NTMN members at the 2022 Texas Master Naturalist Annual Meeting in Houston

A Message from our President

In this quarter’s message, Scott Hudson offers a recap of the 2022 Texas Master Naturalist Annual Meeting held last month in Houston. Scott shares the highlights of our chapter’s participation and recognition, and tells us where we are headed next for year’s conference. There’s also some important legislation pending with Recovering America’s Wildlife Act. Richard Heilbrun, the Conservation Outreach Program Leader for Texas Parks & Wildlife Department encourages us to take action and contact our senators and asking for their support before it’s too late. Read Scott’s message here.

Project Highlight: Warren Ferris Cemetery

NTMNs are helping to restore the neglected landscape of the Warren Angus Ferris cemetery. The cemetery is a designated historic site located at the northwest corner of St. Francis Avenue and San Leandro Drive, Dallas, Texas. Member Julie Fineman is the project lead and was recently awarded the Coke Buchanan Volunteer of the Year award by DFW Greensource. The Video of the Year award at NPSOT’s Native Plant Symposium highlighted the cemetery and the work being done there. Learn more about the project here. And visit this link to watch the fantastic video The Ferris Cemetery, “A Future as Well as a Past.”

Insect Appreciation Workshop 12/3

Do you want to learn more about the insects around you? Experts (many from our chapter) will be teaching us new things about moths, bees, butterflies, flies and more. Sign up to attend online or in person here.

Awards Galore

NTMNs have won a lot of awards this quarter! Congrats to the following folks. And if we missed any, let us know!
Greensource DFW Sustainable Leadership Awards:

•  Environmental Justice — Kathryn Bazan
• Coke Buchanan Volunteer of the Year — Julie Ann Fineman
• Unsung Hero — John Wilt

David Parrish, chapter member and president of the board of the Preservation Society for Spring Creek Forest, received the City of Garland Environmental and Community Advisory Board Special Recognition Award for his environmental work in Garland. He was also the recipient of the Advocate of the Year Award from Texas Recreation and Parks Society (TRAPS).

Kristi Kerr Leonard, Shelby Smith, and Rebecca Posten and The Texas Buckeye Trail/Bonton+Ideal Neighborhoods Project received the 2nd Place Exemplary Project Award at the State Conference.

Chapter Advisor Sam Kieschnick was honored at the State Conference with a special presentation for his first five years of service with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

Insect Affinity Group Outing this Sunday

Sam Kieschnick is hosting another outing this Saturday, 11/19 at 9:00 a.m. at Crawford Park in Pleasant Grove. This month’s outing will focus on what happens to insects when it gets cold. Reach out to Sam with questions.

NTMN’s MLK Jr Day of Service at Campo Santo Recognized

This article from the Texas Observer highlights our 2022 Martin Luther King Jr Day of Service at Campo Santo and its importance and meaning to the community. The article quotes NTMN member Blanca Reyna: “Reyna said she immediately felt “enchanted” after being introduced to the cemetery. She set to work on a design that would pay homage to the site’s cultural significance. “How do I make this connection? How do I bring these communities together?” she asked herself. If you’d like to work on what’s next for NTMN at Campo Santo, reach out to Ginger Greatens.

Why Not Try Something New?

Esther Villareal reflects on her service at a recent Outreach Event in her opinion piece this quarter. She encourages us to explore new opportunities with the organization, enabling us to learn about a new place, a new project, or a new culture.

Member News, Essays, and Opinion

Welcome New Board Members
New board members were elected for the 2023-2024 term. Thanks for your willingness to serve!
Vice President Timothy Skipworth
Co-Treasurer Judy Cato
Secretary Nancy Wilson
New Class Director Anne Edwards
Membership Director Steve Wilson
State Representative Lara Guerra
Youth Development Director Shelby Smith

Milestones See all the milestone achievements for the third quarter here. Special shout out to Cecilie Wallace for reaching 1000 volunteer hours, and to Bruce Leiding for reaching 2500 volunteer hours! Thank you for your service.

Check out the flickr albums for photos from our most recent NTMN events including the Bonton/Ideal Community Event, and a work day at White Rock Lake’s Bison Hill Prairie. Submit your own event photos for an album to photos@ntmn.org.

Shop and support NTMN. Sign up for Kroger, Tom Thumb or Amazon Smile rewards programs and a percentage of your purchase total will be donated to our chapter. It’s easy!

Chapter Dues email has gone to all members. Please remember to pay via the online invoice by December 31, 2022.