October 21-

MISSION: “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 for the State of Texas.”

Annual Meeting Sponsoring Agencies:

About this year's Annual Meeting . . .

Welcome to La Torretta Lakeside Resort! This year marks our Program’s 17th Annual Meeting and the 18th year of the Texas Master Naturalist Program. We have scheduled 98 different presentations and field trips with a variety of topics and speakers from around the state. Outside of the classroom, we also have a great Silent Auction set up that is used to raise funds for the Annual Meeting, plenty of opportunities to meet new friends and old friends alike, some really beautiful artwork and photos entered into our annual contest, and a wide variety of chapter projects and materials on display in the project fair. Enjoy this weekend of comradery and learning! Thank you for being here with us on the shores of Lake Conroe and in the heart of the pineywoods!

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Friday October 21st, 2016 Lunch on your own prior to arrival (Lunch not provided on Friday)

12:00 - 1:00 Arrival and Conference Registration Conference Registration Area South

12:00 - 6:00 Texas Master Naturalist Bookstore Open Vendors & Swap Shop Open

VMS HelpDesk Open for LIVE support, demo & Q/A *(until 3:30pm) Versailles Ballroom

1:00 - 5:00 Set-Up of Chapter Project Fair Displays Set-Up of Photo & Art Contest Entries Set-Up of Chapter Brochure, Scrapbooks and Newsletter Entries Submission of Silent Auction Items Versailles Ballroom & Conference Atrium

1:00 - 5:00 Friday Afternoon Field Sessions Rendezvous at Main Entrance of Conference Center Cook’s Branch Conservancy Field Tour » Kathy Hutson (Cooks Branch Conservancy, Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation) Managing an Endangered Species in an Urban Forest » Donna Work (Texas A&M Forest Service), and Heartwood Chapter TMN volunteers Lake Conroe Water and Watershed Field Trip »Tim Birdsong (Texas Parks and Wildlife Department)

1:00 – 5:30 Friday Afternoon 4 Hour Sessions *(with 30 min. break at 3:00) Bird Song: a First Guide to Recognizing Songs and Calls – VIGO »Scott Kiester (Elm Fork Chapter) Geology and Soils of Texas – IBIZA »Christopher Mathewson (TAMU Geology & Geophysics)

1:00 - 3:00 Friday Afternoon 2 Hour - Sessions A Outdoor Ethics for the Master Naturalist – PORTOFINO » Andre Houser (Leave No Trace and Tread Lightly!) Learning from the Land- an Interdisciplinary Approach – PISA » Barbara Parmley (Dallas Arboretum) Forums (Part I): Community, Communication, Connection – EUROPA » Kevin Pajak (Cross Timbers Chapter) What's that weed? Documenting and identifying plants with iNaturalist – VENICE »Sam Kieschnick, Cullen Hanks (Texas Parks and Wildlife Department) Ecological management of small properties – CANNES » John Herron (The Nature Conservancy) Restoring Tall Grass Prairie Systems – PARIS »Tim Siegmund (Texas Parks and Wildlife Department) Different Strokes for Different Folks – IKARIA »Diane Dismukes (Archeologist, retired from TxDOT/Texas Parks and Wildlife Department), Ruth Mathews (Archeologist, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department) TMN VMS Training - Volunteer Management System for the End User : TMN VMS 10 – LARISA »Cheryl Foster, Dale Hughling, Brad James and Clyde Camp (TMN VMS Team)

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3:00 - 3:30 Hotel Room Check-in Begins *Room Check-in at Resort Front Desk

Friday Afternoon Break Versailles Ballroom

3:30 - 5:30 Fri-2B - Friday Afternoon 2 Hour – Session B Teaching and Learning Big Ecology – PARIS »Jaime Gonzalez (Katy Prairie Conservancy) How To Get Involved with Texas Wildlife Association's Outdoor Learning Opportunities – IKARIA »Brian Roberts (Texas Wildlife Association) Forums (Part II): Administrating, Moderating, and Organizing – EUROPA »Kevin Pajak (Cross Timbers Chapter) In Search of Missing Species with Texas Nature Trackers – CANNES »Cullen Hanks, Sam Kieschnick (Texas Parks and Wildlife Department) Pollinators and Natives: An Ancient Marriage – VENICE »Randy Johnson (Dallas Zoo) Weather and Climate Extremes – LARISA »John Nielsen-Gammon (Texas A&M University) TMN State Representatives Roundtable – AMERICAS »Michelle Haggerty and Mary Pearl Meuth (Texas Master Naturalist Program)

5:30 - 6:00 Reception with Cash Bar Versailles Ballroom

6:00 - 8:00 Dinner and Keynote Presentation Americas Ballroom PENDING TITLE » Erin Franz, Executive Director, Texan By Nature

8:00- 9:00 Final chance to submit Silent Auction donations Final chance to set-up for Photo & Art Contest Final chance to set-up all other Project Fair and Contest entries Versailles Ballroom & Conference Atrium

8:00 - 10:00 Black Light Station for Night Flying Invertebrates Meet at Waterfront behind Versailles Ballroom

8:15 – 9:15 Friday Evening Round Table & Chapter Projects Presentations Roundtable Discussion: VMS System Administration for Chapter Leaders – AMERICAS »Cheryl Foster, Dale Hughling, Brad James, Clyde Camp (TMN VMS Team) 3rd Annual TMN Quiz Bowl – VENICE »Richard Heilbrun (Texas Parks and Wildlife Department) Chapter Projects Presentation: Give Purple Martins a Home – CANNES »Donna Lewis & Cindy Bolch (El Camino Real Chapter) Chapter Projects Presentation: Developing an Outreach Trunk – PARIS »John White (North Texas Chapter) Chapter Projects Presentation: Breaking Boundaries - Bringing Citizen Science To The Overlooked and Forgotten – VIGO »Barbara Thompson and Mary Ann Nilson (East Texas Chapter) Chapter Projects Presentation: Got Nature? Record and share it with iNaturalist – IBIZA »Nita Schiro (Heartwood Chapter) Cullen Hanks & Sam Kieschnick (Texas Parks and Wildlife) Chapter Projects Presentation: Marketing the Texas Master Naturalist Program Statewide With a Specialty License Plate – LARISA »Allison Copony (Heartwood Chapter), Emily Hawthorn, Matt Carly (Alamo Area Chapter)

Presenter Change ->

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Saturday October 22nd, 2016

7:00 - 8:00 Conference Breakfast Americas Ballroom

7:00 - 8:00 Registration Open Conference Registration Area South

8:00 - 6:00 Chapter Project Displays, Popular Vote Contest Voting, Vendors, Silent Auction Bidding and Texas Master Naturalist Bookstore Open *Ballots for Popular Vote included in Registration Packet Versailles Ballroom & Conference Atrium

8:00 - 5:00 Saturday All Day Field Sessions Rendezvous at Main Entrance of Conference Center *Pick up Box Lunches at Registration Desk Davis Hill State Natural Area »Kelly Norrid, Ruth Mathews (Texas Parks and Wildlife Department), Chris Mathewson (TAMU Geology & Geophysics)

8:00 - 12:00 Saturday Morning Field Sessions Rendezvous at Main Entrance of Conference Center Prairie Restoration in Sam Houston National Forest »Cullen Hanks (Texas Parks and Wildlife Department), Rusty Plair (US Forest Service) Lake Creek Greenway – PORTOFINO »Glenn Buckley (Heartwood Chapter)

8:00 - 12:00 Saturday Morning 4 Hour Sessions How Many Mega Pixels? Camera, Lenses and Techniques for Nature Photography – IKARIA »John Herron (The Nature Conservancy) Texas Stream Team: Standard LaMotte Kit & Probe Kit Basic Training – CAPRI »Jenna J. Walker (Texas Stream Team)

8:00 - 10:00 Saturday Morning 2 Hour Sessions Interpretive Trail Guiding/Getting Children and Adults Outside – VENICE »Dave Powell (Heard Natural Science Museum and Wildlife Sanctuary) Freshwater Macro invertebrates – LARISA »Richard G. McCarthy (Central Texas Chapter) Engaging Youth in Quail Conservation – PARIS »Amanda Gobeli (Reversing the Quail Decline Initiative, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension) The Lichens: A brief introduction to one of nature’s intriguing symbioses – CANNES »Dale Kruse (S.M. Tracy Herbarium TAES/TAMU) Panel Discussion on the Use of Social Media for Chapters – AMERICAS »Whitney Wolf & Kristi Kerr Leonard (North Texas Chapter)

8:00 - 9:00 Saturday Morning 1 Hour Sessions – Sessions A Alternative Funding: A Pivotal Moment for Wildlife Conservation – IBIZA »Karly Denkhaus Robinson (Teaming With Wildlife: True To Texas) Big Business & The Environment: Forming Partnerships – PISA »Mary Waters (Gulf Coast Chapter) Avoiding "Death by PowerPoint" – VISIONE »John Donaho (University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston) Fifty Shades of Green – VIGO »Ricky Linex (Natural Resources Conservation Service)

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9:00 - 10:00 Saturday Morning 1 Hour Sessions – Sessions B Healthy Soil, Healthy Gut, Healthy Life – VIGO »Stuart Nunnally (Nunnally/Freeman Dental) Working Together Isn't Always Easy: Managing Conflict in Volunteer Groups – IBIZA »Kris Shipman (Texas Parks and Wildlife Department) Flipboard: Making online digital magazines about anything Master Naturalist – EUROPA »Penelope Boyer (Land Heritage Institute) How a Community Reduced Their Water Costs by 60% With Conservation Efforts and Education – PORTOFINO »John Kiser (Stone Oak POA)

10:00 - 11:00 Saturday Morning Break - Versailles Ballroom

10:00 - 11:00 Saturday Morning 1 Hour Sessions – Sessions C Partnering with State Parks: A Winning Combination! – VIGO »Audrey Muntz (Texas Parks and Wildlife Department) Wildlife Watching using Automated, Autonomous Cameras – VENICE »Claire Moore (Heartwood Chapter) Building a Following - Is Facebook the Answer? – EUROPA »John Donaho (University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston) Agricultural Producers as Environmental Stewards – PARIS »John Tomecek (Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service)

11:00 - 12:00 Saturday Morning 1 Hour Sessions – Sessions D How To Put On a BioBlitz With Teaming With Wildlife: True To Texas – IBIZA »Karly Robinson (Teaming With Wildlife: True To Texas) Creating a Natural System – CANNES »Lisa Tuck (Heartwood Chapter) Using Google Calendar to Organize a Chapter's Activities: Who's doing What When and Where? – VISIONE »Kevin Pajak (Cross Timbers Chapter) Spiders of Central Texas – AMERICAS »Sheryl Smith-Rodgers (Highland Lakes Chapter)

12:00 - 1:00 Conference Lunch Americas Ballroom

12:30 - 1:00 (Optional) Gentle Yoga & Envisioning Nature Lakeshore Deck *Outside Versailles Ballroom

1:00 - 5:00 Saturday Afternoon Field Sessions Rendezvous at Main Entrance of Conference Center iNaturalist Field Trip to Sam Houston National Forest »Cullen Hanks (Texas Parks and Wildlife Department) Elmer Kleb & Kleb Woods Nature Preserve »Allison Copony (Heartwood Chapter)

1:00 - 5:00 Saturday Afternoon 4 Hour Sessions Nature Photography: Good to Better and Better to Best – IKARIA »Carol Henrichs (Carol Fox Henrichs Photography) Texas Stream Team: Advanced Training – CAPRI »Jenna J. Walker (Texas Stream Team)

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1:00 - 3:00 Saturday Afternoon 2 Hour Sessions Chronic Wasting Disease in Texas: What Folks Need to Know – PARIS »John Tomecek (Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service) Big Chapters - Unique Challenges – EUROPA »Jo Lynne Merrill (North Texas Chapter Master Naturalist) Texas Estuarine Resource Network - Citizen Science Connecting Communities to Colonial Waterbird Conservation – PORTOFINO »Kari Howard (Audubon Texas) Bryophytes, The Forest Under Your Feet – CANNES »Dale Kruse (S.M. Tracy Herbarium TAES/TAMU) Life on Earth Depends on Natural Darkness: Save the Night and Participate in Globe at Night Citizen Science Project – VISIONE »Cindy Luongo Cassidy (International Dark Sky Association - Texas Section)

1:00 - 2:00 Saturday Afternoon 1 Hour Sessions – Sessions E Caddo, The Lake, The Battle – IBIZA »Carl Turner (Cypress Basin Chapter) Texas Nature Tracker Biological Inventory Teams Need You – LARISA »Marsha May (Texas Parks and Wildlife Department) Bringing the Prairies back to Houston – VIGO »Jed Aplaca (Houston Parks and Recreation) Be Prepared--Not Just for Boy Scouts – PISA »Connie Barron (Highland Lakes Chapter)

2:00 - 3:00 Saturday Afternoon 1 Hour Sessions – Sessions F Giant Salvinia vs. the Weevil – IBIZA »Lee Eisenberg (Caddo Biocontrol Alliance) From Crosswalks to Boardwalks: A trails project on a budget – VIGO »Laurie Gonzales (Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge) Plants of the Prairie – VENICE »Jed Aplaca (Houston Parks and Recreation) Outdoor Ethics are "Caught - Not Taught" – LARISA »Steve Hall (Texas Parks and Wildlife Department)

3:00 - 4:00 Saturday Afternoon 1 Hour Sessions – Sessions G Bringing Lake Livingston to Life – IBIZA »Ronald Diderich (Piney Wood Lakes Chapter) Determining Baseline Data on Wintering Bats in Texas: How You Can Help – PARIS »Melissa Meierhofer (Texas A&M Institute of Renewable Natural Resources) Wildflowers of the Llano Estacado – VIGO »Daria McKelvey (Texas Tech University) The Organic Meat Movement – LARISA »Steve Hall (Texas Parks and Wildlife Department) Status and History of the Red Wolves – CANNES »Edward Craven (Armand Bayou Nature Center)

4:00 - 5:00 Saturday Afternoon 1 Hour Sessions – Sessions H Urban Coyotes: The Unlikely Neighbors – PARIS »John Tomecek (Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service) Large Restoration Efforts at the Connemara Meadow – LARISA »Bob Mione (Connemara Conservation Foundation) 11 Things You Need To Know About Poison Oak & Ivy – IBIZA »Amy Martin (Itchy Business) History and Status of Ivory-billed Woodpeckers in Texas –CANNES »Edward Craven (Gulf Coast Chapter) Texas Ecosystems and Virtual Mapping – VIGO »Laura Clark (Texas Parks and Wildlife Department)

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5:00 - 6:00 TMN Social, Year in Review, and Family Reunion with Cash Bar Project Fair Display Judging *Chapter Project Representatives stand with project displays to answer judges questions Versailles Ballroom

6:00 - 8:30 Dinner and TMN Awards Ceremony Americas Ballroom

8:30 - 10:00 Black Light Station for Night Flying Invertebrates Meet at Waterfront behind Versailles Ballroom

9:00 Silent Auction Bidding, Project Contest and Popular Vote Contests Closes Versailles Ballroom & Conference Atrium

9:00 – 10:00 Silent Auction Winners Check Out *Additional check out time in morning Versailles Ballroom

9:00 – 12:00 Social Time Campfire, Music Gathering

Versailles Shorefront *If inclement weather, moved to Conference Atrium

The TMN Volunteer Management System Helpdesk team will be providing LIVE demo, support and Q&A throughout the Annual Meeting. Help Desk Hours are Friday 3-5:30pm, Saturday 8am-5pm.

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Sunday October 23rd, 2016

6:30 - 8:00 Chapter President's and Chapter Advisors Breakfast *(Or Chapter President Designee) Essence Café - access through outside entrance only

7:00 - 8:00 Conference Breakfast and Chapter Directors/Chairs Roundtables Americas Ballroom

8:00 - 10:00 Texas Master Naturalist Bookstore and Swap Shop Open Silent Auction Winners Check Out Versailles Ballroom

8:00 - 8:45 Annual Meeting Contest Awards & Special Presentations Americas Ballroom

9:00 - 12:00 Sunday Morning 3 Hour Sessions Identifying and Protecting Yourself from Poison Oak & Ivy – CAPRI »Amy Martin (Itchy Business) Wild Game Preparation 101 - a Healthy Food Choice! – PORTOFINO »Steve Hall (Texas Parks and Wildlife Department) Geology of Texas - "It's Out There" – IBIZA »Ray Kozusko (Central Texas Chapter) Plant Identification by Family Association and use of Written and Online Botanical Keys – PARIS »Ricky Linex (Natural Resources Conservation Service) TMN VMS Administrators Training 201 – LARISA »Cheryl Foster, Dale Hughling, Brad James and Clyde Camp (TMN VMS Team)

9:00 - 10:00 Sunday Morning 1 Hour Sessions – Sessions A Texas Nature Tracker Advanced Opportunities For Your Chapter – IKARIA »Marsha May (Texas Parks and Wildlife Department) Update on Texas Master Naturalist Endowment Campaign – AMERICAS »Darin Paine (Texas A&M AgriLife Extension) Be A Star Award – VISIONE »Cindy Luongo Cassidy (Hays County Chapter) Very Basic Birding – VENICE »John Herron (The Nature Conservancy) TxDOT and Pollinators – CANNES »Dennis Markwardt (TxDOT) Hill Country Flora Virtual Herbarium Search Engine – VIGO »Raul Pena (Hill Country Chapter)

10:00 - 11:00 Sunday Morning 1 Hour Sessions – Sessions B A new era for wildlife management – IKARIA »Richard Heilbrun (Texas Parks and Wildlife Department) Partners in Refuge Management – PISA »Laurie Gonzales (Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge) Cultivating an "intense consciousness" - the value and challenges of engaging with college students – CANNES »Sam Whitehead (Concordia University Texas) eBird Basics: how to post your observations and exploring data on eBird – VENICE » Cullen Hanks (Texas Parks and Wildlife Department) Chapter Project Presentation: Ecology of Dark Skies – VISIONE »Bridget Langdale (Hill Country Chapter) The Ancient Llano Mountains of Reveille Peak Ranch – VIGO »Frank Caramanica (Geologist)

Cancelled ->

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11:00 - 12:00 Sunday Morning 1 Hour Sessions – Sessions C Updates to the Chapter Management and Operations Protocols (CMOP) – AMERICAS »Michelle Haggerty (Texas Master Naturalist State Office) Don't Run Out of Gas! How to Fuel Your Content Sustainably – IKARIA »Merry Bateman (The University of Texas at Austin) How the Earth Works/Plastic Pollution Prevention – CANNES »Stennie Meadours (Plastic Pollution Prevention Partnership) Amphibians and Reptiles of Texas – VENICE »Rachel Richter (Texas Parks and Wildlife Department) Designing Rainwater Harvesting into Landscaping Systems – VIGO »Chris Maxwell-Gaines (Innovative Water Solutions LLC) Smoke Signals: Reaching Our Youth, Creating a Social Media Presence & Social Media for Large Events – PISA »Kristi Kerr Leonard (North Texas Chapter)

12:00 - 1:00 Conference Closes (Lunch on your own) Hotel Room Check Out Before 11:00am *Late check out available upon request

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THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS Pine Needle

Sabine Neches Chapter Good Water Chapter Indian Trail Chapter

Martha Peet, Elm Fork Chapter Allen Guisinger, Lost Pines Chapter Sue Harris, Sabine-Neches Chapter Larry & Judy Snyder, Rolling Plains

Chapter

Edward Barrios, Cradle of Texas Chapter Richard Shepherd, Cross Timbers Chapter Hayden & Susan Smith, Blackland Prairie

Michael Eckenfels, Gulf Coast Chapter Richard McCarthy, Central Texas Chapter

Pine Cone Mary Waters, Gulf Coast Chapter

Hill Country Conservancy Hill Country Alliance

Lower Colorado River Authority Cypress Basin Chapter Central Texas Chapter

Pine Seedling Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, Conservation Education Team

Christopher C. Mathewson, Department of Geology, Texas A&M University Texas A&M Institute of Renewable Natural Resources

Texas Wildlife Association Nature Conservancy – Texas

Blackland Prairie Chapter Hill Country Chapter

Longleaf Pine Audubon Texas

Pineywoods Forest Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Wildlife Diversity Team

CHECK OUT OUR VENDORS Vendor Booths will be Open Friday 12 – 6pm, Saturday 8am – 6pm and Sunday 8 – 12am

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Reversing the Quail Decline Initiative

Texas Parks and Wildlife Conservation Education Department Carol Heinrich Photography

Earth Day Texas Texas Night Sky Festival

Texas A&M University Press

Houston Area Bat Team Cactus Jack Designs

Mercer Botanical Gardens Audrey Ambrose

Texas Wildlife Association

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NAME: ____________________________

About your Agenda…The sessions you indicated an interest in attending/pre-registered for are listed on this personalized program. Our presenters and instructors have prepared for your arrival in the sessions you selected. In the event one of your sessions was cancelled or you neglected to select something, please feel free to attend any other sessions that are not full. If there is not a session selection listed below, it means that you did not select a presentation to attend at that session time-slot on the registration website. If a session is marked as FULL, and you did not pre-register for it, please be considerate of those who did pre-register. Some of these classes may have standing room in the rear of the classroom; others (such as field trips and nature walks) may have strict limits and will not allow walk-ins.

FRIDAY OCTOBER 21st, 2016

SATURDAY OCTOBER 22nd, 2016 SUNDAY OCTOBER 23rd, 2016

Thank you for joining us at this year’s Texas Master Naturalist Annual Meeting. To better serve our volunteers and produce the best Annual Meeting possible, we have

created a survey for each of our participants to fill out. Please take a moment and give us your honest feedback. This can even be completed on your mobile device!

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/TMN17thAnnualMeeting