Boots on the Ground

At the Texas Master Naturalist Annual Meeting

**Hays County Master Naturalists led the way!**
Photo courtesy Tina Adkins

Betsy Cross and Hays County Master Naturalists

Field Sessions

Thirty-four field sessions were offered during this year’s Texas Master Naturalist Annual Meeting in San Marcos, Texas. With the help of Master Naturalists from the Hays County Chapter, the Capital Area Chapter, the Balcones Canyonlands Chapter, the Lindheimer Chapter, the Lost Pines Chapter, the Highland Lakes Chapter, and the Guadalupe Chapter, more options for off-site excursions and learning opportunities were available to attendees than ever before. Field opportunities included both pre- and post-event sessions, volunteer service projects, tours of local chapter partnership projects, and guided explorations of the region’s top naturalist sites.

Here are just a few of the field sessions that were attended by—and hosted by—our Hays County Master Naturalists.

Shield Ranch: Conservation Project & Campsite at Shield Ranch

Wednesday, October 23 - Field Session Presenters: Grant Lawrence, Shield Land Stewardship Group; Chad Timmons, Shield Ranch Foundation

Migration and Overwintering Grounds of the Golden-cheeked Warbler

Wednesday, October 23 - Field Session Presenters: Scott Rowin, Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge, US Fish & Wildlife Service; Stephanie Jones, Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge, US Fish & Wildlife Service

Use of Prescribed Burning as a Land Management Tool

Thursday, October 24 - Field Session Presenters: Blake Hendon, Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, Hays County Master Naturalist Chapter Advisor; Chris Schenck, Texas Parks & Wildlife Department; Greg Pleasant, Texas Parks & Wildlife Department; Derrick Wolter, Texas Parks & Wildlife Department; Steve Janda, Hays County Chapter Master Naturalist

Become a Nature Superstar! Hays County Self Guided Tour

Field Session Coordinator: Paula Glover, Hays County Chapter of the Texas Master Naturalist program

The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment

Patsy Glenn Refuge

Blue Hole Regional Park

Charro Ranch Park

The San Marcos Discovery Center

Thirty minutes at the San Marcos Discovery Center was enough time to capture these pollinators at the mistflower patch. Several migrating monarchs were seen. Can you spot the one that was tagged by the Discovery Center staff? Slideshow courtesy Betsy Cross

Nature Superstars Project Coordinator **JoAnn DePenning** hosted the team’s exhibit table during the meeting.
Photo courtesy Christine Middleton

After the KR: Hidden Treasures

Thursday, October 24 - Field Session Presenters: Susan Bogle, Lindheimer Chapter; Susan Sommer, Lindheimer Chapter

Slideshow courtesy Lance Jones and Betsy Cross

Restoring Wildlands to Protect Water on Austin’s Water Quality Protection Lands

Friday, October 25 - Field Session Presenters: Audrey Stewart, Austin Water Wildland Conservation; Karlee Taylor, Austin Water Wildland Conservation, Hays County Master Naturalist

Explore the Role of Nature in Forensic Anthropology

Sunday, October 27 - Field Session Presenters: Kristy Daniel, Texas State University, Hays County Master Naturalist; Tim Gocha, Texas State University

Tim Gocha, PhD (blue shirt, back row, left end), Associate Director of the Forensic Anthropology Center at Texas State University and Kristy Daniel, PhD (back row, fourth from left, olive green TMN shirt), led a group of master naturalists on a unique field trip to explore how nature impacts human decomposition at the **Forensic Anthropology Center at Texas State University** (FACTS). Photos courtesy Betsy Cross

FACTS aims to advance forensic anthropology and related sciences through world-class education, research, service, and outreach.

FACTS is a multifaceted center that encompasses a whole-body donation program, the **26-acre outdoor Forensic Anthropology Research Facility** (**FARF**), the **Osteological Research and Processing Lab** (**ORPL**), and the **Grady Early Anthropology Research Lab** (**GEFARL**), which houses the Texas State Donated Skeletal Collection.

Our master naturalist group visited the FARF site at the Freeman Center to learn firsthand how scientists explore the impacts of various natural conditions on human decomposition. We also visited the ORPL and GEFARL to experience the full cycle of how researchers process and curate skeletal remains. We heard the details on how to discriminate between human and non-human bones, excavation and recovery methods, methods of personal identification, and whole-body donations.

Out of respect for the donors, their families, and the scientists who conduct this research, no photos were taken during this field experience.

Field Sessions

Texas Master Naturalist

Gathering