The Hill Country Chapter’s 2026 training curriculum is designed to cover the topics required by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department for the Texas Master Naturalist program.
The course consists of twenty-three training sessions: an Orientation/Welcome Reception, eleven lecture meetings on Thursday evenings, and seven Saturday field trips that combine lectures plus outdoor a tivities. The Chapter has also organized some optional activities as noted in the course schedule.
POLICY:
Attendance at all scheduled training sessions is required to attain certification as a Texas
Master Naturalist except for a few marked as optional on the schedule, or the absence is
excused in accordance with this policy. Attendance for Thursday lectures may be in person or by Zoom at the trainee’s option; there is no option for Zoom attendance for Saturdays.
ABSENCES
You may miss 2 training sessions during the entire course. Please do not plan on missing
sessions if it can be avoided. We understand that life happens and sometimes things may
come up. If you reserve those two spots, they may come in handy later in the course.
If you are going to miss a session, please let the lead for that session know prior to missing if it is a Saturday so we won’t be holding up the entire class waiting for you. (Leads for each filed trip can be found on the schedule.)
If you have already missed two classes and need to miss another, you must let the New Class Director know prior to the absence. Depending on the circumstance and the class content a make-up may be optioned. Or you might need to consider re-taking the class. There are no refunds after the course has begun.