Chapter Projects

Birding:

  • Monitoring of Bluebird Nestboxes on one of our many Bluebird Trails (every spring-summer)
  • Backyard Bird Count (February)
  • Great Texas Birding Classic (late spring)
  • Christmas Bird Count (December – January)
  • Bald Eagle and Hawk Surveys

iNaturalist:

  • Our partnership with the Great Texas Wildlife Trails (GTWT) Adopt-A-Loop program provides us with sites in the Red River and Texarkana Loops where members can observe wildlife and habitat.
  • Observations at these particular sites can be added to Texas Parks and Wildlife’s iNaturalist project called “GTWT Adopt-A-Loop.” Please remember to look up your site number and include it in the Observation Field!
    • For site numbers, descriptions, and GPS coordinates, go to https://tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/wildlife/wildlife-trails/ppwe
  • Red River chapter members are encouraged to join our chapter’s iNaturalist project “Red River Texas Master Naturalists”
    • https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/red-river-texas-master-naturalists
  • We participate in the Texas Pollinator BioBlitz in October.
  • We anticipate adding other BioBlitzes as the opportunities arise (i.e. Monarch migration).

Journey North:

  • Monarch butterflies pass through our area every spring and fall on migration route. We are not situated on a major flyway, but we do have peak times for monarch sightings.
  • The first sighting an individual makes for each season is reported to Journey North.

Cultiv8 (pronounced “cultivate”):

  • Our members assist the Cultiv8 Community to teach young children about nature in a natural setting. Some experience and embrace nature for the first time in their lives.

Butterfly Garden at Paris Junior College:

  • Located on the Trail de Paris (also known as the North East Texas Trail).
  • Currently being revamped, this garden should be up and running by Spring 2025.
  • We are currently using a solarizing technique to remove non-native, invasive plants. We are also collecting native plant seeds from the local area to plant here in fall/spring.
  • This will be the site for future Texas Pollinator BioBlitzes.

Bat Acoustic Monitoring

  • TPWD and Texas Nature Trackers project
  • We placed monitors to record echolocation data at sites in Lamar County
  • We coordinate with biologists, store local data, and engage in training to analyze the recorded data.
  • Our goal is to better understand the distribution of more than 30 species of bats across our state, with the hope that it will help biologists understand the local bat diversity and combat White-Nose Syndrome.

Assisting TWPD staff at the state parks:

  • When Interpretative Rangers need help to educate the public, we step in!
  • We have presented information about Bluebirds at the 2023 event to celebrate 100 Years of TX State Parks at Cooper Lake South Sulphur Unit, lead a guided hike on Coyote Run Trail, and spent Labor Day 2024 teaching park attendees about mammals.
  • There are 4 state parks scattered across our service area.
    • Cooper Lake State Park (Doctor’s Creek and South Sulphur)
    • Lake Bob Sandlin State Park
    • Daingerfield State Park
    • Atlanta State Park

Keep Paris Beautiful

  • In April, we have a team that participates in the Don’t Mess With Texas “Trash-Off” event.
  • Our team cleans up litter in Lake Crook Park to prevent it from affecting our wildlife. This site is known for its colony of Kingbirds, overwintering waterfowl, and fishing opportunities.
  • In 2024, our team consisted of 11 members. Overall, KPB had over 200 participants that cleaned up various locations in the Paris, TX area.

Initial Training Classes:

  • Usually offered once a year in fall, this is an opportunity to join our ranks.
  • 40 hour course, in 3-4 hour blocks once a week
  • Our classes give you a basic understanding of a wide array of subjects that have to do with the natural environment of Texas, including biology, geology, geography, natural history, ecological concepts, eco-regions, taxonomy, hydrology, and more. Field trips to local sites of interest (i.e.  prairie restoration, sites representative of an particular eco-region) are included. Current members are also welcome to attend training classes and field trips.

Chapter Meetings:

  • We often have a 1 hour training at each chapter meeting. These are presented by local area experts (i.e. TPWD biologists, Urban biologists, PJC professors, Nature Conservancy representatives, etc.) and by our own chapter members who have an interest in a particular research subject.

Advanced Training:

  • To maintain our annual certification, chapter members participate in training sessions offered by various organizations including Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Texas AgriLife, Native Plant Society of Texas, Xerces Society, Texas Children in Nature Network, and many others. These can be attended in person or via Zoom.