Program to Assist Landowners

Program to Assist Landowners (PAL)

The PAL program offers YOU (home/property owner) the opportunity to utilize the knowledge of trained Texas Master Naturalist on your private land!

A member will be sent to your property where we will walk it together, observing and addressing your areas of concerns. Recommendations as requested will be offered so that you receive direction towards the goals that you have for your land!

Our areas of strength include the following:

Tree and plant identification – Nuisance species control – Erosion control

Wildlife identification and management – Rainwater interception – Pollinator gardens

and much more!

Request a visit from a Master Naturalist by completing the request form below. If you have any questions, please contact us at [email protected]

PAL VISIT REQUEST FORM

Landowner Name(Required)

Landowner Mailing Address(Required)

Physical Location of Property(Required)

County in which property is located(Required)

Landowner Phone(Required)

Landowner email(Required)

Name of property/subdivision

Number of acres(Required)

Do you have an Agricultural Tax Valuation or a Wildlife Management Plan?(Required)

Please tell us about your plans to develop the property. What changes would you like to make? What features would you like to add or improve? Are you concerned about erosion or invasive brush?(Required)

How did you hear about PAL (ie. website, internet, neighborhood outreach,etc.)?(Required)

Press the "Submit" button. You should receive an answer shortly.

PAL BIANNUAL OVERVIEW 6/4/2024
by Elisabeth Olszewski, PAL Director

It is typical of the program to see a slow start of the year when yards are still dormant from freezing temperatures. However, 2024 has seen a strong spring season for PAL. With several new volunteers added to the program in the summer of 2023, we’ve been able to tackle the flush of spring requests much more efficiently this year. The Program to Assist Landowners would like to thank Arthur Williams, Susan Bogle, Christy Martinez, and Caroline Broderick for being superb ambassadors of our chapter through their time effort as PAL volunteers.

We have completed a total of 9 PAL visits this year, with several more already on the calendar. Each visit takes around 1-2 hours and involves a volunteer coming to a landowner’s property with a brief idea of land initiatives. The property is toured, surveyed, and discussed. Typical topics of discussion include native plant ID, invasive species control, erosion control, and native wildlife habitat building which all of our volunteers have received additional training on on top of the TXMN initial training class.

Highlights of the season:

–Christy Martinez met one clever landowner who utilized bags of leaves as DIY wattles on a steep slope!
–Volunteers have also been able to get some good looks at the spread and damage of hypoxylon cankers. Susan Bogle met a landowner who received an idea to convert stumped trees into yard art!
–Many landowners are looking into native pollinator plants to incorporate into their gardens. One landowner actively foraged for the edible prickly pear, agarita, and mesquite on their property.
— Elisabeth Olszewski toured a property with an impressive motte of eve’s necklaces (Styohnolobium affine), formally unidentified by the landowner.
–Several new class members have submitted requests to the program– an excellent reminder that PAL is not limited to non-naturalist!

PAL looks forward to an increase in the program’s publicity over the next year. Initiatives are in place to spread the word to local HOA’s, have representatives at tabling events, and get the word out to local Comal county residents! Please contact [email protected] if you have an opportunity for PAL to get its name out.