New Organization Born

Those that are regular readers of this blog know that a Friends of Lake Arrowhead State Park group has been trying to get up and running the last few months. I am pleased to announce that the group passed the bylaws this evening and several other administrative and financial hurdles have been passed, so tonight the group was born. At the beginning of the meeting, 21 people had paid dues and more joined this evening.

The Friends of Lake Arrowhead have several projects upcoming, some in conjunction with the Rolling Plains chapter of the Texas Master Naturalists. Some upcoming events:

• 19 March: Lake cleanup, 9:00 AM - Noon. You can participate whether or not you are a member of the organization. Both the Friends of LASP and the Rolling Plains Texas Master Naturalists will have information about their organizations there for those who may be interested.
• 13, 14 May: Buffalo Soldiers event. Although not sponored by the Friends of LASP, the park staff could use a few extra hands for the event.
• 4 June: Kids Fishing Day. Although the Texas Master Naturalists usually have several volunteers out that day, more are always welcome to help the kids enjoy the fishing experience--for several, it may be their first exposure to the sport.

Several more activities will be coming up. Watch for announcements.

Indoor Compost?

I saw this post on Facebook from The Herb Companion, and I had to share. The article, "Easy Indoor Compost" sounds interesting.

I like to grow fresh herbs and I like to compost (although I am not practicing that right now) but this looks interesting, and I think I will give it a try when I can find the appropriate bucket. So the idea of being able to make small amounts of compost in the house sounds like a great idea.

I'll let you know--or if you have tried it, let me know.

Friends of Lake Arrowhead State Park Meeting

The next meeting of the Friends of Lake Arrowhead State Park is Thursday, March 3, 7:00 PM at the Education Building (better known as the Dining Hall.)

A number of items will be discussed, but the primary item of business is the review and hopefully adoption of the organization's bylaws. Members may also pay their dues ($10 individual/$15 family/$5 students.) We will also be discussing upcoming events.

If you are interested in improving our local state park, please come.

Texas Master Naturalist Spring Training Registration Deadline Fast Approaching

If you're interested in the Texas Master Naturalist program, the Rolling Plains chapter Spring training is coming soon. Classes begin on March 22, but the registation deadline is March 14 so the curriculum can be ordered to be here the first night.

We often have people take the class just to learn more about our area's natural history, even though they do not plan to become a certified Texas Master Naturalists. This is especially true for teachers.

The course includes 4 field trips and 14 class sessions. The instructors are primarily MSU professors although some classes are taught by members of the local Texas Master Naturalists or professionals in a given field of expertise.

Registration is $80 ($70 for full-time college students.) The complete schedule and registration information is available from Mark Howell at Inland Fisheries. His phone number is 940-766-2383.

Texas Master Naturalists Holding Meet and Greet

The Rolling Plains chapter of the Texas Master Naturalists will hold a meet and greet and public forum on Tuesday, March 1, at 6:30 PM at River Bend Nature Center.

The meeting is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served. The speaker is Henry C. Wied with the Red River Authority. He will be speaking about the Red River Authority, with an emphasis on their environmental operations. His presentation will begin at 7:00 pm.

Also at this meeting, Rolling Plains Texas Master Naturalists will receive certification recognition awards and information will be available about the Spring training class and upcoming chapter projects.

Please come.

Lecture Series Starting Again at River Bend

River Bend Nature Center is starting their lecture series again. Tonight is geology and soils at 7PM. Members get in free; others are $3.

For those interested in birds, I will be doing a program on March 7, "Winged Journeys: Mysteries of Bird Migration." There are always interesting programs at River Bend--I hope you'll plan to take part when you can.

Anybody Know?

Someone just told me that when they take their yard trimmings to the transfer station there is no longer a separate place to put them. Anyone know the true scoop? I cannot believe the city would do this, but I am checking out the rumor.