by Becky McGraw-Wall, PWL Member
The Piney Wood Lakes Texas Master Naturalist Chapter is celebrating its 15 year anniversary this October. The Texas Master Naturalist Program is a partnership between the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, with the goal of training volunteers to educate, outreach and support the natural resources within a community. In 2009, then-Polk County Chamber of Commerce Director Sydney Murphy held 3 public meetings to determine interest in forming a local TMN chapter. Assisted by the Polk, Tyler and Trinity County Agrilife Extension Agents, the new chapter was established thanks to the organizational efforts by founding members Susan Tullos and Susan Moran. The PWLTMN chapter was officially recognized as the 42nd chapter of the statewide Texas Master Naturalist program in August 2010.
Susan Tullos became the first chapter president (serving continuously from 2010 to 2016), and Susan Moran served as training director and Treasurer. Seventeen members completed training and received their certification at the ceremony in 2010. In fact, all 17 of the initial members completed the requirements for both their certification and recertification hours by the time of the induction ceremony! Of these founding members, 3 remain active: Susan Tullos, Kathleen Applebaum, and Justine Henley. All the past presidents of the chapter have remained active in the chapter, including Timi Maples (2017-2018), Ron Diderich (2019-2021), Nelda Tuthill (2021-2022), Tina Crichfield (2023-2024), and Jessica Jones (2024-2025). In 2024, there were 47 active members, who cumulatively completed over 4500 service hours that year.
Initially, the chapter served Polk, Tyler and Trinity Counties. San Jacinto County was added to the chapter in 2014 to fully encompass the area around Lake Livingston for the Water Willow Project. The early projects for the new chapter included the Monofilament Recovery and Recycling Program (which continues to this day), the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas Nature Trail improvements, and the Polk County Come Clean Lake Livingston Project presently run by Polk County Chamber of Commerce. The Water Willow Project has now evolved into the Friends of Lake Livingston Project (FOLL), a multiple TMN chapter venture aimed at erosion control and restoration of aquatic habitats in Lake Livingston. Another big accomplishment for the group has been the creation of the Gazebo Nature Preserve, a required Federal public recreation area at the construction site of the Thomas Hydroelectric Plant. There are now 18 active projects maintained by PWLTMN.
Numerous statewide awards, recognitions and grants have been bestowed on PWLTMN chapter in the past ten years. Over 100 volunteers with the group have contributed more than 44,000 hours of service to the community. Of note, the chapter secured a grant through the Arbor Day Foundation to distribute 640 native trees to residents in Onalaska following the 2020 tornado devastation of the tree canopy there. In 2021, chapter advisor Matthew Marsh received the statewide Chapter Advisor Award from TMN. Most recently, the PWLTMN chapter has been awarded a 2025 Pollinators for Texas award, supported by HEB, to establish the “SeedNSee Lone Star Seed Library” a native seed catalog at the Livingston Public Library.
PWLTMN continues to grow and contribute to the communities surrounding Lake Livingston. Interested trainees are always welcome to join the 2026 class starting in February.