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2015 Spring Training’s Around the State
January 1, 2015 - March 1, 2015
NEWS RELEASE – Texas Master Naturalist Program
Media Contact: Mary Pearl Meuth, Texas Master Naturalist Program Assistant State Coordinator, (979) 845-7294 or mpmeuth@tamu.edu
December 11th, 2014
Texas Master Naturalist Program Seeks Applicants
AUSTIN— Sixteen chapters of the Texas Master Naturalist program are conducting training classes in the coming spring and summer months for volunteers wanting to learn about natural resource and conservation management.
The Texas Master Naturalist program, consisting of 44 chapters located across the state, aim to develop a corps of well-informed citizen volunteers to educate their communities about the management of natural resources.
The main qualification needed to become a certified Texas Master Naturalist is an interest in learning and playing an active part in conservation. Volunteers will receive a minimum of 40 hours training from educators and specialists from places such as universities, natural resource agencies, nature centers and museums. Training topics include interpretation and management of natural resources, ecological concepts, eco-regions in Texas and natural systems management. Volunteers are then asked to provide 40 hours of service a year in community education, demonstration and habitat enhancement projects in order to maintain certification as a Texas Master Naturalist. They are also expected to pursue a minimum of eight hours of advance training in areas of personal interest. However, many of the volunteers will go above and beyond their basic requirements once involved, and are encouraged to develop personal projects connecting to the mission of the chapter and state-wide program.
The following Texas Master Naturalist chapters are offering volunteer training this spring are listed with contact information. Enrollment is limited in most chapters. Some registration deadlines are fast approaching so contact a chapter near you to see if seating is still available.(Listed in alphabetical order by chapter location)
Angleton—Cradle of Texas Chapter—Training runs January 28 through May 13. Classes are held on Wednesdays from 8:30am to 2:30pm. Half a day is class with the second half field trips. A total of 14 classes will be held in this period. Some class locations are Brazos Bend State Park, Sea Center and others. Registration is $100 due by Jan. 21. For more information contact Roy Morgan at royemorgan@aol.com or 979-297-7677or the AgriLife Extension office @ 979-864-1558×116. Chapter website: http://TMN-COT.org.
Bastrop – Lost Pines Chapter – Training dates are February 2, 2015 through May 1, 2015. Most classes meet Monday evenings from 6:00 to 9:00pm with 6 Saturday sessions. The schedule is on our website (http://txmn.org/lostpines/training/basic-training/2014-lpmn-basic-training/) Locations vary, but will be primarily in Bastrop, TX. Class size limited to 30. Registration fee $115.00. Registration deadline is December 20, 2014. Contact Julia Akin, juliaakin@mac.com. Website http://txmn.org/lostpines
Collin County – Blackland Prairie Chapter – Training classes beginning February 11 and run through April 29, 2015. The classes meet on Wednesday evenings from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. in the Science Resource Building on the campus of the Heard Museum in McKinney. Field trips are usually held once a month Feb. through May with additional classes and trips held throughout the year. The fee is $150.00 with scholarships available. Applications are due January 23. Applications are on their website at http://www.BPTMN.org plus a tentative listing of the classes to be held.
Dallas – North Texas Chapter – Training dates for the spring are Feb 10th through April 28th with training times on Tuesday evenings from 6:00-9:00 pm. Training will be held at the Texas AgriLife Extension Office, 10056 Marsh Lane (at Walnut Hill) Suite B101 Dallas 75229. A Registration Fee of $170 is due before training begins. For more information, contact Ellen Guiling at education@ntmn.org. The registration deadline is Friday, Jan 16th. Applications available on the website: http://NTMN.org
Denton – Elm Fork Chapter – Training begins September 1, 2015 and will end November 17, 2015. Classes are scheduled on each Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Denton AgriLife Extension Service, located at the Joseph A. Carroll Building, 401 W. Hickory Street, Denton, TX 76201. (Parking and the entrance to the building are located on W. Mulberry Street.) Class size is limited to the first 30 students. Registration fee is $150.00. Information about the Master Naturalist volunteer program is available on our website, http://txmn.org/elmfork/ or you can email Kathryn Gildersleeve at Kathryn.gildersleeve@dentoncounty.com. The deadline for registration is August 20, 2015.
Georgetown – Good Water Chapter – Training begins March 3, 2015 and will end May 12, 2015. Registration is due before February 17, 2015 and we will be accepting 30 Students. Classes are normally held on Tuesdays from 1:00 – 5:00 PM with some field trips on Saturdays. For more information contact Wayne Rhoden at mgardener@suddenlink.net or visit our web site at www.txmn.org/goodwater.
Houston—Gulf Coast Chapter— Spring classes will run February 2, 2015 through May 18, 2015. The classes will be held on Monday mornings at the Houston Arboretum and Nature Center. The class fee is $150.00. The class limit is 20 students. Registration deadline is January 15th. For more information, please contact training.officer@txgcmn.org. Chapter website: http://www.txgcmn.org
Jefferson — Cypress Basin Chapter — The deadline to apply is January 5, 2015 with a class limit of 15. Classes meet one weekend a month — January, February, March, and May in Jefferson and at Caddo Lake National Wildlife Refuge. Registration fee is $130 per person or $$230 per married couple. For additional information contact Stella Barrow at 903-672-5524 or 903-736-3063. For application forms email Betty Morgan: bgmorgan46@yahoo.com.
Marble Falls – Highland Lakes Chapter – Spring training will be held starting February 26th through May 14th, with classes every Thursday at varying times during the day. The deadline for the training class application is December 15th, with a class size of 15, and application fee of $140. For more information, contact New Class Training Coordinator, Melanie Huff at amhuff@281.com . Chapter website is http://txmn.org/highlandlakes/
Rockport – Mid-Coast Chapter – Training begins on Saturday February 7, 2015 and runs through June 6th. There are nine classes, most include a classroom and field component. The cost of the training is $150. Applications are available on the website or you can email our Membership Chair at this address- membership@midcoast-tmn.org. Class size is limited to seventeen and is filled on a first-come, first-serve basis. Please visit our website midcoast-tmn.org to learn more about our chapter and training.
Round Top/Brenham – Gideon Lincecum Chapter – Training program starts January 15, 2014. Classes will be held at Winedale Historical Center in Round Top, Tx. Classes are every Monday evening from 6-9pm and various dates for field trips. Class is limited to 25 people; registration fee is $175.00 per person and $325.00 per couple if sharing materials. Deadline for applications is January 1, 2015. Point of contact for class is Cindy Rodibaugh, cindyr@devonindustries.com or (361) 865-0170. Chapter website is txmn.org/GLC
San Antonio—Alamo Area Chapter— Training begins Feb. 19 and will end Apr. 25. Registration is due by Jan. 31 with a class limit of 55 students. Classes will meet Thursdays 5:00-9:00 p.m. for 10 weeks and four Saturday morning field trips. Scholarships are available to applicants who submit their training applications prior to the registration deadline. Background checks are required. For more information, please contact Pamela Ball at pball12@satx.rr.com. Chapter website: http://txmn.org/alamo/.
San Benito/Mission- Rio Grande Valley Chapter– Training classes are held in two locations (San Benito and Mission) for the convenience of the trainees. Lower Valley and Upper Valley classes work cooperatively, and trainees may attend classes and field trips at either location. Training will begin with a joint orientation at the Biblioteca las Americas (Med-High Campus) at Mile 3W & Expressway 83, Mercedes, TX on Wednesday, January 14, 2015 from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm. Registration is due December 31 with a limit of 25 students per location. The fee is $150.00; limited scholarships are available. Background checks are required.
Training for the Upper Valley Education class begins January 20th and will end March 24th. Classes will meet Tuesday evenings from 6 pm to 9 pm at the Bentsen RGV State Park at 2800 S. Bentsen Palm Dr., Mission, TX. The training includes 10 classes, plus four weekend field trips.
Training for the Lower Valley Education class begins on January 21st and will end on March 25th. Classes will meet Wednesday evenings from 6 pm to 9 pm at the Cameron County Annex Building at 1390 W. Expressway 83, San Benito, TX. The training includes 10 classes and four field trips.
To register and for more information, please visit www.rgctmn.org. For more information about lower valley classes, contact Carolyn Cardile at p42339@aol.com or Alicia Cavazos at alicav399@yahoo.com. For more information about the upper valley classes, please contact Tom Butler at 2tmb@earthlink.net or Marisa Oliva at stxbordertmn@gmail.com.
San Marcos – Hays County Chapter – Applications accepted until Jan. 7, 2015 for class beginning Feb. 10, 2015. Classes last until Oct.13, 2015 meeting, with classes held on 10 Tuesday evenings from 6-9:30 pm. and 2 Saturday mornings. Three field trips and 5 site visits offered. Fee is $175 and includes 10 meals at the Tuesday classes. Applications available on the website (http://haysmn.org) after Dec. 4, 2014 or from Bari Conley at the Hays County Texas A&M AgriLife extension office in San Marcos (512-393-2120). Contact is Training Coordinator, Dick McBride (512-749-1055) or docdik@grandecom.net.
Temple/Killeen – Central Texas Chapter– Training begins Tuesday, March 31, with orientation on Tuesday, March 24 from 7 – 8:30 p.m. All classes are on Tuesdays, usually from 8:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. with classes moving to various locations according to subject matter. There will be no classes on our chapter’s meeting nights, which are the second Tuesday of each month, to allow the students to attend. Graduation is June 9. Registration cost is $150 per person. Chapter website: http://txmn.org/centraltexas. Contact Mary Ann Everett everett.maryann4@gmail.com.
Waxahachie – Indian Trail Chapter – Training for the spring season will be on Tuesdays from 6 – 9pm starting February 3rd, running through April 28, 2015 with three Saturday field Trips. . Classes will be held at First United Methodist Church Family Life Center, 505 W. Marvin Ave., Waxahachie TX. The Training Program tuition is $150. Application deadline is Jan. 5, 2015. For more information, please contact Lynn Wisakowsky, Training Committee Chair, training@itmnc.com.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service co-sponsor the Texas Master Naturalist Program.
For more information about existing chapters or forming a new chapter contact Mary Pearl Meuth, Texas Master Naturalist Program Assistant State Coordinator, by email: mpmeuth@tamu.edu or by phone at: (979) 845-7294.
More information about the Texas Master Naturalist program is available at: http://txmn.org. Highlights of chapter’s projects, state-wide initiatives and program achievements can also be found on the Texas Master Naturalist Programs Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/TexasMasterNaturalistProgram