The Gideon Lincecum Chapter of the Texas Master Naturalist program has grown from a small group of passionate conservation volunteers into a dynamic, multi-county community dedicated to protecting and interpreting the natural heritage of the central Texas region. Rooted in hands-on learning, service, and public engagement, the chapter has fostered partnerships with local schools, parks, and land managers while cultivating knowledgeable stewards of native ecosystems.
What follows is a look at key moments that have shaped the chapter’s evolution, accomplishments, and enduring commitment to environmental education and land stewardship.
Honoring 20 Years of Dedicated Members
Click on linked names below to read interviews with some of our long-term members.
- 2006: Dave Redden and Jim and Beverly Weatherly
- 2007: Debbie Copeland and Gene Luhn
- 2008: Judith Deaton, Daniel Lewis, Cindy Rodibaugh, Dottie Schoeneburg, and Charlotte von Rosenburg
- 2009: Linda Warbuton
- 2010: Carol Daniels, Lemae Higgs, and Tom Yates
More long-time member interviews coming soon!
Texas Master Naturalist Gideon Lincecum Chapter Timeline
Chapter Founding
According to Dave Redden (Member Emeritus of GLC), we were founded because of the efforts of Deborah Lansley. She was a Texas Master Naturalist in the Gulf Coast Chapter but also had a home in Bellville. She had a strong belief that those of us who live in a rural area needed a chapter, and she worked for several years with Larry Pierce to get approval from the state to organize a new chapter and then to set up the training sessions.
First Master Naturalist Class
The first class had 12 students from the counties of Washington, Austin, and Colorado. The first members were Ron Christie
Michael Dalman
Bret Dingley
Wanda and Norman Hubbard
Virginia and Ed Leech
Dave Redden
Rick Schilling
Sue Sheeler
Tracey Wegenhoft
Veronica Wise
The first topic they studied was pond ecology and a field trip to Washington on the Brazos State Park. Subsequent sessions were held, many were at night (6:30 – 9:00 pm) with Saturday field trip/lectures lasting either half- or all-day.
Early volunteer service projects included outdoor education for the Brenham school district’s 5th and 6th graders; assisting with local schools summer camps; clearing trails and providing interpretive staff at the December Festival of Lights at Monument Hill (La Grange); and working with a Washington County biologist to distribute ball clover seed.
2005 By the Numbers
In 2005, 9 chapter members recorded 595.25 volunteer hours and 171 advanced training hours. They impacted over 2,500 youth and adults, 36 acres, and 1 mile of trails.
GLC’s Second Class
Dave Redden facilitated the second Gideon Lincecum Chapter training classes, which started in February. Cost for the 2005 and 2006 training classes was $125 per person.
GLC’s First Graduation Ceremony
Both the first and the second classes graduated together.
Fayette County
In late 2006, Fayette County was added to the GLC coverage area.
Class #3
Classes were held from November 25, 2006 to
December 9, 2006, at the Fayette County Court House in La Grange with field trips to Cooper Farm and Monument Hill State Park. The class included 9 new trainees, 2 transfers from the Gulf Coast Chapter, and a few members from previous classes.
Class #3 Graduation
Graduation Dinner and Celebration was to be December 9 at Rick Schilling’s home.
2006 By the Numbers
• In 2006, chapter members reported 1574 volunteer hours and 480 AT hours.
• New projects impacted 190 acres, and 2 miles of trails were improved or developed.
• Dave Redden was the first to reach a milestone award, earning both the 250 and 500 hour awards in 2006
• 2006 notable members include Belinda Weatherly and Jim Weatherly
2007 GLC Classes
Yes, you read that correctly – classes, plural. GLC had become so popular that two classes were offered in 2007 – one in the spring, and one in the fall.
The 2007 spring class met at Brenham Presbyterian Church, starting with 16 trainees, 11 of which completed their 40 hours of training.
Training Class #4
Training Class #4 sessions were held from Feb. 3 to Apr. 30, 2007, all at the Brenham Presbyterian Church. 22 There were 16 trainees, and 11 of them completed at least 40 hours.
Growing Numbers
As of April 17, 2007, there were 48 members in the chapter, including the trainees. Deborah Lansley and Donna and Hollis McKinney were listed as Non-Member Associates on the chapter roster. Deborah was still a member of Gulf Coast Chapter and the McKinneys had not transferred their membership from Gulf Coast Chapter, even though they had attended almost all the Training Class #3 sessions in La Grange.
2007 Fall Class
Training was held in La Grange, with 8 trainees completing their 40 hours of training and graduating.
Officially Recognized as a Charity Organization
GLC became a 501(c)(3) organization.
2007 By the Numbers
• 1919 volunteer hours and 1185 AT hours were logged by members.
• The 2007 Annual report listed projects including Brenham ISD Outdoor Classroom, La Grange Summer Camp for underprivileged kids, Indian Creek Nature Area behind the Burton Cotton Gin
• 2007 notable members include Debbie Copeland and Gene Luhn
More Chapter Expansion
In 2008, Lee County was added to the GLC roster, rounding out our five county service area that continues today.
Winedale
In 2008, the Windale Historical Complex became a partner with GLC, providing spaces for building a pollinator garden as well as training classes. This partnership continues today.
Large 2008 Class
The 2008 Training class was held in the spring at St. John’s United Church of Christ in Burton, with Jim and Belinda Weatherly coordinating. The class had 25 trainees, of which 23 completed 40 hours of training.
Graduation
The 2008 Spring TMN class graduated.
2008 By the Numbers
• Our chapter completed 3269 volunteer hours, and 667 advanced training hours, with 32 of our 77 members reporting those hours.
• Twenty outreach/education events were held, impacting 1630 people. Projects impacted 130.5 acres and 1.1 miles of trail.
• 2008 Notable Members are Judy Deaton, Daniel Lewis, Cindy Roibaugh, Dottie Schoenburg, and Charlotte von Rosenburg.
• Donations received included $4,000 from ExxonMobil
and $2,000 from IBM.
2009 Training Class
The 2009 Training class was held from February 7th to May 4th at the Winedale Historical Complex. Most classes were on Monday nights, with field trips on Saturdays.
2009 Graduation
On this date, 22 out of our original class of 24 completed training and graduated. One of the graduates, Linda Warbuton, is still a member today.
2009 Officers and Committee Members
Officers
• President – Dave Redden
• Vice President – Cindy Rodibaugh
• Secretary – Monterrey White
• Treasurer, Larry Hilgers
• State Representative – Dave Redden.
Committee Chairs
• Membership – Martha Koslosky
• Programs – Kathy Milenki
• Advanced Training – Dave Redden
• Volunteer Service Project Coordination – Ed Koslosky
• Training – Mary Jones
• Publications (General chapter publicity) – Jan Redden
• Recruiting – Judy Deaton
• Historian/Photographer – Cindy Rodibaugh
• Host (Social) – Carol Montgomery.
Roster Changes
We had our first photo member directory in June, 2009, done by Judy Deaton. 33 There were 86 members and one non-member associate, Deborah Lansley.
2009 Volunteer Project List
• Native prairie projects
• Bats
• Outdoor Classroom (Brenham ISD)
• Brenham Elementary Outdoor Learning
• Wildlife Habitat Evaluation – Brenham 4H
• Indian Creek Nature Center – Burton
• Curly Q Refuge
• Winedale Invasive Species Clearing
• City of La Grange STRIDES Nature Area
2009 By the Numbers
• 3,492 volunteer hours
• 916 advanced training hours
2010 Training Class
The next training class was also located at the Winedale Historical Complex, with 24 trainees completing training. Members still with us today are notable members: Carol Daniels, Lemae Higgs, and Tom Yates.
2010 Training Class
The 2010 Training Class was held mostly at Winedale on Monday nights. There were 26 students in the class and all but 2 had the 40-hour minimum attendance.
2010 Training Class Graduation
Management Changes
Our chapter officers remained the same from 2009, but changes were made to committee members.
Committee Chairs were:
Training Coordinator – Mary Jones
Publications – Jan Redden
Program – Kathy Milenki
Membership – Martha Koslosky
Advanced Training – Dave Redden
Volunteer Service Projects Coordination – Ed Koslosky
Recruiting and Publicity – Judy Deaton
Host/Social – Carol Montgomery
Chapter Advisor was Larry Pierce, TCE Agent for Washington County 48
2010 Service Projects
• Chapter members participated in 5 prescribed fires
• Created 3 miles of trails for Lutherhill Camp near La Grange
• Participated in 28 outreach/education events taught by chapter Members that reached 3,011 community members!!!
2010 By the Numbers
• 4174 volunteer hours
• 993 advanced training hours
• 105 Members
• 17 members initially certified and 28 recertified, earning the wood duck pin
• 7 chapter members reached their 250 hour milestone and one member reached the 1,000 hour milestone.
Volunteer Work to Control Vegetation
• Prescribed burns impacted 122 acres at these properties: Gwyn (Carmine), Whitney (Burton) Deaton (Washington) Hobbs (Lincoln), Harris (Lexington), Pate (Flatonia), Center for American History (Winedale), and Festival Hill (Round Top).
• Spraying was done on about 20 acres at Winedale for prairie restoration, and work was done at Festival Hill to remove invasives.
2011 By the Numbers
• 3897 volunteer hours
• 923 Advanced training hours
• 50 Active Members (completing at least one volunteer hour this year)
• 7 members initially certified
• Annual Recertification, signified by the horned lizard pin, was attained by 32 members.
• Five members were awarded the 250-hour pin and 2 reached the 500-hour mark.
• Seven members received their initial certification.
2012 Training Class
Our training class began with 25 trainees and 21 finished with 40 or more hours. This included two trainees that had taken and finished the class in 2007 but wanted to take it again as a refresher. Classes were held at Winedale on Monday nights except the first class, which was held on a Saturday. There were 4 field trips. The Plant ID field experience was held at Winedale in the afternoon prior to the class. Other field trips were away from Winedale. Toni and John Pratt were among the Training Committee members that organized the training.
2012 Volunteer Project Highlights
We participated in 49 outreach/education events this year, impacting approximately 3,740 adults and children. Thirty-four events were direct, with hands-on or actual teaching to a captive audience. Fifteen others were indirect, with chapter booths at events. There were 4 prescribed burns affecting 63 acres.
2012 By the Numbers
• 4480 volunteer hours
• 1168 advanced training hours
• 51 Active Members (completing at least one volunteer hour this year)
• 19 members initially certified
• Mexican Free-tailed Bat recertification pins were earned by 33 members, and 8 members earned Initial Certification. Milestone pins were awarded as follows: 250 hours – 7; 500 hours – 6; 1,000 hours – 2; and 2,500 hours – 1.
2013 Officers and Committee Members
Officers:
• President Cindy Rodibaugh
• Vice President Cindy Hobbs
• Secretary Margaret Atkins
• Treasurer Mary Kelley Jones.
Committee chairs were
• Carol Daniels – Membership
• Ed Koslosky – Volunteer Service Projects
• Madeline Johnson – Website
• Carol Paulson – Newsletter
• Judy Deaton – Outreach.
We did not have chairs for AT, Texas Nature Tracker Partnership, or Historian. Our advisor was Larry Pierce and Dave Redden was Past President.
2013 Training Class
The 2013 Training Class was organized by Chairman Bill Dudley, Nita Tiemann, and Chris Morrison. There were 22 trainees, including one who had previously taken the class but took it again as a refresher and one who finished training started in another chapter. Classes were held at Winedale on Mondays. There were 2 field trips to Oak Thicket Park and
Quebe Prairie, plus the opportunity to attend 3 prescribed burns for field trip credit.
2013 Graduation
Graduation for 18 class members was held at Winedale on Monday, April 29. One of the speakers was Michelle Haggarty, TMN State Coordinator.
2013 By the Numbers
• Members logged 4,584 volunteer hours and 772.5 AT hours
• year. We participated in 44 direct outreach/education events reaching 4,130 youth, adults, and/or private landowners.
• We held 17 indirect outreach events reaching 668 individuals.
• New chapter projects impacted 56 acres and included Hobbs (Lincoln, TX), Hale (Burton, TX), Chester (Milano, TX) and Rives (Burton, TX).
• Fourteen members received their Initial TMN Certification and 32 received their “Monarch” recertification pin.
• There were 106 members on the chapter roster, and 52 of them were considered ‘active’, meaning they reported at least one hour of volunteer service.
• Milestone pins were earned as follows: 250 hours – 4, 500 hours – 2, 1,000 hours – 1. 61
2014 Training Class
The 2014 Training Committee was headed by Cindy Rodibaugh. Classes were held at several locations including Winedale, Washington County AgriLife VIP Building, Fayette County AgriLife building, Blinn College Rankin Ag Complex, Stephen F. Austin State Park outdoor dining hall and nature center, Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge, TAMU, and Quebe Farm. Classes were generally on Monday nights with 4 field trips on weekends.
2014 By the Numbers
• We had 97 members on our roster, 47 of whom were considered ‘active’ because they logged at least one hour of volunteer service time this year.
• Total volunteer hours logged was 4359.25 and total AT hours logged was 881.75.
• Six members earned their Initial TMN Certification pin and certificate, and 36 earned their ‘Armadillo’ Recertification pin. Milestone pins were awarded as follows: 250 hours – 1, 500 hours – 2, 1000 hours – 2.
• The chapter conducted 34 outreach/education events reaching 3069 youth, adults and/or private landowners.
• We manned a booth/display at 6 indirect outreach/education events reaching 435 people.
• New chapter projects impacted 51 acres. These were prescribed burns at Morrison (Ellinger), Chester (Milano), and two different ones at Schmidt (Muldoon).
• Donations to our chapter included $2340 from PB Foundation and $635 in memory of Bill Deaton. The donations for Bill Deaton were used to establish a scholarship for first-time attendees at the TMN Annual Meeting.
2015 Officers
• Cindy Hobbs – President
• Karen Woods – Vice President
• Debbie Copeland – Secretary
• Chris Morrison – Treasurer
2015 Classes
The Training Director was Cindy Rodibaugh. Classes were held at a variety of locations.
2015 Trainee Graduation
Graduation was
Monday, April 27 at La Grange AgriLife building.
2025 By the Numbers
• 7504 volunteer hours
• 1811 advanced training hours
• 95 Active Members (completing at least one volunteer hour this year)
• 70 members completed recertification (40 volunteer hours and 8 AT hours) – the most in our 20 year history!
• 10 members initially certified (so far)
2026 Training Class Begins
This year we welcome 18 new trainees to our program!