photo by Stalin SM  Ned & Genie Fritz Buckeye Trail

A Message from our President

In this quarter’s message, Scott reflects on the changing seasons, the Annual Meeting, and a new project. Six hundred plus people attended the Annual Meeting in October, including 95 from our chapter. Did you miss the Friday night keynote address by our own Amy Martin entitled The Wonders of North Texas Nature? You can watch it here (password is keynote). Next year’s Annual Meeting will be held in Houston October 20-23, 2022.

Fall Bioblitz Results

Great work Citizen Scientists! In September, our chapter advisor Sam Kieschnick challenged the community to go outside and record observations using iNaturalist. Over 1,200 observers recorded more than 2,300 species during the week-long event. Events like this help convince land managers that nature matters and proves to them it’s worth the effort to conserve and manage with nature in mind.
Read the recap here. Photo of Texas Wasp Moth by Judy Ashner on iNaturalist. View the observation.

Add Your Favorite Reference Resource to our
Website

Do you have a favorite natural science reference you share with people who are seeking recommendations for information – a book, a website, an app? Do you have a “go to” field guide? We want to catalog all of those reference recommendations for members of the public seeking natural science information. So we’ve created a new tab on our website called “Resources”. There are lists for birds, fish, forests and trees, geology, getting outside, herpetology, insects and arthropods, mammals, prairies, native plants, and, water and wetlands. For each topic, we want to include books, field guides, organizations, social media sites, smartphone apps, video presentations, podcasts, additional training, and resources directed at children. Check out the new tab and send an email about resources we should add.

HELP! Seeking Social Media & Web Support

The Communications team is seeking a Social Media Chairperson and experts (or fond enthusiasts) on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and any other social media channel. Do you have experience with WordPress? We need help making the our Dallas Area Parks Guide interactive. Come join our team and earn volunteer hours at home and on your own schedule! Contact the team for more info.

Dollars for Doers

With volunteer grants, or “dollars for doers,” companies offer grants to non-profits where their employees volunteer. Some companies provide grants through their retirees as well as employees. Members have facilitated donations to the North Texas Master Naturalist from Texas Instruments, Morgan Stanley, and Hewlett Packard. Contact your HR departments and research matching gift programs. Some programs match financial donations by their employees and some also have incentive programs which match individual volunteer hours with a financial grant. Visit this site to see if your employer has a matching gift program.

Member News, Essays, and Opinion

Tina Rust wins Quarterly Volunteer Award: Read about the important mapping work Tina led at Spring Creek Forest Preserve last
fall.

Two Master Naturalists appointed to Dallas Environmental Commission: Esther Villareal and Kathryn Bazan were recently appointed to represent their communities. Learn about the important work they’ll be doing here.

Amy Martin was appointed by Theresa Daniel, County Commissioner for District 1, to the Dallas County Open Spaces board. She is filling the appointment of James White, who passed away this year and was described by Daniel as “Our trails guy.” Martin was invited by Daniel to bring a naturalist’s perspective to the board and be a proponent for dirt trails. “I have mighty big hiking shoes to fill and hope to do James proud,” says Martin.

Third Quarter Service Milestones

Congratulations to all who achieved milestones, with special recognition to Stephanie Varnum, who received a Presidential Volunteer Service Award and achieved the milestone of over 4,000 hours of service to our organization.

250 Hours

• Karen Albracht
• Paul Dolliver
• Julie Fineman
• Charles Hess
• Cassey Llamas
• Alice Anne Perry
• Amanda Pounds

500 Hours

• Frances Gonzalez

New Board Members Elected Congratulations to our newest 2022-2023 Board Members!

• President: Scott Hudson
• Co-Treasurer: Alan Lusk
• Volunteer Services/Advanced Training Director: Carrie Robinson
• Communications Director: Dorothy Buechel
• Community Education Director: Monica Morrison
• Diversity & Inclusion Director: Ginger Greatens

Membership Dues: Our Board of Directors has determined that annual dues will return to the previous level of $40 for 2022. You may recall that, after many years at $30,  dues were increased in 2020 to $40. With the pandemic shutdown and anticipating short-term savings, the Board temporarily decreased dues to $30 for 2021. As projects come back online and we incur increased hybrid meeting expenses, it is time to return dues to the 2020 level of $40. We are continuing with the online payment system for dues. You should receive an email with the subject Pledge before the Thanksgiving holiday. Payment is due by December 31st. If you miss the email reach out to the NTMN Treasurer here.

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.

Officer and Committee
Listing
Event Calendar

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.