Coastal Prairie Chapter

Our Mission

The Texas Master Naturalist™ Program’s mission is to develop a corps of well-informed volunteers to provide education, outreach, and service dedicated to the beneficial management of natural resources and natural areas within their communities for the State of Texas. Coastal Prairie Chapter members volunteer mainly in Fort Bend, Waller and Wharton counties.

State TMN Program Site

New Training Class – Spring 2026

The 2026 Spring class is now full. For future training class information, click below.

Click Here for New Training Class Information

Monthly Chapter Program – April 2, 2026

Living Dinosaurs on the Prairie: The Evolutionary Story of Birds and the Fight to Save the Attwater Prairie Chicken

Birds are more than distant relatives of dinosaurs – they are dinosaurs, the only surviving branch of the theropod lineage that once dominated Earth. This talk traces the extraordinary evolutionary journey from giant predatory dinosaurs to the diverse birds around us today, highlighting key innovations such as feathers, air-sac breathing systems, and the adaptations that made powered flight possible.

We then bring this deep history closer to home, focusing on the Texas coastal prairie and one of North America’s most endangered birds, the Attwater’s prairie-chicken. Each spring, this species performs courtship displays rooted in behaviors that stretch back tens of millions of years, making it a true “living dinosaur of the grasslands”.

By linking evolutionary science with modern conservation, the lecture explores why the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service established the Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge, and how habitat restoration, research, and public support are helping prevent the disappearance of this remarkable species. Ultimately, the story of the Attwater’s prairie-chicken shows how understanding its deep past can guide our efforts to protect its future.

About Our speaker:

Jaide Cooper is a Wildlife Refuge Specialist at the Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge, where she supports a wide range of refuge operations. By day, she coordinates volunteers and educational programs that connect the public with prairie conservation; by night, she’s often in the field radio-tagging prairie-chickens and helping monitor this critically endangered population.

A lifelong dinosaur enthusiast, Jaide’s passion for paleontology led her to birds, birds led her to conservation, and conservation has taken her across dramatically different ecosystems. She earned her B.S. in Conservation Biology from Arizona State University, studied desert ecology in the Southwest, interned with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service on the island of Kaua’i, and now works on the Texas coastal prairie helping “wrangle” the fragile Attwater’s prairie-chicken population back from the brink of extinction.

Coastal Prairie Chapter programs are free and open to the public. This program will be held in-person at the Rosenberg Civic Center, 3825 TX-36, Rosenberg, TX 77471 Please plan to arrive at 6:00 pm for refreshments and social time. The program starts at 7pm.

A Zoom option is available. After registering below, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Click Here to Register for Zoom Link

Current Projects

Seabourne Creek Nature Park is our signature project. Come visit us!
3/26/26 9:00am Monthly Insect Hike at Seabourne Creek Nature Park
4/1/26 8:00am Monthly Bird Hike at Seabourne Creek Nature Park
4/2/26 7:00pm Monthly Chapter Program: Living Dinosaurs on the Prairie: The Evolutionary Story of Birds and the Fight to Save the Attwater Prairie Chicken with Jaide Cooper
4/19/26 8:00am Monthly Nature Hike at Seabourne Creek Nature Park