Coastal Prairie ChapterFrequently Asked Questions
Who are Texas Master Naturalists?
Texas Master Naturalists are volunteers with the interest and desire to give back to their community and willingness to attend the training.
Texas Master Naturalists are volunteers with the interest and desire to give back to their community and willingness to attend the training.
How do I join the Texas Master Naturalists?
To join us and become a certified Texas Master Naturalist, you must complete a 40-hour training course on the region’s natural features and the impact that people have on nature. Training courses are held in the fall of each year and average about 20 students. The course includes presentations by biologists, geologists, naturalists, and others from local, state, and federal agencies and universities.
You must complete a minimum of 40 hours of volunteer service and 8 hours of advanced training during the first 12 months following your completion of the course (to be completed before your course’s graduation anniversary date). To maintain your certification each year, you must complete 40 hours of volunteer service and 8 hours of advanced training. Advanced training enables Texas Master Naturalists to gain additional knowledge or learn particular skills needed to assist with different volunteer projects. Advanced training activities in the past have involved hands-on instruction, field trips to local natural areas, and lectures with such topics as Texas bats, Texas insects, Texas aquatic environments, wildscape development, and trail planning, among many others.
You must complete a minimum of 40 hours of volunteer service and 8 hours of advanced training during the first 12 months following your completion of the course (to be completed before your course’s graduation anniversary date). To maintain your certification each year, you must complete 40 hours of volunteer service and 8 hours of advanced training. Advanced training enables Texas Master Naturalists to gain additional knowledge or learn particular skills needed to assist with different volunteer projects. Advanced training activities in the past have involved hands-on instruction, field trips to local natural areas, and lectures with such topics as Texas bats, Texas insects, Texas aquatic environments, wildscape development, and trail planning, among many others.
All of the volunteer service and advanced training activities must be approved by the Chapter Board of Directors and you must report your hours through the online Volunteer Management System to get credit. Once you meet these requirements, you will receive your certificate and dragonfly pin, and will be certified as a Texas Master Naturalist.
When and where are the meetings?
We meet once a month for Program Meetings on the first Thursday of the month at 6:30 p.m–January through October. Please check our Calendar for specific dates. Program meetings are usually held at the Rosenberg Convention Center on Hwy 36.
Field trips are taken 3 or 4 times a year, which may be held on any day of the week. Please check our Calendar for details.
What are the dragonfly pins?
The Master Naturalist program offers a series of pins commemorating different milestone
achievements within the program. The milestone pins honor those volunteers that have given
achievements within the program. The milestone pins honor those volunteers that have given
- 250 (silver dragonfly pin),
- 500 (bronze dragonfly pin),
- 1,000 (gold dragonfly pin)
- 5, 000 hours of service (gold dragonfly w/ diamond). These milestones are cumulative.