The following volunteer projects have been approved and meet chapter requirements, as well as the mission and standards established by the Texas Master Naturalist state program.
Garner State Park
Help Garner State Park with various activities. Contact Janis Prather at [email protected] for more information.
Lost Maples State Park
Help the Friends of Lost Maples with various volunteer activities. For more information go here or email [email protected].
Native Plant Garden at El Progreso Library in Uvalde
The native plant garden between El Progeso Library and its parking lot routinely requires maintenance. Contact Mickey Redus at [email protected] for more information.
Mission San Lorenzo in Campwood
The Mission San Lorenzo needs help to enhance and maintain the trails at the mission site. For more information go here or contact Janis Prather at [email protected].
Love Creek Nature Preserve
Love Creek Preserve has work days for trail building and maintenance. For more information go here.
iNaturalist
iNaturalist is a community science tool and online biodiversity database platform comprised of global networks of naturalists, community scientists and others built on the concept of mapping and sharing flora and fauna observations documenting biodiversity. This includes projects organized and managed by Texas Nature Trackers as well as bioblitzes and other field data collection projects created by organizations, groups and individuals collecting flora and fauna data within Texas using the iNaturalist platform. When contributing hours, please provide the project name, and project sponsor or partner organization (if not Texas Nature Trackers) and the location from which you were documenting observations. The Brush y Canyons Chapter – Texas Master Naturalists project can be found here.
Project Feeder Watch
Project FeederWatch (Cornell Lab of Ornithology) is a November-April survey of birds that visit backyards, nature centers, community areas, and other locales in North America. Go here for more information.
Project Nest Watch
Project NestWatch (Cornell Lab of Ornithology) is a monitoring program designed to track status and trends in the reproductive biology of birds, including when nesting occurs, number of eggs laid, how many eggs hatch, and how many hatchlings survive. Go here for more information.
Great Backyard Bird Count
Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society created the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) to collect data on wild birds and to display results in near real time. This four day event happens is February of each year. To learn more go here.
Great Texas Birding Classic
The Great Texas Birding Classic is the biggest, longest, wildest birdwatching tournament in the United States! Created and organized by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, this friendly birding for conservation event happens annually in the spring. Go here for more information.
Project Climate Watch
Climate Watch volunteers collect data which Audubon scientists are able to use to document in peer reviewed research that birds are responding to climate change and shifting their ranges. Go here for more information.
Audubon Christmas Bird Counts
The Audobon Christmas Bird Counts (CBC) occur December 14 to January 5 every year. To locate a CBC near you please go here.
CoCoRAHS
CoCoRaHS is an acronym for the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network. CoCoRaHS is a unique, non-profit, community-based network of volunteers working together to measure and map precipitation. Go here for more information.
Seminole Canyon/White Shaman Preserve
Texas Master Naturalists are asked to lead public tours of the designated archeological site, Fate Bell Shelter at Seminole Canyon State Park and tours of the White Shaman Preserve and rock art mural site. Weekly Saturday tours are given fall through spring from 9:30am-3:00pm. For more information, contact [email protected].
DarkSky Texas
DarkSky Texas promotes the use of better lighting to help restore our view of the nighttime sky, improve the safety and well-being of people and wildlife, and save energy. Volunteers observe, take light pollution readings and collect and report data. Go here for more information.
Time to Restore Texas Phenology Project
The data that you collect as part of the Time to Restore project will help provide better guidance on when nectar plants bloom and seed, and how that timing may be impacted by climate change. Any data that you can collect on the flowering and seed timing of the priority species below will be extremely helpful. We are particularly interested in when flowering and seeds start and ultimately peak. Learn more about the Time to Restore project here. To see the Texas priority species list, please go here.
Devil’s Sinkhole State Natural Area
Volunteers can be involved with public outreach and education through guided walks for both adults and children. Topics to include geology, plants, bats, birds, and natural history. Contact the Devil’s Sinkhole Society for more information at [email protected].
Adopt-A-Loop
Volunteers can help with planning, leading or participating in data collection, reporting, and/or analysis of bird populations and wildlife mapping for Great Texas Wildlife Trails. This would include administrative planning, meetings for technical guidance, and completion of paperwork associated with the project. Two loops in the Heart of Texas West Wildlife Trail fall within our region: the Rio Frio Loop and the Nueces Loop. More information about the Rio Frio Loop can be found here and the Nueces Loop and be found here.
Texas Waters Specialist
Through this program, volunteers will provide education, outreach, and service dedicated to the beneficial management of aquatic resources and aquatic habitats within our community for the state of Texas. More information can be found here.
Texas Stream Team
Texas Stream Team (TST) engages a statewide network of volunteer community scientists who are trained to monitor the water quality of their local lakes, rivers, streams, and estuaries at assigned sites. More information can be found here.
Pollinators for Texas Project
Pollination is a critical ecosystem service that helps to maintain the ecological integrity of native plant communities. Native pollinators—bees, butterflies, moths, bats and birds—play a critical role in sustaining ecosystems and provide essential services to American agriculture. Our chapter has been granted funding to improve the pollinator garden at Garner State Park. More information about the Pollinators for Texas Project can be found here.
If you have a project that you would like our chapter to adopt, please fill out this Approval Request for AT or VS and send to Mickey Redus at [email protected].