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2026 September Chapter Meeting with Scott Kiester | Vultures: The Life and Times of an Unloved Bird

08/19/2026 by mconnally

🪶 Join us for September’s Chapter Meeting as Master Naturalist and birder Scott Keister presents “Vultures: The Life and Times of an Unloved Bird,” uncovering the fascinating natural history, effortless flight, and vital ecological role of nature’s ultimate clean-up crew. 🐦‍⬛

Vultures: The Life and Times of an Unloved Bird.

Cathartes aura, the Linnaean binomial for the turkey vulture translates to “purifying breeze” or “golden cleaner,” a nod to both their role as nature’s clean-up crew and the effortless way they soar through the sky. Turkey vultures and their cousins’ black vultures are among the new world’s most widely ranging avian scavengers, visible nearly everywhere in the Western Hemisphere. Their natural history and cultural connections throughout the Americas make for an interesting journey in the company of a fascinating and under appreciated species.

About Our Speaker: Scott Kiester

A certified Texas Master Naturalist since 2003, and Audubon Master Birder for North Central Texas, Scott is a lifelong student of nature. He has worked on different conservation related projects and with conservation groups in north and east Texas. Currently he is active in the Elm Fork Chapter of the Texas Master Naturalists, leads a monthly bird walk at the Clear Creek Natural Heritage Center near Denton, is the Master Naturalist Volunteer Project Manager at LLELA and president of the Friends of LLELA. He is a retired geologist with an M.S. in environmental science. Husband and partner to the very patient Lovely Deborah for 45 years and Grandpa to Hayden, Parker, Lorelei, Annelise, Arthur, Eliza and Kathryn.


Help Keep Our Chapter Meeting Snack Table Thriving! 🥨

As our chapter continues to grow, so does our love for sharing a bite together! To keep this welcoming tradition going, we invite you to bring a small snack to share—whether store-bought, homemade, sweet, or savory, every contribution makes our meetings more enjoyable. If you’re able to help out at an upcoming gathering, please sign up below to help us build a more connected community!

Sign Up Genius: 2026 Snack Donations


When: 7:00 PM
Click here to view our Calendar.

  • SRC Doors will open at 6:30 PM
  • The Zoom meeting waiting room will open at 6:45 PM
  • The Business Meeting will begin at 7:00 PM
  • Naturalist Talk will start at 7:30 PM (approximately)

Physical Meeting Location:  Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary, 
1Nature Place, McKinney, TX 75069, Science Resource Center (SRC) building.
Directions to SRC: Drive through Heard gates, past the parking lot and museum building, and continue until the road ends at the large white SRC building. 

Register in advance for this Zoom meeting:
Use the email address associated with your personal Zoom account.
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/Z7BrnoA7R0mMCCmAg05GQQ
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with details on how to join the meeting.

Logging AT: The monthly meeting presentation will count as 1 hour of AT. Log as AT: BPTMN Chapter Monthly Meeting Only (1 hour) with the speaker’s name and topic in the description box.

If you have any additional questions, please email.
Chapter Meeting Host: Marla Layne, [email protected]

Filed Under: Chapter Meeting, Chapter Meetings, General Tagged With: blacklandprairie, blacklandprairiechapter, friendsofllela, Scott Kiester, TexasMasterNaturalist

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