Welcome – Indian Trail Master Naturalist – Ellis and Navarro Counties

News Briefs

Information on 2019 Training Class
Registration Now Open – Still time left BUT HURRY!

Training includes weekly classes in Waxahachie on Tuesday nights, August 20 – November 12, 2019 plus 3 Saturday field trips.
Applicant Information     Training Application     2019 Training Class Flyer

Need a good read? Summer Newsletter

Take a look at ITMN’s new iNaturalist Collection! Join us in adding species to the Collection for Ellis and Navarro Counties.

If you missed signing up for this year’s class, you may send us your contact information and we will keep you updated on the 2019 class.

Monthly Meetings and Programs:

Location: First United Methodist Church
505 W. Marvin Ave., Waxahachie, TX
Family Life Center – Gathering Room

• 6:00 PM – Business Meeting
• 7:00 PM – Program

August 26

Native Bees for Your Landscape

Less well known than European Honeybees, Texas’ native bees are nevertheless vital components of a healthy environment, and can provide a new dimension of enjoyment in your home garden or on your acreage. Carol Clark’s program will cover basic information on the current challenges all bee species are facing, why they are important to all of us, facts about gentle solitary native bees and their lifestyles, and photo examples of the many beautiful forms and colors of native bees. The program will include tips on what to plant and provide to attract native bees to your home landscape, and basic identification hints. Carol will discuss simple homemade native bee nest sites, with real examples and slides, and how to participate in nationwide citizen science tracking efforts.

Carol Clark is an amateur botany enthusiast, a Texas Master Naturalist, and longtime member of the Native Plant Society of Texas, and is now a Conservation Specialist with Monarch Watch.  She also co-administrates the Texas Native Bee Co-op Facebook page. She and her husband own and operate Clark Haven Farm, a wildlife preserve and custom wildflower seed business in Cooke County. Carol grew up with a nature photographer father and wildlife artist brother, and has spent much of her life looking around in the great outdoors. Her favorite things to do are leading discovery walks in local natural areas, and finding and photographing interesting plants and insects.”

September 23

 Native Grasses, the Foundation of Prairie Ecology & Restoration

John Snowden, the Texas Grassman, will provide a discussion on the importance of our Texas native grasses. John is aggressively involved in public education and currently intensely active in volunteer prairie restorations across the metroplex, winter transplants, seeds, educational demonstrations & pollinators projects. Each outing in nature with friends and family brings new details which John uses in his endeavors. John’s message is Go, See, Enjoy, Learn!

 John was raised in rural Tarrant County in what was to become heavily developed south Arlington, and earned a BS in Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences and then his MS in Horticulture, all at Texas A&M.  John learned about native plant nurseries and landscaping in Texas.  Noticing the absence of native grasses, John started his own nursery – BLUESTEM NURSERY. Plantings of native and adapted grasses are growing in frequency around the state. John’s efforts to restore the natural community continue with donations of seeds, time, and live transplants.  Those efforts will continue into the foreseeable future.

October 28

The Beneficial Bat – Myth and Misinformation Busting!

Rebecca Schumacher, a certified Texas Master Naturalist – Indian Trail Chapter, has been a veterinary technician with experience in wildlife rehabilitation for over 30 years, and has been permitted as a bat rehabilitator for 9 years.

Seeing a lack of reliable and accessible information about the bats that occur in the North Texas area, Rebecca developed educational programs with the goal of empowering individuals to become “Bat Advocates” in their sphere of influence, and has delivered customized talks to hundreds of members of the public from kindergarten to senior citizens, including a two hour session at the Master Naturalist State Conference in 2015.

Rebecca’s discussion will include a brief introduction to the anatomy and taxonomy of bats; the beneficial role of bats globally, and why they are at risk; the common species found locally, and their habitats; and what to do in case of a close encounter with a bat.

November 28

Ecology in your Backyard: Bardwell Lake

Quite often in many suburban areas, our natural habitats and systems get lost in the hustle and bustle. Our plants go unnoticed, animals underappreciated, and the uniqueness of the natural history neglected and unexplored. Bardwell Lake is located in Ennis, TX and provides a refuge for many of the local flora and fauna of the area. Stephanie Hebert’s discussion aims to bring the natural landscape of Bardwell to light, and the possibilities it has moving into the future as a natural history hot spot in the suburban landscape.

Stephanie Hebert has been involved in the Natural Resources/ Conservation Ecology field since 2008. She is also a state-recognized member of the Mi’k maq nation, originating from Nova Scotia, Canada. Stephanie holds a Masters Degree in Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Ecology from New Mexico State University, and a Bachelors in the same from Northland College and is currently employed as a Natural Resources Specialist with the US Army Corps of Engineers at Bardwell Lake.

Indian Trail Chapter is part of the statewide Texas Master Naturalist Volunteer Program of the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department and the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service.

This program is part of a series of “no cost” “open to the public” Master Naturalist programs offered the fourth Monday (generally) of each month, 7:00 – 8:00 p.m. Please bring a friend! For more information, please call the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension at 972-825-5175 or email: information@itmnc.com