Blackland Prairie Newsletter

Vicki Sanders, Vice President

Topic: Riparian Rock Stars: Trees of North Texas Highly Prized by Wildlife

Get ready to branch out and grow your knowledge at our next chapter meeting! We’re absolutely thrilled to have our very own President, Rick Travis, leading the charge as our speaker.

Rick’s going to take us on a fascinating journey through the North Texas woodlands, revealing the secrets of our key native trees – the unsung heroes that keep our local wildlife thriving. We’ll dig into everything from their unique looks and preferred hangouts to their incredible natural history and why they’re so vital to our ecosystem. It’s going to be an un-tree-lievable discussion you won’t want to miss!

Mini Potluck ALERT – It’s hot out, so let’s enjoy some cool snacks and drinks at the August Chapter meeting. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080A4DAFAD29A5F85-57505701-cool

Speaker: Rick Travis

Rick is a valued member of our own BPTMN chapter, Class of 2018. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Forest Management and an MBA, both from Stephen F. Austin State University. With his retirement from a successful business career, Rick is now fulfilling a long-deferred desire to re-engage with environmental sciences and our natural world.

He is currently serving his fourth year as BPTMN Chapter President. Rick is also a member of Frisco’s Natural Resources Advisory Board and works closely with Frisco Parks on multiple projects within the city. Additionally, he serves as a volunteer trail guide at the Heard Wildlife Sanctuary, Plano Parks and Trails, as well as for Frisco Parks and Trails. He further contributes as the Forest Ecology instructor for our Blackland Prairie chapter, the North Texas chapter, and the Elm Fork chapter’s new member training programs.

When: Tuesday, August 12th, 2025 – 7:00 PM
Click here to view our Calendar.

• SRC Doors will open at 6:30 PM
• Zoom meeting waiting room will open at 6:45 PM
• Business Meeting will begin at 7:00 PM
• Naturalist Talk will start at 7:30 PM (approximately)

Physical Meeting Location:  Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary, 
1Nature Place, McKinney, TX 75069, Science Resource Center (SRC) building.
Directions to SRC: Drive through Heard gates, past the parking lot and museum building, and continue until the road ends at the large white SRC building. 

Register in advance for this Zoom meeting:
Use the email address associated with your personal Zoom account.
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZElcOmsrTsrGtbd5HCAAws7J_qSSob6IxpQ
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Logging AT:  The monthly meeting presentation will allow members to earn 1-hour of AT. Log as AT: BPTMN Chapter Monthly Meeting Only (1 hour) with the speaker’s name and topic in the description box.

If you have any additional questions, please email.
Chapter Meeting Host: Vicki Sanders, vicepresident@bptmn.org