Volunteer projects are the reason for our existence. During the first year after completing basic training, each new member must complete 40 hours of work on authorized volunteer projects before becoming a certified Master Naturalist. Each year after that, all Master Naturalists must complete 40 more hours of volunteer service to maintain their certification. There are many opportunities for interesting work, as our list of projects includes:

      • Land management assistance
      • Bat research
      • Butterfly research
      • Bird counts
      • Native garden creation and maintenance
      • Habitat restoration
      • Trail maintenance
      • Water quality monitoring
      • Invasive species tracking
      • School classes and projects

Among other places, our volunteers are active in the Hill Country State Natural Area near Bandera, Kerrville-Schreiner Park, Riverside Nature Center (RNC) in Kerrville, Cibolo Nature Center (CNC) in Boerne, Enchanted Rock State Natural Area, Fredericksburg Nature Center, James Kiehl River Bend Park, and the Old Tunnel Wildlife Management Area (Bat Tunnel).

Those projects with a specific start date are usually on our Events Calendar. Many others are on the complete list in the Member Area of this website.

Our Enchanted Rock project has been re-activated and expanded in support of this unique geological feature in the Hill Country. Enchanted Rock is one of the largest batholiths (a large granite dome exposed by erosion) in the United States. The work will be sponsored by the Friends of Enchanted Rock and TPWD, with Lou McKaughan from the class of 2009 acting as coordinator. The project includes trail maintenance and development of a new volunteer interpretive guide.

If you are interested in participating, or would like more information, contact Lou at Cynthia_McKaughan@nps.gov. Report hours under GL-03-A.

This new volunteer project, sponsored by the Texas Wildlife Association (TWA) assists in teaching youth about various nature topics.  TWA’s educational program, Conservation Legacy, helps immerse both children and adults into the wonders of nature from the classroom to the back sendero. The youth program is called LANDS (Learning Across New Dimensions in Science). LANDS works with students K – 12 and teaches subjects such as land ethics, conservation, wildlife and land management, ecosystems, soils, plants, and how to be good land stewards on private lands.

If you would like to participate in this project, or if you need more information, contact the project sponsor, Koy Coffer. Report hours under CC-12-A .

The Discovery Center is designed to introduce children and their parents to the nature around them. It will be housed in the newly renovated Interpretative Center which is next to the park amphitheater. We need volunteers to come help people use and enjoy this new center. Report hours under KL-03-B. Contact Tom Anderson at 210 241 1916 or tanderson46@satx.rr.com.

The Alamo MN Chapter has invited us to join them in a unique opportunity to find items of archeological importance from Friesenhahn Cave in northern Bexar County. The volunteer work involves sifting material brought from the cave to find any objects of interest. No experience is required. Recently, several mastodon teeth, rodent jaws and a saber-tooth cat tooth have been found.

Kevin Amft is the Volunteer Coordinator at the cave. Kevin will train you and provide all the necessary equipment. He is usually there from 8am until 12 noon on Wednesday morning, but you can leave earlier if you need to. Kevin will provide sifting equipment and ice water. Work is usually every Wednesday and sometimes on Friday. Other groups are also volunteering, so Kevin needs to know in advance how many volunteers to prepare for.

Report hours under KL-08-A. Contact Priscilla Stanley for more information.

The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department is partnering with Bat Conservation International on a Bats & Bridges Survey project, and they would like our chapter to help pilot the project before expanding statewide to other areas and volunteer groups. All of the tools and resources will be provided, so all we need is you to help with the presence/absence surveys twice a year!

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has thousands of bridges that they maintain that also serve as roosting habitat for Texas bats. In previous years Bat Conservation International (BCI) surveyed these bridges for roosting activity. Survey information was kept in a database that TxDOT could use to plan their bridge replacement activities. Bridges with regular bat use can be replaced with a structure designed to promote bat use. Despite the value of this data, BCI does not have the staffing to regularly survey bridges for bat use.

We will be provided with a list of bridges in our area, including directions and maps, that are known to have had bat roosting activity in previous years. Volunteers will visit each bridge in our list twice during the year, once in the early summer and once in the late fall. Surveys will be conducted at dusk and data will be collected on a data sheet that we provide. No special identification skills are necessary.

If you are interested in participating, contact Priscilla Stanley.

New volunteer opportunities at Canyon Lake Gorge include:
      • Leading public tours
      • Maintaining and improving trails
      • Removing invasive plants
Special training is required to become a gorge docent or tour guide and is approved advanced training for our chapter. The next class is expected to be fall of 2009. No training is required for other volunteer opportunities. Hours can be reported under KL-03-B. For more information contact Project Coordinator Cathy Downs at 830-995-5864.

New opportunities at Guadalupe River State Park (GRSP) include:
      • Full moon nature walks
      • Owl prowls
      • Kids in Nature programs
      • Astronomy programs
      • Bird banding research
Contact Craig Hensley for more information about all GRSP volunteer opportunities. Report hours under KL-03-B.