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Lost Pines Chapter

  • Clearing the Way
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  • 2014 LPMN Picnic 28
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  • Bridge Maniacs volunteer group
  • Bluebird nest boxes
  • Trail bridge improvement project
Welcome to the Lost Pines Chapter, Texas Master Naturalist Program! You can learn more about our chapter and the Master Naturalist volunteer program here.  Master Naturalist volunteers help manage our local natural resources.  If you are interested in joining us, or have questions about our activities, please contact us.

The Lost Pines chapter serves primarily Bastrop and Caldwell counties of Central Texas (click here to find a statewide list of chapters). These counties are predominantly in the Post Oak Savannah and Blackland Prairie Ecoregions. In addition, our area includes the unique “island forest” of the Lost Pines, the westernmost extent of the loblolly pine (Pinus taeda), separated by about 100 miles from the pine forests of East Texas. Species in the Lost Pines are particularly adapted to the drier conditions here, and provide unique habitat for varied flora and fauna that can be seen in Bastrop and Buescher state parks and other nearby natural areas. You can learn more about what makes these parks so special and see pictures of them by visiting our “State Parks & Natural Areas” page; you can also find many links to information about the native plants, animals and ecology of the Lost Pines region on our resources page.

  • Making FriendsSeptember 13, 2023
    For me, plants are like people at the mall.  As the multitudes shuffle by, I accept them only in the most general way; they share my space, but I have no idea who they are as individuals.  At Bastrop State Park, I often pass by a dominant stand of bracken ferns while walking my dog—without… Read More →
  • Back Roads Nature, Old Tunnel State ParkAugust 15, 2023
    Sometimes things are not what they seem.  An illusion.  A trick of the mind. Driving from Fredericksburg to Old Tunnel State Park requires that you impose on the privacy of gentle country folk—people who seek solitude and are uncomfortable in crowds. The winding road is lonesome as it ribbons through scattered roadside farms offering up… Read More →
  • There’s So Much More Than T-RexJuly 21, 2023
    On a glorious spring morning last March, I met a remarkable boy who was so inquisitive and observant that I’m convinced he’ll be the next John Muir or maybe Albert Einstein.  It was the first time I’d assisted a hike at Buescher State Park, and I didn’t know what to expect.  At the appointed start… Read More →
  • My Worst Nightmare:  A Roadrunner!July 15, 2023
    It wasn’t that long ago (in geological time) that reptiles ruled Earth.  They were the masters of their environment.  On a recent hot Texas afternoon, a modern-day dinosaur was foraging for food. The sky above was thinly clouded as if by a trail of wood fire smoke. At nine-inches from head-to-tail, this six-lined racerunner was… Read More →
  • Thanks to the MentorsJune 27, 2023
      Hello friends! I was thinking about how much having a true Master Naturalist mentor actually meant to me while I was in Basic Training and I want to send a special thank you to my mentor and all of the chapter members who have mentored trainees over the years. It’s one of those things that doesn’t… Read More →
  • Marathoners of the American WestJune 15, 2023
    The column moves languidly, dust clouds swirl above like trailing woodsmoke.  Twenty cowboys driving 2,000 head of cattle on the trail from Texas to New Mexico slowly disperse into their overnight encampment. The summer breeze blows lightly, fragranced with the smell of prairie grass.  Thunderheads gather on the horizon like great floating avalanches. Near the… Read More →

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Recent Blogs

  • Making Friends September 13, 2023
  • Back Roads Nature, Old Tunnel State Park August 15, 2023
  • There’s So Much More Than T-Rex July 21, 2023
  • My Worst Nightmare:  A Roadrunner! July 15, 2023
  • Thanks to the Mentors June 27, 2023

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  • Fungi and lichen
  • Grasses
  • Soils and Ecoregions
  • Mammals
  • State Parks & Natural Areas
  • Reptiles and Amphibians
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