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Lost Pines Chapter, Texas Master Naturalist Program...right here at home... in the Lost Pines
Welcome to the Lost Pines Chapter, Texas Master Naturalist Program! You can learn more about our chapter and the Master Naturalist volunteer program here. If you are interested in joining us, or have questions about our activities, please use the contact form to get in touch with us. Members: please use the contact form to update your address, phone number, or e-mail contact information. The Lost Pines chapter serves primarily Bastrop and Caldwell Counties of Central Texas. These counties are predominantly in the Post Oak Savannah and Blackland Prairie Ecoregions. In addition, our area includes the unique "island forest" of the Lost Pines, - the western most extension of the loblolly pine (Pinus taeda), separated by about 100 miles from the pine forests of East Texas. Species in the Lost Pines are particularly adapted to the drier conditions here, and provide unique habitat for varied flora and fauna which can be seen in Bastrop State Park and Buescher State Park and other nearby natural areas. You can learn more about what makes these parks so special and see pictures of them by visiting our "Discover the Lost Pines" page; you can also find many links to information about the native plants, animals and ecology of the Lost Pines region on our resources page. Lost Pines Chapter, Texas Master Naturalist Meetings
Chapter meetings generally alternate between the Bastrop State Park Refectory, Red Rock Community Center, and the Lockhart Extension Office, and are at 6:30 PM on the third Monday of each month. Most meetings feature an educational program (Advanced Training unless otherwise noted), and are open to members, prospective members, and the general public. July 20, 2009; 6:30 P.M., Red Rock Community Center - Steven Gibson, Manager of the University of Texas Stengl Lost Pines Biology Station will present "An update on using parasitic phorid flies as a biological control for the red imported fire ant." No regular meeting in August - join us instead for our annual summer social and potluck picnic, at Lockhart State Park, Sunday, August 23. Details to come! Advanced Training: Rainwater Harvesting SeminarJuly 10, 8:30 AM-3:30 PM, at LCRA Conference Center, 1405 Willow St, Bastrop (near Fisherman's Park). Make a rain barrel and learn about harvesting rainwater for the home, landscape and wildlife. Cost is $45 which includes lunch, handouts and rain barrel. Space is limited to 50 participants. Pre-register by July 7 at the Bastrop Extension Office. For more information contact Rachel Bauer at: 512-581-7186 or Email rabauer@ag.tamu.edu For a detailed schedule, click here (204 kB PDF file).TMN Annual Mtg. & Advanced Training Oct. 23-25, 2009Save the date: This year's Statewide Annual Meeting and Advanced Training will be held October 23-25th, 2009 at Mo Ranch in Hunt, Texas. The annual meeting always offers a multitude of great Advanced Training opportunities, some volunteer activities, and a chance to meet and mingle with your fellow Master Naturalists from around the state. Watch for more details in late August. Beetles of the Lost PinesAfter teaching the entomology class to our class on May 11, Mike Quinn set up a mercury vapor light outside the refectory for a couple hours to see what might come in. He recorded about 60 species of beetles plus a few other odds and ends including a pseudoscorpion. Mike's photos are at: http://picasaweb.google.com/entomike/BastropStatePark# Mike notes that Tabor and Fleenor (Insects of the Lost Pines, 2003) only treat about 70 beetle species in their book on Bastrop State Park. No doubt due to the high diversity of beetles, there was almost NO OVERLAP in what Mike found and what they report. With the assistance of others such as Dr. Donald S. Chandler, Dr. Charles O'Brien, and Vassili Belov, most of the 60 beetle species Mike photographed have been ID'ed. Some of the more noteworthy species include the following four not previously photographed beetles (at least not as live bugs): Lignyodes varius - Variegated Weevil: http://bugguide.net/node/view/275291 The above colorful weevil was described by LeConte over 130 years ago and has apparently never been photographed save for the Type specimen in the Museum of Comparative Zoology. Acanthinus scitulus - Antlike Flower Beetle: http://bugguide.net/node/view/274990 Mike is apparently the only person to have photographed five of the seven Acanthinus spp. All shot since March 7, 2009. http://bugguide.net/node/view/61254/bgpage Epuraea umbrosa - Sap-feeding Beetle: http://bugguide.net/node/view/275006 Aulonium ferrugineum - Cylindrical Bark Beetle: http://bugguide.net/node/view/275481 Finally, this cool beetle represents a "life family" for Mike: Hydrocanthus sp. - Burrowing Water Beetle: http://bugguide.net/node/view/275017 On May 16, Mike and Brush Freeman did some collecting at McKinney Roughs, which resulted in another interesting assortment of critters: http://picasaweb. google.com/ entomike/ McKinneyRoughsTX # 2009 Master Naturalist Class
Congratulations to the 2009 Lost Pines Master Naturalist Training Class for completion of their initial Master Naturalist training. Class members- Bastrop State Park Alum Creek HikeBastrop State Park began offering guided nature hikes in a remote area of the park along Alum Creek beginning Fall, 2008. The ecosystem is a diverse mixture of pine and oak forests, bottomland hardwood forests that follow along a section of Alum Creek, and tall grass prairies that are full of wildflowers in the spring. It is a great place to view migrating birds, flocks of wild turkey, herds of white tail deer, and many other species of wildlife. The sounds of the highway disappear and the magic of the wilderness comes alive. The park would like to give the public a chance to experience the beauty and serenity of this area by offering guided interpretive hikes. The remaining hikes will be April 26, and May 10. Contact Mark McClelland if you'd like to volunteer to lead one of these hikes. Pre-registration is recommended, as a maximum of 15 people per hike will be allowed. 2009 Lost Pines Chapter Officers
LPMN re-elected officers at the December chapter meeting. Our 2009 officers are: Discover the Lost Pines Interpretive Hikes (Spring and Fall)
Members: Take Credit For Your Volunteer Hours! Please report your volunteer and advanced training hours each month, using the Volunteer Activity reporting form. Bring your report to the Chapter meeting, or send them to Marsha Elrod. The NEW Volunteer Activity reporting form (Word doc, click here) is available for download. You can open the form and fill it out in Word-compatible software on your computer. Then e-mail back to Marsha Elrod, or fill them in by hand and send in by regular mail (187 Billingsley Hgts., Cedar Creek, Tx 78612). Don't have Word? Then download the Acrobat PDF Activity reporting Form, print and fill in. Bring the completed form to the monthly meeting, or mail to Marsha. |
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Updated: Jun 18, 2009 ©2002-2009 |
Lead (or take!) a short interpretive hike through the Lost Pines of Bastrop State Park. Hikes are conducted at 10:00 AM on Saturday mornings, spring and fall. We will begin our Spring hikes in late February, and need volunteers to lead hikes through May. For information on volunteering to lead a hike, or just taking a hike,