Good Water Master Naturalist Fall Training Class will start Tuesday afternoon, March 5. The last class will be May 21. The class will meet on Tuesday afternoons from 1:00-5:00 p.m. Some classes and field trips will be on Saturdays. Cost is $150 and includes the comprehensive Texas Master Naturalist Program manual as well as a one year membership to the Good Water Chapter. For couples who plan to share the manual, there is a discount for the second student. Click here for online registration.The Tuesday classes will start at 1:00 p.m. and finish around 5:00. There are three Saturday field trips and classes planned.   Check back here after February 15 for the link to the schedule.

Bill Neville, one of our Fall Training class members says, “After my Master Naturalist training, my senses seem to have been re-calibrated. I see nature in a different way. My eyes and ears now seem to be tuned in to new sights and sounds that I wasn’t aware of prior to training.”

Click here for Online Training Registration

Texas Master Naturalists are people who still like to play in the dirt and are willing to get their feet wet and their hands dirty. We are a volunteer organization and we have many opportunities to serve. Good Water Master Naturalists volunteer at many parks in Williamson County, provide nature education to children and adults in many different settings, and participate in many Citizen Science projects such as Texas Stream Team Monitoring, Cornell’s eBird, and iNaturalist. To become a Master Naturalist, one takes a training class of over 40 hours of expert training about almost every aspect of the natural world – soils, backyard habitats, prairies, rangeland management, forest ecology, birds, mammals, fish, insects, botany, climate, geology and archaeology.

To complete the certification process, each volunteer completes 40 hours of service and an additional 8 hours of training. To maintain their certification each year, volunteers are encouraged to take their knowledge and volunteer for 40 hours and take 8 hours of additional training.

by Jim Hailey

After several work days at Garey Park we have completed roughing in the nature trail. Thanks to all who have helped in this effort. In addition, the area where we will construct the Wildlife Viewing Blind is ready for us to begin construction in September. This past work day, March 24, we had a phenomenal turn out. In all there were 13 volunteers and 3 men from the Georgetown Parks Department. The trail, which begins along the South San Gabriel River and returns along the bluff, is about 1.5 miles long. The lower section is primarily grassland and will be great in the winter for sparrows. The upper trail weaves through a heavily wooded area. There are some large old cedar and many massive oaks shading the walk. This is going to be an active trail in migration. To date, we have raised about $6500.00 of the $12,000.00 needed to build the blind, water feature, fencing and landscaping. I urges you to make a personal donation to the Garey Park Project by going to Donate for the Garey Park Wildlife Blind and then you can use our Paypal account. Your donation is completely deductible and if your donation requires a letter Good Water will provide one. I am also happy to report that on Friday, March 30 I had the opportunity to share what we have done and our plans with Mr. Jack Garey. Mr. Garey was very impressed and wanted to let all who have participated in this project how much he appreciates their efforts. During our visit I explained about bird watching as a hobby and later that day Mr. Garey called me and asked me to help him get started birdwatching. So, on Monday, April 2 I am going to his home and spend some time with him. I also want to take this opportunity to thank the Georgetown Parks staff for their assistance—Eric Nuner, Jamie Berns, and the three me who worked so hard with us, Paul, Kenneth & Mike. They were awesome. And I have received high praise from Assistant Park Director Nuner about what we have accomplished and the plans we have for the Wildlife Viewing Blind.