VSP: Native Plants & Restoration Team – Think Tank Meetings

The Texas Master Naturalist Coastal Prairie Chapter (TMNCPC) is instituting a ‘Native Plants & Restoration Team’ (NPRT) for the purpose of establishing a set a guidelines for TMNCPC members on best practices when working on wildlife habitats, demonstration gardens, pocket prairies and other land restorations/improvements. In so doing, it will ensure such projects meet TMN mission statement and follow the requirements for best-type Volunteers Service Projects as outlined in the Chapter Management and Operations Protocols (CMOP).  The NPRT’s work will be organized under the VSP committee. Susie Doe and Shannon Westveer will be the lead members of the NPRT. This will probably be a multi-month undertaking. Susie and Shannon look forward to working with all interested parties to produce an awesome set of guidelines for future projects taken on by the chapter and its members.

To begin the work and to build the NPRT, Susie and Shannon invite all interested parties to attend one of two ‘Think Tank’ style meetings scheduled for Thursday, 7/20/2023, 2 pm – 4 pm, and Saturday, 7/22/2023, 10 am – 12 pm, both at the TMN Office Annex Building’s Meeting Room.

Susie and Shannon encourage anyone with any experience in or interest in working with native plants and restorations/habitats to share what they know and what they feel they might need to know in helping them plan, implement, and manage these types of projects effectively and proficiently. The meeting will begin with a short introduction of the issues that Susie and Shannon have identified as being important (e.g. goals & planning issues, budgets, resourcing, working with other parties, etc.). This will be followed by breaking into groups to discuss and receive input on all these topics, and end by considering the next steps appropriate to moving the NPRT forward. 

[VSP hours to be recorded in VMS under: “Chapter Business” followed by “Board/Committee Work”]