auction
2017 Bid Sheet: It is extremely helpful if you have the Bid Sheet already filled out for your item.
RGV Donation Receipt: Please use the receipt letter here for your donation as donated to a tax-exempt organization.
Please let the Rio Grande Chapter know in advance what you plan to contribute so we can plan the space accordingly. Linda Butcher of the Rio Grande Valley Chapter is chair for the Silent Auction, if you have questions, contact her at: thetxbirdlady@netscape.net
Chapter Project Fair
Chapters entering a display into the contest will need to provide a short paragraph describing the project no later than Friday, October 6th, 2017 to Michelle Haggerty at: mmhaggerty@tamu.edu
Awards this year are being supported by the Texas Master Naturalist Program
Full details on this years Project Fair guidelines can be found here: TMN Project Fair 2017
Photo, Art & Media Contest
The Photo, Art & Media Contest Chair for the 2017 Annual Meeting is Jerrel Geisler from the Gulf Coast Chapter.
The Photo, Art & Media Contest at the Annual Meeting has ten categories. If no one from your chapter will be attending the Annual Meeting, yet you would like to still enter a chapter item into the popular vote contests, please send the chapter item to Michelle Haggerty at 309 Sydney Baker South, Kerrville, TX 78028.
Photo Categories:
(1) Plant Life (w/no wildlife),
(2) Wildlife,
(3) Scenic, and
*new category* (4) Historical Photos of Chapter at work/play (i.e inaugural chapter class, charter members then and now, early projects in chapters history)
Art Categories:
(1) drawings & paintings,
(2) sculpture & carvings and
(3) sewing and stitchery.
Media Categories:
(1) scrapbooks,
(2) chapter newsletters and
(3) chapter brochures each compete in separate categories.
*New rule*If your chapters scrapbook has won in the past three years. It is not eligible for entry.
Entries must be submitted by 9:00 PM on Friday, October 20th (the opening day of the Annual Meeting). The entries must be labeled with the owners name, chapter, cell phone number, category and title of the work.
More information can be found here: TMN Photo, Art & Media 2017
Annual Video Contest
Spring has filled the outdoors with new life and activities. Take advantage of this time to Create a New Video, highlighting a(n)
- Experience as a Trainee
- Experience as a Master Naturalist, or
- Chapter Project.
You can either upload the video to YouTube or send an .mp4 or YouTube ready video file to mmhaggerty@tamu.edu
*New Rule* There are two categories for video entry this year:
- Texas Master Naturalist Chapter At Work – can highlight chapter projects, new class, recruitment, or partnerships
- 20th Anniversary Project Video – can be composed of oral history interview videos from project.
The deadline to submit is currently September 22nd, 2017. The top three videos will be announced and receive an award at the 18th Annual Meeting.
Set your length goal for 1 minute, 30 seconds to 3 minutes max. The videos will be posted on the Texas Master Naturalist Playlist on YouTube. See samples of last year’s winners at: TMN 2016 Video Contest Submissions.
Additional guidelines for this year’s contest can be found here: 4th Annual Video Contest 2017 Meeting
Find tips and resources in the YouTube Video Creation Guide and on our Texas Master Naturalist Facebook page.
Chapter Advisor Awards
The Texas Master Naturalist Program presents the Chapter Advisor Award to outstanding advisors and/or teams of advisors each year. The goal of the awards program is to encourage and recognize exceptional work and support of local Texas Master Naturalist Chapter advisors. The Chapter Advisor Team category recognizes the exceptional support of TMN chapter advisors working in partnership to support a chapter, just as the TMN program is supported by a partnership between Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service at the statewide level.
Applications, nomination information, and picture(s) should be submitted electronically to Michelle Haggerty at mmhaggerty@tamu.edu by September 1st. Additional information can be found here: TMN Chapter Advisor Award Application 2017
Information from the 2016 Annual Meeting can be found in the Past Meeting Archives, linked below: