The Kirby Nature Trail's outer loop in Hardin County was the site of the National Park Service's Big Thicket First Sunday Hike for February 2020, and Longleaf Ridge members enjoyed the interpretive hike led by Ranger Alex Halbrook. The loop treks through three different ecosystems starting with … [Read more...] about First Sunday Big Thicket Hike
10,000 New Longleaf Pines in the Big Thicket
On January 20, 2020, we helped the National Park Service celebrate a decade of restoring the Big Thicket by replanting native longleaf pine seedlings in the Big Sandy Unit. Longleaf Ridge assisted with eight out of about one hundred volunteers. We were also joined by our friend Adrian Van … [Read more...] about 10,000 New Longleaf Pines in the Big Thicket
Field Trip to Canyon Rim
Longleaf Ridge Master Naturalists enjoyed the brisk weather on Sunday afternoon exploring the Canyon Rim Woodlands Trail in Newton County, so named because in places the trail is constructed around a canyon with up to 40 foot embankments graced by beech, southern magnolia and loblolly pines. We had … [Read more...] about Field Trip to Canyon Rim
Eagle Count 2020
Three teams of 17 volunteers met at 7 am at the Sabine County Courthouse in Hemphill on January 11, 2020 to conduct the Annual Mid-Winter Bald Eagle Count at Toledo Bend. The temperature was a balmy 69 degrees Fahrenheit as we set out, but the line of thunderstorms that passed quickly through the … [Read more...] about Eagle Count 2020
Footbridge Removal at MDJSP
A group of volunteers had an easier than expected time removing worn out footbridges at Martin Dies, Jr. State Park on January 8. Park staff brought in a tractor and Garry Lamoreaux brought his, too! The hardest work was attaching the large pieces to the tractors and the drivers backing them out of … [Read more...] about Footbridge Removal at MDJSP
Green End Up!
While lots of folks were putting Christmas trees up in their living room, volunteers from Longleaf Ridge were putting Longleaf pine seedlings in the ground at the Roy E. Larsen Sandyland Sanctuary between Kountze and Silsbee. This beautiful 5,654-acre habitat filled with native plants and wildlife, … [Read more...] about Green End Up!
Longleaf Tree Planting
Historically, longleaf pine communities dominated the southern and central areas of Angelina National Forest on the hilly and droughty sandy soils. In the 1900s, excessive harvest of the overstory led to a decline in the longleaf pine present and increasing the loblolly pine representatives across … [Read more...] about Longleaf Tree Planting
Dam to Dam Pedal & Paddle
Seven volunteers helped launch and welcome at the finish line kayakers participating in the Dam to Dam Pedal & Paddle event sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce. Three entrants paddled from the Highway 63 bridge to Bevilport, and 23 paddled from Bevilport to the boat launch behind the Dining … [Read more...] about Dam to Dam Pedal & Paddle
National Publics Lands Day Cleanup
A dozen volunteers from Longleaf Ridge Texas Master Naturalists scoured the steep, overgrown slopes below Sam Rayburn Reservoir on Saturday morning, September 14, to celebrate National Public Lands Day by picking up trash. Lori Horne coordinated the event with Abigail Bobette, the Corps on Engineers … [Read more...] about National Publics Lands Day Cleanup
Trashoff Challenge!
On Saturday, July 27, 2019, the litter on Hidden Beaches bathed in morning sunlight for the last time. Six Master Naturalists trundled toward a halfway point on the road connecting Ebenezer and Letney Parks, where they were equipped with gloves, grabbers and trash bags. Some of them didn’t fully … [Read more...] about Trashoff Challenge!