Advanced Training

APPROVED OPPORTUNITIES

Notice:

Archived webinars no longer count toward AT hours. Only live webinars accompanied by an opportunity for live Q&A will be approved. Exceptions are limited as follows:

If you still have offerings from the 2020 Annual Meeting that you have not watched, those will count as AT even though you are watching the archived versions without live Q&A.

2. All TMN Tuesdays count as 1 AT even if you watch the archived version. Carl has opened an opportunity in the VMS for TMN Tuesdays.

July 2021

ETCMN Monthly Chapter Meeting –

July 22nd Monthly Chapter meeting is a summer social, bring-your-own picnic at the Mineola Nature Preserve’s pavilion. Start time is 6:30 pm;wrapping up by 9:00 pm. Families welcome!

Note: A Chapter Board meeting will be held at 5:30-6:30 pm. Voting Board members (Organizational Chart) should attend but any ETCMN member is welcome to attend. No guests at Board meeting, please. No AT or VSH is approved for the picnic, but Board members may count attendance at the Board meeting as VSH under Administrative Work in the VMS.

DFW WILDLIFE training for service on the Wildlife Hotline — Required for VSH service educating the public about wildlife and conflicts, collecting data used by TPWD urban biologists, and referring injured and orphaned wildlife to rehabbers for care. Ongoing AT training offered at your convenience. Contact Beverly Guthrie at finwren@sbcglobal.net

Master Volunteer Entomology Advanced Training Certification – is going virtual this year! Over the course of 8 weeks and over 32 instructional hours, you can gain a greater understanding of entomology, integrated pest management in the garden, landscape and home, be able to identify common insects, spiders and arthropods in Texas, learn about butterfly gardening and native pollinators and much more. iNaturalist training, invasive insects to watch in Texas, medical entomology, using dichotomous keys for identification will also be covered.

The registration fee includes a field guide, two additional identification tools, loop, many other resources and guides, pin once certification is complete, and an optional collecting kit (net, forceps, killing jars, killing solution, pins, spreading board, magnifier, collecting instructional booklet, pen, labels and collection box). AT approved for ETCMN. Registration Information.

TMN TUESDAYS – On the Second Tuesday of each month at the noon hour (12PM Central Standard Time), the TMN State Office will offer an hour-long virtual advanced training event (sometimes including some fantastic new and returning guest speakers). More information.

ALL TMN TUESDAYS ARE APPROVED FOR AT WHETHER LIVE ONLINE OR RECORDED.

TNT—TEXAS NATURE TRACKERS

***Here is the link to our Texas Nature Trackers Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/texasnaturetrackers

To sign up for TNT, go to that page, select “follow” to see posts of upcoming live events. If you sign up, you will receive notices of the live events. Those live events called “TNT Live from the Field” will count for AT in ETCMN because they have Q&A.

Past live events are under the “Video” tab, the link being: https://www.facebook.com/texasnaturetrackers/videos. These could be watched but not counted toward AT as there is no opportunity at this point for question/answer.

Upcoming Facebook Live Events, “TNT Live from the Field” are advertised a few days in advance. During the event, we (Craig Hensley) walk around (my wife, a Master Naturalist) holds the camera for me and we explore nature, sharing information about what we encounter and providing the audience the opportunity to ask questions about what we are sharing, or even about other topics from where they live. We do at least two per month, typically on Saturday mornings to maximize audience attendance. The live events typically last an hour. I used to do interpretation so I view these live events like a virtual nature walk that people can join from the comfort of their home. Most of our events currently are in the Boerne area, where we live, and typically at Cibolo Center for Conservation, a local public nature center.

These TNT Live from the Field events are 1 hour of AT each as long as they are watched live.

TEXAS WATERS SPECIALIST
—Webinars, group discussion and group curriculum study all count as AT for obtaining the specialist certification. Service is VSH. Go to: tpwd.texas.gov/education/water- education/texaswatersprogram/texaswatersspecialist
for access to the curriculum, webinar sign up, and certification requirements.

EAST TEXAS BLACK BEAR ALLIANCE meets twice a year, in winter and in summer. The Alliance educates the public and collects data. Contact Becky Whisenant for more information at whizgnat@netzero.net.

NPSOT — Check website for info. npsot.org/wp/tyler/ 1AT

Tyler Audubon – Usually the first Tuesday of the month at 6:30 at Pollard United Church in Tyler 1 AT Check website

All TPWD and most AgriLife programs are approved for AT. All Tyler Audubon, Tyler NPSOT, NETFO, most AT offerings presented in the State Listserve and Invaders of Texas programs are pre-approved for AT as long as they relate in some way to East Texas. No need to submit separate AT requests for each program named above.

Additional AT offerings that have been approved for 1AT: 1) Using Genetic Engineering to Combat Invasive Species WebinarThe Aquatic Invasive Species Detectors Program at the University of Minnesota is offering a free webinar entitled “Using Genetic Engineering to Combat Invasive Species Webinar”Thursday, April 29th, 1:00pm. REGISTER. About the webinar: Recently developed tools for Precise Genome Engineering have ushered in a number of novel proof-of-concept technologies for pest control. Termed ‘genetic biocontrol’, these approaches allow researchers to essentially convert the pest organism into a pesticide. Released genetically engineered biocontrol agents would spread deleterious genes into the pest population, leading to a local eradication. This talk will introduce several types of genetic biocontrol, describe how they work, and give a status update on technology development efforts. A question-answer period will allow attendees to learn more about this promising and possibly transformative class of technologies.
2) North American Invasive Species Management Association Training Webinars The program is designed to provide the education needed for professionals and students who are managing or learning to manage invasive species. The courses include the most current invasive species identification, control and management techniques, and how to comply with local and federal regulations. All live webinars are open to the public. 3) Growing and Grubbing with Greg in Tyler The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service will be hosting “Growing and Grubbing with Greg” each Thursday morning from 9-12 on April 8, 15, 22, and 29. The classes are free and open to the public. Each week will feature different topics, lessons, and speakers on planning, producing, picking, and preparing homegrown vegetables and herbs. The instructors will include Smith County Horticulture Agent Greg Grant, Smith County Agriculture-Natural Resources Agent Clint Perkins, Smith County Family and Consumer Health Agent Claudann Jones, and Smith County Better Living for Texans Agent, Amy Shively. The classes will be held at the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service Classroom at the Cotton Belt Building (1517 West Front Street in Tyler). Hand sanitizer will be provided and masks are encouraged. Seating is limited so call to register in advance. For more information or to register call (903) 590-2980. Approved for 1 AT each in ETCMN. 4) Sentinel Pest Network and Invaders of Texas Workshops Invaders of Texas workshops train volunteers to detect and report invasive species as citizen scientists. Workshops, which are free, are designed to introduce participants to invasive species and the problems they cause, cover aspects of invasive species management, and teach identification of local invasive plants, and to train participants to report invasive plants using the TX Invaders mobile application. The workshop is 7 hours long (usually on a Saturday, but scheduling is arranged with each individual host group). The workshop satisfies Master Naturalist training requirements. (General info only! Specific workshops need approval in ETCMN) Sentinel Pest Network workshops serve to increase the awareness and early detection of a set of particularly important invasive species to help prevent their spread into Texas or their further spread within Texas. Participants learn to identify species such as the Emerald Ash Borer, Cactus Moth, Asian Longhorned Beetle, and other pests of regulatory significance, and to report them. The workshop is 3.5 hours long. The workshop satisfies Master Naturalist training requirements. (General info only! Individual workshops need approval in ETCMN)