Program Sponsored by The Mission To develop corps of welltrained Master Volunteers to provide education outreach and service dedicated toward the beneficial management of natural areas and resources within their communities for the State of Texas ID: 550741
Download Presentation The PPT/PDF document "Texas Master Naturalist" is the property of its rightful owner. Permission is granted to download and print the materials on this web site for personal, non-commercial use only, and to display it on your personal computer provided you do not modify the materials and that you retain all copyright notices contained in the materials. By downloading content from our website, you accept the terms of this agreement.
Slide1
Texas Master Naturalist™ Program
Sponsored by
:Slide2
The Mission
“To develop corps of well-trained “Master Volunteers” to provide education, outreach and service dedicated toward the beneficial management of natural areas and resources within their communities for the State of Texas
.”Slide3
Program Goals
To develop a statewide Master Naturalist volunteer network that efficiently and effectively
Improves public understanding of natural resource ecology and management
Enhances existing natural resource education and outreach activitiesSlide4
Program History
March 1997 – 1st
Local Chapter est. in San AntonioMarch 1998 –
Statewide program est. through a TPWD-Texas A&M AgriLife
Extension PartnershipAugust 1999 – 1st State Program Coordinator2008 –
TMN State Program celebrates 10
th
year
2013 –
TMN State Program celebrates 15
th
year
2014 –
Assistant State Program CoordinatorSlide5
Present Day
-
46 Chapters
2 NEW in 2015 1 New in 2016
1 Still In Development
- 416+
Partners
-
200
counties
- Over 78% of Texas
- 10,430 volunteers
82
chapter advisors
TPWD A&M AgriLife ExtensionSlide6
What Master Naturalist Volunteers do for our Sponsoring Agencies
Assists in addressing our agency missionsHelp to Improve public access to the outdoors
Increases support and awareness for conservation on public and private lands Slide7
What Master Naturalist Volunteers do for our Sponsoring Agencies
Supports Urban Wildlife Biology and Natural Resources Promotes Conservation Partnerships Improves Science and Data Collection Slide8Slide9
Program Impacts
“Bit by bit builds to bunches…”10,430
Volunteers
have been trained
3.262 Million+ hours of community outreach & service projects--with a value of more than $75 Million to dateOver 200,000+ youth and adults
reached annually and over
5.356 Million to dateSlide10
Program Impacts
“Bit by bit builds to bunches…”221,357 acres
of habitat enhancedOver
2,015 miles
of interpretive trails developed or improved31 National, State and Local Awards 2014 TCEQ Texas Environmental Excellence AwardSlide11
Awards and Recognition
Wildlife
Management Institute’s President’s Award
TPWD Lonestar
Legends Volunteer Award TAMU Vice Chancellor’s Award of Excellence
National
Audubon Society Habitat Hero’s
AwardSlide12
Awards and Recognition
US Dept. of Interior’s Take Pride in America Award
TCEQ Environmental Excellence Award (2014)
Texas League of Women Voters – Environmental Awareness Award (2014)Governor’s Volunteer Award for Community Leadership (2014)Slide13
2014 Annual Report Numbers
2 new chapters in 2014
Balcones Canyonlands Chapter at Concordia
University
Guadalupe ChapterTwo additional chapters in development (2015)South Texas Border
Chapter
(Hidalgo)
Brush Country Chapter (Laredo)
Awarded
19
volunteers with 4,000 hour Presidential Lifetime Service Awards
Awarded
10
volunteer with 5,000 hour service hours
award
Trained
822 Volunteers in 2014
Totaling
9,676
volunteers trained since the program’s inception in 1997.
398,811
volunteer service hours reported in 2014 calendar year.
This
is valued at
$9.172
Million
dollars*
*per the terms of the Federal Aid grant supporting the TMN program
12,453.3
acres and
87.52
miles of trail were impacted in 2014 through Texas Master Naturalist volunteers’ stewardship, conservation and enhancement efforts.Slide14Slide15
What is a Naturalist?
“
He instilled in me the mind and the values of a naturalist: to be open to all possibilities, to be a close and careful observer, to discipline my interpretation with facts, and to work hard at my passions so that they might bear fruit
.”
Bernd Heinrich, The Snoring Bird
“A naturalist studies the natural environment, generally with a broad range of interests, rather than with a particular specialty”
-
Christopher Buddle,
What Is a Naturalist?
Vernon BaileySlide16
Certification Requirements
40 hours of classroom and field instruction
8
hours of approved advanced training40
hours of approved service projects__________________________________ After certification, requires 40
hours volunteer service and
8
hours advanced training annuallySlide17
“Basic Training”
Present day and historical naturalists Traditional naturalist disciplines
Land management and land use historyEcological concepts
Ecoregions of TexasManagement of natural systems
Interpretation and communication
40 hours of classroom and field experience:Slide18
“Advanced Training”
Focuses on
volunteers’ area of interest
Is mainly field orientedTakes advantage of local partnerships
Is directed at specific programs in need of trained volunteers8 hours of advanced training:Slide19
Statewide Annual Meeting and Advanced Training
October 24-26, 2014 Mo Ranch Conference Center, Hunt, TX
Learn more/register on line at: http://txmn.org
Slide20
Statewide Annual Meeting and Advanced Training
October 23-25, 2015 Horseshoe Bay Resort, Marble Falls, TX
Learn more/register on line at: http://txmn.org
LARGEST EVER! 475 participants & presenters!Slide21
Learn more/register on line at:
http://txmn.org
LARGEST EVER!
500 participants & presenters!Slide22
“I’m ‘Legal’ now What?”Stay involved in your local Chapter meetings and projects
Attend initial trainings and take advantage of AT offered through your local Chapter and partnersKeep accurate records
Don’t cultivate personal biases or agendasUse the Texas Master Naturalist title and certification appropriately
Maintaining certification is your responsibility Slide23
“But I don’t feel like a Master of Anything…”
Master
... 2 : to be come skilled or proficient in...*
Masterful…inclined and usually competent to act as a master…**SOURCE: The New Merriam-Webster Dictionary
What’s in a name?...
Ferdinand LindheimerSlide24
Volunteer Service Projects
Are self-directed
Are coordinated by the local Chapters
Consist of opportunities developed by local partners
Take advantage of individual skills
40 hours of volunteer
service projects that:Slide25
Statewide Projects
•
Wildscape
maintenance and demo areas
• Construction of interpretive trails • Interpretive tours • Brush
and exotic plant management
• Fish
, wildlife and plant
inventories
•
Volunteer Monitoring Projects Slide26
• Small acreage landowner consultation
Native plant seed collections & rescues
• Natural resource youth camps• Habitat restoration
Statewide
ProjectsSlide27
Project ExampleTexas Wildlife Association
L.A.N.D.S. Program 2013-2014100’s Master Naturalists28 LANDS Field Days
9 Chapters InvolvedSlide28
Project ExampleTexas Wildlife Association
Recognized as “Volunteers of the Year”
Paul & Charlie GrindstaffSlide29
Local Chapter ProjectsTMN Volunteers Assist Staff by:
“Providing outreach that otherwise would not be done…Providing assistance in taking data, reducing the cost to agency or enabling research that otherwise could not be funded”
“
Assisting local landowners with becoming familiar with the resources they have on hand through their Land Management Assistance Program”
“They help with species checklists and monitoring, help with educating the public, support wildlife conservation and are willing to help me in any way they can”Slide30
What Staff say about the Program
- “Texas Master Naturalists provide high quality volunteers who are conscientious and reliable…”
- “A great volunteer base for your state park. This can include everything from park maintenance to park interpretive programming…”Slide31
What Staff say about the Program
“…Working with the MN’s is my favorite part of my job! Plus they are making huge impacts on local natural resources through restoration and education activities!... Lives are being changed because of the TMN program! Working with the MN’s is the most important thing I have done in my 22 year long career in natural resource protection and education!”Slide32
The Benefits: What’s in it for you?
Opportunity!
Help make a difference in Texas Natural Resources—now and for the future
Learn from Experts in the field
Provide important and valuable natural resource information Gain an appreciation for and understanding of natural environments Develop new friendships and working relationships Obtain Individual awards and recognitionSlide33
Stay Connected with Us!http:www.txmn.org
Join the ListServ [TMN]
https://www.facebook.com/TexasMasterNaturalistProgramSlide34
Questions?
Michelle Haggerty Texas Master Naturalist State Program Coordinator
830-896-2504
mmhaggerty@tamu.eduhttp://txmn.orgSlide35
Questions?
Mary Pearl Meuth
Texas Master Naturalist Assistant State Coordinator
979-845-7294mpmeuth@tamu.edu
http://txmn.org