Texas Master Naturalist chapters have recently received the following information. The Texas A&M Forest Service is expanding our Urban Tree Improvement Program to include more tree species. We need to collect seed for testing in the urban environment. Ideally, trees would be collected from their natural range in their natural habitat. We received a permit…

Ruth Nasrullah, Heartwood Diversity Committee member, has written an article to showcase the work of Rosalie Edge in honor of Women’s Equality Day. The original article can be found in our August newsletter. This extended article was recently published on TheTrek.co. Read it here.

Get ready for our 22nd Texas Master Naturalist Program Annual Meeting, an event to gather, learn and celebrate another year of the Texas Master Naturalist Program. We’re preparing this year’s meeting as a HYBRID Event – both online and in-person at our Marriott contract hotel in Irving, Texas. The event will be held the weekend of Thursday October 21st through Sunday…

Sharing as a resource: Nationwide, experts have identified more than 12,000 Species of Greatest Conservation Need, including over 1,300 here in Texas. The majority of these are at-risk fish and wildlife — like many grassland birds, bees and butterflies, and freshwater species. Unfortunately, America lacks a dedicated funding stream to conserve vulnerable wildlife and help…

Commissioner Riley of Precinct 2 is in talks to receive a donation of almost 400 acres which he proposes to turn into a sports complex and nature preserve. Please view the above presentation for additionqal information about the proposed use of this acreage. He is interested in knowing what amenities local residents would be most interested…

Ruth Nasrullah, new Heartwood member, publishes a blog to The Trek, a website dedicate to hiking and hikers. This is one of her posts.

This post, written by Heartwood Master Naturalist Ruth Nasrullah, describes what being a Master Naturalist means and how it adds understanding and appreciation of what there is to see on a trail, whether it’s the Lone Star Hiking Trail here in Texas, or the Appalachian Trail. Read Ruth’s post here: https://thetrek.co/appalachian-trail/becoming-a-master-naturalist-changed-how-i-see-the-trail/

This year the diversity committee has been writing articles for the newsletter highlighting a specific topic of interest that relates to either a day or awareness month for that issue. So far, we have covered Black History Month, International Women’s Day, Diversity Month and Older American’s Month. Throughout the year, there are many awareness days…