When will you be available for questions?
- Wednesday Dec 3 – We will be at Radiant Juice + Smoothie Bar in Bastrop from 4-5:30
- Friday Dec 5 – We will be at the Lost Pines table for First Friday in Downtown Bastrop
- Saturday Dec 6 – Anna will be fluttering around downtown Lockhart for the Christmas to Remember Event – look for the dragonfly!
- Tuesday Dec 9 – We will be at Loops and Lil’s Pizza from 4-6:30 answering questions and eating our fill of pizza
- Friday Dec 12 – We will be at the Smithville Community Gardens from 4-6pm pairing up with them for their opening craft night (I will be bringing supplies to make seed balls for this one!)
I’m confused on the hours requirements. Can you explain them in another way?
This is unfortunately one that we commonly get, and it is a bit confusing for your first year, but it gets easier after.
There are two pieces that can happen in your first year. You can choose to do one or both pieces.
- To be able to call yourself a Texas Master Naturalist and get your dragonfly pin (the first pin for all Texas Master Naturalists):
- You must complete 40 hours of basic training (Anna and I have gone a little crazy, and it looks like there will be between 60-70 hours available to choose from)
- You must complete 40 hours of volunteer work in Bastrop or Caldwell counties
- You must complete 8 hours of advanced training (this can be in person or through approved online webinars)
- All hours must be completed by the end of 2026
- To get the year pin – and some people will call it doubling (you can only get these pins for the one year, and then they are retired, 2026 will be the year of the Bobcat)
- You must complete an additional 40 hours of volunteer work in Bastrop or Caldwell counties
- You must complete an additional 8 hours of advanced training (this can be in person or through approved online webinars)
- All hours must be completed by the end of 2026
- This is the requirement to stay a certified master naturalist each year
to put this in context. Out of our class of 25 in 2025 we only had 2 people double certify by graduation. Only about half of us will likely double certify by the end of the year. People will wear their pins like flair on their lanyards to all the official events. Some people really want the pins, some don’t, but we will work with each of you to determine what makes the most sense for you.
I have questions, but I want to talk face-to-face. When will the FAQ sessions be and where?
Due to some additional folks in Smithville potentially joining, we will now be having sessions in Bastrop, Lockhart, and Smithville. These will be staggered between the first and the twelfth of December. We are lining up venues right now and should have more details shortly.
Why do you request half of the payment at the time of the application? Will I receive a full refund if I don’t make it into the class?
There are two pieces for this one. The first piece is that there are supplies that need to be purchased for the class around class activities, field trips, and room rentals that need a longer lead time. We run the program as a $0 budget line item (in other words, we only charge what it costs us to run the class) the half piece helps ensure that we can have these items in place for the best overall experience for the class.
The second piece is that we want to make sure that we are planning for the number of students that we will have and the students are actually invested in taking the class. In the past, people have applied and then dropped the class after we have paid for non-refundable materials. We want to make sure that folks really want to be part of the program.
If you are not selected for the program, we will give you a full refund.