IMPORTANT CHAPTER MESSAGES!!!!!

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1 Page 1 of 8 TMN-GCC Update THOR Gulf Coast Master Naturalists, THORSDAY REPORT (It's back...) Well, Hello...Company has gone home, decorations have come down...the new year is already here!!!!! IMPORTANT CHAPTER MESSAGES!!!!! 2006 DUES ARE DUE!!!!! 2006 DUES ARE DUE!!!!! 2006 DUES ARE DUE!!!!! USE THE NEW P.O. BOX!!! The December Newsletter - The Dragonfly will be going out next week (Sorry for the delay...there were too many things going on). Pre-addressed envelopes will be enclosed with the newsletters for you to mail in your dues. This year to aide in the collection of dues we are trying something new. The Chapter has rented a private post box. The new address is: Texas Master Naturalists Gulf Coast Chapter 4370 Hwy 6 N. Suite 171 Houston, TX Dues are due only for folks, either certified or not, for Fall 2004 and earlier classes. In other words, the classes for 2005 do not owe any dues for (Dues are $15.00) If you have any questions CONTACT: Wendy Quintero (Treasurer) at wendy4518@sbcglobal.net or Brazos Bend Campout - Reminder - FUN! FUN! FUN! (See Attachment) Don't forget the Brazos Bend Campout, February 11-13!!!!! We have an interesting and fun weekend planned. CONTACT: Sarah Smith (Membership Officer) at sarsmit@earthlink.net or call for

2 Page 2 of 8 reservations JANUARY 14 th POM 9:00 am to 12:00 noon Hermann Park Bayou Parkland MAP at We will be planting wildflower seeds. If we have enough volunteers, we will also remove invasive plants and generally clean up the area. So bring your gloves, loppers, pruners, digging tools, etc. DIRECTIONS: If coming from the North on 288, exit MacGregor and take a right onto North MacGregor. At the first light take a left onto Almeda. Bayou Parkland is located at the right hand side at 6520 Almeda. We will meet at Bayou Parkland, near the Pavillion. Please RSVP to Linda Knowles at DknowlesPE@aol.com or , Cell If you plan to join us, please let us know ASAP so that Barbara Jo Harwell of the Hermann Park Conservancy can plan activities that are appropriate for the number of volunteers. Bring your sack lunch and something to eat for social time afterwards. And as usual we will have some snacks. HOMEOWNER's ASSOCIATION OUTREACH COMMITTEE: The HOA Outreach Committee will meet for lunch after the January 14 POM, let us know if you'd like to be a member of that Committee. Lisa Yelenick will discuss the informational website that she has developed for her HOA, and we will plan activities for OPPORTUNITIES Arbor Day Houston Arboretum & Botanic Gardens Saturday, January 21-9AM to 5PM The Houston Arboretum & Nature Center needs volunteers!!! In preparation for Arbor Day volunteers are needed. The arboretum has 4000 bare root saplings that need to be wrapped in advance of Arbor Day on January 21 st. Everyone who visits the arboretum

3 Page 3 of 8 on that day can receive a tree. PLEASE: RSVP for one or more of the following (starting January 14th): Saturday all day, Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons, Thursday And / or Friday all day. Most native oaks and some softwoods will be on hand to be given away on Arbor Day. Please contact Lucien A. Bouffard or lbouffard@houstonarboretum.org The Many Lives of Trees will be the topic of the educational booths and speakers. We have many volunteer opportunities. Training will be Wedneday January 11th at 6:30 p.m. Our educational booths require knowledgeable docents; our greeters must be enthusiatic and compelling. We also have 4000 bare root saplings to wrap starting January 14th. To volunteer please CONTACT: Lucien A. Bouffard at lbouffard@houstonarboretum.org or call Arbor Day Mercer Arboretum & Botanic Gardens Aldine Sestfield Road Humble, TX Saturday, January 21-8AM to Noon A tree seedling give-away begins at 8AM and continues while supplies last. A tree planting demonstration and discussion of the best trees for the area is scheduled from 10AM to noon. CONTACT: Greg Harrison or WET in the City Workshop Hollingsworth Science Center Summit Ridge Drive Houston, TX Saturday, January 21 8:30AM-3:15PM Please see attachement (featuring activities for grades K-5). To learn more information about the WET in the City program, also visit To REGISTER for one of the upcoming workshops CONTACT: Brenda Templeton, Houston WET in the City Coordinator, or Brenda.Templeton@cityofhouston.net VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR HABITAT RESTORATION PROJECTS: Stewardship Sundays on the Williams Prairie Preserve Katy Prairie Conservancy (KPC) The Williams Prairie Preserve in Fulshear is a ten-acre remnant of the vast coastal tallgrass prairie that once covered millions of acres from south Texas to southwest Louisiana, and is an important tool in future restoration efforts on the Katy Prairie. KPC manages the Williams Prairie Preserve explicitly for the purposes of open space, seed harvesting and education, but woody and invasive plants there are stealing resources from the desired grasses and wildflowers. If you would like to see a real tallgrass prairie and join our volunteers in their restoration efforts CONTACT: Terri Ficker at or terrific@bigcity.net

4 file://c:\documents and Settings\wthompson\Local Settings\Temp\XPGrpWise\43C7D4D7Ha... Page 4 of 8 Seed Propagation Workshop KPC field office Thursday, January 19th - 9:00 am This workshop is to supply and train volunteers to propagate native grass seeds for the KPC's Seed Farm Project which will provide seeds and plants for future restoration projects on the Katy Prairie. Volunteers participating in this workshop will take the potted seeds home to care for until it's time to plant them in the ground at the field office in March or April. The workshop begins with a Seed Germination presentation by Angela Chandler, President of the Harris County Master Gardeners Association. Bring your lunch, stay as long as you like, and pot as many seeds as you can. For more information or to sign up CONTACT: Terri Ficker at or terrific@bigcity.net Seedball Project KPC field office Saturday, January 21st, 10 am to 1 pm Volunteers are needed to assist children (ages 8 & up) in rolling seedballs which will be used to introduce native grasses and wildflowers to a demonstration prairie. The seedball is a space capsule of clay, compost and seeds that awaits the rains and cool temperatures of late fall and winter to disintegrate into a burst of new growth in the spring. The compost in the seedball nourishes the tiny plants until their roots can penetrate the prairie soil. So practice your mud-pie-making skills and join us at the KPC field office. To let us know you re coming or for more information CONTACT: or at info@katyprairie.org Lake & River Cleanup Program! Start Your Own Project!!!!! (Dear TMN's, If you are interested in putting together a Water Cleanup Project please see the attachments and use the below information. Then notify the THORSday report and the Dragonfly newsletter, we will help promote and advertise your project.) KTB (Keep Texas Beautiful) & TCEQ (Texas Commission on Environmental Quality) are kicking off their spring season Lake & River Cleanup campaign. The program provides free items such as garbage bags, gloves, kid's activity sheets, sunblock lotion, promotional posters, and much more. If you plan to hold a cleanup along an inland waterway (lake, river, creek, stream, or bayou) or a litter prevention activity between January - June 2006, please see the attachments. For program information and a registration form please visit the below website CONTACT: Katie at katie@ktb.org or CLEAN-TX if you have any questions or need additional information! HOUSTON AUDUBON SOCIETY - BEGINNING BIRDING CLASS Date: Thurs, Jan 19 Time: 7 pm Location: Edith L. Moore Nature Sanctuary, 440 Wilchester Blvd CONTACT: Sam Barnett at (713)

5 Page 5 of 8 JESSE H. JONES PARK & NATURE CENTER - NATIVE TREES IN THE LANDSCAPE Date: Sat, Jan 21 Time: 2 pm Location: Kenswick Drive CONTACT: (281) HOUSTON ARBORETUM & NATURE CENTER - UNDERSTORY TREES Date: Sun, Jan 22 Time: 2 pm Location: 4501 Woodway Drive CONTACT: (713) EVENTS URBAN HARVEST - LECTURE AND FRUIT TREE SALE Date: Sat, Jan 21 Time: 8 am - 2 pm Location: 1900 Kane Contact: or (713) Award/Grant Opportunities $6.5 MILLION FOR CONSERVATION ON PRIVATE LANDS DUE by Sunday, Jan 23, 2006 The US Fish and Wildlife Service is seeking proposals for conservation projects on private lands. Approximately $6.5 million is available in federal grants on a competitive basis to individuals and groups engaged in voluntary conservation efforts on private lands which benefit imperiled species, such as federally listed endangered or threatened species, as well as proposed, candidate, and other at-risk species. Landowners and their partners may submit proposals directly to the Service for funding to support those efforts. Proposals are due by Jan 23, For details, go to < The Home Depot 2006 Youth Garden Grants Program Applications for the 2007 grant cycle will be available as of February 28, Program Criteria NGA awards Youth Garden Grants to schools and community organizations with child-centered, outdoor garden programs. In evaluating grant applications, priority will be given to programs that emphasize one or more of these elements: educational focus and/or curricular ties (if applicant is a formal education program) nutrition or plant-to-food connections environmental awareness/education entrepreneurship social aspects of gardening such as leadership development, team building, community support, or service-learning. For more information go to this website

6 Page 6 of Mantis Award Program Applications Must be Postmarked No Later than March 31, 2006 The National Gardening Association: Apply today to win one of 20 Mantis tiller/cultivators (each complete with border edger attachment) or one of five ComposT-Twin compost systems for your garden program! To Qualify: your garden program must be charitable or educational in nature you must not use the prize for fundraising (i.e., a raffle or auction) Please use the below link to read more about this award and see whether your schoolyard habitat or garden qualifies. A downloadable application is available on this web page plus more information regarding this award. Toyota Tapestry Grants - Attention TEACHERS Apply by Jan. 19 The 2006 Toyota TAPESTRY program will award 50 grants of up to $10,000 each and a minimum of 20 "mini-grants" of $2,500 each to K-12 science teachers. The Environmental Science Education category funds projects that emphasize the efficient use of natural resources and protection of the environment. Students participating in these projects should gain an increased awareness of the terrestrial, aquatic, and/or atmospheric environment and an understanding of their own interdependence with the natural world. Please use the below link to read more about this grant. MARK YOUR CALENDARS!!!!!!! Sea Turtle Workshop in Galveston Last year's Sea Turtle Saturday in Galveston was such a sucess, this year we decided to try it again! Over 300 students, volunteers, and lay people attended the seminar at Texas A&M at Galveston, where some of the nation's premier experts on sea turtles presented a half-day course on the biology and onservation of sea turtles in Texas. This year, we are having at least two smaller Sea Turtle Saturdays; one on February 11 and one on March 25, 2006 at the NOAA Fisheries facility at 4700 Avenue U in Galveston. The seminars will last about 4 hours starting at 9:30 a.m., and a sea turtle barn tour will be held for the attendees at the end of the course. In this workshop, you can expect to learn:

7 Page 7 of 8 Basic Sea Turtle Biology, especially of the Kemp's ridley Conservation and Habitat Protection Efforts How to patrol the beach for sea turtles and nests! Since each workshop is limited to 50 people, reservations are necessary. For more information and a reservation form, please see CONTACT: Carole Allen, Gulf Office Director Sea Turtle Restoration Project-TEXAS HEART (Help Endangered Animals-Ridley Turtles) P. O. Box Houston, Texas Phone/FAX Websites: COMMUNICATION WORKSHOP PLANNED Friday, January 21 The Citizens' Environmental Coalition will conduct a workshop on communication for environmental groups, Jan 21. The workshop will cover press and public relations, technology, internal communications, and external communications. The workshop is open to representatives of member groups and is limited to 20 attendees. CONTACT: David Gresham or Ella Tyler at (713) or at <news@cechouston.org> FYI A New Magazine??? For anybody who may be interested in looking into this...it is about a new magazine..."the magazine is dedicated to supporting existing wildlife rehabilitation centers and helping create new volunteer-based centers around the world."...see attachment. If anyone does look into this let us know what you find out... Happy Birthday December 28, 2005 was the 32nd birthday of the Endangered Species Act!!! Good Night, THOR Please send any requests, comments, ideas or suggestions to the chapter office at gcmn@tamu.edu and write THOR (THURSDAY Office Reports) in the subject line.

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Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Program Information Session. Charlotte Glen, Extension Agent Horticulture NCCE - Chatham County Center

Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Program Information Session Charlotte Glen, Extension Agent Horticulture NCCE - Chatham County Center Overview What is NC Cooperative Extension? Extension s Horticulture