ROLLING PLAINS CHAPTER NEWSLETTER Vol. 3, No. 4 http://txmn.org/rollingplains April 2011 Welcome EVENTSLOCAL New Trainees April 5: Rolling Plains Chapter monthly meeting is at River Bend We would like to welcome the 2011 Master Naturalists trainees: John Nature Center. Location: 2200 3rd Adkins, Holli Altobello, Kate Bell, Allen Brajer, Fred Hall, Wendi How- Street, Wichita Falls, . Time: ard, Ashley Inman, Susan Krusekopf, Randy Martin, Jim Masuoka, Erma 7:00 p.m. THE CHAPTER WILL Mehew, Mary Phelan, Ben Ralston and John Smith. NOT MEET DUE TO MASTER TEXAS MASTER NATURALIST, Rolling Plains Chapter NATURALIST CLASSES BE- Spring 2011 - TRAINING AGENDA ING HELD AT MSU EVERY TUESDAY AND THURSDAY Welcome: Program Orientation Sonny Arnold, Assistant March 22 OF APRIL THROUGH MAY Statewide program mission, State Coordinator – Texas 7:00-9:00 pm 14, 2011. Members attendance of local program goals & fun pre-test Master Naturalist Program Bolin - 209 What is a Naturalist, historically and present? College Station, TX classes will count as 1 volunteer hour for each class attended. Ecological concepts with a discussion concerning Henry Krusekopf March 24 biomes, ecosystems, trophic levels and energy Texas Master Naturalist 7:00-9:00 pm movement through succession stages Wichita Falls Bolin - 209 April 23: Field trip with Dr. Estes has been changed to Saturday Overview of freshwater fisheries biology Mark Howell March 29 April 30 due to conflict with Easter and conservation District Fisheries Biologist 7:00-9:00 pm Texas Parks & Wildlife Dept Bolin - 209 weekend.

Ornithology, bird watching and Penny Miller March 31 April 23: Plum Lake Cleanup Conservation Texas Master Naturalist 7:00-9:00 pm Wichita Falls Bolin - 209 service project with Boy’s and Girl’s Club. This is on Easter week- Field trip 1 end, but we could use volunteers to Lake Wichita, fisheries and Mark Howell and April 2 birding observations finishing TMN chapter members 8:30 am - help 20 children clean the lake and at Wild Bird Rescue noon learn about recycling. Location: Boat ramp Plum Lake. Time: 10:00 a.m. Natural Resource Conservation Service Jerry Payne April 5 Perspective on grassland ecology and NRCS office 7:00-9:00 pm May 21: “Nature At Noon” Proj- Management including abiotic & biotic factors (retired) Bolin 209 ect at Lake Arrowhead State Park. Introduction to Archeology Patti Hamilton April 7 We will give educational tours of MSU Graduate 7:00-9:00 pm our nature trail and include chil- Dean Bolin - 209 dren’s activities such as pinecone Overview of local Geology and Soils Dr. Pamela Stephens April 12 bird feeders and mask making. Stratigraphy, lithologies, fossils & minerals Professor of Geology 7:00-9:00 pm Location: Lake Arrowhead State Geologic features of north Texas Midwestern State U. Bolin - 125 Park. Time: Noon to 2:00 p.m. Overview of Araneology (spiders) Dr. Norman Horner April 14 Professor of Biology 7:00-9:00 pm Midwestern State Bolin – 209

ROLLING PLAINS CHAPTER — 1 — TEXAS MASTER NATURALIST Field Trip 2 To Jack County to observegeological Dr. Pamela Stephens April 16 features and hunt for fossils. Professor of Geology 8:30a- after EVENTS lunch TPWD Herpetology with general discussion Dr. Fred Stangl April 19 of local amphibians and reptiles Professor of Biology 7:00-9:00 pm April 6, 2011—Texas Parks and Midwestern State Bolin – 213 Wildlife Department will host a live, online chat session noon-1 Plant nomenclature, classification and major Dr. James Estes April 21 groups. Floral and vegetative characters and Botany Professor 7:00-9:00 pm p.m., Wednesday, April 6 where identification.Plant parts and function Emeritus Bolin – 214 freshwater fisheries experts will an- emphasizing native plants swer your questions and talk about Field Trip 3 what’s biting, how to catch ‘em Grasslands and wildflower morphology Dr. James Estes April 23 and where to go. Join the conversa- and ecology (local locations) Botany Professor 8:30a-after tion! There is no sign-in required to Emeritus lunch Car pool participate.

Entomology overview: major morphology Dr. Norman Horner April 26 April 30, 2011— Copper Breaks habitats, economic importance (pest or beneficial), Professor of Biology 7:00-9:00 pm classification and Integrated Pest Management Midwestern State Bolin – 209 SP— Sun Fun and Starwalk — Begin your celestial journey in Vertebrate Biology overview including historical Dr. Fred Stangl April 28 the afternoon with Sun Fun, which biogeography with mammals as a model with Professor of Biology 7:00-9:00 pm functional morphology and geographic variation Midwestern State Bolin – 209 features solar viewing of our clos- est star, the sun. In the evening Monthly meeting of Rolling Plains Texas Terry McKee May 3 take a Star Walk for a naked eye Master Naturalist Chapter and tour of Chapter President& 7:00 p.m. River Bend Nature Center River Bend staff River Bend tour of the night sky over the park NC followed by a closer look through telescopes and binoculars. Acces- Interpretation, volunteer opportunities & Terry McKee Rolling Plains May 5 communication Chapter president & 7:00-9:00 pm sible for the mobility impaired. Evaluation/test, Wrap up Mark Howell with Bolin - 213 Time: Call for specific times. For Texas Parks & Wildlife Dept. more information on fees and Field Trip 4 times, call (940) 839-4331 Hackberry Flat Day near Frederick, OK to Chapter Master Naturalists May 14 observe wetland ecology and migratory & ODWC biologist Melynda 9:00 a -4:00p may 7, 2011— Palo Duro Canyon waterfowl. Hickman and staff Car pool SP— Birds, Bats and more — Interested in the birds? Want to know which ones are in the can- can varies, but is usually banded yon? Meet at the parking lot of the of brown, yellow-tan, or even black- Palo Duro Trading Post to begin InvadersTexas ish. Body color of applesnails vary your birding adventure. Weather from yellow to brownish black, permitting. Bring binoculars. No Invasive Spotlight: Island Apple- with or without dark spiral bands. pets, please. snail (Pomacea insularum) Their presence is often first noted Time: 8:30 AM by observation of their bright pink to 10:00 AM Native to South America and in- egg masses. For additional troduced through the dumping of information call aquariums into freshwater ecosys- Negative ecological effects of this (806) 488-2227 herbivorous snail include impacts on wetlands and wet- land restoration, competition with native snails, and the in- Don’t Forget! troduction of exotic parasites. Turn your hours into Jane Serious economic loss from McGough. A form for keeping damage to rice crops has been up with your hours is available documented in Asia, and, in on the web site. Hours needed Texas, rice farmers experi- for recertification are: 40 hours ence increased maintenance of public service and 8 hours of tems, the inland Applesnail (Poma- costs for levees in fields with large advanced training. Advanced cea insularum) has historically populations of applesnails due to training MUST be approved in been confused with the channeled the constant burrowing by snails. advance. Fill out the form and Applesnail. The shell of the island submit along with any other applesnail varies from 1.5 - 2.3 Learn more about Island Apple- information about the class to the inches wide and 1.75 - 3 inches snail and other Texas Invasives at Executive Committee at least one high (about the size of a baseball or texasinvasives.org/invasives_data- week before the event. human fist). Patterning on the shell base

ROLLING PLAINS CHAPTER — 2 — TEXAS MASTER NATURALIST Rolling Plains Texas Master Naturalist, Patti Hamilton Shares Her Photos and Observation of National Park In January Patti Hamilton and her husband, Cla trav- Mountain lodge located within the park at the base of eled to Alpine Texas on the Amtrak Sunset Limited. the Chisos Mountains. They were celebrating their 35th wedding anniversary. While they were there they saw all kinds of wildlife They rented a car in Alpine and drove to Big Bend Na- and marveled at the varied geology of the nation’s tional Park where they stayed for a week at the Chisos largest but least visited National Parks.

Mammals of Big Bend

Above left: Collared Pevvary (Javelina) While Peccaries look similar to pigs, Peccaries are classified in a family of their own because of anatomical differences. Above right: The coyote is a member of the dog family. In size and shape the coyote is like a medium-sized Collie dog. Left: Carmen Mountain Whitetail is a smaller subspecies of White-tailed deer endemic to the Mountain Range and its adjacent mountain ranges and badlands like the Sierra del Burro Mountains in Old . Terrain of Big Bend

Birds of Big Bend

Above: The abundance, diversity and complexity of visible rock outcrops is staggering, especially to first-time observers. From 500 million year old rocks at Persimmon Gap to modern- Above: Though most flycatchers are day windblown sand dunes at Boquil- unremarkably drab, the vermilion fly- las Canyon, geologic formations in catcher is the most colorful flycatcher Big Bend demonstrate amazingly in North America. Right: A bird of the diverse depositional styles over a Mexican mountains, the Mexican Jay vast interval of time. Left: Sotol with lives in the oak woodlands of western the Chisos Mountains in the back- Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. ground. For more information about the Sunset Limited go to http://www.texaseagle.com/sunset.htm

For information about and Lodge visit http://www.nationalparkreservations.com/big- bend.php?gclid=CIHNqt2eoqcCFQHs7QodEERgCQ

ROLLING PLAINS CHAPTER — 3 — TEXAS MASTER NATURALIST A fox eats 15-20 field mice each day...but CORNER first he must find them. The fox captures his RESOURCE prey by taking a gallant leap and grabbing Fifty Places to Go Birding the mouse from above. He does this particu- Before You Die larly well when jumping in a northeasterly by Chris Santella direction, according to a German-Czech Hardcover: 224 pages research team that recently discovered this ISBN13: 9781584796299 phenomenon. The scientists believe foxes Cost: $24.95 utilize a specific shaded region of their reti- nas that reacts with the Earths magnetic field It’s estimated OIDS like a compass. This ensures they always that 50 to jump in the same direction and can precisely 60 million pinpoint and capture their prey—even under Americans a deep layer of snow. count bird- ing among A tiny two-inch fossil found in south- their hobbies. ern Argentina could offer clues to how Some hang sunflowers and daisies came to be so feeders in their backyards and ac- ubiquitous. At 47.5 million years old, cumulate yard lists; others partici- it’s the oldest evidence of the huge pate in annual “Christmas Counts”; Asteraceae family, which also includes

FACT a select few travel to the ends of thistles and artichokes, and backs the the earth in an effort to see every theory that the group first took root in South America. bird in the world. With Fifty Places Two castes of paper wasps are genetically to Go Birding Before You Die, identical. Larvae turn into either workers or Chris Santella takes the best-selling potential queens, depending on the behavior “Fifty Places” recipe and applies it of adults, say University of Wisconsin scien- to this most popular pastime. tists. If adults drum on nest walls with their antennae, the vibrations inhibit fat storage and Santella presents some of the great- produce workers. est bird-watching venues in the FUN United States and abroad through interviews with prominent birders, Reminder from our Hours! Hours? from tour leaders and conservation- ists to ornithologists and academ- President Report ‘em NOW! ics. Interviewee include ornitholo- I will be updating our email list by April The end of our reporting quarter is upon gist Kenn Kaufman; David Allen 15. That means you have until that date us, and Jane will need to report all our vol- to pay your yearly dues of $15 to remain unteer hours to state headquarters ASAP! Sibley, author and illustrator of The as a current member. Not paying your Please take time to compile your hours Sibley Guide to Birds; Rose Ann dues means that you won’t receive notice and advanced training hours and submit Rowlett, the “mother of modern of planned activities and you will be as soon as possible, that includes hours on birding”; John Fitzpatrick, director removed from the automatic newsletter clean ups and activities such as helping of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology; list. We will miss you and would like you out at the Wild Bird Rescue fesival and to remain as an active member, so please chapter functions. and Steve McCormick, president reply to Bill Setzler, our treasurer, at bs@ and CEO of The Nature Conser- triooperating.com and make arrangements DON'T DELAY! REPORT TODAY! vancy. to pay your 2011 dues. Should you decide not to pay dues this year, you can still re- You can email Jane at [email protected] The places vary from the urban main in touch with our chapter by visiting or Jane will accept them at tomorrow's txmn.org/rollingplains TMN class at Bolin 209 at MSU at 7 p.m. (New York City’s Central Park) to All you procrastinators- time to get the mystical (the cloud forests of Thanks to all of you that have paid. We crackin'! To those who have been submit- Triunfo in Chiapas, Mexico) to the appreciate your involvement in the Rolling ting hours in a timely fashion. extremely remote (the sub-Arctic Plains Chapter. We wouldn’t be where we Thank you! islands of New Zealand). are without you! Terry

Chapter Contacts: Terry McKee, President 766-4097; Jim Hensley, Vice President 569-4713; Penny Miller, Secretary 691-7273; Bill Setzler, Treasurer 692-4466 Committees Chairperson: Leslie Fernandez, RiverBend Liaison 767-0843; Paula Savage, Newsletter 691-0231; Unfilled, Social Com- mittee; Patsy Petcoff, Grants/Fundraising 940-923-4478; Dian Hoehne, Communication Chair 692-7234 Advisor: Mark Howell, TPWD Advisor 766-2383

ROLLING PLAINS CHAPTER — 4 — TEXAS MASTER NATURALIST