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Lost Pines Chapter, Texas Master Naturalist Program
Welcome to the Lost Pines Chapter, Texas Master Naturalist Program! You can learn more about our chapter and the Master Naturalist volunteer program here. If you are interested in joining us, or have questions about our activities, please use the contact form to get in touch with us. Members: please use the contact form to update your address, phone number, or e-mail contact information. The Lost Pines chapter serves primarily Bastrop and Caldwell Counties of Central Texas. These counties are predominantly in the Post Oak Savannah and Blackland Prairie Ecoregions. In addition, our area includes the unique "island forest" of the Lost Pines, - the western most extension of the loblolly pine (Pinus taeda), separated by about 100 miles from the pine forests of East Texas. Species in the Lost Pines are particularly adapted to the drier conditions here, and provide unique habitat for varied flora and fauna which can be seen in Bastrop State Park and Buescher State Park and other nearby natural areas. You can learn more about what makes these parks so special and see pictures of them by visiting our "Discover the Lost Pines" page; you can also find many links to information about the native plants, animals and ecology of the Lost Pines region on our resources page. Lost Pines Chapter, Texas Master Naturalist Meetings
Chapter meetings generally alternate between the Bastrop State Park Refectory, Red Rock Community Center, and the Lockhart Extension Office, and are at 6:30 PM on the third Monday of each month. Most meetings feature an educational program (Advanced Training unless otherwise noted), and are open to members, prospective members, and the general public. Sept 15; 6:30 P.M., Red Rock Community Center - Our speaker will be Ken Johnson, author of "Texas Crawdads." Ken is a retired aquatic animal disease professor from Texas A&M. He will share some of his remarkably beautiful photos of crawdads with us and discuss their biology Oct 20; 6:30 P.M., Bastrop State Park Refectory - Mark McCelland will present a program on "Blacklights and Bananas. What comes out when the sun goes down." This will be a presentation (and demonstration) on using blacklights and banana baits to attract moths, beetles, butterflies, and other bugs. Advanced Training: Hummingbird Roundup, Sept 27.Mark Klym will be presenting the Texas Nature Tracker program, Hummingbird Roundup, for us on Sept. 27 at McKinney Roughs from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. This workshop includes hummingbird ID, recording and reporting sightings in your yard, and planting to attract hummingbirds. We'll provide light snacks and beverages. There is no cost for this workshop. If you are interested, please contact Louise Ridlon as soon as possible. Space is limited to 20 people, and the workshop will be posted in McKinney Roughs' fall flyer, and announced to Bastrop County Audubon, but our Lost Pines Chapter members get first notice. If you're interested contact Louise via email at flridlon@hotmail.com, or call (512) 985-5064. Participation in Hummingbird Roundup, recording your sightings, etc., counts for volunteer hours, too! Click here to download a workshop flyer (PDF) Nature Fest 2008Save the date: Sept 27 9 AM-4 PM (yes, the same date as our Hummingbird Workshop). Bastrop will host its 2nd annual Naturefest to celebrate dedication by TPWD of the "Wilbarger Paddle Trail" (the river section upstream from Fisherman's Park, beginning at the 969 bridge). As last year, there will be family fun and activities in the park, float trips for newbie's and experienced paddlers, and lots of educational and nature friendly booths. We are planning to have our LPMN booth and rainfall simulator, and lead short interpretive walks in the park. If you're interested in helping out, contact Mark . 2008 Texas Master Naturalist State Meeting and TrainingThe annual meeting will be held October 24-26 at the beautiful Mo Ranch near Hunt, TX. This is a great opportunity to learn with numerous advanced training opportunities, and get to know Texas Master Naturalists from around the state. Registration is now open on-line for the TMN state meeting. Early (discounted) registration ends Sept. 28. To see the agenda and detailed course information and to register go to: http://masternaturalist.tamu.edu/page.asp?o=tmn&s=MN&p=303016 Master Naturalist Class of 2007
Congratulations to the 2007 Lost Pines Master Naturalist Training Class for completion of their initial Master Naturalist training. Class members- 2009 training class The Lost Pines Chapter introductory class for 2009 will begin Monday evening, January 29, 2009. This class provides participants with a minimum 40 hours of in-depth training in wildlife and natural resource management taught by recognized experts in the field, customized to our local ecoregions. You will also have the opportunity for advanced training in special subjects that interest you. In return, LPMN members provide our communities with volunteer service in the form of educational activities, stewardship projects, or demonstrations. Examples of volunteer activities include serving on a speakers bureau to make presentations to community organizations, serving as a guide for interpretive hikes in parks, monitoring plants or wildlife at a nature center, or leading youth educational activities. Classes will be held on Monday evenings (2-3 times per month), with several Saturday field trips, through May. Details will be available in the fall. Please use the contact form to add your name to our notification list. 2008 Lost Pines Chapter Officers
LPMN elected officers at the December chapter meeting. Our 2008 officers are: Discover the Lost Pines Interpretive Hikes (Spring and Fall)
Members: Take Credit For Your Volunteer Hours! Please report your volunteer and advanced training hours each month, using the Volunteer Activity reporting form. Bring your report to the Chapter meeting, or send them to Marsha Elrod. The NEW Volunteer Activity reporting form (Word doc, click here) is available for download. You can open the form and fill it out in Word-compatible software on your computer. Then e-mail back to Marsha Elrod, or fill them in by hand and send in by regular mail (187 Billingsley Hgts., Cedar Creek, Tx 78612). Don't have Word? Then download the Acrobat PDF Activity reporting Form, print and fill in. Bring the completed form to the monthly meeting, or mail to Marsha. |
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Updated: Sep 8, 2008 ©2002-2008 |
Lead (or take!) a short interpretive hike through the Lost Pines of Bastrop State Park. Hikes are conducted at 10:00 AM on Saturday mornings, spring and fall. We will begin our Fall hikes in October, and need volunteers to lead hikes through December. For information on volunteering to lead a hike, or just taking a hike,