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Lost Pines Chapter, Texas Master Naturalist Program...right here at home... in the Lost Pines
Welcome to the Lost Pines Chapter, Texas Master Naturalist Program! You can learn more about our chapter and the Master Naturalist volunteer program here. Master Naturalist volunteers help manage our local natural resources. If you are interested in joining us, or have questions about our activities, please contact 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. Aug 16, 2010; 6:30 P.M., Red Rock Community Center - Rachel Bauer, Bastrop County Extension, will provide an introduction to Agrilife Extension: What they do, and what resources they have available for us as Master Naturalists. Sept 20, 2010; 6:30 P.M., Lockhart State Park - Steve Box, of Environmental Stewardship, will discuss Water resources and protection planning. In the news...A recent article in the Smithville Times (and Bastrop Advertiser) "The Snakes Among Us" features a timely discussion of venomous snakes in our area. It was written by LPMN member Denis McGinness and includes extensive comments form Bill Brooks, LPMN unofficial herpetologist, and photography by LPMNer Alvin Cearley. Click here for part 2 of this series. LPMN members Dale Morrison, Jim Estes and Nick Nichols were featured in an article in the Bastrop Advertiser about volunteering at the Colorado River Refuge. (Click here: 248 kB PDF file) The Lost Pines Chapter of the Texas Master Naturalist Program was featured in a recent article by Denis McGinness in the "Smithville Times". Read the article here. Update X2: Registration for 11th TMN State Meeting is OpenRegister today!! The most popular Advanced Training Sessions fill up very quickly!!! This year's meeting will be held October 22-24, 2010 at T bar M Resort & Conference Center in New Braunfels, TX. Your best value for registration is the full 3-day conference registration rate at $140 now through September 19th. After that date, registration rates increase. Click here for a PDF of the Agenda Lodging: You will need to make all of your own lodging arrangements. Bunkhouse Lodging at T bar M. A NEW option is available. A bunk house lodging option with separate Men & Women lodges have been set up at T bar M for our group. This option also offers lodging at a reduced rate of $30 per night per person for those looking to cut lodging expenses. This price includes a bed roll with a pillow, blanket, two sheets, one large bath towel and a washcloth. You would need to bring your own toiletries. Check in as soon as you can to claim your preferred bed in this option! Earplugs might be a good item to pack too. Call a T bar M reservationists at 800/292-5469 twenty-four hours a day to make your reservation for this space. You will need to mention the reservation number of 308734 and the bunkhouse lodging. PLEASE NOTE: At this time, all hotel style rooms at T bar M have been sold out for our conference. An Additional block of rooms has been set up with the Courtyard Marriott in New Braunfels and they have agreed to honor the same room rates as what has been negotiated with T bar M. Courtyard Marriott750 IH 35 North New Braunfels, Texas 78130 Phone: 1-830-626-4700 You will need to give them the code of: TPWD-TMN for the $85 base rate per room per night. You may also check with other members in your chapter who have already made room arrangements and see if there are opportunities for splitting a room in which they have already reserved. A special thanks goes out to the Lindheimer Chapter for all their hard work and assistance with the Annual meeting thus far! Members: Take Credit For Your Volunteer Hours!Please report your volunteer and advanced training hours each month, using the new (7/2010) Volunteer Activity reporting form. Send your completed reports to Marsha Elrod.
Three new forms are available: 2010 Master Naturalist Class
We welcome graduates of the 2010 Lost Pines Master Naturalist Training Class. Class members- 2010 Lost Pines Chapter Officers
LPMN re-elected officers at the December chapter meeting. Our 2010 officers are: Beetles of the Lost PinesAfter teaching the entomology class to our class on May 11, 2009, Mike Quinn set up a mercury vapor light outside the refectory for a couple hours to see what might come in. He recorded about 60 species of beetles plus a few other odds and ends including a pseudoscorpion. Mike's photos are at: http://picasaweb.google.com/entomike/BastropStatePark# Mike notes that Tabor and Fleenor (Insects of the Lost Pines, 2003) only treat about 70 beetle species in their book on Bastrop State Park. No doubt due to the high diversity of beetles, there was almost NO OVERLAP in what Mike found and what they report. With the assistance of others such as Dr. Donald S. Chandler, Dr. Charles O'Brien, and Vassili Belov, most of the 60 beetle species Mike photographed have been ID'ed. Some of the more noteworthy species include the following four not previously photographed beetles (at least not as live bugs): Lignyodes varius - Variegated Weevil: http://bugguide.net/node/view/275291 The above colorful weevil was described by LeConte over 130 years ago and has apparently never been photographed save for the Type specimen in the Museum of Comparative Zoology. Acanthinus scitulus - Antlike Flower Beetle: http://bugguide.net/node/view/274990 Mike is apparently the only person to have photographed five of the seven Acanthinus spp. All shot since March 7, 2009. http://bugguide.net/node/view/61254/bgpage Epuraea umbrosa - Sap-feeding Beetle: http://bugguide.net/node/view/275006 Aulonium ferrugineum - Cylindrical Bark Beetle: http://bugguide.net/node/view/275481 Finally, this cool beetle represents a "life family" for Mike: Hydrocanthus sp. - Burrowing Water Beetle: http://bugguide.net/node/view/275017 On May 16, Mike and Brush Freeman did some collecting at McKinney Roughs, which resulted in another interesting assortment of critters: http://picasaweb. google.com/ entomike/ McKinneyRoughsTX # Discover the Lost Pines Interpretive Hikes (Spring and Fall)
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Updated: Aug 20, 2010 ©2002-2010 |
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 Discover the Lost Pines hikes in early October, and need volunteers to lead hikes throughout the fall. For information on volunteering to lead a hike, or just taking a hike,