BPTMN Newsletter – July 27, 2024

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Hello 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/

  • Upcoming Advanced Training Opportunities & Volunteer Hours Opportunities
    • Check out the new AT opportunities coming up this month!
      • North Texas Chapter – Reptile Appreciation Workshop with TPWD Sam Kieschnick
      • Raptor Week with a Daily Virtual Birding Seminar
      • Deep Dive with our very own ED Burke, presenting “Requiem for a Wren”
      • Identification of Prairie Grasses workshop, taught by Rich Jaynes – Coming Soon!
    • Curriculum Pilot Project for Lights Out Texas! our own Mei Ling Liu leading this endeavor is calling all Blackland Prairie Chapter educators!
  • Shaking the Trees Member Submissions from the August 51st Edition
  • August Deep Dive with ED Burke – “Requiem for a Wren”
  • Last Chapter Meeting Recording
  • Next month’s Chapter Meeting information
  • TMN State Program Updates
    • TMN Annual Meeting Registration open 1st Week of August! Pick out your schedule NOW!
  • Chapter Advisor
  • Chapter Partners

If chapter members need to share information in the bi-weekly newsletters,
please send your requests to communications@bptmn.org.

Michelle Connally
Communications Director
Blackland Prairie Chapter

Advanced Training & Volunteer Hours Opportunities – August

Check out our chapter’s calendar for more information and current opportunities.
Member VHAT Calendar (txmn.org)

  • Monday, July 29
    • 9:00am – VH- Connemara Meadow Preserve Restoration
    • 9:00am – VH- Erwin Park Prairie Restoration
  • Tuesday, July 30
    • 9:00am – VH- Connemara Meadow Preserve Restoration
  • Wednesday, July 31
    • 9:00am – VH- Connemara Meadow Preserve Restoration
  • TMN ANNUAL MEETING REGISTRATIONS OPENS 1st Week of August!
  • Thursday, August 1
    • 9:00am – VH- Connemara Meadow Preserve Restoration
  • Friday, August 2
    • 9:00am – VH- Connemara Meadow Preserve Restoration
  • Saturday, August 3
  • Sunday, August 4
    • 9:00am – VH- Connemara Meadow Preserve Restoration
  • Monday, August 5
    • 9:00am – VH- Connemara Meadow Preserve Restoration
    • 9:00am – VH- Erwin Park Prairie Restoration
  • Tuesday, August 6
    • 9:00am – VH- Connemara Meadow Preserve Restoration
  • Wednesday, August 7
    • 9:00am – VH- Connemara Meadow Preserve Restoration
  • Thursday, August 8
    • 8:00am – VH- Clymer Meadow – 1st Thursday
    • 9:00am – VH- Wylie Prairie Restoration Project
    • 9:00am – VH- Connemara Meadow Preserve Restoration
  • Friday, August 9
    • 9:00am – VH- Connemara Meadow Preserve Restoration
    • 8:00am – VH- Frisco Work Day – Commons Park
  • Saturday, August 10
    • 8:00am – VH- LLELA 2nd Saturday River Care Team
  • Sunday, August 11
    • 9:00am – VH- Connemara Meadow Preserve Restoration
  • Monday, August 12
  • Tuesday, August 13
  • Wednesday, August 14
  • Thursday, August 15
  • Friday, August 16
  • Saturday, August 17
    • 9:00am -VH- Pollinator Garden in J.M. Caldwell Sr Park
    • SAVE THE DATE – AT – Identification of Prairie Grasses workshop, taught by Rich Jaynes
  • Sunday, August 18
    • 9:00am – VH- Connemara Meadow Preserve Restoration
  • Monday, August 19
    • 9:00am – VH- Connemara Meadow Preserve Restoration
    • 9:00am – VH- Erwin Park Prairie Restoration
  • Tuesday, August 20
  • Wednesday, August 21
    • 8:00am – VH- Clymer Meadow – 3rd Wednesdays
    • 9:00am – VH- Connemara Meadow Preserve Restoration
  • Thursday, August 22
    • 9:00am – VH- Connemara Meadow Preserve Restoration
    • 9:00am – VH- Wylie Prairie Restoration Project
  • Friday, August 23
    • 9:00am – VH- Connemara Meadow Preserve Restoration
  • Saturday, August 24
    • SAVE THE DATE – AT – Identification of Prairie Grasses workshop, taught by Rich Jaynes
  • Sunday, August 25
    • 9:00am – VH- Connemara Meadow Preserve Restoration
    • 8:00am – VH- Frisco Work Day – Commons Park
  • Monday, August 26
    • 9:00am – VH- Connemara Meadow Preserve Restoration
    • 9:00am – VH- Erwin Park Prairie Restoration
  • Tuesday, August 27
    • 9:00am – VH- Connemara Meadow Preserve Restoration
  • Wednesday, August 28
    • 9:00am – VH- Connemara Meadow Preserve Restoration
  • Thursday, August 29
    • 9:00am – VH- Connemara Meadow Preserve Restoration
    • 9:00am – VH- Wylie Prairie Restoration Project
  • Friday, August 30
    • 9:00am – VH- Connemara Meadow Preserve Restoration
  • Saturday, August 31

New Project Approved for Volunteer Hours!

TIP – Click on the image to view the Post

Shaking of the Trees Member Contributions – Edition 51 – August

August Deep Dive with ED Burke – “Requiem for a Wren”

TIP – Click on the image to view the Meeting Post

Last Chapter Meeting Recording

TIP – Click on the image to view the Meeting Post

Don Walker shared his presentation on google drive! Click the image to view the video and slides.

CLICK HERE to visit our Chapter Meetings page, access via – “About Us” on our Home Page.

Next Month’s Chapter Meeting

TIP – Click on the image to view the Meeting Post

TMN State Program Updates

Registration for this year’s Annual Meeting will open at 12:00pm cst on Thursday August 1st 2024!

Put it on your calendar now as we prepare for our Texas Master Naturalist 2024 Annual Meeting, an event to gather, learn and celebrate another year of the Texas Master Naturalist Program. This year’s event will be held Thursday, October 24th through Sunday, October 27th. Join us in San Marcos, where the balance between urban development and environmental preservation is an art form inviting residents and visitors alike to immerse themselves in a natural sanctuary. 

The Texas Master Naturalist Annual Meeting provides an opportunity for the Texas Master Naturalist volunteers from around the state to gather, participate in hands-on educational seminars, and receive all their Advanced Training requirements for the year in one weekend. It’s also an opportunity for program participants and supporters to network, share new ideas, and to learn from chapters in different regions of the state.

———–

Registration 

Get ready for registration now! 

On Thursday August 1st at 12:00pm cst, registration will open with notices sent out via the TMN listserv, our TMN Facebook and Instagram pages.

During registration, you are able to save your seat for your preferred classroom and field sessions. Last year, 63.6% of registrations happened the first day registration opened. Because of this, sessions with limited seating will fill up fast!

What can you do?

📓 Know what’s happening! Read through the agenda before registration opens and make note of the sessions you’re interested in.

⏰ Plan for time! The registration process includes questions for demographic information, registration type, session registration, optional items and checkout. This process takes time.

📝 Make a plan B! Have a ranking system of your preferences so you know what to sign up for if your first choice is full.

😅 Don’t stress! We have 175 classroom and field sessions to choose from. There is something for everyone!

Early Registration – Closes August 31st

  • Early Full Event Registration – $450.00
  • Early Two Day (Thurs & Fri or Fri & Sat) – $425.00
  • Early One Day (Thurs or Fri or Sat) – $275.00

Standard Registration – Open September 1st – September 30th

  • Full Event Registration – $500.00
  • Two Day (Thurs & Fri or Fri & Sat) – $475.00
  • One Day (Thurs or Fri or Sat) – $325.00

Guest Registration Add-Ons

  • Guest Meals Only Pass – $375.00

The Texas Master Naturalist Program has established an Annual Meeting Code of Conduct as a positive step towards a safe and equitable gathering. All who register agree to abide by this code, and we provide it in full for your familiarity and reference. The code is also linked from the Annual Meeting app.

———–

Agenda

Our 2024 Annual Meeting agenda is now live! We have the most sessions ever this year, with 142 classroom presentations and 32 field sessions, covering a variety of topics presented by a variety of speakers from around the state. A huge thanks to the local contributing Chapters for recruiting these record-breaking sessions, speakers and locations!

This years agenda is available in THREE formats – all found on our website: https://txmn.tamu.edu/2024-annual-meeting/#Agenda

  • An online website format that can be searched and filtered to find sessions, read speaker bios and more: https://cvent.me/1ZYwP3 *
    • *note – this is the most accurate agenda as updates are being made this summer.
  • A title only matrix agenda that shows visually the concurrent sessions happening throughout each of the days. 
  • A full sessions agenda PDF – while 65 pages, this version is available for those who still like to print and highlight their agenda plans. 

———–

Lodging

This year’s Annual Meeting will be hosted at the Embassy Suites by Hilton San Marcos Hotel & Conference Center, situated right off Interstate 35, halfway between San Antonio and Austin.

Embassy Suites by Hilton San Marcos Hotel & Conference Center

Address: 1001 E McCarty Ln, San Marcos, TX 78666

Phone: (512) 392-6450

Available Rooms – Embassy Suites by Hilton San Marcos Hotel Conference Center

Contracted Room Block: Thursday, October 24 through Sunday, October 27, 2024

Includes:

  • Free made-to-order breakfast
  • Complimentary evening reception
  • Complimentary self parking
  • Complimentary guestroom internet
  • Complimentary access to fitness & business center

*Note – if there are issues with the links for hotels, please call their front desks to book under our Texas Master Naturalist block.

———–

Sponsors

All sponsorships receive special recognition through conference communication, fliers, announcements, and programs. Sponsors could make a general contribution to support and sponsor the TMN Annual Meeting at any of the following levels with recognition at each level as given:

  • Be a Friend – $150
    • Posted on Annual Meeting website
  • Be an Ecologist – $300
    • All Friend level recognition,
    • Posted on conference hallway signs
  • Be a Steward – $500
    • All Ecologist level recognition, Posted on Annual Meeting app
    • Recognition given during awards ceremony
  • Be a Conservationist – $1,000
    • All Steward level recognition, Complimentary Vendor Booth (optional)
  • Be a Guardian – $3,000
    • All Conservationist level recognition, Reserved table at Annual Meeting awards dinner
    • Inclusion of collateral materials in attendee registration bags
  • Be a Naturalist – $5,000+
    • All Conservationist level recognition as given above,
    • Organization highlight page on website.

To be a sponsor, please contact, Mary Pearl Meuth – mpmeuth@tamu.edu

———–

Vendors

We are once again hosting our event with the opportunity to invite a few key vendors and exhibitors with naturalist related goods, artwork, projects, plants, educational materials, and outreach from partnership organizations. The vendor booths will be located in the main conference area. Vendors will receive one 6’ table and two chairs. Electricity and other display needs may have additional costs and can be discussed if needed.

Please email Mary Pearl Meuth, mpmeuth@tamu.edu if you’re interested in being a vendor at the 2024 Annual Meeting.

———–

Silent Auction

We are excited about the quickly approaching Texas Master Naturalist (TMN) Annual Meeting. It is time to prepare for getting donated items for the Silent Auction. Money raised by the silent auction is used for TMN project grants, scholarships to the annual meeting for each chapter, and to bring in speakers and trainers for future annual meetings. Display and bidding will be open on Thursday through Saturday October 24-26th.

The Hays County Chapter hosting the Silent Auction has issued a challenge to all contributing chapters and members – fill out a bid sheet contributing your silent auction item early (by October 20th) and you’ll be entered into a door prize drawing for a $100 voucher to shop the silent auction. Learn more about the auction and fill out your bid sheet on our website now: https://txmn.tamu.edu/2024-annual-meeting/#Silent-Auction

———–

Contests and Awards

We host four Annual Meeting contests each year. All award winners for last year can be seen here in the Annual Meeting 2023 Awards Wrap Up. Details for each are linked below.

Mary Pearl Meuth
Texas Master Naturalist Program Assistant State Coordinator
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
E-mail: mpmeuth@tamu.edu
Cell: (727) 366-1144
495 Horticulture Dr, 2138 TAMU
College Station, TX 77843-2138

Texas Master Naturalist – http://txmn.org
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. 

Chapter Advisor

Dr. Curtis Jones, County Extension Agent
825 North McDonald Street Suite 150
McKinney, TX 75069-2175
curtis.jones@ag.tamu.edu 
972-548-4233

Chapter Partners

Blackland Prairie Raptor Center
volunteer@bpraptorcenter.org
https://bpraptorcenter.org/

Connemara Meadow Nature Preserve
Bob Mione | info@connemaraconservancy.org
connermaraconservancy.org/wordpress/meadow-nature-preserve

Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary
Laura Ragan | volunteers@heardmuseum.org
www.heardmuseum.org/volunteer

LLELA Nature Preserve
Erin Piper | epiper@cityoflewisville.com
https://www.llela.org/research-restoration/volunteering