Blackland Prairie Newsletter

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day! Sure! This month’s newsletter is brimming with thrilling news, uplifting tales, and fantastic chances to engage with the natural world and bond with other nature enthusiasts.

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
• Past Chapter Meeting Recordings
• Recent Deep Dive Recordings
• Shaking the Trees Member Submissions – Shaking the Trees Newsletter
  
  • Greg Tonian has started a Haiku Hunt: Unleash Your Inner Poet on the Blackland Prairie
    
    
  • Let it Grow are wise words from Kathy Boys.
    
    
  • John Garbutt is letting us know his Favorite Things through the Four Seasons: Winter
    
    
  • Beginning Birding Course at Hagerman NWR information from Patricia Crain.
    
    
  • What Mary Abercrombie wants you to know about the 2025 Prairie in Bloom Tours given by our Dave Powell.
    
    
  • Eco Explorers: Girl Scout Program with the Blackland Prairie Texas Master Naturalists
    • Save The Dates – April 13 and May 4th. Vicki Sander’s needs you to volunteer!
      
      
  • Cali Bakker is keeping us up to date with what’s happening in the Class of 2025.
    • Class of 2025 Week 4 – Topic: Mammalogy Speaker: Bryon Clark
    • Class of 2025 Week 6 – Topic: Botany Speaker: Dr. George Diggs
      
      
• Upcoming Advanced Training & Volunteer Hours Opportunities – Member VHAT Calendar.
  Do you want an event to be considered for VHAT? 
  click on the below to fill out the form
  VH/AT Opportunity Request Form
  
  Here are a few you may not know about! Please go check out our VHAT calendar for details.
  
  • AT: Webinar – Plant Party: Spring Green Up
  • AT: McKinney Public Library – Beginning Birding
  • AT: Beginning Birding Course w/Bird Walks, 4 Saturdays
  • AT: In-Person: Owl Prowl Night Hike ($18-20 fee)
  • AT: In-Person – Raccoon Rehabilitation Course ($40 fee)
  • AT:Tram Tour of Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge
  • AT: Webinar – 2025 Monarch Conservation Webinar Series
    
    
• 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

Chapter Business

TMN State Program Updates

Brazos River Cleanup, Rio Brazos Chapter — SAVE THE DATE

The Rio Brazos Chapter invites you to join us for the Eighth Annual Brazos River Cleanup and Campout – Friday afternoon, May 16, through Monday morning, May 19, 2025. River cleanup will be Saturday, May 17, followed by a day of volunteer and AT opportunities on Sunday, May 18. Event headquarters is a privately owned ranch on the Brazos River south of Glen Rose in Somervell County. Please mark your calendars!

What began in 2017 as a Rio Brazos Chapter training class project (in conjunction with the Friends of the Brazos), has grown into a long weekend of work, fun, and camaraderie among river-lovers and trash-haters from other TMN chapters and collaborating organizations. In 2023, this project earned the Texas Master Naturalist^TM Exemplary Project First Place Award at the State Meeting! Watch the video presentation shown at the TMN State Meeting here. This 14-minute video covers the history, evolution, and accomplishments of the Brazos River Cleanup project.

We welcome Texas Master Naturalists statewide to assist us with removing all the tires and trash we can float out from a stretch of the Brazos River where John Graves once paddled.

In addition to earning volunteer hours for the Saturday canoe flotilla cleanup and support tasks, there will be Advanced Training opportunities on Sunday. Examples of Advanced Training: Lectures and field sessions on insects (mothing!), aquatic ecology, riparian ecology, the night sky (stargazing!), and bird, plant, and geology walks. AND – food will NOT be in short supply! The long weekend also includes three nights of camping, cookouts, games, visiting with old friends, and meeting new ones.

Check the chapter website river cleanup page for more information, and watch for an online registration form to be added soon.

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2025 Birding Classic registration is now open, and funding for grants is available!

Now that we are getting closer to Spring, I wanted to be sure to reach out to all TMNs to let them that Birding Classic teams have time to register and that conservation grant funding is still available this year from the 29^th annual Great Texas Birding Classic!

The registration deadline for the Great Texas Birding Classic is just over one month away, so register today to join this fun, friendly, birdwatching event. There are categories for all ages and skill levels (including beginners!), so select the one that works best for you.

Registration Deadline: April 1
Tournament Days: pick any day from April 15-May 15 to participate
REGISTER TODAY: https://tpwd.texas.gov/events/great-texas-birding-classic/rules-and-registration

Reminder: Big Sit! is the only tournament category with one or more people to a team. All other tournament categories have 3-5 people per team.

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Have questions? Please see the following to help – or reach out directly by email or phone. I’m happy to help!
Step-by-step process on how to register: https://tpwd.texas.gov/events/great-texas-birding-classic/how-to-participate
Online registration: https://tpwd.texas.gov/events/great-texas-birding-classic/rules-and-registration|
Tournament categories: https://tpwd.texas.gov/events/great-texas-birding-classic/tournament-categories-1
GTBC Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/birdingclassic

Remember – it’s for the birds! Registration fees and sponsorship dollars go toward Conservation Grants (https://tpwd.texas.gov/events/great-texas-birding-classic/prizes) for birding, nature tourism, and habitat restoration and enhancement projects throughout the state, and select winning teams will help choose which projects are funded. The more teams that register, the more funds raised and awarded through grants! If your chapter is submitting a conservation grant proposal, please make sure to get approval from TMN before submission to make sure Mary Pearl and Michelle are good with any projects ahead of time.

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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

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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.