The next monthly chapter meeting of the Bois d’Arc Texas Master Naturalist Chapter will be held on Tuesday, June 16th, at the Fannin County AgriLife Extension Office at 2505 N. Center Street, Bonham, Texas.
Time: Potluck meal at 5:30, speaker at 6:00, short meeting at 7:00
Topic: Entomology
Speaker: Jessica Townsend, Chapter Member
Come join us and find out what the chapter is all about. All meetings are free and open to the public.
How do I become a member? Start with learning!
The pathway to membership in the Bois d’Arc Chapter, Texas Master Naturalist, starts with an Initial Training Course. This course is a broad overview designed to start you on a lifetime journey of learning and service as a Texas Master Naturalist.
The Initial Training Course for 2026 will begin in mid-September with a 4-week mini-semester followed by a 5-week mini-semester beginning in April of 2027. Each semester combines weekly classroom sessions and field trips to explore the outdoors. All in-person classes are held on Saturday. Monthly Zoom sessions (a 1 hour-class in the evening on the first Tuesday of each month, except December) will help keep us connected between the semesters. This course provides 40 hours of basic instruction on a wide variety of subjects. You may begin accumulating both advanced training and volunteer service hours to work toward the Certtified Master Naturalist level as soon as you begin the course.
This course is in the planning stages and information will be posted here as soon as it is available.
For answers to questions or to receive more information on this course as soon as it is available, please contact the chapter’s Initial Training Director at [email protected].
Check back soon for more details!
Bois d’Arc chapter members of Texas Master Naturalist (“TMN”) are participating in Texas Nature Trackers acoustic bat monitoring project in Fannin County. This project is part of Texas Nature Trackers, a citizen-science program of Texas Parks and Wildlife. Bois d’Arc members are serving as citizen scientists, following project protocols for a nine-week data collection effort. Master Naturalists are trained volunteers through Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and Texas Parks and Wildlife who educate the public about Texas’ native fauna and flora.
The project is a statewide effort where our local chapter is joining over 30 other TMN chapters across the state to provide information on bat populations from the chapter areas to Texas Nature Trackers for statewide conservation efforts and NABat for continent-wide conservation efforts. NABat is the North American Bat Monitoring Program.
In this project, each week two locations receive acoustic monitors installed by Bois d’Arc members with landowner consent. Monitors are installed on Mondays and retrieved Friday mornings. The monitors are provided by Texas Parks and Wildlife. The acoustic monitors capture bat echolocation calls. The project began May 11, 2026 and will conclude July 10, 2026. Data is downloaded, and members will analyze the data using the Kaleidoscope Pro software which is designed to assist in the identification of specific bat species.
“The goal of the program is to collect data that identifies the different types of bats in Fannin County. The information will become part of the North American Bat Monitoring Program,” said Debra Jones, lead coordinator for the local chapter. “We are carefully following the protocols of the study so our data is accurate and usable. Bats eat insects at night totaling one-third to one-half of their weight. Bats are also great pollinators! So as you can see, they play a vital part in our ecosystem.”
This is the first year for the Bois d’Arc chapter to participate in the monitoring program, which began in 2024. The project concludes in 2028. Landowners participating in the project will receive a report each fall containing the types of bats detected on their property. This year’s ‘Data Reveal’ for landowners will be hosted at Bonham State Park on September 18, 2026. The following Saturday, members of the Bois d’Arc chapter will be at the State Park to share information about the study results and bats with the public.
For more information about the acoustic monitoring of bats and or the Bois d’Arc Chapter of Texas Master Naturalists, please email [email protected].
Bois d’ Arc Chapter June 2023 Speaker
Dr. Bryon Clark of the Blue Stem Chapter gave a presentation on how to identify animals due to the special characteristics of their skulls and fur. The Blue Stem chapter recently received a large grant to purchase the skulls and skins which will be used to educate students at locations in the Sherman and Dension area. It was a very interesting class! We look forward to more collaboration with Blue Stem Chapter in the future.
Bois d’ Arc Chapter and Blue Stem Chapters Assist with Angler Education Expo
Bonham State Park held its annual family fishing day now called Angler Expo. Members of the Bois d’ Arc and Blue Stem chapter as well as Fannin County 4-H assisted, in educating the public. Visitors completed six stations; Safety First!, Habitat & Insects, Fishing Knots, Rods & Reels, Fish Printing, and Fish Anatomy. Once stations were completed visitors tried their hand at casting with backyard bass then moved to the fishing pier to apply all they learned. Many Junior Angler certificates and pins were handed out as well as some First Fish Pins! It was a great day at the park.
For up-to-date information about what’s going on at Bonham State Park visit: https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/bonham
To find out more about how you can become an Angler Educator visit: https://tpwd.texas.gov/education/angler-education
Bois d’ Arc Chapter Installs Two Recycling Bins June 2023
Monofilament is a problem in the environment because it is nonbiodegradable and can last up to 600 years! Because monofilament is thin and clear, animals easily become entangled or ingest it, causing injury or death. The good news is that monofilament can be recycled if collected, keeping it out of landfills and limiting negative effects on wildlife.
To limit the negative effects of monofilament in our area, The Bois d’ Arc Chapter of the Texas Master Naturalist program TM recently built two monofilament bins. One bin was installed on the fishing pier at Bonham State Park, and the on the fishing pier at Lake Bonham. The Bois d’ Arc Chapter will monitor and maintain the containers collecting the monofilament and preparing it to be recycled.
The idea for the monofilament bins was started through the Texas Sea Grant College Program, which began in 2004. The Texas Sea Grant College Program coordinates the Texas Monofilament Recovery and Recycling Program (MRRP). “MRRP is a statewide volunteer-led effort to reduce monofilament in the environment by educating the public about the problems caused by monofilament lines left in the environment and encouraging recycling through a network of line recycling bins and drop-off locations.” To date, 3,385 lbs. of fishing lines have been collected and recycled in Texas since 2004. There are over 250 collection bins across Texas.
We want to remind the public that they can help keep monofilament out of the environment by:
1. Recovering as much of your line as possible when it becomes entangled.
2. Recover and recycle any line you encounter while on Texas waterways.
3. When it is time to throw away your fishing line, cut it into pieces less than six inches long.
4. Stow your rods safely while traveling to avoid the wind catching your line, which could cause it to free spool, littering miles of Texas highways.
5. When it is safe to do so, collect, and properly dispose of or recycle the trash you encounter.
6. Volunteer or participate in local lake and river cleanup events.
To learn more about monofilament recycling, please visit https://texasseagrant.org.
If you would like to learn more about how you can become a Texas Master Naturalist with the Bois d’ Arc chapter, visit us on the web at: https://txmn.org/boisdarc/ or join our FaceBook page Bois d’ Arc Master Naturalist. We hold monthly meetings on the third Tuesday of each month at the AgriLife Office at 2505 N Center St. in Bonham. Meetings begin with a speaker at 6:00 P.M.
Written by CMiller Bois d’ Arc Chapter President & Outreach Coordinator 6/26/2023
A big part of being a Texas Master Naturalist is sharing your knowledge through volunteerism. One way to share this knowledge is through education. This year the Bois d’ Arc chapter was asked to present during the Honey Grove Library Summer Reading Camps. Our current president shared with students about North Texas’s nocturnal animals, such as; bats, raccoons, toads, and insects. Students were asked to determine the benefits of being nocturnal, identify sounds of nocturnal animals, and viewed props designed to get them thinking. The students and adults were a great audience and had many thoughtful questions.
Memorial Day 2011
If you notice something different at the Fannin County Multipurpose Complex, slow down and look again. Twenty-five Bluebird houses were erected by the Bois d’Arc Chapter of Texas Master Naturalists on Memorial Day in a trail named for the man who inspired so many to love bluebirds in Fannin County Texas. The “Jack Phillips Bluebird Trail” will be dedicated in the fall 2011. As was her practice with Jack, Frieda Phillips participated in the effort.
Jack Phillips constructed over 2500 bluebird houses during his lifetime. He taught others to share his passion for bluebirds. If you have seen a bluebird house on a fence post in Fannin County or in someone’s yard, you know Jack Phillips had a hand in it when you see his distinctive “JP” brand burned into the side panel. The brand was created by his lifelong friend Harris Myers. Another comrade, Claude Lewis was instrumental in retrofitting the Phillips’ workshop into a bluebird house production assembly line.
Last fall when local Master Natural enthusiasts were organizing efforts to create a local chapter, Jack Phillips was a regular participant and supporter of the Bois d’Arc chapter. He introduced many people to bluebirds in hope that others would share his passion for the beautiful blue bird. His efforts paid-off.
In March 2011 ten members of the Bois d’Arc Master Naturalists met at Frieda Phillips’ home to use Jack’s workshop to build the bluebird houses for the “Jack Phillips Bluebird Trail.” The Fannin County Multipurpose Complex Board approved implementation of the memorial trail around the grounds so visitors can enjoy the bright blue bird in its habitat.
A dedication of the trail will occur in the fall of 2011 after signage is created and installed. The members of the Bois d’Arc Chapter Texas Master Naturalists are committed to maintaining the Jack Phillips Bluebird Trail, and other bluebird trails around Fannin County established by Jack Phillips. Bois d’Arc chapter member Michael Evans serves as committee Chairman for the project.
(Article provided by Christine Miller)
