| As a Texas Master Naturalist you must complete a minimum of 40 hours of volunteer service a year. We will help you be successful! We have plenty of suggestions and will provide you with monthly opportunities. Feel free to send potential volunteer opportunities (VO) + ideas to [email protected]. CHIHUAHUAN DESERT RESEARCH INSTITUTE Volunteers are needed to work with the Central Texas Trail Tamers from March 2-6. They will be reworking a section of the trail at Lions Head Hill and also making improvements to some areas on Clayton’s Overlook Trail. Training will start on Monday, March 2. This is a fantastic opportunity to learn about trail construction from the experts. If you would like to volunteer, please contact Lisa at [email protected]. CDRI’s Cactus and Succulent Sale will start on Monday, March 16. We are looking for volunteers to assist customers by answering questions about plants, helping them choose the right ones, and getting plants to their vehicles. If you have any questions or would like to volunteer, please contact Lisa at [email protected]. CDRI has several tour groups and school groups from across Texas scheduled for guided hikes or tours in March and April. Please contact Lisa at [email protected] if you are interested in leading a group or learning from our seasoned TGMN volunteer guides. Educational programs for Region 18 students, including Bugs, Bugs, Bugs Day for 2nd & 3rd graders, Living Things for 1st grade, and Summer Shake Up for Kinder – 8th grade, are on the calendar for March through June. Please contact Lisa at [email protected] for dates and more information. BALMORHEA STATE PARK Balmorhea State Park is looking for volunteers to help with the annual pool cleaning April 27 – May 1. For information and to sign up please contact: Michelle Hernandez, Parks Ops Trainee – cell 432-249-9908. DAVIS MOUNTAINS STATE PARK Saturday, March 21, 9 – 11am, is our monthly volunteer workday. We’ll be sprucing up the Emory Oak bird blind. Email me if you’re interested in helping out. We can have lunch at the Black Bear Restaurant afterwards. Our next highway trash pick-up event will be Saturday, April 18, 9 – 11am. The Indian Lodge has a volunteer landscaper! Thank you Kathryn Busby for taking this under your wing. The Pollinator Garden at the Interpretive Center also needs a landscaper. Anybody interested? Interested in developing an interpretive program on plants, animals, or anything else relatable to the park? Let’s talk! Contact [email protected] for more information. (432) 426-3337, x2123. BIG BEND RANCH STATE PARK Barton Warnock Visitor Center needs the assistance of master naturalists in the following ways: Desert Garden Caretakers (weeding, pruning, irrigation control, clearing pathways of debris) Please reach out to Gabriel Pastrano at [email protected] or call Barton Warnock Visitor Center at (432) 424-3327 TNC/DAVIS MOUNTAINS PRESERVE All volunteer opportunities for March are for the Davis Mountains Preserve: Monday, March 2 – Increase Fire Buffer Along Preserve Roads 9:00am – 12:00pmAll volunteers welcome Use loppers and hand saws to cut and then scatter small trees/shrubs away from preserve roadways. Bring gloves. Loppers and hand saws provided, but recommend bringing your own, if you have them. Please note: This is part of our ponderosa pine restoration project and will be one huge way volunteers can help to protect our pondos if a wildfire were to start on the preserve and also helps prep our burn units for prescribed fire for the future. Monday, March 9 – Increase Fire Buffer Along Preserve Roads 9:00am – 12:00pmAll volunteers welcome Use loppers and hand saws to cut and then scatter small trees/shrubs away from preserve roadways. Bring gloves. Loppers and hand saws provided, but recommend bringing your own, if you have them. Thursday, March 12 – McIvor Center Clean and Set up for Guided Tour 9:00am – 12:00pm 1-2 volunteers needed Friday, March 13 – Davis Mountains Preserve Guided Tour 8:00am – 3:00pm2 volunteers needed Help check folks in Drive vehicles on the preserve Join us on a slow, interpretive hike up Madera Canyon Overlook Trail, if you are able. High clearance vehicles needed for this tour. If you do not have high clearance, you can still volunteer. Monday, March 16 – Increase Fire Buffer Along Preserve Roads 9:00am – 12:00pmAll volunteers welcome Use loppers and hand saws to cut and then scatter small trees/shrubs away from preserve roadways. Bring gloves. Loppers and hand saws provided, but recommend bringing your own, if you have them. Thursday, March 19 – McIvor Center Clean and Set up for Guided Tour 9:00am – 12:00pm1-2 volunteers needed Friday, March 20 – Davis Mountains Preserve Guided Tour 8:00am – 3:00pm2 volunteers needed Help check folks in Drive vehicles on the preserve Join us on a slow, interpretive hike up Madera Canyon Overlook Trail, if you are able. High clearance vehicles needed for this tour. If you do not have high clearance, you can still volunteer. Monday, March 23 – Increase Fire Buffer Along Preserve Roads 9:00am – 12:00pmAll volunteers welcome Use loppers and hand saws to cut and then scatter small trees/shrubs away from preserve roadways. Bring gloves. Loppers and hand saws provided, but recommend bringing your own, if you have them. Monday, March 30 – Increase Fire Buffer Along Preserve Roads 9:00am – 12:00pmAll volunteers welcome Use loppers and hand saws to cut and then scatter small trees/shrubs away from preserve roadways. Bring gloves. Loppers and hand saws provided, but recommend bringing your own, if you have them. Monday, March 30 – Cabin Clean and Set up for Guests 12:00pm – 3:00pm1-2 volunteers needed Contact Kaylee French at [email protected] if you’re available and willing to help with any of the above volunteer opportunities. MARATHON CLEAN UP: Texas Master Naturalist Volunteer Opportunity – Let’s Spruce Things Up! The Marathon Chamber of Commerce is rolling up its sleeves and giving some much-needed TLC to the public picnic area across from the French Co.—and they could use a few good nature lovers! Volunteers are needed on March 21 from 9:00 AM to noonish to help pull up old weed mat falling apart (yes, it will put up a fight), trim trees, rake, and possibly plant a few new garden additions. It’s a great chance to get your hands dirty for a good cause, enjoy some fresh air, and earn that satisfying “I made this place better” feeling. Whether you’re a pruning pro or just really enthusiastic about rakes, all helping hands are welcome. Point of Contact: Kendra Waltermire 618.514.2101 [email protected] VOLUNTEER SERVICE DESIGNED BY YOU Volunteer service is key to achieving our TMN mission: “provide education, outreach, and service dedicated to the beneficial management of natural resources and natural areas within our communities”. Typically our partner organizations announce specific dates and times whenever they need volunteers. However we realize not all members are able to participate due to schedule conflicts or other constraints. To further support our mission, members are encouraged to adapt volunteer service opportunities to their individual schedules and abilities. First, check with our partners such as such Davis Mountains State Park, Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center, and Big Bend Ranch State Park – for flexible volunteer opportunities. Several of our members have arranged volunteer service that supports the goals of our partner organizations while accommodating their individual schedules. In addition, members are invited to design their own volunteer service in the surrounding communities such as weeding and watering publicly accessible native plant landscapes and gardens, helping with community recycling, developing/leading natural resource education events for community members/schools (bird walk, pollinator garden walk, public presentations, etc.), and organizing a trash pickup in their neighborhood. On-going opportunities where members can choose date, time, and duration of volunteer service include: In Marfa, Help the Friends of the Marfa Public Library maintain their lovely courtyard. Regular volunteer work includes light weeding, raking and trimming. Contact Niki – [email protected] In Alpine, maintain native plant landscapes and pollinator gardens that are accessible to the public (e.g., weeding, watering, mulching, litter removal, etc.)“the triangle” (contact Lindsey Bredemeyer – [email protected]) the railroad garden (contact Juanita Sabochick – [email protected]) Alpine Public Library and Patty Manning Garden (contact Warren Shaul – [email protected]) Please contact a chapter VMS administrator to be sure the specific volunteer service is consistent with TMN protocol and that volunteer service hours are reported to the appropriate category. Thank you for all you do for our communities! |