Pictured are (l. to r.) David Dungan, Betty Taylor, Angela Griffin, Mickey Dufilho, Larry Peterson, Oron Atkins, Dennie Nance, John Boettiger, Herb Myers, Kathy Pittman, president, Jim Calvert all recertified
By Richard Schaffhausen
The Brazoria chapter of Texas Master Naturalist held their monthly meeting Wednesday morning, April 9, at the AgriLife building in Angleton.
John Boettiger, membership, reported that the following members recertified: Oron Atkins, John Boettiger, Paula Hanson, Herb Myers, David Brandes, James Calvert, Mickey Dufilho, David Dungan, Amanda Gabehart, Angela Griffin, Debbie Nance, Larry Peterson, Betty Taylor, Cris Tobola, and Janet Townsend. Members must have 8 hours of advanced training and 40 volunteer hours to recertify. Members impacted 262 adults and 213 youth year to date through outreach programs and educational programs such as the “Birds of Prey” programs presented at area schools, Brazoria County Summer Library Programs, and the Discovery Environmental Education Program for area 4th and 7th graders at Brazoria NWR.
This month’s speaker, David Gwin, is the Texas State Coordinator for USA-NPN’s Time to Restore program. In this capacity, he works with stakeholders across the Lone Star State to identify, set up, and monitor sites that generate better information about nectar availability and fruit production to help inform those working on pollinator restoration to know what to plant and when to harvest seed. Gwin informed the chapter that the program’s goal is to get data on the effects of a warmer climate on a select group of plants throughout Texas. In its simplest form, participants observe one plant and record its annual life cycle data. Record the date it forms buds, leaves out, produces flowers or fruit, flowers die, fruit goes to seed, leaves fall off, the plant goes dormant or dies.
For more information about the program, visit https://www.usanpn.org/. The next meeting is at 6 pm on May 14 at the AgriLife building, 21017 County Road 171, Angleton. The public is welcome to attend.
