Author: Marc Opperman

  • Application for 2016 Class Available August 1

    CAMN will post its application for the 2016 class on August 1, 2015. We will be accepting applications through August (or longer if needed) on our application page. After the close of the application period, we will evaluate the applications, focusing particularly on the applicant’s desire and availability to give back to their community through volunteer service…

  • Meet the Curriculum Coordinators for 2016

    I asked the new dynamic duo of Caroline and Monica to provide a little background about themselves. They are taking on the role of Curriculum Co-chairs for 2016. Here are their stories in all their unvarnished glory. Caroline (Class of 2015) Caroline has a passion for nature, and a talent for sharing it. She first discovered…

  • Advice on Blanco River Restoration

    CAMN volunteers played a part in helping re-establish pine forests in parts of Bastrop after the Labor Day fires in 2011. I have no doubt CAMN will play a part in helping with the Blanco River recovery from the Memorial Day flooding this year. This alternative view of river “cleanup” comes along via our CAMN volunteer, Jeri…

  • City of Austin 2014 Environmental Report

    The City of Austin’s 2014 Environmental Report is out. It’s a great document for gauging how the City of Austin is doing to protect our natural resources and mitigate for urban growth. And it calls out volunteer contributions to the WCD. Many of those volunteers are CAMN and Hayes County Master Naturalists. [dg]

  • Invasive Insects of Texas Workshop

    Join us Saturday, August 29, 2015, from 9 am to 4 pm for this workshop on Invasive Insects of Texas. It’s being offered free-of-charge to local Master Gardeners and Master Naturalists by Extension Program Specialist Wizzie Brown, and will be taught by Hans Landel, Interim Invasive Species Coordinator at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. A total of…

  • Joining CAMN

    Interested in joining CAMN? Patience, grasshopper. We will open for applications to the 2016 Spring class in August, 2015. Applications will be taken online at this website. If you would like a sneak-peak at the 2016 application process, please see this page: http://camn.org/sample-page/become-a-master-naturalist/

  • Patience in interpretation – turning around destructive attitudes

    I had a couple experiences lately that made me think of the value of CAMN training, and that of patience in interpretation and outreach. The first experience happened while I collected trail use data at Sculptured Falls on the Barton Creek Greenbelt. The data is being correlated with golden-cheeked warbler sightings and nesting data on…

  • CAMN April Monthly Meeting – Insect Flight with John Abbott

    With all that is Spring comes a surge of insects, many of them whizzing by our heads anywhere we happen to be… our back yards, the trail… day or night. To help us make some sense of this particular form of insect locomotion, our April meeting will feature a talk by Wild Basin’s John Abbott…

  • 2015 Trainees Update

    Our 2015 CAMN trainees are down to their last class – and graduation ceremony – in a couple short weeks. They are an enthusiastic group, a well-rounded bunch with a lot of volunteer hours under their belts already. We hope they will continue to make a difference in Central Texas environmental stewardship, interpretation and educational outreach. This…

  • Native Plant Sale

    LBJWC Public Spring Native Plant Sale will be April 11-12, with the Members-Only Sale on April 10. You’ll be able to choose from nearly 300 species of hardy Texas natives bred to thrive with our Central Texas climate. Admission: $10 adults, $8 seniors and students, $4 children 5 through 17, and members and children under 5…