BPTMN Home
Blackland Prairie Chapter
“Education, Restoration, Preservation”
Congratulations Class of 2019!
The mission of the Texas Master Naturalist program 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.
The Texas Master Naturalist program is a partnership between the Texas AgriLife Extension Service, Texas Parks & Wildlife, and other local partners.
To receive information from the TPWD Listserv sign up here: TPWD Listserv
Chapter Meetings
2nd Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m.
Heard Museum Science Center in McKinney
(Links to Directions & Map for the Heard Museum below)
The Heard Natural Science Museum
Science Resource Center Building (SRC)
1 Nature Place
McKinney, TX 75069
Directions to Museum
Directions from the Heard Entrance to the Science Resource Center (SRC):
Stay on the drive, go past the main parking area, museum building and maintenance area, continue to follow the curve, once on top of the hill, there are multiple areas to park in the circle drive or to the right. The SRC Bldg is on the North Side of these parking areas.
Click to view the Heard Museum Guide Map to locate the “SRC Bldg”
(The SRC Bldg is in the middle of pg 1 and top of pg 2 of the Heard Museum Guide)
2019 Monthly Meeting Topics
June 11: “Deep Dive Class – Native Bees” – Carol Clark
Prior to the regularly scheduled June 11 meeting, from 6:30pm-7pm Carol Clark (Fellow BPTMN member and Co-administrator of the Texas Native Bee Co-op Facebook page) will conduct a class on native bee behaviors, habitats, their endearing traits, and identification tools. This class will be in the SRC building, and attendees will earn an additional 30 min AT.
June 11: “Management of Roadside Vegetation and Wildflowers” – Jacob Eickstead
Jacob holds a bachelor’s degree in Agriculture from Texas State University and is a Vegetation Specialist for the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). Prior to working at TxDOT, Jacob served as a Natural Resource Specialist for the Railroad Commission of Texas, analyzing soil characteristics and re-vegetation of mine reclamations throughout the state.
July 9: “Prairies and Milkweeds” – Matt White
Matt is an environmentalist, writer, and teacher with an extensive knowledge and love of the Blackland Prairie and its history. Matt is the author of Prairie Time, a Blackland Portrait and Birds of Northeast Texas, and is currently writing a new book dedicated to Milkweeds. Matt also teaches American History at Paris Junior College in Greenville, TX, and likes to explore the relationship between history and natural history and learn how each influences the other. Matt has made a persistent difference in prairie conservation in our region.
August 13: “Texas Nature Trackers: Discovering Populations & Documenting Change for Conservation” – Dr. Tania Homayoun
Dr. Tania Homayoun is a Texas Nature Tracker Biologist with Texas Parks and Wildlife. Through Texas Nature Trackers, she engages Naturalists of all interests and ability levels in collecting citizen science and crowd-sourced data on Texas’ unique flora and fauna with a particular focus on species of greatest conservation need. Tania holds bachelors degrees in Ecology/Evolution/Conservation Biology and Anthropology from the University of Texas at Austin and a PhD in Conservation Biology from the University of Minnesota, where she studied the impacts of urbanization on land Bird communities.
2019 –
May 14: “How iNaturalist Influences Land Management and Guides Public Policy” – Sam Kieschnick
April 9 Deep Dive – 6:30-7 p.m. in Heard Museum SRC (same location for regular meetings)
April 9: Making an Impression: Tales and Tips from 50 Years Teaching about Nature” – Sally Evans
March 12: “Lurking Leviathons of DFW – Researching the Alligator Snapping Turtles in the Trinity River” – Carl Franklin
February 12 – “Habitat Restoration of Large and Small Plots and Unintended Consequences” – Bob Mione
January 8 – Blackland Prairie Chapter Open House and 2019 Kickoff for Members
Blackland Prairie Master Naturalists
