TEXAS MASTER NATURALIST INITIAL CERTIFICATION
Requires completion of the following by December 31 2021:
- Attendance at all required training classes
- Participation in three field trips
- Eight hours of approved Advanced Training (AT)
- Forty hours of approved volunteer service time
You have committed to attend all training classes and three field trips during the training. However, sometimes unplanned interruptions occur.
MAKE-UP EQUIVALENTS FOR MISSED CLASS OR FIELD TRIP
If you must miss a class or field trip, you can make it up by following the instructions below:
- Keep a record of the date, class topic and speaker of a missed class and/or the name and date of the field trip.
- As soon as you know you will miss a class or field trip, notify the Class Director via email or text message.
- Contact your mentor to advise her/him. Seek help locating a ‘make-up’ equivalent.
- Research immediately what is available as ‘make-up’ equivalents through the chapter’s Advanced Training calendar, other field trips in your curriculum schedule or offerings at nearby Texas Master Naturalist Chapters.
- Consult with the Class Director for additional help locating a ‘make-up’ equivalent.
- Get pre-approval from your Class Director to make sure the ‘make-up’ equivalent is an acceptable substitute for the event you missed.
- Attend a ‘make-up’ equivalent Texas Master Naturalist class, Advanced Training, or optional field trip in your curriculum schedule.
- Complete the on-line “Missed Class Make-Up Form,” available here.
- The complete “Missed Class Make-Up Form” will be submitted to the Class Director and the chapter’s Membership Director. The information will be added to your membership record.
- Keep a personal record of completed ‘make-up equivalents.’ This is your record of any double-checking that might need to occur.
NOTE: if you use an Advanced Training to make up a missed class, it does not count toward the required eight hours of annual Advance Training. No double counting!
REMEMBER!!! You have until December 31, 2021 to complete the training curriculum ‘make-up equivalents’ to meet this Initial Certification criteria.
Here is how others have completed the training:
- Attend another Master Naturalist chapter equivalent class or field trip. Reservation and pre-approval by that chapter are required. List of area Texas Master Naturalist chapters are listed in this document.
- Complete an Advanced Training (AT) session on a pre-approved topic.
- Wait for next year’s chapter training course and attend class/field trip you need to make-up.
NEARBY MASTER NATURALIST CHAPTERS
To locate the specific chapter’s website and training schedule go to https://txmn.org and search for the city or chapter name.
Nearby Texas Master Naturalist Chapters
To locate a chapter’s website click a nearby county on the map or visit https://txmn.tamu.edu/, Find Your Chapter, then click any county to be taken to the chapter’s website.
- Alamo Area Chapter – Bexar County/San Antonio
- Balcones Canyonlands Chapter – Western and northern Travis County
- Capital Area Chapter – Austin and surrounding communities
- Hays County Chapter – San Marcos, Wimberly, Dripping Springs
- Highland Lakes Chapter – Blanco, Llano, Burnet Counties
- Lindheimer Chapter – Comal County/New Braunfels