Our Tribe’s Fortune – Ruby: 4,000 Hours

Tom Shackelford, Class of 2018, Board Member and 2019-2020 Blackland Prairie Chapter President

What inspired you to become a Master Naturalist?

I was fortunate to work with the Cullum Companies (Tom Thumb) for 30+ years, followed by Restaurant Depot for 11 years. Each company encouraged individual initiative, and although both were large companies, they believed that all associates were partners in their respective success. My FOCUS was “Be better today than I was yesterday and better tomorrow than I was today.” After I retired, I spent about a year looking for “something” to become involved in. This started with volunteer activity at the Heard, which put me in contact with volunteers (Thank you, Dave) at The Texas Master Naturalists / The Blackland Prairie Chapter. This in turn resulted in time spent volunteering with various groups,s including The Heard Natural Science Museum, Erwin Park, Heritage Farmstead, Collin County Adventure Camp / YMCA, and The Nature Conservancy. There were several others that I also spent time at, looking for what would allow me to continue my FOCUS. Ultimately, I held multiple positions with the Texas Master Naturalists Blackland Prairie Chapter and have been lucky to meet many inspiring people. Presently, I spend about 50% of my volunteer time with The Nature Conservancy and assist as an informal Volunteer Projects Coordinator at the Clymer Meadow Preserve and other TNC Prairie-related activities in North Texas.

On what type of projects do you typically spend your service hours, or are they varied?

Clymer Meadow Preserve
Park Hill Prairie
County Line Prairie
Farmersville Heritage Museum Native Garden
Smiley Meadows
Tridens Prairie
Multiple managed TNC conservation easements
The primary activity is restoration and maintenance of habitats, protecting biological diversity and increasing awareness of these endangered ecosystems.
Specific service includes:
• Restoration, preservation, maintenance
• Removing invasive species from various tracts by hand or mechanical means
• Removal of fence lines or invasive trees inhibiting the ability of prairie plants, insect populations and wildlife to freely move from remnant areas to areas undergoing resorvation.
• Plant, animal, insect surveys
• Soil sampling
• Seed collection, processing & sorting seed for distribution to other Blackland Prairie sites to further increase biodiversity.
• Specialized seasonal activities to address ongoing issues that arise throughout the year.
• Wildflower tours – Seasonal, School or group tours that address specific interests and increase environmental awareness.
Heard Museum – Trail guide, Trail Steward, Prairie maintenance, Annual Native Plant sale
Heritage Farmstead Native Garden / Plano

Native Grass transplanting at Clymer Meadow

When you were taking the Master Naturalist classes, do you have a favorite lesson that has stuck with you?

The Textbook – pages 1 – 735
Find the OLOGY that moves you!

Can you tell us a bit about yourself, your background, and perhaps what you like to do in your spare time?

I grew up on a farm/ranch in Central Kansas near Fort Larned. We primarily grew Alfalfa, Winter Wheat, and raised cattle. I did not realize until much later that the pasture land had never been under cultivation, and the grasslands we had were what I have spent the last few years becoming reacquainted with here in Texas. I left Kansas and moved to Texas with my wife in 1974. We have a Son and 2 Grandchildren. We have lived in Dallas for 43 years and have been in McKinney for the past 11 years. I graduated from UT Dallas with a BS degree in Business and Public Administration. My focus was Marketing and Behavioral Management. My entire working career in Texas was in the Grocery, Specialty food, and Wholesale Restaurant supply areas with emphasis on training & development of high-potential management candidates.
In my spare time, I am engaged in assorted volunteer activities as mentioned above, gardening, maintaining a raggedy-looking pocket prairie in my back yard, watching the Birds, and activity in the stream behind our house. I also enjoy woodworking. I frequently utilize old fenceposts for making vases, bowls, pens, and pencils, or rebuilding older wooden furniture.

Is there one thing that you’d like to tell others who are thinking of becoming a Master Naturalist or perhaps current members who might need a little bit of inspiration?

We should:
Focus not so much on the moment, but for all time.
Show concern for one another and remember the Golden Rule in our policies, practices, and actions.
Accept our responsibility to do our share, sometimes more, and put back into nature a portion of what we have taken from it.

Volunteer Service Questionnaire – created by Andrea Ridout, Class of 2009