Ongoing projects provide volunteers with multiple opportunities to earn the annual required 40 hours for maintaining certification. Volunteer service (VS) projects approved by the Volunteer Services Committee may involve chapter service, community service, or environmental activities.
Some of the activities listed below are categories of activities more than specific projects. Others are specific projects (such as working on the Invaders of Texas Program) that don’t have well-defined “events”; most of our community scientist work is like this. To be covered by the state’s excess liability insurance we are supposed to have listed that particular volunteer activity in advance. Therefore, if an activity is not on this list, you should complete the VS opportunity approval form in advance whenever reasonable. Failure to register such an activity or to provide adequate information may result in disapproval of the event.
NOTE: Expand each project opportunity by clicking on the +.
Adopt-a-Loop is a citizen science project by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and Texas Master Naturalists (TMN) to better understand the distribution of Texas’ wildlife. The Great Texas Wildlife Trails (GTWT) are used by many to visit sites across the state for birding and other wildlife viewing. By adopting a loop on the GTWT, each TMN chapter will help collect data on our Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) and wildlife in general. This info will be used as a guide for informing visitors on what species to look for when they are at a particular site.
TMN chapters and members will also assist in ensuring that site information along the GTWT is updated and accurate, and perform site surveys throughout the year.
The information gathered from this project may be used to augment the TPWD’s survey, monitoring and research efforts.
Observations of rare species may be added to the Texas Species Observations database which is maintained by the TPWD and used to assist environmental review and conservation planning efforts.
We hope that this project will both inform our agency and other researchers about species distribution as well as empower citizen scientists to assist in the conservation of Texas’ wildlife.
The Brazos Valley Chapter has adopted the Brazos Valley Loop and Fort Boggy State Park in Leon County on the Big Woods Loop. Participants do need to join the Adopt-a-Loop project in iNaturalist to contribute observations and claim VS credit.
Assist as requested (e.g., in cataloging and maintaining the collection) with projects at the Texas A&M Biodiversity Research and Teaching Collections (BRTC). Opportunities will be sent by email as they arise.
Email Heather Prestridge for ongoing projects.
Help increase number bluebirds in our area by providing new nesting boxes and then managing and monitoring the boxes during the breeding season (mid-February to mid-September).
Good information on nest box requirements, and bluebird monitoring is available at the Texas Blue Society website http://www2.texasbluebirdsociety.org/article/Resources/.
Specific Volunteer Activities:
* Build Bluebird nest boxes. This activity includes the acquisition of materials and the building the nest boxes. The boxes should meet the recognized requirements for bluebirds.
* Deploy, monitor and maintain nest boxes. Check each nest box once per week during breeding season (February to August) and record its status, fix any problems, remove any unwanted inhabitants. Talk with Jim or Kitty Anding for information on how to monitor and maintain nest boxes.
Assist in public educational outreach programs as requested or otherwise assist the Museum.
Activities supporting our local chapter beyond attending the regular monthly meetings, as follows:
* Chapter management work, such as attending board meetings or any work done to support one of our committees.
* Mentoring new trainees by attending the current trainee welcome and graduation ceremonies.
* Attending the first chapter meeting of the year when certificates are awarded and committees are organized.
Started in 2016 as a competition between Los Angeles and San Francisco, the City Nature Challenge (CNC) has grown into an international event, motivating people around the world to find and document wildlife in their own cities. Run by the Community Science teams at the California Academy of Sciences and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (NHM), the CNC is an annual four-day global bioblitz at the end of April, where cities collaborate to see what can be accomplished when we all work toward a common goal.
The CNC is held each year at the end of April and beginning of May. Brazos Valley has conducted a CNC since 2021 in its six-county (Brazos, Burleson, Grimes, Leon, Madison, and Robertson) area. Observations are made over four days from Friday through Monday, then they are identified over the following two weeks. Master Naturalists can get volunteer time for participation in both the observation and identification phases.
Time spent reporting eBird data is approved for volunteer credit, however time spent collecting e-bird data is not approved unless it is part of an organized bird survey that is separately approved for volunteer credit.
The Texas Master Naturalist Brazos Valley Chapter hosts Habitat Maintenance &
Restoration (HRM) workdays on the last Saturday of every month. Start times vary with
the season and weather, but we typically begin around 8:00 a.m. and finish in about two
or three hours.
Our chapter maintains four public natural areas in College Station:
· Lick Creek Park – Kiosk Garden
· Bee Creek Butterfly Garden at the Andy Anderson Arboretum
· Biodiversity Research and Teaching Collections gardens (BRTC)
· Schob Nature Preserve
Workdays focus on hands-on ecological stewardship, including weeding, removing
invasive species, laying down mulch when needed, supporting native plantings, and
maintaining trails and habitat structure. These efforts help keep our local green spaces
healthy, resilient, and welcoming for both wildlife and the community.
Whether you’re brand new or seasoned in the field, you’re invited to jump in, learn
alongside fellow naturalists, and help these gardens flourish.
Collecting and reporting data for iNaturalist is approved for volunteer credit. This includes organizational projects such as the development of a iNaturalist guide to a Texas area. Time spent in a dedicated collecting activity can be counted, but if the observation is incidental to another activity it cannot be counted. Travel time can be counted according to our standard guidelines. Only observations that are reported can be counted for volunteer hours. Reporting time is counted as actual time spent reporting or enhancing observations.
The Invaders of Texas Program supports the creation and perpetuation of a network of local citizen scientist teams who seek out and report outbreaks of selected environmentally and economically harmful invasive species. These teams, coordinated by the Wildflower Center, contribute important data to local and national resource managers who will, in turn, coordinate appropriate responses to control the spread of unwanted invaders. The Invaders Program is designed to move the target audience beyond awareness to action on invasive species.
Volunteer activities include the identification and reporting of invasive species as well as proper control or elimination of reported species. Volunteer activities are eligible for volunteer hours if the volunteer has competed training or is supervised by someone who has completed training and the activities are carried out as specified in the training. Training can be either completed online or by attending a workshop.
For general information regarding this program, visit http://www.texasinvasives.org/invaders/.
For information regarding the “Brazos Valley Invaders” satellite, visit http://www.texasinvasives.org/invaders/satellite_detail.php?satellite_id=64.
Planning for, preparing for, and conducting a Chapter Junior Master Naturalist program. Or, support for Junior Naturalist activities. Requires a separate City of College Station background check prior to participation.
The Monarch Larva Monitoring Project (MLMP) is a citizen science project involving volunteers from across the United States and Canada in monarch research. It was developed by researchers at the University of Minnesota to collect long-term data on larval monarch populations and milkweed habitat. The overarching goal of the project is to better understand how and why monarch populations vary in time and space, with a focus on monarch distribution and abundance during the breeding season in North America.
As an MLMP volunteer, your contributions will aid in conserving monarchs and their threatened migratory phenomenon, and advance our understanding of butterfly ecology in general.
Register and get trained with the Monarch Larva Monitoring Project. Then your reported monitoring activities are approved for TMN volunteer credit.
Educational presentations or activities conducted on naturalist topics with a group of children in an organized setting such as a school, daycare, after school program, or summer program. Members can receive credit for time spent presenting and for work such as preparation and travel, that supports the presentation. Members should complete the online form prior to the event. For Chapter Junior Natural Master Naturalist activities, please use that opportunity.
Public outreach activities that are approved by the Outreach Committee. These include activities like staffing a BVTMN booth at an event, preparing outreach materials, or giving a presentation about Texas Master Naturalists.
Currently approved outreach activities include:
· BioBlitz
· Boonville Days
· Earth Day
· Hullabloom
· Monarch March
· National Migratory Bird Day
· Park-in-the-Dark
· Pollinator Palooza
· Rock Prairie Elementary STEAM Night
· St. Thomas Early Learning Festival
For outreach activities not on this list, a VS project approval form must be submitted and approved before the event.
Project FeederWatch is a winter-long survey of birds that visit feeders at backyards, nature centers, community areas, and other locales in North America. FeederWatchers periodically count the birds they see at their feeders from November through early April and send their counts to Project FeederWatch. FeederWatch data help scientists track broadscale movements of winter bird populations and long-term trends in bird distribution and abundance.
Anyone interested in birds can participate. FeederWatch is conducted by people of all skill levels and backgrounds, including children, families, individuals, classrooms, retired persons, youth groups, nature centers, and bird clubs. Participants watch their feeders as much or as little as they want over two consecutive days as often as every week (less often is fine). They count birds that appear in their count site because of something that they provided (plantings, food, or water).
New participants are sent a Research Kit with complete instructions for participating. You provide the feeder(s) and seed. In addition, U.S. participants receive a subscription to the Lab of Ornithology’s newsletter, Living Bird News. Canadian participants, receive Bird Studies Canada’s quarterly publication, BirdWatch Canada.
There is a $18 annual participation fee for U.S. residents ($12 for Cornell Lab members). Canadians can participate by joining Bird Studies Canada for CAN$35. The participation fee covers materials, staff support, web design, data analysis, and a year-end report (Winter Bird Highlights). Project FeederWatch is supported almost entirely by participation fees. Without the support of our participants, this project wouldn’t be possible.
Project FeederWatch is operated by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Bird Studies Canada. More info is available at http://feederwatch.org/about/project-overview/.
Only time spent in actual observation of feeders may be counted for VS credit.
Public educational presentations on TV, radio, or group settings that members give on the Texas Master Naturalist Program, or on the naturalist topics such as, but not limited to: Texas native plants; water conservation and fresh water management in Texas; Texas invasive plants; Texas wildlife; Texas wildlife habitat management; or endangered or threatened species in Texas. Members can receive VS credit for time actually presenting and for work such as preparation and travel, that supports the presentation.
In the notes box of the VMS opportunity, indicate the group addressed, topic presented, location. Please also indicate “impact” (numbers of adults and youths reached), if possible. Opportunities without sufficient details may be disapproved!
Dr. Dale Kruse needs help and welcomes TMN volunteers. The Herbarium is in the same building as BRTC. Knowledge of plants is desirable, but not essential. And, you will learn a lot! If you are interested, please contact Dr. Kruse.
More than ever, people are interested in watching and learning about Texas wildlife. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, along with other partners, offers Texans the opportunity to do just that while making valuable contributions to the conservation of animal and plant species in the state. Texas Nature Trackers, associated with the Texas Master Naturalist Program, is a citizen-science monitoring effort designed to involve volunteers of all ages and interest levels in gathering scientific data on Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCNs) in Texas.
Through Texas Nature Trackers projects, you can learn how to gather data about various species found on public lands or on your own property. Collected data are sent to biologists who use the information to gain a better understanding of the status and management needs of various species. The goal of the program is to enable long-term conservation of these species and appreciation among Texas citizens.
Activities under all of these citizen scientist projects are approved for volunteer credit.
Further information on the Nature Trackers’ program is available at their website.
Many projects sponsored by, recommended by, or directly approved by TPWD qualify for volunteer hours.
To be eligible for VS credit, activities must be conducted within our chapter’s six-chapter service area or three ecoregions: Post Oak Savannah, Blackland Prairie, or Pineywoods.
Through Texas Stream Team, citizen scientists are trained to collect and submit surface water and environmental quality data that can then be used to promote and protect Texas waterways. Parameters such as pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, depth, transparency, E. coli, and field conditions are studied. Multiple local sites are being monitored on a monthly schedule. Volunteers can participate, but in order to receive VMS hours for this program, they must receive training and be certified.
For information on how to participate or concerning future training sessions, please contact Kathryn Sneed.