“Education, Restoration, Conservation”
Our Mission
The Texas Master Naturalist Program’s mission is to develop a corps of well-informed volunteers to provide education, outreach, and service dedicated to the beneficial management of natural resources and natural areas within their communities for the State of Texas.
Our Commitment to You
The Blackland Prairie Texas Master Naturalist chapter is strengthened by the diversity of our members. We are committed to providing a welcoming environment where diversity, equity, and inclusion are a core part of everything that we do. We strive to be an organization that reflects the communities we serve and encourages multiple ideas and viewpoints.
The Texas Master Naturalist program is a partnership between the Texas AgriLife Extension Service, Texas Parks & Wildlife, and other local partners.
Congratulations to the Blackland Prairie Chapter Class of 2024!

Blackland Prairie Chapter receives a Pollinators for Texas Award from H-E-B and the Texas Master Naturalist Program
Past Chapter Meeting Speakers and Topics
Deep Dive on the Time to Restore Project with David Gwin
Join us on Tuesday, February 25, at 6 PM CST for the February 2025 Deep Dive, with David Gwin will present an overview of the Time to Restore Project.
Click here to view our Calendar.
Topic: Time to Restore Project (Click on Link to go to the project website)
Pollinator restoration has many challenges, from selecting which species to plant to provide nectar during critical periods, to knowing how these plant species will respond to changes in climate including more variable weather conditions. Better knowledge about flowering and seed timing for critical nectar plants, and the links between this activity and climate, can inform more resilient restoration plantings.
We are a team of collaborators from the Bosque Ecosystem Monitoring Program, the Tribal Alliance for Pollinators, the Gulf Coast Phenology Trail, and the USA National Phenology Network, supported by a grant from the South Central Climate Adaptation Science Center. Our project, Time to Restore: Connecting People, Plants, and Pollinators, aims to deliver guidance to those working on pollinator restoration in the South Central region – New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, and Louisiana.
We want your input on your needs related to pollinator restoration – what are the species and systems of highest concern to you, where are the gaps in your information about nectar plants, what tools and resources will help you to make informed choices about planting in the face of climate change? Join one of our quarterly calls or collect data on nectar plant flowering and seed timing. Learn more below about how you can participate in this project!
Speaker: David Gwin is the Texas State Coordinator for USA-NPN’s Time to Restore. In this capacity, he works with stakeholders across the Lone Star State to identify, setup and monitor sites that generate better information about nectar availability and fruit production to ultimately help inform those working on pollinator restoration to know what to plant and when to harvest seed. David earned his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Science degrees from Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma. After completing his formal education, he spent over three decades in professional public service with six Texas communities in developing, administering, and refining their local economies. Since leaving municipal service, David has wholly devoted himself to his lifelong passion, which is better understanding, actively appreciating, and enthusiastically conserving our diverse natural resources. He was certified as a Texas Master Naturalist in 2005 and has been an active participant in that statewide volunteer service effort in four different ecoregions of the state. In his free time,
David loves hiking, camping, and almost anything else that keeps him out in the wilder parts of Texas.
Online Zoom Meeting Registration:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/5o73V6njRUCvia6NryUgLA
Please register ahead of time for this meeting using your Zoom Account Email address.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with information about joining the meeting.
Logging AT: Approved for 1 hour of AT to be logged as AT: BPTMN: Other Pre-approved Training with name of speaker and topic in the description box.