THE DRAGONFLYER

A Message from our President

Bruce Stewart, NTMN President, provides a 2018 wrap up and tells us what’s ahead for 2019 including huge events like the Annual Meeting and the Urban Wildlife Conference. Read Bruce’s article for more!

Welcome 2019 Spring Class Members!

On February 5, 2019 we welcomed 50 new trainees into our program. These trainees bring their own knowledge, skills and talents and will receive 13 weeks of classroom training and go on three field trips. If you are in the class, welcome! And if you are already a member of the chapter, make it your personal mission to meet some of these new trainees! Learn. Volunteer. Repeat. Read more about our new class here.

Save the Date! City Nature Challenge – April 26-29

Let’s win the City Nature Challenge

The Dallas/Fort Worth area (the 9 counties around Dallas/Fort Worth) will be competing with over 130 cities/urban areas around the world on April 26-29, 2019.

Let’s document as much biodiversity as possible to show the rest of the world that we have wild spots throughout the DFW metroplex, and we have loads of naturalists who actively care about these wild areas!

Spring 2019 Big Chapter Project Coming Up May 4th

Rogers Wildlife Rehabilitation Center has been chosen as the venue for the Big Chapter Project this spring. Join us from 9am-noon to get the property and the flight cages ready for summer. More details to follow.

Volunteer Projects At a Glance

Passionate about Plants and Pollinators? Volunteer at Texas Discovery Gardens
Located in Fair Park, and with 7 ½ acres and many gardens, including the Master Gardener‘s Garden,The Benny Simpson Native Plant Garden, the Native Butterfly Habitat, and the Hummingbird Garden dedicated to Jim Varnum, Texas Discovery Gardens has something for everyone. Volunteer opportunities abound including butterfly house and snake house docents, maintaining gardens, and working in the greenhouse. Join us in the first certified organic garden in the state of Texas.

Outreach
Community education and outreach have been identified as areas for improvement and growth. We have a wide range of opportunities available including Walk Leaders, Youth Development, Community Education, and Speakers Bureau. We need YOU to help us achieve our goals.

Historian Needed
Are you into history? How about Scrapbooking? We are seeking someone to record all the amazing work NTMN does and create displays for events and conferences.

Seeking Videographers
Do you want to volunteer behind the video camera? In 2019, we’re looking to boost our video committee. Email us at videos@ntmn.org and let us know how you want to get involved!

The Media Room

Take a look at these photo albums submitted by NTMN photo committee and project leaders:
Awards Banquet 2018
Coppell Junior Master Naturalists
And visit our Flickr photostream!

Helping the Honey Bees

Jane Duke attended the American Beekeeping Federation conference in January. Read her report and learn why it’s important for beekeepers to treat for Varroa mites.

NTMN MEMBER NEWS

2019 Goals
31 members met in January to discuss goals for 2019. They determined four focus areas for this year: Financial Situation, Community Impact, New and Old Member Retention, and Chapter Size. Learn more about these and read highlights from the session.

Survey Results
Thank you to the 101 members who completed the Member Survey in November. Check out the results and their implications for chapter finances, meetings and volunteering.

2018 Member Milestones
One member achieved 5,000 hours, five members reached 2,500 hours, and many more met 1,000 hours, 500 hours, and 250 hours milestones. Congratulations!

2018 Goals and Accomplishments
Three focus areas were identified in 2018: Partnerships, Outreach, and a Fall Class. Review the accomplishments associated with these and what the chapter will do moving forward.

Member Spotlight: Russ Olivier
Learn more about our latest New Class Representative, Russ Olivier and what he loves about NTMN.

Meet our 2018 Honorary Member, John Snowden
John is recognized as a great friend of NTMN, offering Grass Education for our new classes, and allowing us to collect seeds from his property for our projects. He has been restoring nature in the East Cross Timbers soils of Arlington as Bluestem Nursery on his parents’ land since the 1980s.

General NTMN Information

Monthly meetings are usually held on the first Wednesday of each month starting at 6:30 pm and are always open to the public. Check ntmn.org for speaker announcements and location.

Officers and Committee Listing

Our Mission

To develop a corps of well-informed volunteers to provide education, outreach and service dedicated to the beneficial management of natural resources and natural wild areas within their communities within the state of Texas.