Our mission is to develop a corps of well-informed volunteers to provide EDUCATION, OUTREACH, and SERVICE dedicated to the beneficial management of natural resources and natural areas within their communities for the State of Texas.
VOLUNTEER SERVICE IS THE REASON FOR OUR EXISTENCE
Chapter members each contribute 40 hours of volunteer service annually to retain certification in the Texas Master Naturalist program. Our members make a difference in more than 115 chapter-approved volunteer projects across our ten-county service area and contribute thousands of hours each year towards the preservation of our Hill Country environment. For approved projects, please click here.
What is a Texas Master Naturalist?
Check out this three minute video created by the Texas Master Naturalist – Lost Pines Chapter.
Do you love nature? Do you want to make a difference? Click on the link below to go to our form. Fill in the form and be sure to tell us about yourself and what you are passionate about. We’ll be in touch. Click here.
The Hill County Chapter serves Bandera, Edwards, Gillespie, Kendall, Kerr, Kimble, Mason, Menard, Real, and San Saba Counties. Our ten-county service region covers 10,651.08 square miles.
The Texas Hill Country is located on the eastern portion of the Edwards Plateau, and is bound by the Balcones Escarpment on the east and the Llano Uplift to the west and north. The “Texas Hill Country” is not a precise geographic area but a vernacular term that describes an area of central Texas, characterized by karst topography with clear rivers, dense vegetation, and pure air.
MONTHLY CHAPTER MEETING, WITH SOCIAL TIME
The Texas Master Naturalist, Hill Country Chapter meets monthly in person and online via Zoom. Our next Chapter Meeting and Advanced Training session is open to the public and will be held on Monday, April 28, 6:30p-8:00p.
The meeting is at
GUADALUPE BASIN NATURAL RESOURCES CENTER (GBNRC) Building
125 Lehmann Drive, Suite 100
Kerrville, Texas
Pre-registration is required to attend the chapter meeting session via Zoom.
Click the link, shown below, to register.
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84850885770
Doors open at 6 pm for socializing. A short business meeting will begin at 6:30 pm and the Advanced Training session is from 7:00 to 8:00 pm. There is no cost to attend. All are welcome.
Fire! What to Do Before, During, and After
March 2025 was a busy month for wildfires in Texas, with over 500 fires burning 100,000 acres across the state. The Crabapple Fire just north of Fredericksburg consumed 10,000 of those acres. Abbie Tijerina of the Texas A&M Forest Service will go over fire in detail, including how it starts and spreads, what causes structures to be lost or not, and what you can do ahead of time to create a defensible space around your home.
Billy Guin will share his and Patti’s firsthand encounter with the Crabapple Fire, how they prepared around their home beforehand, what they took with them as the fire approached, and what they did after the fire consumed 18 of their 20 acres, leaving their home and cottage intact.
Speakers: Both of our speakers this month know fire all too well. Abbie Tijerina is a Wildland Urban Interface Coordinator on the Incident Response team for the Texas A&M Forest Service. The Guins are members of the Texas Master Naturalist Hill Country Chapter. Billy is a Land Management Assistance Program specialist and on the Board of Directors for the Friends of Fredericksburg Nature Center.
