Blackland Prairie Newsletter

This edition celebrates member achievements with Georgette Guernsey’s service award interview and National Volunteer Month spotlights on Mary Abercrombie and Imelda Everett, who is launching the HOME Program to support native landscaping. Discover natural wonders with Paul Napper’s rare coyote sighting and learn practical skills in the Butterfly Garden Docent training and the NTMWD Stream Trailer Training Course. Renee Dowhaniuk shares insights on attracting wildlife to your yard, Linder Orourke reviews “Kingbird Highway,” and Angela Lewallen presents LLELA volunteer opportunities. Join Rick Travis for a City Nature Challenge Mothing event for a unique BioBlitz experience at Grand Park in Frisco, April 26th.

You can access our latest newsletter from our Chapter’s Home Page at bptmn.org, click on the “Blackland Prairie Newsletter” image, OR by direct link – https://txmn.org/bptmn/newsletters/

This newsletter will provide:

• Chapter business slides
• TMN State Program Updates
• Next Month’s Chapter Meeting
• Past Chapter Meeting Recordings
• Recent Deep Dive Recordings
• Shaking the Trees Member Submissions – 11 posts from our members, project leads & partners!
  Shaking the Trees Newsletter
  
  1. Read Georgette Guernsey’s 4,000-Hour Service Award interview and discover how the guidance of extension agents and park rangers shaped her Master Naturalist experience.
  2. Rare Coyote Sighting: Paul Napper (Class of 2015) shares his first observation of a rare melanistic (black) coyote on his trail cameras.
  3. Butterfly Garden Docent AT Opportunity: Hagerman NWR is recruiting Butterfly Garden Docents with training on April 12th.
  4. Volunteer Spotlight: The chapter celebrates National Volunteer Month by spotlighting our Mary Abercrombie (Class of 2022).
  5. This National Volunteer Month, we highlight Imelda Everett (Class of 2023) and her initiative to provide home and land resources through the Blackland Prairie HOME Program
  6. Introducing the HOME Program: An initiative to encourage the use of native plants and attract butterflies in members’ yards, potentially saving water and money.
  7. Our “possumistic” tribe member, Renee Dowhaniuk (Class of 2023), shares tips on creating a safe haven for opossums and other wildlife in your yard.
  8. Book Review (Kingbird Highway): Chapter Librarian Linder Orourke (Class of 2023) reviews Kenn Kaufman’s book about his birding adventures.
  9. LLELA Volunteer VH Opportunities: Angela Lewallen (Friends of LLELA) shares updated volunteer opportunities at the Lewisville Lake Environmental Learning Area for 2025.
  10. Learn about stream monitoring and water quality with the NTMWD Stream Trailer Training Course by Lauren Plunk, an AT Opportunity.
  11. Join our ‘Moth Squad’ with Rick Travis (Class of 2018) for the City Nature Challenge Mothing event at Grand Park in Frisco on April 26th with VH and AT Opportunities!
      
      
• Upcoming Advanced Training & Volunteer Hours Opportunities – Member VHAT Calendar. It is GO TIME here in our chapter; We have 15 events this Saturday!
  
  
  • BAT SIGNAL ACTIVATED, BEACON LIT – WILL YOU ANSWER LINDA’s CALL FOR AID
    • Your invitation to join the Bat Project Team for 2025!
      
      We are looking for a few good BPTMN members to join our Bat Project Team.  If you are interested in learning more about participating in this project, I encourage you to attend our Zoom meeting on Monday, April 14 at 7:00 PM:
      https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/9x68UevESyi0OCFFfVZBAA
       
      The Bat Project is a citizen science project by Texas Nature Trackers in partnership with the Texas Master Naturalist Program.  The goal of the project is to collect much-needed data on bats across the State of Texas.  Phase 1 of the project is to collect data on bats by utilizing acoustic recorders.  Phase 2 of the project is to retrieve data from the recorders and process it through software to identify the presence of bat species in the sample areas.
      
      To begin the second year of this project, we start with Phase 1, which requires Acoustic Recorder Field Deployment Volunteers. These individuals work with each other and landowners to coordinate the placement and movement of the recorders during the sampling period. These individuals meet with the landowners, place the equipment in the field, program the recorders, and retrieve them from week to week.
      
      SAMPLING LOCATIONS
      At the current time we are still finalizing our sampling locations.  Identification of locations should be completed by the meeting on April 14.
      SAMPLING WEEKS
      Deployment and Retrieval
      Monday, April 28 Friday, May 3
      though
      Monday, June 23 Friday, June 27
       
      Volunteers will be deploying two acoustic recorders during each sampling week.   In addition to the deployment and retrieval of recorders, volunteers will also complete a Site Information Form for each sampling location. 
       
      ACOUSTIC RECORDERS
      During the April 14 training we will review the two recorders you will be working with: The SM4 and Mini-Bat, both manufactured by Wildlife Acoustics, and provided by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.  You will see a demonstration of how to program the recorders.  In addition, you will be provided with links to the User Guides for both recorders as well as a link to a “How-To Video” with step-by-step instructions for programming, deploying and retrieving the units.  
      We will also provide instructions for using a pole mount for both the SM4 and Mini-Bat recorders.
      
      To further assist Deployment Volunteers, an experienced BPTMN volunteer will accompany you to the site of your first deployment to guide you through the recorder installation.
      
      Deployment and retrieval of the recorder units can be done by one person.  However, it is helpful to have a team of two people working together. 
      
      I hope this summary provides you with enough information to determine if you would like to be on The Bat Project Team.   If you have any questions, bring them to the meeting!
      Hope to see you there,
       
      Linda Nixon
      Bat Project Chapter Coordinator
      lindan@bptmn.org
      951-206-0274
      
      
• Chapter Advisor
  
• Chapter Partners

If chapter members need to share information in the monthly newsletters or provide feedback.
Please send your emails to communications@bptmn.org.


Michelle Connally
Communications Director
Blackland Prairie Chapter

Chapter Business

TMN State Program Updates

National Volunteer Month 2025 Story Highlights – Texas Master Naturalist Program

Texas Master Naturalist Program named as a Texan by Nature 2025 Conservation Wrangler

H-E-B teams up with Texas Master Naturalist Program to fund second year of Pollinators for Texas

Chapter Presidents and Advisors Meeting – March 25, 2025

Virtual Volunteer Fair 2025

2025 TMN Annual Meeting Call for Proposals

Put it on your calendar now as we prepare for our 2025 Texas Master Naturalist Program Annual Meeting, an event to gather, learn and celebrate another year of the Texas Master Naturalist Program! We’re preparing this year’s meeting as an in-person event Thursday, October 16th through Sunday, October 19th in College Station, TX.

College Station isn’t just about Aggie pride; it’s also a haven of natural beauty! Nestled along the meandering Brazos River and surrounded by a majestic Post Oak Savannah, this area boasts of rich biodiversity and stunning landscapes for Master Naturalists to explore. Here, one can discover the harmonious blend of riverine ecosystems and savannah woodlands, and explore the rolling hills, thick forests and flat plains, while learning in a picturesque scene that is as educational as it is awe-inspiring. 

College Station offers a charming blend of natural beauty and serene landscapes. The area is dotted with lush parks and green spaces, such as Lick Creek Park, where you can enjoy scenic trails, vibrant wildflowers and diverse wildlife. The Brazos Valley provides a stunning backdrop with its rolling hills, serene waterscapes and expansive prairies, perfect for hiking, birdwatching and photography, making it a delightful destination for nature lovers—and our 2025 Texas Master Naturalist Annual Meeting!

The Texas Master Naturalist Program welcomes your presentation proposals as contributions to be considered for our Annual Meeting agenda!

As a classroom or field session presenter, you would have the opportunity to inform and train TMN members from across the state on various natural resource topics and provide more in-depth information than their initial core training and curriculum. You are also encouraged to make this an opportunity to enlist and train our program volunteers to assist you, your program, and your work as part of their annual volunteer service commitment.

Classroom sessions are currently scheduled to begin each day of the conference at 8am and end at 5pm. These will be offered concurrently with one, two, three and four hour blocks, built-in breaks and potentially themed days (dependent on final submissions received).

Field sessions are currently scheduled in Pre-Event blocks on Wednesday and Thursday, during the event Friday, and in Post-Event blocks Sunday and Monday. These will be offered in varying lengths pre and post event, and in full day (8am-5pm) and half day (8am-12pm, 1pm-5pm) sessions on Friday.

Individuals wishing to present are invited to submit their proposal on the Texas Master Naturalist Annual Meeting website: Provide Submission

More information about our Annual Meeting can be found on our 2025 Annual Meeting webpage, with many updates being made over the coming months.

The deadline for submissions is May 16, 2025. A notice of receipt will be automatically generated and sent by e-mail. If you do not receive notification of receipt or have any questions about proposal submission, please contact Mary Pearl Meuth, (marypearl.meuth@ag.tamu.edu).

To find out more, or to submit an abstract, click on the link below.

Call for Proposals – Texas Master Naturalist Annual Meeting, October 2025

H-E-B Trees for Texans – “For Communities” Grant (applications close May 30)

Howdy Partners,

Imagine a future where vibrant green canopies sway gently above our streets, where fresh air fills our lungs, and where wildlife thrives in our backyards.

Texan by Nature is proud to partner with H-E-B to catalyze a statewide tree-planting program. H-E-B Trees for Texans creates healthier environments for schools, communities, and our future. 

The “For Communities” branch of the program provides funding for tree-planting projects in H-E-B communities across Texas. A $5,000 grant application is open to 501c3 and municipal / government organizations looking to increase their tree canopy and improve the landscapes where they live. This application is open annually, and there are no restrictions regarding the number of applications – organizations are eligible to apply each cycle. View the full Story Map here to learn more about the program’s impacts.

Applications for Fall 2025 planting season funding are OPEN and will close on May 30, 2025. Reach out to kenzie@texanbynature.org with any questions.