The Hays Humm Chapter News: Hays County Master Naturalist
Transcription
The Hays Humm Chapter News: Hays County Master Naturalist
The Hays Humm Texas Master Naturalist Hays County Chapter November 2014 Chapter News: Hays County Master Naturalist 2014 Gala and Awards Ceremony Chapter Board Meeting: Thursday, November 13, 2014. Meeting will be held in Wimberley, Camp Jacob at Jacob’s Well. (Map link) 6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. This is all of us, this is YOU! -A great way to learn more about our wonderful state of Texas is to look at what other Master Naturalist programs are doing! Click the link to the State site, choose a county and skim through their monthly newsletters! STATE CHAPTERS LINK This year’s class of 2014, The Monarchs, as well all other Hays County Master Naturalists have had a very exciting and hardworking year! Come join us for the 2014 Gala where we celebrate all of the hard work and dedication put in by everyone, enjoy a delicious meal, and see what we have accomplished and what is to come! When: Saturday, November 15, 2014 Where: The San Marcos Activity Center Time: 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm Dress for the event is comfortable business casual…no need for ties and shined shoes, just Hill Country Chic! 1 Featured Project: By Garry Child Garry Child is one of our fellow Master Naturalists, and he has devoted many volunteer hours to Charro Ranch. Charro Ranch has a beautiful story, and over the years, with help from many a volunteer, has become a wonderful place to relax and enjoy nature at its finest! Garry and his wife Anne are 2010 Prickly Pears! Charro Ranch Park HCMN Project #1010 Dripping Springs, TX Charro Ranch Park is a 64-acre, open space, natural-area park, located on FM 150 on the south side of Dripping Springs. The land was donated by Lucy Hibberd in December of 2008 after being in her family for about 50 years. Mrs. Hibberd developed some trails on the tract, created a Solstice Circle, and a Walk of Peace (a peace symbol with concentric circles of stone to walk and reflect on your place in the universe, and peace on this planet). Although the city appreciated the gift, it did not have the funds or resources to manage the park, and it quickly fell into neglect and mismanagement (being used for a time as a dumping ground for diggings from utility work in the city, for example). But the tract holds a very diverse set of flora and fauna and it struck the interest and attention of Hays County Master Naturalist M. Lee Brown, who also introduced it to Hays County Master Naturalists Garry and Anne Child, and others. The idea of the Hays County Master Naturalists helping to manage the park was presented to, and approved by the city, at the end of 2010 and became project #1010. Additional nature trails have been built, as well as a Cross-Country Running Trail. There have been several projects managed by the Hays County Master Naturalists, since the Bird Viewing Station (dedicated in January of 2013) was completed at the park. The Hays County Master Naturalists started and lead a monthly workday at the park on the second Saturday each month, weather permitting. At these workdays, trails are built and maintained, invasive species are managed using mechanical controls, and work is performed on approved park projects. All volunteers are welcome at these workdays (not just Master Naturalists), and it gives the citizens of Dripping Springs a chance to participate in their park. The Master Naturalists have also supervised several Eagle Scout and Girl Scout Gold Award projects, including the construction of the park’s informational kiosk, the Bird Viewing Station, trail mileage markers and signage, and the construction of several picnic tables, and benches placed along the nature trails to rest and relax. The Master Naturalists have also managed workdays by the National Honor Society, and help to maintain the Cross-Country Running Trail, which is used by the Dripping Springs Cross-Country track team. 2 0 Since the park was originally all open space, there were problems with vehicles and ATV’s driving into the park and destroying habitat and property. The Master Naturalists suggested, and lead the construction of a beautiful, Juniper fence, which surrounds the parking lot, and along the driveway all the way to FM 150. This fence was both aesthetically pleasing and kept vehicles from being able to drive into the park property. Two gates were also added, which allowed service access, and also allowed the park to be closed off completely, when needed. The fence was completed in 2013. A trailhead native landscape was designed, and presented to the city and approved, and was also completed in 2013. Since there is no electricity or water at the park, a solar-powered water pumping station was built, to install and support the native trailhead landscape. The native trailhead landscape features drought resistant native plants as well as a demonstration of “Habiturf”, the alternative turf grass developed by the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, featuring a mixture of three native grasses (Buffalo Grass, Blue Grama and Curly Mesquite). This mixture has been shown to be heat and drought resistant, and attractive and tough enough to replace more common turf grasses, such as St. Augustine and Bermuda, but requires much less water, fertilizers, or pest control. Since the native trailhead landscape was established in 2013, it has required very little maintenance or water, even in Texas summers. Although the park is small and the nature trails and Cross-Country Running Trail are not long, some people had expressed confusion about how to navigate the set of trails. This year, the Master Naturalists suggested that the nature trails be named and marked, to allow better navigation. Each trail is named and represented by a symbol, which appears on trail signage at every decision point, along with an indication of which way to turn to take the shortest path back to the parking lot. With these and ongoing improvements, the park continues to evolve and attract more citizens seeking a natural recreational alternative. Images provided by Garry Child: L to R: Trail Signs, South Juniper Fencing, Native Landscape Trailhead 3 Jacob’s Well Workday Team Bob M., Bob C., Garry and Anne were responsible for adding downed brush to the deer exclusion “fence”. As others finished their projects, they joinced in the fun of scavenging brush from nearby piles, toting arms full of branches and adding them, artfully of course, to the “fence”. October 3, 2014 Job well done all! -Anne Child What a gorgeous day for a workday with our eleven Restoration Rangers including our newest member Martha! Team Jean, Irene, and Martha took on the task of eradicating the bamboo in the trees near the well. Once that was done they went after Johnson Grass between the ADA trail and the fence. The area now has flowing water. The birds were anxious for us to leave. Team Tom and Jeff put the bird feeder pole back up, enhanced with an extended pole and held in place with cement. Next up was adding re-purposed fence posts to mark the entrance to the feeders from the bird station. Wonderful Photos Provided by Bob C. 4 President’s Message: Our next big chapter event is our annual Graduation and Gala on November 15th! I look forward to seeing everyone as we honor and celebrate our newest Hays County Master Naturalists, the Class of 2014, the Monarchs. It is also a nice opportunity to review our chapter’s accomplishments, and recognize our recertifying members, as well as members who have achieved significant milestones. Part of the Gala is also devoted to chapter business, mainly officer elections and budget reporting. You don’t want to miss it! We are on track for another great year of Volunteer and Advanced Training hours. Through the end of September, our Chapter reported a total of 9,514 Volunteer and 1,207 Advanced Training hours. Last year we had a record 12,495 Volunteer and 1,647 Advanced Training hours. I am sure you have seen the news that we received a grant for $25,000 from the Harry L. Willett Foundation. The grant came with very few requirements, other than we use the funds for a project or projects, which expand our impact and presence across Hays County in furthering our mission. I asked Past President Larry Calvert to form a small committee to make a proposal to our Board for the 1 best use of the funds by January 2015. The committee has held its first meetings and I look forward to their recommendation. - Art Arizpe 5 Cactus Removal at Ringtail Ridge in San Marcos: The Sunday afternoon volunteer crew began removing prickly pear cactus in Ringtail Ridge on October 19. A handful of Master Naturalists began working on the excessive amount of cactus in the 40+ acre natural area off Old Ranch Road 12. Led by Donna Browning, Marilyn Brister, Tom Watson, Jim Baggett and Dianna Tupa, they began moving wheelbarrows full of cactus pads to a concrete slab. Prickly pear cactus is a Texas native that is very hardy and thrives at the former slaughterhouse for the former Hughson Meat Company, which is the land the greenspace is made up of. Ringtail Ridge is one of the city-owned natural areas that sits on the Edwards Aquifer and promotes retention of the all-important rain water through karst features. A series of greenways is envisioned to provide recreation, transportation and water retention benefits. -story and photo by Lance Jones 6 Did You Know? The Prickly Pear Cactus, is the state plant of Texas and was designated so in 1995. -http://www.statesymbolsusa.org The purple fruit prickly pear cactus produces is called the “tuna” and that many people make a variety of foods out of the tuna as well as the cactus pads! Sign Up to be a Trail Crew Volunteer CLICK HERE! Hays MN Forum Volunteer Opportunities Join the Forum! It’s a great way to connect with fellow naturalists, ask questions, and learn from each other. Find the link on our website! Watch your e-mails for upcoming opportunities! Check out the Projects Calendar for more information. HAVE A VOLUNTEER IDEA? Submit your idea, just fill out The form HERE! Contact Herb Smith, [email protected] if you have suggestions or questions! Newsletter Items Tell us about it!! Send in your book reviews, volunteer experiences, and other interesting things any time to the editor! Be a part of YOUR newsletter! Put in your ideas, photos, and more along with a description to [email protected] RSVP for the GALA!! Volunteer & Advanced Training Hours Don’t forget to RSVP for the Gala on Saturday, November 15, 2014. Keep reporting your hours! Even though the deadline has passed or you already have your required hours it is important you still report what you have participated in! -We will be serving BBQ! -You can pay next year’s $15.00 dues! -DON’T MISS IT!! BYOB Thank you! 7 Member News Monthly Birding Hike Master Naturalists enjoy the monthly birding hikes led by Stephen Ramirez. The October 4th hike was held at the San Marcos Nature Center next to the river. In the photo the group is viewing flocks of American Robins and Scissor Tailed Flycatchers winging overhead. (L. to R.) Stephen, Donna Browning, Kenneth Dees, Dick McBride, JoEllen Korthals, and Ben Taylor. More information at http://www.smgreenbelt.blogspot.com/ -Lance Jones Art Exhibits at the Hays County Government Center Dan Zinn and Art Arizpe were two of ten artists exhibiting at the Hays County Government Center October 16, 2014. Dan is a member of the current training class and Art is president of the chapter. Each of them exhibited five photographs of nature scenes. The exhibit was sponsored by the Hays County Arts Committee and is a collection of photographs, oils, watercolors and graphite. The artworks remain on display on the second floor of the Center located in San Marcos. (L. to R.) Dan Zinn, Art Arizpe. -Lance Jones 8 Member Photos Submit your photos to the Editor [email protected] or [email protected] 9 Sponsors Hill County Photography Club Agencies of Interest Partners Bamberger Ranch bambergerranch.org Native Plant Society of Texas www.npsot.org San Marcos Greenbelt Alliance www.smgreenbelt.org San Marcos River Foundation www.sanmarcosriver.org Texas Commission on Environmental Quality www.tceq.state.tx.us Texas Outdoor Women’s Network www.townsanmarcos.org Texas Cooperative Extension -- Sea Grant Program texas-sea-grant.tamu.edu Texas Forest Service txforestservice.tamu.edu U.S. Army Corps of Engineers www.usace.army.mil U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service www.fws.gov U.S.D.A. Natural Resource Conservation Service www.nrcs.usda.gov Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority www.gbra.org Board of Directors President Vice President Secretary Treasurer Past-President State Representative Training Committee Advanced Training Com. Membership Committee Web Master Newsletter Committee & Editor Outreach Committee Calendar Committee Host Committee Historian Volunteer Service AgriLife Agent TP&WD Rep 10 Art Arizpe Karen Archer Tracy Mock Beth Ramey Larry Calvert Dixie Camp Dick McBride Susan Kimmel-Lines Leah Laszewski Herb Smith Hope Shimek [email protected] Open Beverly Gordon Helen Bowie Tom Watson Dixie Camp Richard Parrish Gordon Linam