Season Greetings Blackland Prairie Chapter Members,
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
- TMN State Program Updates
- Next Month’s Chapter Meeting – Class of 2024 Ted Talks!
- Past Chapter Meeting Recordings
- Recent Deep Dive Recordings
- Shaking the Trees Member Submissions – Shaking the Trees Newsletter
- Our President Rick Travis shares insights on 2024 – The Year in Review
- Our incoming New Class Director, Nancy Casillas, has earned her 1,000-Hour Volunteer Service Hour award; find out what her favorite lesson has stuck with her.
- Our incoming Membership Director has earned her 500-Hour Volunteer Service Award; Jean Higgins tells us about her young life influenced her with pockets full of leaves, rocks, and other natural treasures.
- Meet the Boys! Kathy (his wife) “voluntold” him, (Randy) “that we would join the TMN cadre” and learn what inspired them to become Master Naturalists.
- Find out when Angela Lewallen, earning her 250 hours, came to realize that being a Master Naturalist community would be a constant of source of inspiration.
- Update from Kathy Boys on the Eco Explorers and view the Eco Explorer Central Fun Patch
- Community Outreach Team at the Keep Allen Beautiful Clean out the Creek event
- Plano High School Plant Rescue debrief by Peter Williams discusses the 64 native plants harvested and will be transplanted to Canyon Creek Wetland & Wildscapes.
- Join us for a Winter tree walk with our own Sharla Stack, Melanie Schuchart, and Fran Woodfin helping us ID native trees.
- And John Garbutt has us thinking about our favorite place as he describes the different birds early in the morning at the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge.
- Upcoming Advanced Training & Volunteer Hours Opportunities – Member VHAT Calendar.
Do you NOT see an event that you want considered for VHAT? Fill out the Form link BELOW!
VH/AT Opportunity Request Form
- Save the Date! Winter Tree Walk by our Sharla Stack, Melanie Schuchart, and Fran Woodfin at Chalk Hill Farms in McKinney on the 3rd Saturday of January 2025. Would you like to know more?
- Save the Date! Winter Tree Walk by our Sharla Stack, Melanie Schuchart, and Fran Woodfin at Chalk Hill Farms in McKinney on the 3rd Saturday of January 2025. Would you like to know more?
- Chapter Advisor
- Chapter Partners
If chapter members need to share information in the bi-weekly newsletters,
please send your requests to communications@bptmn.org.
And to quote Rick. “2025; here we come!“
Michelle Connally
Communications Director
Blackland Prairie Chapter
Chapter Business
TMN State Program Updates
All,
As 2024 comes to a close, we have a few final announcements to share before the holidays:
TMNTuesday 2025:
We are excited to announce the webinar dates for the 2025 TMNTuesdays! We hope you enjoyed our 2024 TMNTuesday lineup as much as we did, and we can’t wait to share all that we have in store for the next year.
TMNTuesdays are a way to learn about top conservation issues of the state, earn advanced training hours, and interact with wildlife professionals from across the state. As webinars are confirmed, details on the speaker, the description of the webinar, and more will be shared on our website, through our email listserv, and on our Facebook and Instagram accounts. Use the registration link to register for our 2025 TMNTuesday dates!
End of Year VMS Reporting:
As 2024 draws to a close, we have a few reminders for any remaining VMS reporting:
- Report your end of year hours ASAP.
- All 2024 Reporting closes February 14th (Happy Valentine’s Day!).
- Check/Update your VMS member profile for current contact info.
- Chapter Leaders: Update your chapter officers in VMS (Local VMS Admin duty).
Email Listserv Sign Up:
As training classes kick off in the new year, please remind new members (and old) to sign up for the Texas Master Naturalist Email Listserv! The purpose of the Texas Master Naturalist Listserv is to provide a means of quickly distributing news, announcements, notification of events, grant opportunities, and other items pertinent to Texas Master Naturalist members.
Updates for the 2025 Annual Meeting, TMNTuesday topics, and more will be heard here first! Encourage others to sign up at: https://txmn.tamu.edu/chapter-resources/email-listserv/
Season of Thanks:
The 2024 Season of Thanks campaign is drawing to a close! Keep an eye on socials or check out our website to read the final collection of stories. Thank you to all who submitted their story, and we cannot wait to celebrate again with you next year!
Texas Master Naturalist Holiday Office Hours:
The TMN state office will be closed for the holidays Monday, December 23, to Monday, January 6. We’ll see you in the new year!
Thank you:
Finally, THANK YOU to all of our Master Naturalists for making this a year to remember! From discovering a new wolf spider species to reaching new levels of volunteer hours, this year has been one for the books and we couldn’t have done it without YOU.
Merry Christmas and happy holidays!
-The Texas Master Naturalist Program
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