JIM’S THIS & THAT: March 1-15, 2017
Jim’s This & That is a personal communication, begun by avid naturalist Jim Varnum, which strives to fulfill Jim’s vision of connecting individuals interested in the natural world — primarily in the Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas area — with each other and with resources to increase an appreciation of nature. If you have comments and questions about its content, or wish to receive – or not receive – Jim’s This & That e-mails, please contact nature_links@yahoo.com.
Jim’s This & That is a personal communication, begun by avid naturalist Jim Varnum, which strives to fulfill Jim’s vision of connecting individuals interested in the natural world — primarily in the Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas area — with each other and with resources to increase an appreciation of nature. If you have comments and questions about its content, or wish to receive – or not receive – Jim’s This & That e-mails, please contact nature_links@yahoo.com.
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A Light Exists in Spring
Emily Dickinson
Emily Dickinson
A light exists in spring
Not present on the year
At any other period.
When March is scarcely here
A color stands abroad
On solitary hills
That science cannot overtake,
But human nature feels.
On solitary hills
That science cannot overtake,
But human nature feels.
It waits upon the lawn;
It shows the furthest tree
Upon the furthest slope we know;
It almost speaks to me.
Upon the furthest slope we know;
It almost speaks to me.
Then, as horizons step,
Or noons report away,
Without the formula of sound,
It passes, and we stay:
Without the formula of sound,
It passes, and we stay:
A quality of loss
Affecting our content,
As trade had suddenly encroached
Upon a sacrament.
***
Affecting our content,
As trade had suddenly encroached
Upon a sacrament.
***
YukYukYuk! This time with thanks to Bill Woodfin…
She was only a whisky-maker, but he loved her still.
The midget fortune-teller who escaped from prison was a small medium at large.
A vulture carrying two dead raccoons boards an airplane. The stewardess looks at him and says, ‘I’m sorry, sir, only one
carrion allowed per passenger.’
carrion allowed per passenger.’
Two fish swim into a concrete wall. One turns to the other and says, ‘Dam!’
***
Webinars worth watching:
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Webinars worth watching:
If you’re a lover of forests… http://www.forestrywebinars.net/
…and “Successful Buffer Restoration: Initial Establishment Methods and Post-Planting Care”: http://www.conservationwebinars.net/webinars/successful-buffer-restoration
***
Mark your calendars now for these unique opportunities in March…
Mark your calendars now for these unique opportunities in March…
* Sat., March 11, 9:30am – 3pm. Prairie Seekers is a prairie assessment & mapping program developed by Native Prairies Association of Texas (NPAT). The Fort Worth chapter is hosting a training workshop which covers topics & field training on: prairie plant ID, soils, succession (‘reading the land’), fauna, mapping & iNaturalist. After certification, Prairie Seekers volunteers conduct surveys whose data will be contributed to the TPWD (Texas Parks & Wildlife Department) state biodiversity database. This information is used to identify future prairie conservation opportunities across the state. Workshop hours are approved for Master Naturalist Advanced Training. The workshop is free with RSVP to michelle.villafranca@fortworthtexas.gov. The workshop is hosted by NPAT, Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge, & U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. https://fortworthnpat.wordpress.com/calendar/
* Sun., March 19, 1-3pm. Bob Richie will lead a walk through Twelve Hills Nature Center’s half- mile trail, exploring wild edible plants. Please RSVP to twelvehillsnaturecenter@gmail.com. (No pets for this event).
* Tues., March 21, 2017 – 7-9pm: Monarch Way Stations for North Texas
Help Monarch butterflies take flight this spring! Learn simple steps to create a Monarch Way Station. Carol Clark, Monarch Watch Conservation Specialist, presents the Monarch life cycle, its magnificent migration through Texas and actions you can take now to support conservation of this threatened butterfly. Help will be available before and after this program to answer questions, provide resources and a free step-by-step guide to start your Monarch butterfly garden in North Texas.
Flower Mound Public Library, 3030 Broadmoor Lane, Flower Mound, TX 75022
To register, please email fmpl@flower-mound.com or call 972.874.6165.
* Sun., March 26, 3-6pm: Dogwood Canyon Audubon Center’s Hoots & Hops! Fundraiser—$22/person gets you 3 pints, a souvenir glass and live birds of prey. Help spread the word and invite your friends!
***
Dallas Public Library offers grant writing resources…
Dallas Public Library offers grant writing resources…
Thurs., March 9, 2017, 1-3 pm: Fund My Nonprofit: Where’s the Money?
Are you looking for funds for your nonprofit agency? This free, fast-paced presentation will review basic sources of funding – private foundations, corporations, government and friend-raising. You will learn about the materials available in the Grants Information collection and how they can assist you in growing your nonprofit.
Are you looking for funds for your nonprofit agency? This free, fast-paced presentation will review basic sources of funding – private foundations, corporations, government and friend-raising. You will learn about the materials available in the Grants Information collection and how they can assist you in growing your nonprofit.
Wed., March 22, 2017, 1:30-4:30 pm: How to Write Federal Grants
Dallas Public Library’s Grants Information and the City of Dallas Office of Intergovernmental Services will offer a free seminar on applying for federal grants. You will learn to search agency websites for grant opportunities, read a Notice of funding Opportunity for critical information, navigate a federal application – narratives, budgets and other common requirements, general grant writing tips to make your proposal stand out and common post-award requirements.
Dallas Public Library’s Grants Information and the City of Dallas Office of Intergovernmental Services will offer a free seminar on applying for federal grants. You will learn to search agency websites for grant opportunities, read a Notice of funding Opportunity for critical information, navigate a federal application – narratives, budgets and other common requirements, general grant writing tips to make your proposal stand out and common post-award requirements.
All classes are free, but seating is limited. To register, please e-mail jill.azaria@dallascityhall.com or call the library
at 214.670.1468.
***
There are some great opportunities for Monarch and Pollinator Conservation Grants right now…thanks to the Texas Master Naturalists for this information:
at 214.670.1468.
***
There are some great opportunities for Monarch and Pollinator Conservation Grants right now…thanks to the Texas Master Naturalists for this information:
* Feed a Bee launches RFP for $500,000 pollinator forage initiative:
https://www.cropscience.bayer.us/news/press-releases/2017/02212017-feed-a-bee-launches-rfp-for-500000-pollinator-initiative
https://www.cropscience.bayer.us/news/press-releases/2017/02212017-feed-a-bee-launches-rfp-for-500000-pollinator-initiative
* Nat’l. Fish & Wildlife Fund Monarch Butterfly Conservation Fund 2017 Request for Proposals
http://www.nfwf.org/monarch/Pages/2017rfp.aspx
***
http://www.nfwf.org/monarch/Pages/2017rfp.aspx
***
Restoration in Our Own Prairie. Read more about restoration at Harry S. Moss Park in Dallas:
http://lakehighlands.advocatemag.com/2017/02/harry-s-moss-park-prairie-renovation-legacy-ruth-may/
http://lakehighlands.advocatemag.com/2017/02/harry-s-moss-park-prairie-renovation-legacy-ruth-may/
***
Thanks to all the contributors who have shared the following terrific links and resources! Do you have a favorite book, movie, website, field guide, app, or other nature-related news or resource you’d like to share? Write a brief description and send it to nature_links@yahoo.com – we’ll help spread the word.
Thanks to all the contributors who have shared the following terrific links and resources! Do you have a favorite book, movie, website, field guide, app, or other nature-related news or resource you’d like to share? Write a brief description and send it to nature_links@yahoo.com – we’ll help spread the word.
Upcoming activities, March 1-15, 2017:
3.1.17
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7-8:30pm
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Arlington Conservation Council 1st Wednesday meeting: Solid Waste Management in Arlington
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3.1.17
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1-4pm
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Heard Museum 3-hour wetland canoe trail
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3.2.17
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1:30pm
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Botanical Research Institute of Texas free Thursday tour
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3.2.17
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7-8:30pm
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N. Central (Ft. Worth) chapter – Native Plant Society 1st Thursday meeting: Landscape Regions of Texas
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3.4.17
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10am-12pm
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Ft. Worth Nature Center: nature hike
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3.4.17
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9am-12pm
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Botanical Research Institute of Texas: 1st Saturday public visits
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www.brit.org
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3.4.17
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1-3pm
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Botanical Research Institute of Texas: Plant ID and vouchering
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3.4.17
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9-11am:
9am-12pm: |
John Bunker Sands Wetland Center 1st Saturday public walks:
Beginner Birding Advanced Birding |
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3.4.17
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10am-3pm
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Blackland Prairie Raptor Center “First Saturday” public event (raptor programs at 11am & 1pm, short bird walk at 10:15 to identify some winter birds at BPRC)
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3.4.17
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10am-12pm
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LLELA nature walk
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3.4.17
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7-10am
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Bird walk with Gailon Brehm & Rodney Thomas at Connemara Conservancy
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3.4.17
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8:30-10am
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Arbor Hills (Plano) adventures: birds of early spring
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3.6.17
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10-11:30am
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“Nature Detectives” walk for preschoolers, 12 Hills Nature Center, Oak Cliff
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Please contact twelvehillsnaturecenter@gmail.com if you’re coming, or with questions.
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3.7.17
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9-11am
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Twelve Hills Nature Center workday
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www.twelvehills.org
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3.7.17
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7pm
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Collin Co. NPSOT 1st Tuesday monthly meeting: Poison Ivy
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Laughlin Hall, Heard Museum, McKinney.
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3.7.17
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7-8:30pm
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Preservation Society for Spring Creek Forest 1st Tuesday monthly meeting:
Sex in the Garden |
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3.8.17
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7-9pm
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North Texas Master Naturalists 2nd Wednesday monthly meeting: poison ivy
(at Meadows Conference Center, Live Oak Room, 2900 Live Oak St.) |
www.ntmn.org
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3.8.17
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10-11:30am
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Oak Point Park (Plano) plant walk
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Meet in the lobby of the Nature Education & Retreat Center off Los Rios Blvd.
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3.9.17
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1-3pm
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Dallas Public Library: Fund My Nonprofit…Where’s the Money?
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RSVP to jill.azaria@dallascityhall.com or 214.670.1468.
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3.9.17
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1:30pm
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Botanical Research Institute of Texas free Thursday tour
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3.9.17
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7:30pm
(6:50 for mini-bird ID practice) |
Ft. Worth Audubon 2nd Thursday monthly meeting: Texas Horned Lizards
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Room 100 of the Research and Education Building at the UNT Health Science Center, 3500 Camp Bowie (Beyer Hall – room 100)
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3.9.17
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10:30am-12pm
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“Insect Mimics” at Texas Discovery Gardens
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3.11.17
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7:30-10am
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LLELA early-morning bird walk
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3.11.17
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9:30-3pm
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Prairie Seekers field training
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3.11.17
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10am-12pm
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Ft. Worth Natures Center: nature hike
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3.11.17
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10-11:30am
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Friends of Hagerman NWR 2nd Saturday speaker: Otter Nonsense – the rise and fall (and rise) of America’s most charismatic weasel
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3.11.17
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8-9:30an
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Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge guided bird walk
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3.11.17
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9-11am
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Preservation Society for Spring Creek Forest 2nd Saturday workday, 1770 Holford Road, Garland
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3.11.17
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8-9am
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Prairie & Timbers Audubon 2nd Saturday bird walk at the Heard Museum
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3.11.17
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6:30-9pm
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Heard Museum Owl Prowl
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3.11.17
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9am-12pm
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TRAC – 2nd Saturday workday
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3.11.17
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10am-12pm
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Dallas Co. Lepidopterists’ Society: TBA
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3.11.17
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8am-12pm
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For the Love of the Lake – second Saturday spruce-up
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3.12.17
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9-11am
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Twelve Hills Nature Center workday
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www.twelvehills.org
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3.13.17
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6:30-8pm
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Ft. Worth chapter, Native Prairies Assn. 2nd Monday meeting: Prairie Management on U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Land in North Texas
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3.14.17
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7-9pm
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Trinity Valley Beekeepers 2nd Tuesday monthly meeting: Bee foraging behavior
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3.14.17
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6:30pm
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Native American Prairies Assn. monthly meeting: Moss Park Updates with Roger Sanderson
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3.14.17
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7-9pm
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Blackland Prairie Texas Master Nat. 2nd Tues. monthly meeting: New Frisco Wetlands in the Hackberry Creek and Stewart Creek Drainages
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http://bptmn.org/
meets at the Heard Museum |
3.15.17
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10-11:30am
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Oak Point Park (Plano) guided nature walk
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Meet in the lobby of the Nature Education & Retreat Center off Los Rios Blvd.
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3.15.17
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7-8:30pm
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Texas Historic Tree Coalition quarterly meeting: images of Dallas parks and White Rock Lake. 2900 Live Oak.
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?s to mary.graves@txhtc.org
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