The purpose of volunteer service (VS) is to provide education and outreach dedicated to the beneficial management of natural resources and natural areas in our communities. Also, volunteer service provides members of the Brazos Valley Chapter of Texas Master Naturalists an opportunity to contribute to their local community. Volunteer service is a benefit in itself, providing the experienced Master Naturalist with tools to work in more advanced volunteer efforts.
Approval Criteria
According to the Chapter Management and Operations Protocols (CMOP), one of our operating documents,
6.8 Criteria for Approval – The following are points for the chapter’s VS coordinator and the committee to consider when approving a new project. The project opportunity:
· Represents the mission, goals, practices, and teachings of the TMN Program
· Addresses a pressing naturalist of natural resource management issue need
· Is well defined in terms of when it will be conducted, where, estimated time needed to complete or maintain per month, how many members would be needed, etc.
· Is located within the chapter’s defined service area or ecological area. Consideration may be given to projects outside the chapter’s service area, but still within the chapter’s ecological zone if the project’s service is compatible with the mission, goals, and training of the chapter and the TMN Program.
· Allows the chapter to create visibility, identity, or recruitment opportunities for the chapter
· Describes how its impact on the community and our natural resources can be measured
· Identifies why/how it is beneficial for the chapter and for the program to be associated with it
· Does not include fundraising for an organization other than the chapter or the state TMN Program [emphasis in the original]
· Does not include lobbying, which is not acceptable under the TMN mission [emphasis in the original]
Examples of unacceptable, better, and best Volunteer Service projects can be found on pages 16-18 of the CMOP.
Credits Granted
Volunteer service hours are counted one hour for each hour of advanced training, rounded to the nearest quarter hour. Travel time may be included for VS hours, according to State Program and chapter guidelines.
Guidelines for Reporting Travel Time
Rule Number One: Travel time cannot exceed actual time volunteered.
- So long as Rule Number One is not violated,
- Actual travel time within the chapter’s six-county service area may be claimed.
- Travel time claimed outside the chapter’s six-county service area should be counted as the least of:
- Actual travel time from the local venue (hotel, campsite, etc.), or
- Estimated travel time from the nearest town with reasonable overnight accommodations, or
- Two hours each way.
- Travel time claimed outside the chapter’s six-county service area should be counted as the least of:
Guidelines approved by the Brazos Valley Chapter Board of Directors on 6 May 2026