From the Big Thicket to the upper Texas coast, you’ll find a lot to love in the chapter between two rivers!


What is a Master Naturalist?

Someone who loves being outdoors!

Someone who’s NOT afraid to get their feet wet!

Someone who’s alert to their natural surroundings!

What does it take to become a Master Naturalist?

To become a Certified Texas Master Naturalist and member of the Sabine-Neches Chapter you must compete the following:

  • 40 hours of basic training (including field studies)
  • 40 Hours minimum of Volunteer Service on approved projects in the first year of the start of Basic Training  (Note: you must attend at least one training class before beginning volunteer work)
  • 8 Hours minimum of approved Advanced Training in the first year of the start of the Training Session

Annual requirements to maintain active, Certified status in the Sabine-Neches Chapter are:

  • 40 Hours minimum of Volunteer Service on approved projects
  • 8 hours of approved Advanced Training

Become a Master Naturalist

Texas Master Naturalists not only get their feet wet and their hands dirty, but while doing so they spend time in a natural setting, learn about different plant and animal species, and maybe even find something new: One member, in fact, discovered a new plant species.

To become a Texas Master Naturalist, each volunteer:

  • Goes through an approved training program with at least 40 hours of combined field and classroom instruction, plus 8 hours of approved advanced training
  • Donates 40 hours of volunteer service back to the state and community. Trainees can complete their 40 hours of volunteer service and 8 hours of advanced training within a year after their initial training.
  • Completes another 8 hours of advanced training and donates 40 hours of volunteer service every year after the first one.

Interested in joining? If you can’t find a chapter near you, contact the Texas Master Naturalist coordinator, a local office of Texas Parks and Wildlife or a local county Extension agent.

Become A Master Naturalist

Want to know more?
Here’s some facts:

Since the organization’s founding in 1998, Texas Master Naturalists have contributed more than 1,003,409 hours of service on 90,000 acres of wildlife and native plant habitats, and reached more than 1.2 million Texas residents of all ages. These volunteer efforts are worth more than $20 million.

Currently 5,306 Texas Master Naturalist™ volunteers serve in 39 local chapters across the state, and new chapters are opening all the time.

The program has earned the Wildlife Management Institute’s Presidents’ 2000 Award, the National Audubon Society’s 2001 Habitat Hero’s Award, the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission’s 2001 Environmental Excellence Award, and Texas A&M University’s 2001 Vice Chancellor’s Award of Excellence in Partnership. In 2005 program earned the U.S. Department of Interior’s “Take Pride in America” award.