On Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2019 the Hill Country Chapter, Texas Master Naturalists graduated 34 students and two transfer students after their successful completion of a three-month course to become certified Texas Master Naturalists.
The training class, which is held each year from late August to the middle of November, requires each trainee to attend weekly classes where they receive instruction from scientists, naturalists and other experts from local, state and federal agencies, organizations and universities.
In addition to the classwork, each person is expected to go on several field trips and must complete by the end of the year at least 40 hours of volunteer work within the 10 county area served by the Hill Country Chapter as well as eight hours of Advanced Training in order to gain additional knowledge or particular skills.
Of the 34 who were congratulated on November 13th, 13 people met the initial certification requirements and four people acquired Special Recertification status by their contribution of at least 80 hours of service to the Hill Country community.
The students volunteered at a number of places and participated in a variety of tasks during the training course, including planting native plants, weeding and mulching at the UGRA EducScape, helping to maintain the pollinator plants at the Kerrville-Schreiner State Park, Monarch butterfly tagging, cutting hiking trails at the YMCA Robert's Ranch, Chronic Wasting Disease testing on white-tailed deer, litter pickup, Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow (CoCoRHS) monitoring and many more volunteer opportunities.
Congratulations to the Class of 2019. Their future contribution of dedicated service to the Hill Country environment will be immeasurable.
About the Hill Country Chapter
Texas Master Naturalist, Hill Country Chapter is one of 48 regional Texas Master Naturalist volunteer corps.
The chapter serves Bandera, Edwards, Gillespie, Kendall, Kerr, Kimble, Mason, Menard, Real, and San Saba counties. Members receive comprehensive training in natural resource management specific to the Texas Hill Country and share their knowledge to promote conservation and good stewardship in their communities.
The chapter is a 501(c)3 organization.
For information about the Hill Country Chapter of the Texas Master Naturalist Program, contact: hillcountrymembership@gmail.com or refer to txmn.org/hillcountry/.
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