Happy Friday, fellow Blackland Prairie Texas Master Naturalists! Welcome to your latest update from the Blackland Prairie Master Naturalists! This edition is bursting with exciting news, inspiring stories, and fantastic…
2025 July Chapter Meeting with Bryon Clark | Bats – Chiroptera
Join us Tuesday, July 8 at 7:00 PM for an engaging talk with Bryon, who will share over 40 years of fascinating bat 🦇 research, personal stories, and insights to clear up common misconceptions about these amazing nocturnal mammals!
Dive into Nature with Toddler Nature Time @ LLELA!
Join Sue Yost from the Elm Fork Chapter for Toddler Nature Time at LLELA! Every third Wednesday from Sept-May, we’ll explore nature with stories, crafts, and a short hike, helping little ones (18 months-5 years) discover the outdoors and sharpen their observation skills. Register now for a session of discovery!
Meet Jen Jesseph: Our New Chapter Photo Coordinator
Say hello to Jen Jesseph (Class of 2021), our new Chapter Photographer, who’s ready to organize and share your amazing activity photos to showcase all the great work we do!
Heard Natural Science Museum and Wildlife Sanctuary invite you to join us for a Bug-A-Thon Mothing Bioblitz Saturday, June 21st!
Get ready for a fascinating night at our Mothing BioBlitz on Saturday, June 21, 2025, from 8:00 – 11:00 PM! Join us to use UV lights to attract and record nocturnal insects, creating a “species snapshot” of the area using the free iNaturalist app. Come discover the hidden world of moths and other nighttime creatures!
The Nature Conservancy’s Smiley Meadow Preserve Tour – Saturday, June 14
The warm weather is bringing about fresh, green colors everywhere, and our flowers are beginning to bloom. Don’t miss your chance to walk among the blooms at TNC’s 1,050-acre Smiley Meadow Preserve, which contains one of the most significant remnants of Silveus’ dropseed prairie—a rare type of tallgrass prairie that supports hundreds of species of grasses, wildflowers, and wildlife. You’ll immerse yourself in the beauty and color of true Texas prairie while learning about the history and ecology of our native grasslands.
Members Meredith Brown Brady and Nancy Riggs with the folks at the BPRC are “who” to thank for this back yard rescue of an Eastern screech owl.
Fellow BPTMN member and Plano resident Nancy Riggs, Class of 2021 recently became an unexpected wildlife rescuer when she found a soggy eastern screech owl owlet floundering in her backyard pool. Thanks to quick action and the help of the Blackland Prairie Raptor Center (BPRC), the young owl was safely transported, treated, and happily reunited with its family by another BPTMN member, Meredith Brown Brady, Class of 2024.
BPRC Thanks BPTMN for the Grant!
The Blackland Raptor Center extends a huge thank you to the Master Naturalists for a generous grant that will help keep everyone, including our feathered friends and their “mouse toys,” cool this season!
Innovation in Environmental Resilience Award – City of Frisco Parks
Frisco, Texas’s Play Frisco won the 2025 Innovation in Environmental Resilience Award for their Blackland Prairie Restoration & Education program, a collaborative effort with partners like BPTMN, rebuilding native ecosystems and fostering environmental stewardship.
City of Plano Parks & Rec and the Blackland Priarie Master Naturalists invite you to join us at Plano Oak Point Park for a Mothing Bioblitz this Saturday!
Discover the nocturnal world at our Mothing BioBlitz on Saturday, June 14, 8-11 PM, at Plano Oak Point Park! Use UV lights to record insects for a “species snapshot” via the iNaturalist app. Special guest: Sam Kieschnick, Urban Biologist with Texas Parks and Wildlife. Join us for this fascinating outdoor event!