Coastal Prairie ChapterCoastal Prairie Chapter of the Texas Master Naturalists (CPCTMN) is a group of trained volunteers who share their appreciation and knowledge of nature with the community through outreach, education and conservation/restoration projects, in or near the Fort Bend and Waller County areas.
CHAPTER PROGRAMS
The Coastal Prairie Chapter programs are free and open to the public and are held on the first Thursday of the month at the Rosenberg Civic Center 3825 TX-36, Rosenberg, TX 77471. Join us at 6:30 p.m. for a 30 minute social time and the hour long program begins at 7:00 p.m.
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February 7, 2019: “Dark Sky” presented by Debbie Moran and Steve Goldberg. Deborah Moran is the 2017 recipient of the International Dark-Sky Association’s Hoag-Robinson Award for education of government officials about outdoor lighting issues. In 2010, her Woodside neighborhood became the first within Houston city limits allowed to install low glare fully shielded decorative streetlights. Now three surrounding neighborhoods have investigated using similar lighting. For the past three years she has had concerns about the choice of high glare white LED street lights in Houston and hopes that the Houston area will join other communities in moving to warm or soft white LEDs at 3000K and below which are recommended by the American Medical Association for their reduced glare and reduced disruption of day/night circadian function which can interfere with sleep and cause a host of health problems. Houston is now an outlier in ignoring these concerns among major cities in the US and Texas.
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March 6, 2019: Topic to be announced.
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April 4, 2019: Member field trip instead of regular meeting.
CURRENT PROJECTS:
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SEABOURNE CREEK NATURE PARK is our signature project. Click here to view the Seabourne Creek Nature Park brochure.
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BIRD HIKES The next monthly bird hike will be held at Seabourne Creek Nature Park on Wednesday, February 6, 2018 at 8 am. For a full list of the birds seen at Seabourne, go to Seabourne e-Bird Species List.
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SEABOURNE WEEKEND NATURE WALKS are available by appointment only.
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SEABOURNE NATURE FEST– held the first weekend in November. Click here to see photos from the 2018 event.
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COASTAL PRAIRIE BLOG
January 2019 Bird Walk at Seabourne Creek Nature Park
Twelve people walked in a light rain on a 50 degree morning and identified 29 species of birds at Seabourne Creek Nature Park. Birds included 1 Great Blue Heron, 2 Ruby-Crowned Kinglets, 2 Crested Caracara, and 3 Cedar Waxwings. It was too overcast for photos. Click date on photo to see eBird link which lists all bird species seen, plus example photos and recorded bird calls. Photo by Kimberly Farou
Two New Nature Pamphlets for Seabourne Creek Demo Garden
Volunteers Lynn and Jerry Trenta, Terri Hurley, Jade Hems, and Kimberly Farou have created two new pamphlets, one on Pollinators and one on Butterflies, to join the other nature pamphlets available at the Seabourne Creek Nature Park Prairie Demo Garden. Click to see all 5 pamphlets. Photo by Kimberly Farou
Bird Sightings at Seabourne Creek Nature Park on December 5, 2018
On Wednesday, December 5, 2018, a group of 25 took a walk at Seabourne Creek Park and identified 43 species of birds, including: 2 Lincoln Sparrows, 1 Northern Cardinal, 4 Blue-Gray Gnatcatchers, 4 Roseate Spoonbills, and the feature photo of a Least Sandpiper. Two taxa were also identified, incl. a nutria.
Three New Nature Pamphlets Created by CPC Master Naturalists
Volunteers at the native habitat gardens in the Prairie Demonstration Garden have created three informative nature pamphlets that were distributed for free at the Seabourne Nature Fest. Links to these brochures are included here. The Hummingbird brochure by Jade Hems provides fun facts and ways to help these flying jewels. The Native Bee brochure by Lynn Trenta highlights a native bee’s life and how to attract bees to your yard with native plants. The Prairie Bird pamphlet by Terri Hurley provides information on how to find prairie… Read More →
Bird Sightings at Seabourne Creek on November Walk
On Wednesday, November 7, 2018 a group of 21 went on an early morning Seabourne Creek Bird Walk. They identified 31 species of birds, including Great White Egret, Crested Caracara, a Northern Cardinal, a Yellow-Rumped Warbler, and a dozen Eastern Phoebes. Click on Title to see photos.
2018 Nature Fest was a huge success!
The 7th Annual Seabourne Nature Fest was a record-breaking success. Over 2200 people enjoyed the displays, rides, presentations, and children’s activities which highlighted the wondrous nature surrounding the park. Click here to see photos of the event.
Seabourne Gardens Monthly Report – October 2018
Volunteers maintained both the Butterfly and Prairie Demo Gardens at Seabourne.
Bird Sightings at Seabourne on October Walk
On October 3, 2018, a group of 18 took a morning walk in Seabourne Park. They identified 40 species of birds. Click on title to see photos of two birds seen: Great White Egret and Loggerhead Shrike. Photos by Garrett Engelhardt.
New Insect and Spider List Created for SCNP
A new “Insect and Spider List” for the SCNP has been created using all the sightings shown on the SCNP page on the iNaturalist website. The SCNP has been an active location on iNaturalist with lots of observers uploading their sightings weekly, especially during the iNaturalist City Nature Challenge this year. The list will be updated as more sightings are posted to iNaturalist. The next iNaturalist City Challenge takes place April 26-29, 2019. Click here to view the new Insect and Spider List. All photos by Amber… Read More →
9 Native Plants KPC
Do you want to add native plants to your garden, but do not know where to begin? Try starting with the guide of 9 Native Plants from Katy Prairie Conservancy! Click photo date to get link. Photo by John Donaho. http://www.katyprairie.org/nine-natives/