Our Mission
The mission of the Galveston Bay Area Chapter – Texas Master Naturalist is to:
– Preserve and restore our area’s natural resources
– Educate others about our local ecosystems
To help achieve this mission, our trained volunteers work with community programs designed to:
– Increase the appreciation of our natural environment
– Promote the maintenance and sustainable use of public open spaces
– Protect and preserve native flora and fauna and their habitats
Our motto is Food, Fun and Friendship! With COVID-19 we have had to shift with the times. We have perfected our ZOOM meetings so that we can still enjoy Food, Fun and Friendship, it’s just online!
What is a Master Naturalist?
Many communities and organizations rely on volunteers to implement environmental education programs; to operate parks, nature centers, and natural areas; to provide leadership in local natural resource conservation efforts; and to educate landowners on the ecology and management of their biological resources.
The Texas Master Naturalist program develops local teams of “master volunteers” to provide educational and outreach services aimed at the better management of natural resources and natural areas within their communities. The Texas Master Naturalist program is a partnership between the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, Texas Parks & Wildlife, and other local partners. There are a number of Texas Master Naturalist Chapters – including the Galveston Bay Area Chapter.
In 2020 our 201 active members delivered over 30,000 service hours and attended over 4,200 hours of advanced training thanks to our awesome ZOOM team. This year (2021) we are celebrating our 20th anniversary as a Texas Master Naturalist chapter. Each Chapter meeting will highlight something unique to our 20 year journey.
We have a very active Chapter, working on a variety of projects. Our hard work was recently recognized by the State by awarding our Chapter with the 2019 Texas Master Naturalist Project Of The Year award for our Great Fishing Line Adventure project. In 2017 we also were awarded Texas Master Naturalist Project Of The Year award for the Injured Bird Response Team. In 2016, our on-going effort Confronting Plastic Pollution was named the Texas Master Naturalist Project Of The Year. Our efforts were further recognized in 2017 as a Gulf Guardian award winner in the EPA/Gulf of Mexico Program placing 1st place in the non-profit category.
We are governed by a Board of Directors and are supported by a number of outstanding organizations and agencies.
Contact us by email at gbacmembership20@gmail.com