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Alamo Area Chapter NewsNovember 2015txmn.org/alamo

EvEnts, voluntEEr opportunitiEs, Education, and training

Volume 19, Issue 11

AAmN BoArd meetINg

November 10 at 5:30 pm

AgriLIFE Extension3355 Cherry RidgeClassroom 208

General Meeting 7 pm (At)Kent Page will share Project ACORN stories, goals, photos, and a gi-gantic thanks for all that TMN has done to help.

offIcers

PresidentLiz [email protected]

Vice-PresidentAubrey [email protected]

TreasurerNancy [email protected]

SecretaryCamille [email protected]

Immediate Past PresidentAnton [email protected]

President’s Message

November 10 Elections and Chipotle Night Hope all of you will join us for this important night. You will be treated to some fresh Chipotle and/or Sofritas tacos, courtesy of the AAMN Chapter & Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. BYO-Drink.

The election & pin awards will begin at 6:50 pm after the business meet-ing. At 7 pm, MN Kent Page, Class 30, will present some updates on the ACORN Project. http://www.project-acorn.net/ Last year Kent traveled to the nation’s capital where he was awarded the prestigious Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. This year the ACORN Project has been awarded an EPA Grant of almost $140,000, of which AAMN is a sub-awardee. This is an exciting time for the ACORN Project. Come hear all about it!

Slate of Officers for 2016President – Matt Carley Vice-President – Aubrey GeorgeTreasurer – Nancy Thoss Secretary – Ron Tullius

Additional nominations may be made from the floor at the time of the election. The Hospitality Director’s position remains vacant for 2016. If interested in serving on the board or have any recommendations, please contact any of the following members of the Nominating Committee, Anton Hajek ([email protected]), Ron Tullius ([email protected]), or Wendy Thornton ([email protected]).

Save the Date – Annual AAMN Holiday GatheringTuesday, December 8, 2015Time – 6 – 9 pmLocation – PHP - UEC Gathering Hall

News 4 Nature – Check out the latest News 4 Nature video series on the following link: https://vimeo.com/133842350.

Tribute to Pamela Ball – See story on page 6.

commIttees

Activities InformationInterim Chair Liz [email protected]

Community OutreachChair Matt [email protected]

HIstorianKeeley [email protected]

HospitalityChair Sharon [email protected]

MembershipChair Nancy [email protected]

Media & TechnologyChair David [email protected] [email protected] Ballardfm4459@sbcglobal,net

ProgramsChair Tom [email protected]

Education and TrainingChair Pam [email protected]

We try to publish all material we receive, but space is limited in each month’s newsletter. Long articles may be published on the website instead of the newsletter. Event notices must go through Pam Ball; and only the Activities Information Committee is authorized to declare whether an event is approved for Advanced Training or Volunteer Service Hours. Deadline for submissions is the 25th of each month.

Newsletter Policies

Pins and Awards

Congratulations to all our pin recipients!Those who haven’t received their pins maypick them up at the November Chapter Meeting.

Initial Certification DragonflyJim McCullough - 35

2015 Recertification – Texas BluebonnetJulie Croisant – 30Greg Gibbons – 32Cheryl Hamilton – 21Howard Homan – 26Sharon Johnson – 32Sharon Kilmer – 27Lissa Martinez – 25Rowena Ochiaga – 35Catherine Rose – 22Jennifer Sorenson – 33

500 Hours DragonflyJohn Kiser – 29Patsy Kuentz - 27

4,000 Hours DragonflyCheryl Hamilton - 21

Drilling Holes on Nametags

If you would like to have your service pins attached to your nametag, we now have a volunteer who will help with that. New class #37 trainee Martha Cray will pick up your name tags at the next meeting, take them home for drilling and attaching the pins, and return them to you.

She will be present at the AgriLife classroom for pick-up, between 6:30-7:00 pm, at the November 10th meeting. If you have any questions about this contact Martha at 210-695-1770 or email her at [email protected]. She will also set a meeting time & place if convenient to all parties.

Donations will be accepted for the purchase of materials related to this service.

clAss represeNtAtIVes

Class 25Ron [email protected]

Class 26Dwight [email protected] [email protected]

Class 27David [email protected] [email protected]

Class 28LeLynn [email protected]

Class 29Tom [email protected]

Class 30Randy [email protected] De [email protected]

Class 31Camille [email protected] [email protected]

clAss represeNtAtIVes

Class 32Matthew [email protected]; 210-416-1887Susan [email protected]

Class 33Jennifer [email protected] [email protected]

Class 34Chuck [email protected] [email protected]

Class 35Peter [email protected] [email protected]

Class 36Mike Tayloe210-462-7041; [email protected] Siegel626-890-7199; [email protected]

Class 37Debra [email protected] [email protected]

Bug Banquet (AT) November 6th, 7-9 pm

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension in Bexar County is excited to present an “educational” dinner event all about entomophagy! Enjoy an evening of entomophagy prepared by expert chefs and Bexar County 4-H Food Challenge Teams. Dine under the stars at Clearwater Ranch and learn how raising insects is a sustainable form of agriculture and a surprisingly enjoyable culinary experience. Delight in an expertly prepared four course meal made with delectable insects and paired with an appropriate cocktail, beer or wine. Food prepared with insects can be pushed to the side for those not so inclined to partake.

Cost: $35 per person or $50 per coupleEvent Date: Friday, November 6thEvent Time: 7-9 pm (cocktails and hors d’oeurves 7-7:30 pm)Event Location: 24510 Clearwater Run, SATX 78255Register at: agriliferegister.tamu.edu

November Training and Volunteer Events

SAWS Watersaver Classes at the San Antonio Botani-cal Garden (AT)San Antonio Botanical Garden, 555 Funston Place, San Antonio, TXThis fall the SAWS WaterSaver Landscape Coupon fo-cuses on shrubs and trees, and the SA Botanical Garden is offering classes to help create your successful land-scape. Classes will be held in the Garden and are free with paid admission. You must register for each class separately at www.sabot.org and sign in at the Carriage House. *If you register for more than one class on one day, you may sign-in for all at the same time and meet the class at its location.Class I: Planning and Designing Your SpacePresenter: Randy BakerLocation: WaterSaver Lane• How to develop and implement simple landscape

design How to determine what to plant where• How to research plants• How to establish plants.Saturdays, November 7 & December 19 at 9:15 am

Class II: Retrofitting Your SpacePresenter: Stephanie JonesLocation: WaterSaver Garden• How to determine square footage• How to remove grass• How to expand an existing bed• How to determine appropriate space when planting

shrubs and treesSaturday, November 7 & Wednesday, November 11 at 10 am

Class III: Plant Identification, Tips & TourPresenter/Guide: Roger AndersonLocation: Gertie’s Garden• How to plant a tree• How to space plants/shrubs/trees• How to dig holes appropriate for 5 gallon tree• How to water new shrubs and treesGarden tour and identification of trees offered in SAWS couponSaturdays, November 7 & 21 at 10:45 am & Wednes-day, November 11 at 11:30 am

Native Plant Society of Texas - Boerne Chapter: Growing Texas Native Plants from Seed - Chuck Janzow (AT)Tue, November 3, 7 pm – 8 pm

Cibolo Nature Center & Farm Auditorium, 140 Coty Park Road, Boerne, TXChuck Janzow is a founding member of the NP-SOT-Boerne Chapter. He was a science teacher at Boerne High School for over 30 years and is a self-taught horticulturist. The Cibolo Nature Cen-ter Library has an excellent collection of books. A favorite of many NPSOT members is Jill Nokes book “How to Grow Native Plants of Texas and the South-west.” Jill lists Chuck Janzow among her “collabo-rators” and cites his advice many times in her book. Chuck and his wife Martha Barker can often be seen harvesting seeds from native plants in the Texas Hill Country. For many years Chuck has brought his “Texas Natives” to the Cibolo Nature Center Annual Plant Sale; plants that are often not available com-mercially at area nurseries. Many of those plants can be seen in gardens throughout the Texas Hill Country. Chuck is not only a wonderful speaker but his is very giving of this time in his efforts to save and propagate “Texas Native Plants.” Presentation begins at 7pm, but everyone is invited to socialize at 6:30! Questions? or for details: Please contact Emi-ly Weiner, NPSOT - Boerne Chapter at http://www.meetup.com/Boerne-Native-Plant-Society-of-Texas/ or [email protected] or 210-259-7009

First Saturday Hike at Friedrich Park (AT)Sat, November 7, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm

Friedrich Wilderness Park, 21395 Milsa Road, San Antonio, TXJoin Geologist Box Hixon on a family-friendly hike and discover the mystery of the Balcones Escarp-ment and why we have layers of red in green. And, that not the only sign of winter’s approach, see how many more you can find! RSVP required. To make a reservation, email [email protected]. For more information, please call 210-207-3782. Suggested donation of $3.00 per person, or $6.00 per family. Donations support educational programs in order to advance the mission of the San Antonio Natural Areas.

Restoration Agriculture Design Workshop (AT)Tue, November 10, 9 am – 5 pm

Daily, until Nov 12, 2015Cibolo Nature Center & Farm auditorium, 140 City Park Road, Boerne, TXUsing nature as a model, Restoration Agriculture is the intentional restoration of healthy, functional ecosystems as the context for economically-viable farm and ranch operations. Perennial crops, livestock, fungus, and polli-nators are integrated to produce abundant food, fiber, and fuel crops while simultaneously restoring critical ecosys-tem services such as water purification and infiltration, nutrient cycling, and biodiversity. In this extended Resto-ration Agriculture workshop, farmer/entrepreneur/author Mark Shepard integrate Permaculture Design, Holistic Management, Keyline Design, whole living ecosystems, ecological restoration and production agriculture into a cohesive model for highly profitable agriculture. Partic-ipants will also be introduced to biome and natural plant community mimicry as a method of designing perma-nent agricultural systems. Participants will be immersed in the strategic how-to’s of implementing Restoration Agriculture beginning with the agroforestry techniques of Alleycropping and multi-species Silvopasture grazing. Mark will also cover how to implement water manage-ment systems based off of natural patterns and informed by Keyline patterning pioneered by P.A. Yeomans. Presenter: Mark Shepard. Tuition: $325. To register, copy and paste the following link to your browser: https://ciboloorg.presencehost.net/experience/events/calendar.html/event/2015/11/10/cnc-restoration-agriculture-de-sign-workshop-3-day-workshop-

Pecan Jubilee (VSH)Sat, November 14, 10 am – 2 pm

Helton Nature Park, 15662 FM 775, Floresville, TXVolunteers are needed for tree identification/nature walks. There will be a table set up with pecan tree info, recipe books, and tree field guides. The Pecan Jubilee will be a free, family-friendly, fall-themed festival (say that ten times fast J) that will feature kids’ activities, cooking demonstrations, pecan harvesting demonstra-tions, live music and more! If you’d like to volunteer but would like to see the park before the event, we can arrange a visit. Contact Kayla Gasker at 210-302-3259 or [email protected] if you are interested.

November Training and Volunteer Events

Texas Native Trails Guided Tour: East Texas Piney Woods (AT)Sat, November 14, 10 am – 11:30 am

San Antonio Botanical Garden, 555 Funston Place, San Antonio, TXExplore the 11-acre native trails area with a Master Naturalist. No registration required. Meet in Gertie’s Garden. Contact person: Ron Tullius, [email protected] or 210-739-2566.

Balcones Satellite of the Texas Invaders: Invasive Plant Eradication (VSH)Tue, November 17, 8:30 am – 10:30 am

Weekly on Tuesday, until Dec 29, 2015For details of exact location and directions, contact Lonnie at [email protected].

Birds, Bass & Boats (VSH)Saturday, November 21, 2015Acequia Park, 8500 Mission Parkway, 78223Program – 8:30 am – 12 pm

Volunteers Needed – 8:15 am –12:30 pm

Volunteers are needed to assist with this birding, pad-dling, and fishing program. This program is funded through the TPWD Community Outdoor Outreach Program grant. The AAMN Chapter has agreed to be a partner in this grant. Volunteers will assist with fishing, birding and citizen science applications. Participants will learn how to kayak, use binoculars, identify birds, go fishing, learn fish conservation and learn the iNatu-ralist citizen science application.

Mission Reach Walking Tour Training (AT)Tue, November 24, 9 am – 12 pm

San Antonio River Authority, 100 East Guenther St., San AntonioLearn about the Mission Reach Ecosystem Restoration and Recreation Project with SARA staff on a walking tour of Phase 1 of the Mission Reach at Roosevelt Park. This is perfect if you are interested in volunteering as a Mission Reach tour guide for future tour requests. Contact Kayla Gasker at 210-302-3259 or [email protected] if you are interested in attending. I need a head count so I know how many booklets to make.

Tribute to Pamela Ball

Pam is a true friend and dedicated member of the Alamo Area Master Naturalist Chapter. She joined the chapter in spring of 2006 as a member of Class #18. By the end of that year, Pam be-came the Training Committee Chair. Since then Pam has served this chapter untiringly as both the Training Committee Chair and as the Activi-ties Information Chair.

This month Pam was offered a full time job at the Headwaters of Incarnate Word. She will be part of the Headwaters team, sharing her skills with a worthy organization. She will not con-tinue as chair of the training committee but will continue as Activities Information Chair.

Thank you, Pamela Ball for your time and service to the AAMN Training Committee these many years. You will be missed but know that you are only a phone call or email away.

Below are some photos I wish to share of Pam that show her love for people throughout the world, her love for all animals—especially her Buppies as I call them, Kip and Ashe—and her dedication to the AAMN Training Committee.

Liz Robbins

San Antonio Parks and RecreationNatural Areas Stewardship Activities

It’s that time of year when turkeys assume a particularly prominent place in our culture. As you may already know, the wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) actually lives (and breeds) right here in central Texas. In fact, turkeys are often seen and heard, particularly in the spring, at Crownridge Canyon Natural Area.

The turkey, like all birds, has a muscular section of stomach called the gizzard. The gizzard, with its ridges and plates, basically serves the same purpose in birds that the jaws and teeth do in humans—grinding food. A turkey’s gizzard is especially powerful. In one experiment, it took a turkey about 24 hours to flatten ob-jects “that require more than 400 pounds of pressure per square inch to crush” (Ehrlick, P.R. et al. 1988. The birder’s handbook: a field guide to the natural history of North American birds)!

While we are on the subject of turkey digestion, you can tell a turkey’s sex and age from its droppings. Male droppings are j-shaped; female droppings are spiral-shaped. The larger the diameter, the older the bird (http://www.fws.gov/refuges/about/FunOnWildlifeRefuges/EightWildFactsAboutWildTurkeys.html).One last interesting tidbit: it is often reported that Ben Franklin wanted the turkey to be the national bird of the U.S. Here is an excerpt from a letter that the Franklin Institute (https://www.fi.edu/benjamin-frank-lin-faq) claims Franklin sent to his daughter:

For my own part I wish the Eagle had not been chosen the representative of our country. He is a bird of bad moral character. He does not get his Living honestly. You may have seen him perched on some dead tree near the river, where, too lazy to fish for himself, he watches the labor of the Fishing Hawk; and when that diligent Bird has at length taken a fish, and is bearing it to his nest for the support of his mate and young ones, the Eagle pursues him and takes it from him... For the truth the Turkey is in comparison a much more respectable bird, and withal a true original native of America . . . He is besides, though a little vain & silly, a bird of courage, and would not hesitate to attack a grenadier of the British Guards who should presume to invade his farm yard with a red coat on.

As nature finds its way into our culture in symbols from turkeys to trees, I hope you will find your way into nature. See the calendar below for opportunities and contact Jayne Neal at [email protected], 210-207-3785, if you have questions. Please note our new start time, 8:00 am.

Come prepared to do trail maintenance, tree protection, landscape maintenance, and/or removal of small junipers. Please bring leather work gloves. Construction on Babcock between Camp Bullis and Luskey may impact your travel route. November 5, 8:00 am -11:30 am (VSH)Crownridge Canyon Natural AreaMeet in the parking lot, 7222 Luskey Blvd.

November 19, 8:00 am -11:30 am (VSH)Friedrich Wilderness ParkMeet at the service gate at 7645 Heuermann

Texas Stream Team: Citizen Science WaterQuality Monitoring Has Begun... Want to Play?

The Texas Stream Team (TST) is a statewide Citizen Scientist program, based at the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment in San Marcos, Texas. For more than 20 years, TST has trained individuals and groups to gather information about the water quality in the state’s surface waterways. Volunteers get a full day training in four essential water measurements—dissolved oxygen, pH, conductivity, and turbidity—using methods accepted by the state agency Texas Council on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). Volunteers also learn how to report field observations about the site they are monitoring and how to deliver their information online.

Last fall (2014), I wanted to join the Texas Stream Team so I could test the waters of the Olmos Creek watershed, which is part of the Upper San Antonio River watershed. Olmos Creek is a seriously degraded urban waterway where I have volunteered for more than a decade, so learning how to do water quality test-ing with the Texas Stream Team seemed like a reasonable next skill for me to learn.

I have learned that numerous other Texas Master Naturalist chapters regularly participate in TST and a few TMN chapters take such an active role that the local program is essentially run by a few Master Naturalists. What I learned when I was trained is that there is zero Texas Stream Team participation in San Antonio, and there was no TST Sponsor in San Antonio. A local sponsor, usually an agency or a university, is important to the longevity of the Stream Team program because they help establish the network of monitoring sites, help host and schedule training, and help manage local monitoring activity. The sponsor also helps fund the cost of test kits and reagents and supplies for volunteers.

Landing a San Antonio sponsor for the Texas Stream Team was beyond my skills, so I bought my own test kit from LaMotte and identified several testing locations in the Olmos watershed. Only one site is active now, and I test the water quality monthly at the Olmos Basin Picnic Area, at the new pedestrian bridge. Standing on the middle of the bridge, I can hurl a bucket mid-stream to fetch the water from the creek, then work comfortably under the canopy of the oaks and pecans along the creek bank. I choose to do my monitoring midweek, so the park is less crowded and I can have the picnic table all to myself.

I’m enjoying doing Texas Stream Team monitoring, and I’d like to grow this activity in San Antonio by expand-ing to other watersheds or tributaries in the county. I am writing this article to identify other trained Texas Stream Team monitors in San Antonio who might want to resume water quality monitoring. I already have one test kit, and I am willing to share it. I think four or five people could share this kit, using it different weeks or days of the month. I can also try to arrange for a TST training session in San Antonio if people say they are interested.

I’m also seeking recommendations for specific creek sites or stream locations to monitor in town. Where along Leon or Salado? Where along the Medina River? Where among the west side creeks? Bexar County is covered with creeks, and I believe that a citizen science program to gather information about our water quality is an appropriate activity to establish in this community. Until a sponsor steps forward, I can contin-ue informally to coordinate with other monitors. If you are already trained and would like to volunteer, or if you would like to take the Texas Stream Team training, or if you would like to recommend a monitoring site, please contact AAMN Lissa Martinez at [email protected] and we can talk further. Thanks.

News from the Balcones Satellite of the Texas Invaders

We know that invasive plants displace and compete with native plants and transform ecosystems. They alter hydrologic conditions, soil characteristics, nutrient flow and fire patterns. More importantly, however, they reduce biodiversity and form monocultures.

Recent studies on insect herbivores reveal that most insect herbivores can only eat plants with which they share an evolutionary history, and our native insects cannot survive on alien plant species. For example, oak trees support 534 species of Lepidoptera in North America. The much ma-ligned hackberry hosts multiple species of Lepidoptera as well. The invasive chinaberry tree supports none. A habitat without insects is a habitat without most forms of higher life.

Because insects are critical to the food chain, the diversity of animals in a particular habitat is directly linked to the diversity of insects in that habitat. To create ecosystems with a diversity of animal species, we must encourage a healthy diversity of plants and the associated insects.

The noted entomologist and wildlife ecologist Douglas Talla-my predicts: “It will be the plants that we use in our gardens that determine what nature will be like in 10, 20 and 50 years from now.”

We need your help. First, choose native plants that provide food for the fauna that have evolved in our particular region, including support of insect populations. Second, become familiar with the invasive plants in our community, remove them and replace them with native plants. Third, join the efforts to eradicate invasive plants in our area. The AAMN website includes information about eradication opportunities.

The Balcones satellite current area of focus is eradication of invasive plants at Government Canyon. No prior experience is required, just a desire to join us in making a difference!

Wear attire suitable for working in rough terrain and brushy areas with stickery plants, loose rocks, and assort-ed critters large and small. Work boots, gloves, hat, long-sleeved pants & shirts, and water are necessary. We have a supply of tools, but welcome anyone who brings their own. For details of exact location and directions, contact Lonnie at [email protected].

Those on the mailing list will receive specific details about each week’s planned eradication, as well as cancel-lation for severe weather conditions.

When: Tuesday mornings in November 8:30 am – 10:30 am (VSH)November site: Government Canyon SNA

Red-banded hairstreak butterfly uses oaks as a host plant

Question mark butterfly uses Hackberries as a host plant

In the Beginning — A Retrospective

She placed her signature on the letter... and with that simple gesture, a movement was underway.

The letter was dated June 4, 1997. Debbie Reid, then city arborist of San Antonio, chaired the Training Com-mittee and composed the letter to prospective applicants under the heading:

Natural Initiatives/Master Naturalist Volunteer Program

Master Naturalist was the full name then; a state-wide organization did not yet exist. Enclosed with the letter was an application form to the fledgling organization. Applicants were admonished to “read this letter care-fully.” The primary goal of the Master Naturalist Program was “to train volunteers to deliver programs to the community which will increase awareness, understanding and appreciation of our natural resources.”

Volunteers were sought who had knowledge and interest in basic ecology, wildlife, botany and related areas. A goal of the program was “to be directed by local priorities so that programs are developed to meet those needs at the grassroots level.”

The organizers were prescient. But how could they possibly know how wildly successful they would ultimate-ly be when they stated: “This is a new program being initiated in San Antonio, but it will be applicable throughout the state and the country. By participating in these first classes you will be leaders directing the course for this program.”

Requirements for participants included a 10-week training course of four hours per week. Topics on natural resources were provided by local experts with an emphasis on the San Antonio area. Participants were expect-ed to attend ALL sessions. Finally, they had to be able to complete a minimum of 40 hours of volunteer time in Master Naturalist service projects within a year.

Following certification, partici-pants were promised opportunities to attend continuing education classes.

Classes were held on Thursdays from 4:00 - 8:00 pm at Friedrich Wilderness Park. The course fee was $25.00, which included the Master Naturalist handbook and handouts. Applicants were to be accepted by a review committee in terms of experience, hours of availability, interest in priority projects and other factors.

Ron TulliusPhoto: Debbie Reid

Approved for AT

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