Join us each month for #TMNTuesdays Webinars!
On the second Tuesday of each month at 12:00pm Central Time, the TMN State Office offers an hour-long virtual advanced training event—with fantastic new and returning guest speakers. Scroll down the page and select a month to view upcoming and past webinars.
2024 #TMNTuesdays
We are excited to once again host our TMNTuesdays webinar series on the second Tuesday of the month through the 2024 year. TMNTuesdays are a way to learn about top conservation issues of the state, earn advanced training hours, and interact with wildlife professionals from across the state!
As webinars are confirmed, details on the speaker, the description of the webinar, and more will be presented on this page. Use the registration link below to register for the available 2024 webinars.
2024 TMNTuesdays Calendar
June 2024
October 2024
Title: Chapter Project Fair
Date: October 8, 2024, from 11:30am to 1:30pm CT
Description: Join us as we hear about projects from five Texas Master Naturalist Chapters for our 2024 Annual Meeting Chapter Project Fair: Bluestem Chapter, East Texas Chapter, Galveston Bay Area Chapter, Hays County Chapter and North Texas Chapter. Each chapter will present on their project entry for the Annual Meeting contest. This year, the Bluestem Chapter will present on their, “Denison Public Library Texas Master Naturalist Bluestem Chapter Book Award Project;” the East Texas Chapter will present on their, “Wildscapes and Trail Renovation at the Tyler Nature Center Project;” the Galveston Bay Area Chapter will present on their, “Thunderbirders and Beyond: Youth Birding Clubs Project;” the Hays County Chapter will present on, “Modern Pictographs Project;” and the North Texas Chapter will present on their, “¿Qué tipo de naturalista eres? Project.” Join us from 11:30am to 1:30pm to hear from all of the presenting chapters!
September 2024
Title: Spanish for Naturalists
Date: September 10, 2024 at 12pm CT
Speaker: Ernesto Garcia-Ortega, Wildlife Biologist with Texas Parks and Wildlife, and Wendy Anderson, Nature Trackers Biologist with Texas Parks and Wildlife.
Description: ¡Español para naturalistas! Join Spanish speaking Texas Parks and Wildlife Department biologists and learn the Spanish names for common trees, plants, flowers, animals, birds, and insects. Prior knowledge of the Spanish language is great, but everyone is welcome as the course is designed to cater to all levels. By the end of the class, students will have gained a newfound confidence to use the names of flora and fauna in Spanish.
August 2024
Title: Plastic Free July: A Project Highlight
Date: August 13, 2024 at 12pm
Speaker: John O’Connell, Brazoria County Extension Agent and Cradle of Texas Chapter Advisor, and the Texas Master Naturalist Galveston Bay Area Chapter
Description: Coast into August with a TMNTuesday focused on sustainability projects initiated by some of our coastal Texas Master Naturalist (TMN) chapters focused on plastic clean-up for a belated celebration of Plastic Free July!
Presenting on the Texas Monofilament Recovery and Recycling Program, John O’Connell, Brazoria County Extension Agent and Cradle of Texas TMN Advisor, will share how the program got started, how the chapter is involved and where others can get involved in their local waterways with collecting monofilament lines. Monofilament is another name for single-strand, high-density nylon fishing line that is used on fishing reels. Used line can be harmful to marine wildlife and boat motors. Birds and animals cannot see discarded monofilament fishing line, so it is easy for them to become tangled in it and starve, drown or lose a limb.
Galveston Bay Area Chapter will then share with us their process for reestablishing their Beach Cleanup Events. Slowed during COVID-19, these chapter volunteer service and social gatherings are being reignited by the current chapter leadership to create increase comradery and community among members, provide easy outlets for volunteer service in group settings and rebuild the culture of coastal suitability.
July 2024
Title: Annual Meeting 101
Date: July 9, 2024 at 12pm CT
Speakers: Texas Master Naturalist State Program Office
Description: Join us to learn about all things 2024 Annual Meeting! This webinar will also cover various state program updates.
June 2024
Title: Volunteer Safety in the Field
Date: June 11, 2024 at 12pm CT
Speaker: Kathy Granillo, Refuge Manager – Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, USFWS
Description: Being outdoors and conducting fieldwork can be a wonderful, satisfying experience. But only if everyone stays safe. What does that mean? And how can we best accomplish a safe outdoor experience? This presentation and discussion will answer those questions and will be relevant for all experience levels. We will discuss both physical and social safety, resources to help keep us safe, and more. Bring your experiences and questions as we delve into outdoor safety for all.
May 2024
Title: “Handheld Videographer: Capturing Quality Videos with Your Phone to Promote Your Chapter”
Date: May 21, 2024, at 12pm CT
Speaker: Lee Smith, Wildlife Diversity Information Specialist, TPWD
Description: Lee Smith is soliciting TMN Chapters around the state to shoot video of their members in action, in the field, volunteering their time and knowledge. Lee will provide a training session with guidelines on how to use your cell phone to capture video clips that can be used in future videos to promote TMN. The training will include what settings to use on your phone, along with tips on composition and technique. The videos captured will provided needed visuals to promote TMN at a state and local chapter level.
Title: No Mow Zones
Date: May 14, 2024 at 12pm CT
Speaker: Rachel Richter, Urban Wildlife Biologist, TPWD
Description: Mowing is time consuming. Mowing is expensive. Mowing, in most cases, doesn’t provide any benefit to wildlife. So why are so many of our community greenspaces dominated by mowed fields? This presentation will cover the benefits of reduced mowing programs, best management practices for “no mow” zones, and tips for starting a successful program in your community.
April 2024
Title: Virtual Volunteer Fair
Date: April 9, 2024 at 10am CT
Description: Our volunteers are ready to volunteer! Our Texas Master Naturalist Volunteers are dedicated to natural resource conservation work. After the innovations of the pandemic, we’re continuing to hold our ever-popular Virtual Volunteer in 2024 Fair where Texas Master Naturalist volunteers are introduced to virtual and distanced service projects offerings of our partner conservation organizations in their communities. This returning feature of our program easily allows members to remain active during the hottest months of the year and provide service opportunities for any ability throughout the year.
During the hottest months of the year, in-the-field service projects become less desirable and hit a lull until cooler months come around. The TMN Virtual Volunteer Fair (VVF) is an opportunity for our partner conservation organizations to present service projects that need volunteers from a distance or virtually! After five successful TMN VVF events, our members are asking for more virtual and distance-based service projects!
The Virtual Volunteer Fair will be an opportunity for our partner conservation organizations to present volunteer service projects that need volunteers from a distance or virtually! Save the Date and plan to join us on Tuesday, April 9th 2024, for this series of project presentations showcasing opportunities from across the state and across the spectrum of natural resource topics.
March 2024
Title: Texas Raptor Monitoring Network: a participatory science program to monitor the reproductive biology of raptors across Texas
Date: March 5, 2024 at 12pm CT
Speaker: Dr. Ben Skipper
Co-Author: Dr. Clint Boal
Description: Over the last two decades, citizen science has emerged as a powerful tool to gather data on biological phenomena over wide geographic areas. Through observation-based platforms like iNaturalist and eBird, citizen scientists have helped document shifts in geographic range of both native and invasive species and their work has proved invaluable to scientists and managers. Such platforms are, however, structured for single-observation events and there exists space for novel citizen science projects to use repeated observations of individuals. These repeated observations have the potential to shift observation-based citizen science to a more participatory science whereby individuals collect data additional to just occurrence and location. This workshop will use the monitoring of raptor nests as a model for engaging with the public through participatory science. Raptors are charismatic wildlife with wide public appeal. Since the 1960’s several species of raptor have adapted to urban and suburban environments, yet much remains to be learned about the reproductive ecology of many species in these areas. This participatory science program therefore would serve to fill this data gap and provide relevant information back to participants. Workshop participants will be provided instruction on identification of raptor species, the identification of different stages within the nesting cycle and their associated behaviors, and the balance between gathering data and disturbing nesting birds. Data collection will be made simple via an electronic form with pre-defined fields that can be accessed via any internet-connected device (e.g., smartphone, tablet, desktop computer).
February 2024
Title: Rattlesnakes
Date: February 13, 2024 at 12pm CT
Speaker: Chip Ruthven, Natural Resource Specialist and Project Leader
Description: Chip has been the project leader for the Panhandle Wildlife Management Areas since 2004. He is stationed at the Matador Wildlife Management Area. Chip has special interest and advanced knowledge in rattlesnakes.
Texas Nature Trackers Mini Series
Title: Acoustic Monitoring of Texas Bats: A Community Service Project for TMNs
Date: January 23, 2024, 11am – 1pm CT
Speaker: Craig Hensley, Texas Nature Trackers Biologist, TPWD
Description: Gaining a better understanding of the distribution of more than 30 species of bats across a state the size of Texas is a daunting challenge. However, with the power of community science and Texas Master Naturalists, we can make headway in a significant and important way. Join TNT Biologist Craig Hensley for an introduction to the bats of Texas, their challenges and this new effort to better understand these flying mammals through acoustic monitoring. We are looking for Master Naturalists chapters and individuals interested in surveying bats in your area using acoustic monitors beginning this May. Specifically, we are looking for one individual in each participating chapter to help coordinate the effort within their respective chapter, members willing to put an acoustic monitor on their property and sharing those results with TPWD, and generally, individuals across the spectrum of TMNs interested in helping with data storage and analysis.
Title: iNaturalist Train the Trainer Workshop
Date: February 6, 2024, 11am – 1pm CT
Speakers: Craig Hensley and Wendy Anderson, Texas Nature Trackers Biologists, TPWD
Description: The Texas Nature Trackers (TNT) program is looking for Master Naturalists interested in becoming TNT certified iNaturalist workshop trainers across Texas. During this workshop we will provide you the training needed to get started as an iNaturalist trainer for your chapter, community and/or region. As a pre-requisite, we are looking for individuals that are already consistent users of iNaturalist, having a good understanding of the platform, and have an interest in teaching others in your community to engage with the platform. We’ll provide a quick overview of the app, provide an in-depth overview of the website and how data are used by TPWD, and finally tips and tricks for teaching it to others. We will provide attendees intending to become workshop trainers with a PowerPoint presentation to take home that will get you started. Should you accept this challenge, you will become an advocate not only for its use as an educational tool within your chapter but also for promoting community science and better understanding of the distribution of the state’s flora and fauna.
January 2024
Title: State of the Program
Speakers: Michelle Haggerty & Mary Pearl Meuth
Date: January 9, 2024 at 12pm CT
Description: Join us as Program Coordinators, Michelle Haggerty & Mary Pearl Meuth, update us on the state of the program, recap 2023, and touch on 2024 planning and events!
2023 #TMNTuesdays
You can find all of the recordings for the 2023 #TMNTuesdays by clicking directly on the month you’re interested in!
2022 #TMNTuesdays
Scroll through the 2022 #TMNTuesdays hosted by the TMN State Office and recorded for your enjoyment!
2021 #TMNTuesdays
Our first year of #TMNTuesdays webinars was a huge success! Click on a month below to see the past webinar.
Visit our 2021 Be The Change mini-series as part of our webinar events!
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