Rick Travis, Class of 2018 – April is National Volunteer Recognition month, and as I write these comments in late April, we’re in National Volunteer Week. Reflecting on our chapter’s level of volunteerism, and the many different ways we enthusiastically, and with great energy, serve our community, I wanted to share how proud I am of the effort by each one of you to educate, restore and conserve the natural wonder found in our area.
Rick Travis
Connemara Mothing Event Summary
A big thank you to all those who attended our 3rd annual mothing event at Connemara! Whether you helped with a screen and lighting set-up or came to observe, you helped make our event a great one.
2024 August Chapter Meeting with Rick Travis | Trees of the Piney Woods
We’ll discuss the overall makeup of the fascinating, extremely diverse Piney Woods ecoregion, and take an armchair hike into the woodlands of East Texas to look at some of the more interesting trees and plants found there.
Park by Park – Surveying the Trees of North Texas
Written by Jerry Hambly, Elm Fork Chapter – Park by Park – Surveying the Trees of North Texas -This engaging and informative article by Jerry Hamby from the Elm Fork Chapter elaborates on several tree surveys lead by Rick Travis at Coppell Nature Park, Beulah Acres, LISDOLA Pratt Nature Preserve and Grand Park. Jerry delves into all aspects of Rick Travis’s work as a Naturalist, shedding light on his contributions to environmental stewardship and the nurturing of a new generation of naturalists. If you want to join Rick in his Tree surveys, contact him at rickt@bptmn.org.
Our Tribe’s Fortune: Ruby 4,000 Hours – Rick Travis
Rick Travis, Class of 2018 – “Accommodating the growing number of people wanting to undergo training and join the Chapter.”
The 2023 Annual Conference October 14 Eclipse at El Sauz Ranch is sponsored by the East Foundation.
Vickie Sanders, Class of 2022 – “Clouds. They can be lovely, or provide shade, or promise much needed rain, but on Saturday, October 14, they were NOT what we wanted to see. Eight buses with over 400 Texas Master Naturalists loaded up in McAllen and headed to El Sauz Ranch, very anxious to see what the day held.”
The historical record for the Collin County Texas Master Naturalist Chapter – THE BLACKLAND PRAIRIE CHAPTER OF THE TEXAS MASTER NATURALISTS
Donna Cole, Class of 2006 – We did hold our first class that February of 2006, and with over twenty new members we could qualify for ‘chapterhood’ and became THE BLACKLAND PRAIRIE CHAPTER OF THE TEXAS MASTER NATURALISTS!
Frisco Grand Park Mothing Event with Sam Kieschnick – April 29, 2023
Rick Travis, 2018 – On April 29, our chapter partnered with the Frisco Parks Department to hold a Mothing Event at Grand Park, in support of the iNaturalist City Challenge. It was a real treat and a wonderful experience for all those that attended, which included not only several members of our chapter, but also TMN’s from surrounding chapters, and several families from the Frisco area!
BPTMNs Attend TMN Annual Meeting in Houston Texas
Linda Nixon, 2018 – Just prior to the start of the TMN 2022 Annual Meeting (Meeting) in Houston Texas, we decided to ask attendees, both those in person and those online, to write about their experiences so we could share them with BPTMN members who did not attend this event. We hope you will enjoy their musings and that what you read will inspire you to participate in a future Annual Meeting.
Texas Master Naturalists, Blackland Prairie Chapter
Rick Travis, 2018 –
2022 was an eventful year for the Blackland Prairie Master Naturalist Chapter! The Covid scourge FINALLY began to loosen its grip on us, and as the year progressed, we began transitioning back to in-person chapter meetings, classes, and volunteer activities. Online meetings helped keep us stitched together in 2020 and 2021, but (in my humble opinion) there’s no substitute for in-the-flesh gatherings.