TEXAS Events Volunteer Opportunities Education & Training Alamo Area Chapter Volume 14, No. 4 April, 2010 Officers By the 2010 AAMN Board S pring is a great time of the year. The plants are happy and blooming. The butterflies and hummingbirds are en- joying the nectar from these plants. The weather has been wonderful and it is a great time to venture out and lead a hike, do some trail maintenance or assist with some bird sur- veys. This April newsletter is full of activi- ties for all MN. So get outdoors and have fun! Don’t forget the Special President and By- laws Election Meeting to be held on April 14, beginning at 6:30 p.m. For more details, see the March newsletter on the AAMN website: www.alamomasternaturalist.org. This meet- ing will precede the monthly Advanced Train- ing presentation, which begins at 7:00 p.m. We look forward to seeing you there! More news for our members. Beginning in May, the remaining 2010 monthly meetings will be held at the Texas AgriLife Building, 3355 Cherry Ridge, Suite 208, on the sec- ond Tuesday of every month. The scheduled date for the May meeting is Tuesday, May 11, 2010. Please change your calendars accord- ingly. A survey will be sent to the member- ship to gather input on this topic for the 2011 calendar year. Speaking of calendars… Have you visited the calendar on the website lately? Much co- ordination is occurring at this time to get the calendar of activities updated. Follow the link to the calendar and see for yourself. As you move your curser over the dates, a full descrip- tion of the activity pops up. We want to thank Media and Technology Chair Jessica Manley, Webmaster Sam Glass, and especially Com- mittee Member Frank Ballard, for working on this very important project. Finally, did you save the date? On Fri- day, May 14, the AAMN are planning a social gathering at Eisenhower Park. It is hoped that AAMN members from all classes come out and enjoy a wonderful evening of fun and ca- maraderie. Nancy Brown and Wendy Thorn- ton, your hospitality committee, are busy working on getting this great event finalized. If you’re interested in helping, please contact them. More details to follow. An Invitation to Class 26 Graduation on May 1 You are invited to attend the graduation ceremony for AAMN Class 26 on May 1st at 11 A.M in the Auld House at the San Anto- nio Botanical Gardens. The guest speaker will be Bryan Davis, Texas AgriLife Extension Service agent for natural resources in Bexar County. The presence of fellow Master Natu- ralists always adds to the sense of celebration and accomplishment to the event. Service hour award pins will also be distributed to our chap- ter Master Naturalists. A side dish or dessert dish for the brunch is appreciated. Please contact Nancy Brown at [email protected]to advise her of your contribution. Board Meeting April 14 5:15 p.m. Special Election 6:30 p.m. All members are welcome to attend. Program 7:00 p.m. April 14 Meeting Program Weather, weather patterns in South Texas and how we are impacted. Robert Blaha is a Warning Coordination Meteorologist with the National Weather Service in New Braunfels. is program is approved for advanced training hours.
Spring is a great time of the year. The plants are happy and blooming. The butterflies and hummingbirds are en-
joying the nectar from these plants. The weather has been wonderful and it is a great time to venture out and lead a hike, do some trail maintenance or assist with some bird sur-veys. This April newsletter is full of activi-ties for all MN. So get outdoors and have fun!
Don’t forget the Special President and By-laws Election Meeting to be held on April 14, beginning at 6:30 p.m. For more details, see the March newsletter on the AAMN website: www.alamomasternaturalist.org. This meet-ing will precede the monthly Advanced Train-ing presentation, which begins at 7:00 p.m. We look forward to seeing you there!
More news for our members. Beginning in May, the remaining 2010 monthly meetings will be held at the Texas AgriLife Building, 3355 Cherry Ridge, Suite 208, on the sec-ond Tuesday of every month. The scheduled date for the May meeting is Tuesday, May 11, 2010. Please change your calendars accord-ingly. A survey will be sent to the member-ship to gather input on this topic for the 2011 calendar year.
Speaking of calendars… Have you visited the calendar on the website lately? Much co-ordination is occurring at this time to get the calendar of activities updated. Follow the link to the calendar and see for yourself. As you move your curser over the dates, a full descrip-
tion of the activity pops up. We want to thank Media and Technology Chair Jessica Manley, Webmaster Sam Glass, and especially Com-mittee Member Frank Ballard, for working on this very important project.
Finally, did you save the date? On Fri-day, May 14, the AAMN are planning a social gathering at Eisenhower Park. It is hoped that AAMN members from all classes come out and enjoy a wonderful evening of fun and ca-maraderie. Nancy Brown and Wendy Thorn-ton, your hospitality committee, are busy working on getting this great event finalized. If you’re interested in helping, please contact them. More details to follow.
An Invitation to Class 26 Graduation on May 1
You are invited to attend the graduation ceremony for AAMN Class 26 on May 1st at 11 A.M in the Auld House at the San Anto-nio Botanical Gardens. The guest speaker will be Bryan Davis, Texas AgriLife Extension Service agent for natural resources in Bexar County. The presence of fellow Master Natu-ralists always adds to the sense of celebration and accomplishment to the event. Service hour award pins will also be distributed to our chap-ter Master Naturalists.
A side dish or dessert dish for the brunch is appreciated. Please contact Nancy Brown at [email protected] to advise her of your contribution.
Board MeetingApril 14
5:15 p.m.Special Election
6:30 p.m.All members are
welcome to attend.Program7:00 p.m.
April 14 Meeting Program Weather, weather patterns in South Texas and how we are impacted. Robert Blaha is a
Warning Coordination Meteorologist with the National Weather Service in New Braunfels. This program is approved for advanced training hours.
Visit our web site atwww.alamomasternaturalist.org
News from the Board Committees
Projects to be reviewed for approval as a Master Naturalist activity must be submitted on the Submission for Activity Approval form. Forms can be obtained by contacting Pamela Ball, [email protected], or from the AAMN website at www.alamomasternaturalist.org.
PLEASE REPORT YOUR HOURS !!Reporting hours is easy with the new EXCEL spreadsheet that was developed for e-mail
submissions or for mailing in your hours. It is available online at www.alamomasternaturalist.org.
Where to report your hours:Last names A-M: Last names N-Z:Wilt Shaw Ling Yin Liu104 Dove Meadow 4946 Dare LaneBoerne, TX 78006-4222 San Antonio, TX 78217E-mail : [email protected] Phone: 210-207-0021 E-mail: [email protected]
John Wolcott [email protected] and Roy Yarnold [email protected] have not only volunteered to assist you with this effort but will also serve as the clearing-house for information regarding reported hours, hours that have vanished and those that have gone unreported.
As most of you know, each year we award ‘one of a kind’ certification pins for those who achieve 8 hours of advanced training and 40 hours of volunteer service. This year that pin is a wood duck.
Additionally, throughout the year, the milestone dragonfly pins are also awarded for 250 hours, 500 hours, and 1,000, 2,500 and 5,000 hours of volunteer service.
AAMN is in the process of creating a web 2.0 interactive community!
We need people to brainstorm on what the interactive community should look like. What would you like to see on the website? No tech-nical experience required.
• Discussion Forums, Exchange Area (e.g. book exchange, equipment or tool exchange)
• Giveaway • News Items • Class Area/Projects • Recommended Books/Reading Lists • Events • Wiki This project was started back in the summer
of 2009. Whether you were on the original project or if you would like to join the project, please contact Susan Oualline with your availability at [email protected]. The project team will meet in April to discuss where we left off and next steps.
This project is approved for volunteer service hours.
ACTIVATE YOUR 2010 GOOGLE DOCS ACCOUNT TODAY!
AAMN Documents Online at: AAMN DocumentsAccess important chapter documents including bylaws and minutes online
future meetings
AnnOuncement
AAMN Board of Director and general membership meetings will move to
the AgriLife Extension classroom effective May, 2010.
3355 Cherry Ridge, Ste. 208 San Antonio, TX 78230
There is no meeting in July when the Board of Directors is on retreat.
The September meeting will be held at the Helotes Creek Nature Center on Wednesday, September 8th.
Vol. 14, No. 4 - April, 2010 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3
INVASIVE PLANT ERADICATION AT RANCHO DIANA NOW TWO DAYS PER WEEK
Master Naturalists and members of the newly formed Balcones Invaders Satel-lite invite you to join us in our efforts to eradicate invasive plants at Rancho Diana every Tuesday and Wednesday. We are continuing our eradication
of Chinaberry, Chinese Photinia, Chinese Pistachio, Ligustrum, Pyracantha, and Nan-dina on the property. To date, we have identified and eradicated over 5,000 specimens.
Tuesdays, April 6, 13, 20 & 27 Wednesdays, April 7, 14, 21 and 28Volunteers meet outside the gate at Rancho Diana at 7:30 A.M. and conclude at 9:30 or 10:00 A.M. If you are interested, contact Cheryl Hamilton at [email protected] or 210-
342-9721. It is important to e-mail or call no later than 9:00 p.m. the night before if you will be joining us, as we enter Rancho Diana as a group.
The special AAMN general election meeting is scheduled for 6:30 PM on April 14, 2010 at the Botanical Garden Administration Building. This meeting is pri-or to the monthly program session. There are two agenda items for this meeting.
A: Bylaws: Accept or reject the proposed TMN State BylawsB. Election of President of AAMN AAMN members interested in running for AAMN Board President were invited
to submit their name and a short statement on their qualifications for the position by March 23, 2010.
Candidates who are seeking the office of President – Liz Robbins, Class 17 Printed ballots will be provided at the April 14th meeting. Nominations from the
floor will not be accepted.
I am seeking the office of President of the AAMN chapter. I am a native San Antonian, familiar with our city, our county, and surrounding areas. I appreci-ate both the diversity of our landscapes and the diversity of our communities. As a 35-year veteran of the San Antonio school system, I have developed strong
networking skills and personal relationships which I have applied to broadening and enhancing AAMN visibility with a wide variety of agencies, groups, and organizations.
These include COSA, SAPAR, SARA, city and state arborists and foresters, NPSOT chapters, CPS, and SAWS. Since receiving my initial certification dragonfly pin in the fall of 2005, I have been an active, diligent member of AAMN, receiving annual recertification pins and earning the 1,000 hour milestone pin in 2008.
I have served on the Training Committee for over four years and also served on the AAMN board for two years. I am passionate about the TMN mission and the responsibilities of being a MN and I strongly support the five AAMN goals for 2010:
• promoting participation of the entire membership• renewing old friendships and creating new ones• providing more opportunities to serve the community• defining new directions for our chapter• enhancing MN visibility within our communityI appreciate your support and ask for your vote on April 14th.
Respectfully yours, Liz Robbins
nOminee fOr pOsitiOn Of president
Texas Master Naturalist Alamo Area Chapter News
4 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Vol. 14, No. 4 - April, 2010
City of San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department Natural Areas
April 2010 Stewardship Activities
For the month of April we will continue our work at Woodland Hills West and maybe we will be lucky enough to hear a Golden-cheeked warbler. Please
check the schedule below as we will be taking one day off. If you have any questions, please contact Jayne Neal at [email protected] 210-372-9124, or Wendy Leon-ard [email protected] 210-372-9124.
Thursdays, April 1, 8, 15, 22 & 298:30 a.m. - 12:30 p. m. Golden-cheeked warbler habitat restoration at Wood-
land Hills West. Meet at the Woodland Hills West gate on Heuermann, just southwest of Friedrich Wilderness Park. Please bring work gloves if you have them.
Approved for volunteer hours if assisting with programs.
Master Naturalist Training
Medina River Natural AreaWhat the River tells us about Pollution/Water Quality
Friday, April 16, 9 a.m. - 11 a.m.
Field Guide Hikes: Floresville 5th graders Tuesday, April 20, 8:30 a.m. to noon
Pleasanton 5th GradersTuesday, April 27, 8:30 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Bring sack lunch, water and treats provided.
Please confirm your participation with Susan Campbell at [email protected] or 210-624-9076.
NPSOT Speakers Line-up
Meetings of the San Antonio chapter of NPSOT are held on the 4th Tuesday of each month and are free and open to the public.
April 27, 2010 – Kelly Lyons, Ph.D., Trinity University [Subject area: Botany, plant identification]
Approved for advanced training6:30 p.m. – Native plant and seed exchange7:00 p.m. – Meeting and program
Lions Field Adult Center2809 Broadway (at Mulberry & Broadway by Brackenridge Park)
Map at www.tinyurl.com/LionsField-SA
San Antonio River Authority
River Preservation Project May 11 & 12At the Eagleland stretch of the river, Lee Marlowe and her staff continue to make ex-cellent presentations on plant ID. The training for AT credit runs from 9-10 a.m. Volunteer activities run from 10 a.m.
to 1 p.m. This is one hour less than previous SARA activities. Many plants will be in full bloom, making identification a lit-tle easier and much more fun. The flowering plant will match the picture in our field guides for one thing! Contact Ron Tullius at (210) 739-2566 or [email protected] for advanced training/volunteer service hours
Monarch Monitoring ProjectApril 9 - 10 and September 24-25, 20109 a.m. - 4 p.m. on Friday9 a.m. - noon on SaturdayCibolo Nature Center, Boerne, Tx, Auditorium.Cost: $30 Pre-registration required. Call 830-249-4616
Volunteers for Texas Monarch Watch, Cibo-lo Nature Center, and Texas Master Natu-ralists will present spring and fall Monarch
Monitoring Workshops in collaboration with Mon-arch Larval Monitoring Project, Monarch Watch, and Journey North. The monarch has recently been added to the World Wildlife Fund's Top Ten Most Threatened Species list and the overwintering population this winter is the lowest ever recorded.
Approved for advanced training
"Arrest the Arundo...Cutting Giant Cane Down to Size"Saturday, April 10th8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.Grey Forest City Hall at 18502 Scenic Loop Rd. Sponsors: Bexar County, City of Grey Forest, Scenic Loop Playground Club, San Antonio Invaders Bring: Hand loppers or hand saws if you have them, wa-ter bottle, snack if desired, insect repellent. Wear: Work gloves, hat, long-sleeved pants and shirts, waterproof rubber or work boots if you have them
A complimentary lunch will be provided at the Scenic Loop Playground Clubhouse afterward. Park behind the city hall at the Scenic Loop Playground parking area. Cross the creek, and the parking area is on the left hand side. We will walk and carpool to Menchaca and Scenic Loop Rd. Contact: Cheryl Hamilton at [email protected] or 210-342-9721 or Wendy Leonard at [email protected] or 210-487-9688. (Kindly R.S.V.P.)Approved for advanced training/volunteer service hours
www.sara-tx.org
Texas Master Naturalist Alamo Area Chapter News
Vol. 14, No. 4 - April, 2010 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5
April @ the Garden
San Antonio Botanical GardenThe greenhouse group sales will be held at the gardenApril 17th and 18th Attention All Master Naturalists: We need you for Walk Across Texas!A Fiesta celebration enjoying Texas nature in the
height of Spring, Walk Across Texas® is an official Fiesta event at the San Antonio Botanical Garden. The event will be held 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, April 17.
Alamo Area Master Naturalist Volunteers will lead interpretive Bird Walks, WaterSaver Walks, and staff an ethnobotany table demonstrating traditional uses of native plants. A new Bird Watch is being officially opened at the event this year, so we are especially trying to recruit birders to volunteer.
Walk Across Texas is a chance for us to showcase Master Naturalists in action and recruit future Master Naturalists at a sanctioned Fiesta event. All this and free biscuits too! Enjoy Pioneer biscuits and gravy, compliments of sponsor C.H. Guenther & Son.
Call 207-3261 or e-mail [email protected] and sign up to lead a walk, share your birding knowledge or work at the Ethnobotany Table (training provided.) Approved for advanced training/volunteer service hours
I am in the process of mailing our AAMN pins to those of you who have earned but not yet received prior pins. If I owe you and you don’t here from me by “Tax Day” drop me an
e-mail to remind me. Here are awards earned this past month.
Person Class AwardsWilliam O’Connell III 22 Salamander Pete Cowger 22 Wood DuckDiane Fey 23 Wood DuckEva Fromme 21 Wood DuckJosie Gonzales 18 Wood DuckCheryl Hamilton 21 Wood DuckWendy Thornton 21 Wood Duck
Pete Cowger 22 250 hoursLarry Loop 6 500 hoursLarry Loop 6 1,000 hoursCheryl Hamilton 21 1,000 hours
Larry Loop is the first to assist us with posting of hours lost from our records. His 1999-2004 hours brought his total well above 1,000. Thanks, Larry. I will be contacting you to validate the hours we currently show in our records. We know we lost records in the early 2000 time frame, so if you have hours earned and can provide some limited documenta-tion, we will update our records.
If you are having any difficultly with the system, please contact Roy Yarnold at [email protected] or 210-497-1088, or me, John Wolcott - [email protected] or 210-497-4365.
AWARDS SUMMARYBy John H. Wolcott
AAMN Nature Presenters Needed for Public LibrariesPlease contact Sandra Griffin at [email protected] or 210 - 226 - 2772.Saturday, April 10 - 2:30 p.m. Maverick, 8700 MysticSaturday, April 17 - 12: NoonMcCreless, 1023 AdaSaturday, April 17 - 2:30 pm Forest Hills, 5245 Ingram Rd.Saturday, April 24 - 2 p.m. Great Northwest, 9050 Wellwood St.Saturday, April 24 - 2 p.m. Collins Garden, 200 N. Park Road
New! Balcones Invaders SatelliteInvasive Plants Advanced Training
The Balcones Satellite of the Texas Invaders Pro-gram, Boerne Chapter of the Native Plant Society of Texas and Cibolo Nature Center are sponsoring a
Citizen Scientist invasive plants training session. Training includes both classroom instruction and field experience. At the completion of the one day session participants will be certified as Texas Invaders Citizen Scientists. Ongo-ing identification and eradication opportunities are avail-able in northwestern Bexar County and surrounding areas of Kendall, Medina, Bandera counties including Boerne.
Saturday, April 17, 2010 8:45 A.M. to 4:00 P.M.Cibolo Nature Center Library in BoerneSpace is limited to 20 participants.
To enroll, interested applicants can register at:www.texasinvasives.org/invaders/become.phpDownload the Volunteer Interest Form, and submit it to Balcones satellite leader Lonnie Shockley [email protected] or call 210-695-8419 for more information.
Training approved for advanced training hours. Activities are approved for volunteer hours.
6 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Vol. 14, No. 4 - April, 2010
By Anton Hajek
HOt tub nAturAlistApril, 2010
It is Fiesta! Think of this event as an example of di-versity: the people, the food, the events, the fun. This year is the first Master Naturalist participation in the
King William’s Parade, at a good entry price. Thanks, Pam. All sorts of plants are blooming. This is Mountain Laurel
time, one of my favorites. I plant the small trees just for their two weeks of blooms. Plants here at the hot tub bloom three-weeks later than plants downtown or in north SA.
Spirit and Opportunity, the two rovers on the Mars sur-face must have been assembled by Timex® as they have taken a lickin’ and kept on truckin’. Originally designed to last all of 90 days, they are on year four.
Spirit with two bad wheels, is still traveling onward and backwards. Finally stuck in the crusty Martian surface, it has become - as NASA puts it - a stationary reporting station. NASA is looking for Mars equatorial wobble, occurring ev-ery 176,000 years.
Opportunity is still going after four years. NASA had more successes than failures. Though running a satellite into a planet because someone did not convert feet to meters is fairly sophomoric, perhaps it indicates that we should con-vert our country to metric.
How many of you know that Texas, being a colony of Spain, measured land in Varas? The measurement of which changed at some point in the past, playing havoc on those who deal with land records. I had a case which depended on which measurement to use: Leagues, fathoms, hectors, acres, sections, cubits, sheafs, bushels, pecks, 24 oz. tall boys - it is all good.
April, 2010
Cibolo Nature Center Upcoming Workshops!
April 10: Attracting Birds Workshop Part 2: Managing for Game Birds & Song BirdsApril 16: Spring Wildflower WalkApril 17: Rainwater Collection for the GardenApril 24: Birding by Ear Workshop
Contact Kate Villarreal at 830-249-4616 to pre-register or for more information on these programs. Approved for advanced training
River Walk Garden WorkdaySecond Friday of every month10 a.m. - 1 p.m.San Antonio Riverwalk Garden
Volunteers are needed to cut, trim, and plant at the San Antonio Riverwalk Garden. Bring cutting tools such as shears, rakes, and
clippers and also gloves and water for this workday.This is our own Master Naturalist project at the
corner of Aubrey and Old Guilbeau (north of Du-rango, the west side of the San Antonio river) on the Riverwalk.
Contact Lan Eng 830-980-2300 or [email protected] or visit www.alamomasternaturalist.orgApproved for volunteer hours
www.cibolo.org
The Texas Amphibian Watch Train the Trainer WorkshopFriday, April 23, 5-10 p.m. @ The Nature Center11942 FM 848; Tyler, Texas 75707
Approved for advanced trainingThe Texas Mussel Watch Train the Trainer WorkshopSaturday, April 24, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.Old Sabine Bottom Wildlife Management Area, 21187 CR 4106; Lindale, Texas 75771SBEC and TEEAC credit available for teachers; Reg-
istration required. Fee $10 per workshop; includes mate-rials. To register and for more information contact Irene Hamel 903-566-9394 or [email protected]
Approved for advanced training
New Invasive Species Website www.texasinvasives.org
Texasinvasives.org is sporting a new user-friendly interface and new features like Eco Alerts by Re-gion, where you can search Texas Ecoregions to
see what species are a problem in your area; a Report It feature to help keep the worst of the worst out of Texas and social media like You Tube and FaceBook. The web-site also contains an interactive mapping application, downloadable invasive species publications and links to national, regional, and state invasive species resources.
Phil Hardberger ParkUNDER CONSTRUCTION
Positioned in the heart of one of San Antonio’s major population centers, Hardberger Park is envisioned as a new central park for the city. The goal is to create a
park that offers ample and varied recreational opportunities to all of San Antonio’s citizens, while simultaneously cel-ebrating the natural beauty of the space and preserving as much of the original landscape and vegetation as possible.
Texas Master Naturalist Alamo Area Chapter News
Vol. 14, No. 4 - April, 2010 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7
cOmmunity OutreAcH cAlendAr
By Pam YarnoldGet involved!
The Community Outreach Committee needs volunteers for the AAMN table at several upcoming events.
11TH ANNUAL EARTH DAY CELEBRATION Thursday, April 8, 2010Northwest Vista College 9 A.M. - 2 P.M.Shifts available:8:30 - 2:00, 8:30 -11:15 or 11:15 - 2:00
WITTE MUSEUMApril 10 from 11a.m. -2:30 p.m.
EARTH DAY AT WOODLAWN LAKE PARKSaturday, April 17, 201010 A.M. - 4 P.M. Shifts available: 9:30 - 4:00, 9:30-1:00 or 1:00- 4:00
WHOLE FOODS MARKET EARTH DAY AT THE QUARRYThursday, April 22 from 11a.m. -2 p.m.Shift from 10:45 - 2
KING WILLIAMS FAIR-GREEN ZONESaturday, April 24, 201010 A.M. - 6 P.M. (2-hour table shifts)
EVERYBODY LOVES A PARADE AND FAIR!We need volunteers willing to wear your AAMN
T-shirt with silly hats, big glasses and/or big shoes and carry the AAMN banner in the King William Fair Parade. The sillier the better.
KING WILLIAM FAIR PARADESaturday, April 24, 2010Line up at 9 A.M. Starts at 10 A.M. - 1.5 miles
If you can help at the table or in some other area, please contact:Pam YarnoldAAMN Community [email protected]
Participation in these events as a representative of Texas Master Naturalists is approved for volunteer hours.
April, 2010
Mitchell Lake Audubon CenterCommunity Gardening Day April 3, 2010 9 a.m. to noonEach spring we work to get MLAC Native Plant Gardens
ready for the growing season. You can help with garden tasks and learn about these great native and drought tolerant plants and how to use your new skills in your home land-scape.
No experience necessary, this project is funded byToyo-ta’s TogetherGreen program
Free but space is limited, RSVP is requiredApproved for advanced training
The majesty of Monarchs with Monika Maeckle April 17, 2010 Time: to be announced Learn about Monarch Butterflies and their extraordinary
migration. You’ll learn about their habitat, their migration and what citizen scientists like Monika are doing to help us learn more and protect this wonderful creature.
Space is limited, RSVP is requiredCost: $5 for non-members; Free for MLAC members
Approved for advanced training
Hummer House Day Trip on June 12, 2010
Our Chapter has organized a bus trip to the Hum-mer House in Christoval, Texas on June 12th.
The Hummer House is situated along the South Concho River. The area has numerous native bird species as well as migrant birds during seasonal changes.
The property is the summer home to Texas’s largest concentration of breeding Black-chinned Hummingbirds.
The day’s program will include a bird banding presentation and a hummingbird talk in the air-conditioned observation room.
There will be plenty of time for viewing the birds. We will end our visit with an hour hike around the property.
Lunch will be provided on sight by DunBar East Restaurant.
The bus will leave from I-10 and 1604 UTSA Park and Ride at 6:15 AM. There will be a second pick up at I-10 and Hwy 46 Park and Ride in front of Chili’s in Boerne.
We anticipate our return to the UTSA Park and Ride around 6:45 PM.
Each Master Naturalist may bring one paying guest.Price per person is $50. Seating is limited.Reservations will be taken on a first come first serve basis.To make a reservation, please e-mail Arless Lenz at
[email protected] with the names of passengers and the location for pickup.
Your reservation acknowledgement and instructions for trip payment will follow by e-mail. Total payment is due by check within 5 business days of the confirmed reservation.
Master Naturalists arevolunteers dedicated to the
conservation,preservation and restoration
of our natural resources,promoting
ecological educationfor all ages.
The Alamo Area Chapter of the Texas Master Naturalists gratefully acknowledges the support
of our sponsoring organizations:
WWW.ALAMOMASTERNATURALIST.ORGAlamo AreaP.O. Box 690356San Antonio, Texas 78269RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
The Alamo Chapter Texas Master Naturalist Newsletter is published monthly for the members and friends of the chapter. News and information for the newsletter is always welcome.Please contactJoann Smith, [email protected]
May 14th, 2010 - Save the date!
Great news! Save Friday evening, May 14th, 2010 for our Alamo Area Master Naturalists social
gathering at Eisenhower Park. We hope to get as many AAMN members from ALL the classes--#1 to the newest, #26, for a good time. So put the date on your calendar. More information will follow. This event is being co-sponsored with the San Antonio Parks and Recreation.
Thank you to everyone who submitted their information for this month’s newsletter!
Please remember to submit your events for the month of the publication only as we are currently unable to archive future events.
Please report your “firsts”
monarch, milkweed, egg, larva...
to Journey North
www.learner.org/jnorth/
Hike and HackThis Thursday, April 1st Honey Creek SNALocated in Guadalupe River State Park on Park
Road 31, off of Hwy. 46. No entry fee if participating. Meet at the Rust house at 9:00 a.m. Wear appropriate clothing and shoes for walking in grass, etc. Bring your favorite loppers and gloves, if you have some, otherwise there will be some available. Bring water and snack, if you would like.
We will first cut down young ashe junipers followed by a hike in Honey Creek which is optional.
