Essays
Moseying: Exploring the Natural World
Become a Master Naturalist and explore habitats found on local private rancher
January 2, 2011
Have you crunched across the salt of a salina? Have you ever found shelter under a black willow in the sanddunes? Have you ever spotted a gray fox or porcupine in a tree in the pocket forests of a draw? Have you ever explored the Mescalero Escarpment? It is great fun to get out and explore the eight major habitats of the Llano Estacado and surrounding regions!
The 2011 class of the Llano Estacado Chapter of the Texas Master Naturalist will have the first of its monthly classes on January 15th, at 9 a.m., at the Sibley Nature Center. The first class will last around noon. The day will be “An introduction to the Llano Estacado, our home bioregion.” Training in digital photography and computer knowledge will occur-- it is a modern group and communicates via the Internet and social networking!
The course costs $75, and you receive membership in the Master Naturalist program, membership in the Sibley Nature Center and its associated groups the Permian Basin Outing Club and Sibley Nature Photographers Club, and also receive the state curriculum of the Texas Master Naturalist organization.
The class will take eight Saturday field trips during the year to each of the major habitats. These trips almost always go to private ranches in the region, where few people get to go! Three other Saturdays will feature speakers on various subjects. Over 80 hours of instruction will be available, but for graduation, only 48 hours are needed, so two to three classes can be missed.
In return, the Master Naturalist program asks that class members give 40 hours of volunteer time to organizations in the area. The Sibley Nature Center has many opportunities, as well as the Monahans and Big Springs State Parks, the Carver Gifted and Talented School, and the Midland Naturalists organization holds many field surveys during the year that students can participate in for volunteer hours. Hours photographing the flora and fauna of the region are also counted as volunteer hours.
You will see amazing things, we promise! We have found Zone-tailed Hawks nesting in the Pecos River Canyons, the world’s largest javelina bush in Upton County, strange mushrooms in Dawson County, mountain boomers and stinging scorpion weed in Midland County, a Neotropical Cormorant at Wadley Barron Park and so much more.
West Texas is a fascinating place. The extremes in temperature and moisture create tough living conditions for the plants and animals. As a culture we rarely get to learn much about our very own home, so the Master Naturalist program helps a person develop deeper connections with what surrounds us.
Members of the group range from 17 to 80. All 35 active members love to get out and explore! Several members are teachers and professors, while others work in the oil industry. Other members are dedicated hunters, while others are landowners. It is a great bunch of people!
In the future, the photographs taken by members will be developed into field guides for specific habitats. If you are in the sanddunes in August, you will be able to find out what wildflowers are to be expected, or if you are in the sanddunes in December, you will find out what insects might still be active.
The group is continually finding something previously unrecorded in scientific journals. Going out and poking around in the boonies results in real scientific discoveries!
If you are interested, please email Burr Williams so your name will be on the roster on January 15th and to receive introductory emails. Be prepared to experience some discomfort as you see things few people get to see. It might be too cold or too hot for some people, but any unpleasant weather is part of the experience. Good hiking shoes, a digital camera, and a sense of wonder and curiosity about the plants and animals of West Texas are a must!