Our Partners and Sponsors
We are chartered via the Texas Agrilife Extension Service, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, and work closely with the National Resource Conservation Service, and the Fannin Soil and Water Conservation District. We gratefully acknowledge and appreciate their support.
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Fannin County Flora & Fauna

 

What is a Master Naturalist?

Someone who's NOT afraid of digging in the dirt and slogging through the mud while giving back to the community. The Bois d'arc Chapter of the Texas Master Naturalists is firmly committed to these efforts.  We are presently undergoing the training necessary to become a chartered group, and have already undertaken a number of projects, including:

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Womack Ranch Prescribed Burn
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Elementary School Poster/Essay contest award presentation and tree delivery
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4th Grader Ag/Water Conservation Day
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2011 Fannin County Quail Count
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Great Backyard Bird Count
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Piney Woods Lakes Chapter Training: Nature Trackers
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Lake Fannin Nature Trail Signage & Brochures
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Fossil Workshop
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and many other projects either underway or in the planning stages

Our members are a diverse group of individuals who all care deeply about our environment and how to improve and protect it.  Click here to see a list of our Committee Heads who will be able to answer any questions you might have about our chapter or the Master Naturalist program.  We are hard at work making our website a resource for studying and enjoying what Fannin County has to offer, as well as providing links to other sites with useful information about the plants and animals that bless (and sometimes curse!) our habitat.

We hope you'll join us in our quest.  Clicking on this link will take you to the Texas Master Naturalist application where you can apply to join.

Mission Statement of the Texas Master Naturalists

"To develop a corps of well-informed volunteers to provide education, outreach, and service dedicated to the beneficial management of natural resources and natural areas within their communities. Many communities and organizations rely on such citizen volunteers for implementing youth education programs; for operating parks, nature centers, and natural areas; and for providing leadership in local natural resource conservation efforts. In fact, a short supply of dedicated and well-informed volunteers is often cited as a limiting factor for community-based conservation efforts."
 

Since the organization’s founding in 1998, Texas Master Naturalists have contributed more than 1,003,409 hours of service on 90,000 acres of wildlife and native plant habitats, and reached more than 1.2 million Texas residents of all ages. These volunteer efforts are worth more than $20 million.

Currently 5,306 Texas Master Naturalist™ volunteers serve in 39 local chapters across the state, and new chapters are opening all the time.

The program has earned the Wildlife Management Institute’s Presidents’ 2000 Award, the National Audubon Society’s 2001 Habitat Hero’s Award, the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission’s 2001 Environmental Excellence Award, and Texas A&M University’s 2001 Vice Chancellor’s Award of Excellence in Partnership. In 2005 program earned the U.S. Department of Interior’s “Take Pride in America” award.
 

Become a Master Naturalist

Texas Master Naturalists not only get their feet wet and their hands dirty, but while doing so they spend time in a natural setting, learn about different plant and animal species, and maybe even find something new: One member, in fact, discovered a new plant species.

To become a Texas Master Naturalist, each volunteer:

  • Goes through an approved training program with at least 40 hours of combined field and classroom instruction, plus 8 hours of approved advanced training
  • Donates 40 hours of volunteer service back to the state and community. Trainees can complete their 40 hours of volunteer service and 8 hours of advanced training within a year after their initial training.
  • Completes another 8 hours of advanced training and donates 40 hours of volunteer service every year after the first one.

Interested in joining? If you can’t find a chapter near you, contact the Texas Master Naturalist coordinator, a local office of Texas Parks and Wildlife or a local county Extension agent.