Texas Master Naturalists make a valuable contribution to the conservation of the community’s natural areas and resources, and they are expanding their team of volunteers. The Piney Wood Lakes 2025 training session is now open for registration. Classes will be held from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays from February 22 through June 7 at the Texas State University System Polk County Center located at 1015 U.S. 59 North in Livingston.
Texas Master Naturalists provide education, outreach and services dedicated to the beneficial management of natural areas and resources right here at home. The Pine Wood Lakes Chapter is always looking for new members and new ideas. Join the chapter, meet fellow naturalists and become a force of nature.
Becoming a certified Texas Master Naturalist requires only 40 hours of basic training, eight hours of advanced training and 40 hours of volunteer service earned within the first year. Topics covered in the training include interpretation and management of natural resources, ecological concepts, eco-regions in Texas, pollinators, bird and wildlife identification, natural systems management and much more.
The fee to become a Texas Master Naturalist is $150 which covers the textbook and other class materials, first-year chapter annual dues of $25, and a T-shirt for students who complete their certification. Each candidate will be required to pass a Texas Parks and Wildlife background check. Couples taking the class and sharing a textbook pay a discounted fee of $255.
Training covers a wide variety of topics presented by experts in their fields, including, but not limited to local flora, fauna and ecosystems; natural resource conservation, restoration and management; and land stewardship.
The Piney Wood Lakes Texas Master Naturalist Chapter was created to serve Polk, San Jacinto, Trinity and Tyler counties. Since its founding in 2010, over 100 local volunteers have together contributed more than 44,000 hours of service and have reached thousands of residents of all ages. These volunteer efforts are estimated to be worth more than $500,000 to the community.
Recent projects have included:
Chapter members make a valuable contribution at the local level, but also enjoy programs and resources offered by the Texas Master Naturalist state program office.
Volunteers may choose from a wide variety of service projects. Here are just a few examples: community outreach at libraries, schools and events; trail creation and maintenance; citizen science, such as wildlife and weather monitoring; habitat restoration and maintenance; seed collection and native plant propagation; recycling, cleanup and beautification; and nature writing and photography.
The mission of the Texas Master Naturalist program is to develop a corps of well-informed volunteers to provide education, outreach and service dedicated to the beneficial management of natural areas with the communities for the State of Texas. In keeping with its mission, they strive to make the community better by providing innovative solutions at the intersection of agriculture, natural resources and youth, thereby improving the wellbeing of individuals, families and business through education and service.
Contact the chapter if you are looking for nature or conservation related resources, have an idea for a new conservation project, or would like the chapter to present to your group or organization.
The website is https://txmn.org/pineywoodlakes. The email address is info@pineywoodlakes.org. The Facebook is www.facebook.com/PWLCTMN.
Classes for the upcoming session will be held from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays from February 22 through June 7 at the Texas State University System Polk County Center located at 1015 U.S. 59 North in Livingston.
Fill out the online membership application or download the PDF version and email the completed form to training@pineywoodlakes.org.
The Texas Master Naturalist Program is sponsored by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension and Texas Parks & Wildlife.