blackland prairie master naturalists prairie partner update...blackland prairie master naturalists...
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Blackland Prairie Master Naturalists
If you are interested in volunteering at the Holifield
Learning Center, contact Brett Taylor at
[email protected] or 469-752-1192.
Prairie Partner Update July 2013
Plano ISD teacher, Brett Taylor, meets with master naturalists Mittie McDonald, Linda McBee and Gail Alldredge to talk about volunteering at the Holifield Science Learning Center butterfly house.
A group of Blackland Prairie master
naturalists, who are also members of
Plano Garden Club, are caring for plants
that attract butterflies at the Holifield
Science Learning Center butterfly house
in Plano.
During the summer months, Mittie
McDonald, Linda McBee, Gail Alldredge,
Shelly Stevens, Beverly Carpenter, Cathy
Westmoreland and Mary Gazioglu will be
maintaining plants located in several
garden areas of the property to ensure
they are ready to be reintroduced into the
butterfly house in the fall.
The butterfly house gives Plano grade
school students another way to explore
nature at the center.
“The master naturalist group is providing
a valuable service so that this fall or next
spring we can move the plants back into
the butterfly house,” said Brett Taylor,
lead teacher. “We provide both host and
nectar plants inside the greenhouse, so
there is food for both the larvae and adult
butterflies. This lets students observe all
stages of a butterfly’s life cycle.”
Master naturalists will also assist with
growing additional plants such as dill and
milkweed during the winter months to
prepare for next year’s caterpillars.
Holifield Science Learning Center is an
interpretive, hands-on educational
facility consisting of an indoor auditorium, a
laboratory classroom and nature trails. The
trail system is located on a 15-acre wooded
area on Rowlett Creek adjacent to Bob
Woodruff Park.
Send Us Your Volunteer News and Photos
We would like to feature master naturalist volunteer
activities in future newsletters. Send a photo with an
explanation of your activity to [email protected].
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Collin County Adventure Camp. (www.collincountyadventurecamp.org)
Contact Ron Bamberg, [email protected], 972.832.4791. The camp needs trail guides to lead nature
walks for children and adults. Ongoing. The YMCA requires a background check.
Connemara Meadow (Connemaraconservancy.org)
Contact Bob Mione, 214-534-1900, [email protected]
Invasive removal - Requires minimum training on the day of scheduled activity and prior scheduling
with Bob. Can be scheduled based on volunteer's availability. Must bring work/garden gloves, insect
repellent and appropriate sun protection. Liability waiver signature required.
Meadow Open House (fourth Sunday during July, August and September, 7 a.m.). Check the
Connemara web site (Connemaraconservancy.org) for information.
Heard Museum and Wildlife Sanctuary (www.Heardmuseum.org) - The following are ongoing projects
at the Heard.
Contact Wes Morrow, [email protected], 832-332-9099, for any of these five: Native Reptile Care - assisting and spotting for feeding, cage cleaning, etc., twice weekly, Tuesday and
Saturday. Includes contact with museum guests and learning about native Texas snakes,
including pit vipers.
Native Mammal Care - assisting and spotting for feeding, cage cleaning, etc.
Sanctuary - invasive plant elimination, trail maintenance & construction Bird Banding - prior birding experience preferred, training required Outreach
Contact Dave Powell, [email protected], to find out more about these two:
Maintain gardens twice monthly - 1st Thurs. & 1st Sat., working with Native Plant Society and
master gardeners Trail Guides - days vary, training required The Heard requires a volunteer application and a background check to be on file with volunteer coordinator Beverly Halperin. We ask that you attend a volunteer orientation when available. Be sure to check in with the appropriate personnel before any work is performed.
Volunteer Hours
Blackland Prairie Raptor Center (www.bpraptorcenter.org ) Most projects are ongoing.
Contact Erich Neupert [email protected], 469-964-9696, for current projects and dates
Animal care - assist in cage cleaning and feeding of birds of prey
Construction - assist in construction of rehab flight cages and hospital as well as maintaining facilities
Public interaction - engage public in activities to introduce them to raptors on the first Saturday
Prairie rehab - assist in planting and continuing care of prairie
Gardening - prepare and maintain garden area
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Heritage Farmstead Museum Prairie Garden
Contact: Nancy Furth, [email protected], 972 491-2176
The prairie garden has been created and planted with primarily Blackland Prairie native plants.
Since these plants are in their first growing season, some from seed and many greenhouse grown,
they will need a little TLC this summer as they become established. It would be great to have the
help of a couple fellow master naturalists who would be willing to visit and water the garden early in
the morning, sharing this responsibility on a weekly basis. If you live close to the museum and are
willing to help, Nancy will be glad to discuss a workable schedule, show you the ropes (hoses) and
the garden.
Lewisville Lake Environmental Learning Area (LLELA) Contact Mike Petrick, [email protected]
LLELA needs volunteer assistance in almost all areas of operations on an ongoing basis.
Volunteering at LLELA is very flexible, with a great variety of jobs and scheduling options. Some
volunteers come in only once in awhile, while others work monthly, weekly, or even more frequently.
Some jobs are seasonal and others year-round. You can learn more about LLELA at
www.ias.unt.edu/llela.
Outdoor Education Assistant
• Lead short nature hikes with students, assist staff with school group field studies
• Can volunteer on a steady basis (weekly, bi-weekly, once a month, etc., usually Monday-Friday)
Nature Walk Leader
• Lead nature hikes for the general public, generally on Saturdays or Sundays
Bird Hike Leader
• Share your knowledge of birding with the general public
• Lead hikes or assist in leading bird hikes for adults, children, youth groups
Bird Banding
• Assist in banding of birds for scientific research; contribute to National Bird Banding Lab data
• Ongoing commitment due to training required (not a one-shot deal)
• Requires early mornings
Habitat Restoration
• Help in LLELA’s native plant nursery
• Assist in workdays to plant prairie grasses, harvest seeds and more
• Process seeds to prepare them for planting (can be an indoor, seated job)
Trail Building and Maintenance
• Help cut new trails, including the new backpacking trail
• Maintain existing six miles of trails, including the kayak/canoe trail
Nest Box Management
• Assist in maintaining bluebird boxes, warbler boxes, wood duck boxes and other nest boxes
• Ongoing commitment
1870s Homestead
•Give tours of LLELA’s log house and homestead area
•Once a month open house on the weekend; regular school groups during the week
•Training provided; there is also a training reference guide
Consult the Blackland Prairie Master Naturalist calendar (http://bptmn.org/calendar/) for events.
The approved activities for volunteering and education, listed by both type and by partner, can be
found at http://bptmn.org/info/project-opportunities/.
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Advanced Training
Texas A&M AGRILIFE Research Extension, Dallas Center offers several classes.
See http://dallas.tamu.edu
July 2 - Native Plant Society of Texas, Collin County Chapter, “The Trinity Wetlands and Native
Riparian Plants,” by Dr. Gary Dick at Laughlin Hall at the Heard Museum, McKinney
July 6 - Connemara Bird Walk with Gailon Brehm and Rodney Thomas - 8 to 10 a.m.
July 9 BPMN monthly meeting - Dan Northcut, Director of Environmental Studies at St. Mark's
School of Texas - “Native plants in our landscapes”
July 13 - Plano Environmental Education Center. DIY Drip Irrigation, $5, Online registration required
for all classes and tours, www.Livegreeninplano.obsres.com
July 25, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., “Wonders of the Wetland,” John Bunker Sands Wetland Center, $30, Contact
Linda Dunn at [email protected] to register.
The following events are taken from Jim Varnum’s This and That:
July 1 Mockingbird Nature Park, Midlothian - Bird and Wildflower Walk by ITMN - 9 p.m.
July 2 NPSOT-Collin County , "The Trinity Wetlands & Native Riparian Plants," Dr. Gary Dick - 7p.m.
July 4 Dogwood Canyon - First Free Thursday - all day
July 6 JBSWC - Walk and Talk Bird Tour with Dan Harvey and Jane Ramberg - 7 a.m.
July 6 BRIT Science Saturday - 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
July 13 TRAC - 2nd Saturday workday - 9 a.m. to noon
July 13 Hagerman NWR 2nd Saturday event - Peter Schultze on Global Warming - 10 to 11:30 a.m.
July 15 Mockingbird Nature Park, Midlothian - Bird and Wildflower Walk by ITMN - 9 a.m.
July 18 TRAC - Free Third Thursdays - all day
** Acronyms:. BPTMN = Blackland Prairie (Chapter) Texas Master Naturalist, BRIT = Botanical Re-
search Institute of Texas. CRP = Cedar Ridge Preserve. TMN = (Texas) Master Naturalist. NPSOT =
Native Plant Society of Texas. NTC = North Texas Chapter (Also NTMN) of Texas Master Natural-
ist. PS-SCF = Preservation Society for Spring Creek Forest, TDG = Texas Discovery Gardens, TRAC =
Trinity River Audubon Center. DCAC = Dogwood Canyon Audubon Center, JBSWC = John Bunker
Sands Wetland Center