This post is guest authored by Takona Tipton, a sophomore Wildlife & Fisheries student at Texas A&M University, treasurer of the TAMU Student Chapter of The Wildlife Society and a Volunteer Worker with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension.
Since 1997, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department have partnered to develop the Texas Master
Naturalist program. The TMN program
trains volunteers who are willing to become the stewards of community-based conservation. Some activities that TMN chapters participate
in include educating youth about environmental issues, donating time to
maintain parks and nature centers, and leading conservation endeavors across
the state. Conservation is a global
issue, but it is the network of local organizations that really make a positive
contribution to natural resources. These
volunteers are doing an excellent job and their figures are downright
impressive when it comes to time committed, manpower, and the donations that
this group has accumulated. Together,
the 44 chapters of Texas Master Naturalist program have generated the following
list of accomplishments:
- In 2011,
652 people were trained and the total trained to date is: 7,389.
- Service
hours in 2011 totaled 281,487 valued at $5.489 Million
- Advanced
Training hours in 2011 were 45,542 and the cumulative total is 301,340.
- Outreach
for 2011 included 4,212 events. Of those events, 3,289 (78%) were direct events
reaching roughly 129,120 people.
- In 2011,
TMN projects impacted approximately 13,057 acres and approximately 191,893
acres to date.
- In 2011,
TMN projects impacted or developed approximately 161.45 trail miles, and
approximately 1,622.70 trail miles to date.
- Chapters
received over $65,035 in grants and donations in 2011 and more than $250,541 to
date.
- 452 people
received their Initial TMN Volunteer certification in 2011.
- In 2011,
238 people received the 250-hour service milestone.
- In 2011,
152 people received the 500-hour service milestone.
- In 2011,
76 people received the 1000-hour milestone.
- In 2011,
17 people received the 2500-hour milestone.
- In 2011, 3
people received the 5,000-hour milestone award.
Over the
last 15 years:
- TMN
chapters have a total of more than 325 partnerships at the local level.
- Service hour cumulative totals for the program =
1.764 million valued at $34.394 million