Alamo Area Chapter News August 2015 Txmn.Org/Alamo

Alamo Area Chapter News August 2015 txmn.org/alamo

Events, Volunteer Opportunities, Education, and Training Volume 19, Issue 9

AAMN Board Meeting President’s Message September 8 at 5:30 pm AgriLIFE Extension September 8th Monthly Meeting & AT 3355 Cherry Ridge at AgriLife Extension Classroom Classroom 208 Business meeting begins at 5:30 and AT presentation at 7. The Stone Oak Prop- General Meeting 7 pm (AT) erty Owner’s Association Board Vice John Kiser, Class 29, will President & Certified Master Naturalist showcase the water con- John Kiser, Class 29, will showcase the servation and landscape major work done over the past years to preservation efforts vastly improve water conservation and within Stone Oak POA landscape preservation efforts within the Stone Oak POA boundaries.

News 4 Nature: The latest News 4 Nature video: youtu.be/zD6KIuZiVno Officers President SAVE the DATE – NOV. 10 - Election of Officers for 2016 - The elec- Liz Robbins tion of AAMN President, Vice President, Secretary, & Treasurer will be [email protected] on November 10. The election of officers & pin awards will begin at 6:45 210-548-8510 after the business meeting. The AT presentation will begin at 7 at the Tex- as AgriLife Extension Room 208. Contact any member of the nominating Vice-President committee with any questions you may have about the officer positions. Aubrey George They are Anton Hajek ([email protected]), Ron Tullius (rvtullius@ [email protected] sbcglobal.net), and Wendy Thornton ([email protected]).

Treasurer Changes in HOURS REPORTING System Coming Soon to AAMN Nancy Thoss The state has started to implement a new statewide method for reporting nancy4gardens@gmail. hours. They will soon be approaching us about the changes. Click on the com following link to learn more about the new system: txmn.org/tmn-vms-users

Secretary Adoption of 2015 TMN Bylaws and ADDENDUM – All AAMN mem- Camille Gong bers at the August 11 meeting unanimously voted to adopt the addendum [email protected] accompanying the updated TMN bylaws found at goo.gl/kbv5Si. One change is that the new class representative becomes a voting member of Immediate Past President the chapter’s board of directors until the end of the calendar year; another Anton Hajek is that all committee chairs are given the title of Director. The four mem- [email protected] ber categories in the TMN program are TMN Member-in-Training, TMN Pledge, Certified TMN, and TMN Member. Committees Pins and Awards Activities Information Chair Pam Ball Congratulations to all our pin recipients! [email protected] Those who haven’t received their pins may pick them up at the September Chapter Meeting. Community Outreach Chair Matt Carley Initial Certification Dragonfly [email protected] Jean Countryman – 35 HIstorian Mike Tayloe - 36 Keeley Porter [email protected] 2015 Recertification – Texas Bluebonnet Robert Ambriz – 31 Hospitality Kimber Briggs – 25 Chair Sharon Kilmer Matt Carley – 32 [email protected] Dawn Hatch – 33 Roy Leslie – 24 Membership Bruce Martin – 26 Chair Nancy Thoss Annabelle McGee – 10 [email protected] David Reichert – 27 Gary Rogers – 30 Media & Technology Betty Sutherland – 30 Chair David Reichert Mike Tayloe - 36 Web [email protected] 250 Hours Dragonfly Newsletter Kaye Cosby – 35 Cristina Gonzalez [email protected] Lisa Franz - 29 Calendar Frank Ballard 1000 Hours Dragonfly fm4459@sbcglobal,net Robert Ambriz - 31

Programs Chair Tom Brotherman [email protected]

Education and Training Chair Pam Ball [email protected]

Newsletter Policies

We try to publish all material we receive, but space is limited in each month’s newsletter. Long articles may be published on the website Our newsletter editor is always looking for interesting instead of the newsletter. Event notices must pictures of your adventures as a Master Naturalist. go through Pam Ball; and only the Activities You can contact her via email at clealgonzalez@ Information Committee is authorized to declare gmail.com or on Instagram and Twitter @outsidecris. whether an event is approved for Advanced This photo of a drangonfly in a tomato patch comes Training or Volunteer Service Hours. Deadline from @outsidecris on Instagram. for submissions is the 25th of each month. Class Representatives Class Representatives, continued Class 25 Class 32 Ron Tullius Matthew Carley 210-739-2566 [email protected] [email protected] 210-416-1887 Susan Campbell Class 26 [email protected] Dwight Henderson [email protected] Class 33 Billie Murrell Jennifer DiCocco [email protected] [email protected] Cathy Oberkampf Class 27 [email protected] David Reichert [email protected] Class 34 Evelyn Penrod Chuck Saxer [email protected] [email protected] Class 28 Kathryn Gilson LeLynn Koch [email protected] [email protected] Class 35 Class 29 Peter Ravdin Tom Brotherman [email protected] [email protected] April Thomason [email protected] Class 30 Randy Baker Class 36 [email protected] Mike Tayloe Alba De Leon 210-462-7041 [email protected] [email protected] Myles Siegel Class 31 626-890-7199 Camille Gong [email protected] [email protected] Robert Ambriz [email protected] September Training and Volunteer Events

Native Plant Society of Texas - Boerne Chapter: Friedrich Wilderness Park Wednesday Workday (VSH) Teaming with Texas Wildlife - Richard Heilbrun (AT) Wed, September 2, 9 am – 11 am Tue, September 1, 7 pm – 8 pm Friedrich Wilderness Park, 21395 Milsa Dr, San Antonio, Cibolo Nature Center & Farm Auditorium, 140 Coty TX Park Road, Boerne, TX The first and third Wednesday workday at Friedrich Richard Heilbrun is the Conservation Outreach Pro- Park Wildflower and Pond area will start again 9am to gram Leader for Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. 11 am, Sept 2, after a summer hiatus. Please bring hand He is a wildlife biologist by training, and has worked clippers, loppers, rakes, shovels, gloves, sunscreen, all over the state on projects that conserve wildlife, bugspray etc. Water fountain and restrooms close by. manage wildlife habitat, and help people connect Contact Gail Cooper 210-749-8826. with natural resources on a deeply personal level. He has worked with Bighorn sheep, ducks, Whoop- Texas Native Trails Guided Tour: Seasonal High- ing Cranes, songbirds, raptors, quail, deer, dove, lights (AT) and bobcats. Richard holds a Bachelors and Mas- Sat, September 5, 10 am – 11:30 am ters degree from Texas A&M University in wildlife San Antonio Botanical Garden, 555 Funston Place, San ecology and has worked for Texas Parks & Wildlife Antonio, TX Department for the past 13 years. He is proud to have Explore the 11-acre native trails area with a Master worked with landowners, urban residents, volunteers, Naturalist. No registration required. Meet in Gertie’s conservation organizations, and the general public Garden. Contact person: Ron Tullius, rvtullius@sbc- to advance stewardship of Texas’s natural resources. global.net or 210-739-2566. He currently supervises the Urban Wildlife Techni- cal Guidance Program, the Texas Nature Trackers First Saturday Hike: Wild Food at Friedrich (AT) Program, and the Texas Master Naturalist Program. Sat, September 5, 10 am – 11:30 am All of these programs aim to connect Texans with Friedrich Wilderness Park, 21395 Milsa Dr, San Antonio, the outdoors, improve wildlife habitat throughout TX the state, and manage the state’s most sensitive Take a family hike along Friedrich Park’s trail with wildlife populations. Richard is a past-officer of the Master Naturalist Peter Ravdin and learn where animals Texas Chapter of The Wildlife Society, a graduate of find their food, and how these foods sustain wildlife the Natural Leaders Program, and a Rob & Bessie and past native populations. Following the hike, taste Welder Wildlife Foundation Fellow. He is a Certified delicious wild berry jams with mesquite flour muffins, Wildlife Biologist®, and lives in San Antonio with courtesy of Meier Ranch Foods, Fredericksburg, Texas. his wife and daughter. RSVP [email protected]

Bird in the Hand Training (AT) Bats of Texas (AT) Wed, September 2, 8:30 am – 11 am Sat, September 5, 8 pm – 9:30 pm Guadalupe River State Park, 3350 Park Road 31, Guadalupe River State Park, 3350 Park Road 31, Spring Spring Branch, TX Branch, TX Bird in the Hand is one of Guadalupe’s most pop- Join Park Ranger Craig for a look at the world of Texas ular public programs. Held on Saturday mornings, bats. You’ll discover who they are and how they make this 3-hour program provides visitors opportunities their living. We’ll even use a bat detector to search for for up-close looks at a variety of songbirds. If you a few following the presentation. We’ll meet at the am- are interested in learning more about how you can phitheater behind the Discovery Center. This program participate, please plan to join us for this morning of is free with a Park Pass or a $7 daily pass (children ages orientation and banding. Please contact Park Ranger 12 and under are free). For information, call 830-438- Craig Hensley at [email protected] to 7653. sign up (if you are new to this program). September Training and Volunteer Events

School Group/Interpretive Volunteer Training (AT) Honey Creek Bird Walk (AT) Sat, September 12, 8 am – 12 pm Sun, September 13, 8 am – 11 am Government Canyon State Natural Area, 12861 Galm Guadalupe River State Park, 3350 Park Road 31, Spring Road, San Antonio, TX Branch, TX Training to help facilitate educational groups and inter- Join Ranger Craig for a bird walk around Honey Creek State pretive opportunities at GCSNA. Reservations required. NA. Arrive with vehicle at the front gate at 8 am sharp, when First Aid/CPR available from 1 pm-5 pm to the first 12 who we’ll drive to the Spring Branch road entrance. We’ll provide reserve a spot and plan to help at GC this fall. Contact: niki. a limited number of binoculars. This walk will encompass [email protected] or 210-688-9055 x2003. two miles or so and is for anyone ages 10 and up. This program is free with a Park Pass or a $7 daily pass (children 12 Creatures of the Night (AT) and under are free). Call 830-438-7653. Sat, September 12, 8 pm – 9:30 pm Guadalupe River State Park, 3350 Park Road 31, Plant Uses, Symbolic and Practical, in Human Af- Spring Branch, TX fairs, with Paul W. Cox (AT) After the sun sets, not everyone goes to bed. Join Fri, September 25, 9 am – 12 pm Ranger Craig for a look at those critters that come to life SoL Center, University Presbyterian Church, 300 Bush- under the stars. We’ll take a walk in search of bats, owls nell Ave, San Antonio, TX and more! Be sure to bring a flashlight. Please meet at Three Fridays: Sept 25, Oct 2, and 9, from 9 am - noon. First the amphitheater located behind the Discovery Center. session at SoL Center at University Presbyterian Church, This program is free with a Park Pass or a $7 daily pass 300 Bushnell Ave., San Antonio. Second and 3rd sessions at (children 12 and under are free). Call 830-438-7653. the San Antonio Botanical Garden. $45 for all three sessions or $15 for individual sessions. Register by Sept 18. Partic- Fishing 101 (AT) ipants pay the entrance fee to Botanical Garden. Plant list Sat, September 12, 9 am – 11 am will be provided for each walk. Wear appropriate gear hik- Guadalupe River State Park, 3350 Park Road 31, ing trails. Contact Ron Tullius at [email protected]. Spring Branch, TX If you are looking for a lifetime gift for your child, con- Texas Native Trails Guided Tour: Hill Country Trail (AT) sider joining the staff and volunteers at Guadalupe River Friday, September 25, 10 am – 11:30 am State Park for an introduction to fishing. We’ll provide San Antonio Botanical Garden, 555 Funston Place, San the rods and reels as well as the bait as we go in search of Antonio, TX sunfish, bass and catfish. We do have a limited supplies, Explore the 11-acre Texas Native Trails area with a so email Park Ranger Craig Hensley at craig.hensley@ Master Naturalist. No registration required. Meet in tpwd.texas.gov to reserve a spot for your child. Meet at Gertie’s Garden. Contact: Ron Tullius, rvtullius@sbc- the amphitheater located behind the Discovery Center. global.net or 210-739-2566. Free with a Park Pass or a $7 daily pass (children 12 and under are free). Prowlin’ for Owls (AT) Sat, September 26, 7:30 pm – 9 pm A Day in the Life of an Urban Beekeeper (AT) Guadalupe River State Park, 3350 Park Road 31, Spring Sat, September 12, 10 am – 11:30 am Branch, TX Friedrich Wilderness Park Outdoor Classroom, 21395 We’re heading out for a hootin’ good time as we call and Milsa Dr, San Antonio, TX listen for Barred and possibly other owls that inhabit Learn what it takes to be a beekeeper, the tools you Guadalupe River State Park. This program will be held at need, and learn about harvesting the honey. Laura Sala- the amphitheater at the Discovery Center and is free with zar of Honey Love Bee Removal will share her knowl- a Park Pass or a $7 daily pass (children ages 12 and under edge and stories about honeybee rescue. RSVP nicole. are free). For information, call 830-438-7653. [email protected] San Antonio Parks and Recreation Natural Areas Stewardship Activities

Delight, intrigue, awe: Where can you experience all of these without spending money, traveling any great dis- tance, or having any prerequisites? The answer: Nature.

Try to guess these local “Natural Instigators of Delight, Intrigue, and/or Awe” (answers are below):

1. Small and furry, a typical feeding behavior is for them to pack their cheek pouches full of food and then sit on a high rock and eat what they have stuffed into their cheek pouches.

2. Growing grasslike across the ground, has orchid-like white and brownish-purple flowers with spots, and its fruits look like miniature watermelons (hint: host plant to pipevine swallowtail butterfly).

3. Colored like the rainbow, light as a feather, song a cheery warble, their French name is nonpareil (translated “without equal”).

4. Brown or green, with seven stripes that run from head to hips, when disturbed runs quickly, then stops. Tail is 3 times the body length. “Aristolochia erecta.” Flckr User: Josh*m. Answers: Description: Growing among the grasses and 1. Rock squirrel (Spermophilus variegatus) weeds on 24th St., in front of ESB, on the Uni- 2. Swan flower (Aristolochia erecta, Aristolochia longiflora— versity of Texas at Austin campus. images at inaturalist.org/taxa/55188-Aristolochia-erecta) 3. Male painted bunting (Passerina ciris) 4. Texas spotted whiptail (Aspidoscelis gularis)

For opportunities to experience the delight, intrigue, and awe of nature in City Natural Areas, see Septem- ber schedule below. Please contact Jayne Neal at [email protected], 210-207-3785, if you are coming or if you have questions. Please note that construction on Babcock may impact your travel route.

Come prepared to do trail maintenance, tree protection, landscape maintenance, and/or removal of small junipers. Please bring leather work gloves.

September 3, 7:45-11:30 am Crownridge Canyon Natural Area, meet in the parking lot, 7222 Luskey Blvd.

September 17, 7:45-11:30 am Friedrich Wilderness Park-West, meet at the gate at 7645 Heuermann New Natural Areas Trails and a New Name for Friends of Friedrich Wilderness Park

Kelly Lyons, PhD Associate Professor of Biology, Trinity University & President, Friends of the San Antonio Natural Areas

Are you looking for some new trails to hike, run or explore? Well if you haven’t heard Friedrich Wilderness Park (FWP) recently opened 5.5 miles of new trails, more than doubling the previous mileage. The $79,000 to extend the trails came from Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Trails Grant. Funding was secured through a joint effort between the Natural Areas (NA) division of the City of San Antonio (COSA) Parks and Recreation Department and the Friends of Friedrich Wilderness Park, a group now known as Friends of San Antonio Natural Areas (FoSANA). Construction of the new trail system was conducted by S&S Trails with hundreds of hours dedicated by volunteers. Approximately $5,000 was saved on trails construction costs due to the efforts of these volunteers under the coordination of Jayne Neal, COSA NA biologist.

Many are familiar with the great efforts of the Friends of Friedrich Wilderness Park (FoFWP), incorporated in 1989, to raise awareness about and protect our wild lands and the Edwards Aquifer. I have served on the FoFWP Board for nine years and can attest to the impressive fortitude and deep deliberations of this group. The Board has been and will continue to be a formidable watchdog for continuous development around the park. They will also continue to support development of educational programs and secure funding for infra- structure, such as the new trail system and the pavilion at Friedrich Wilderness Park (FWP). If you are have been a member of FoFWP know that your yearly dues have contributed much to these efforts.

So why change the name? With public support for and growth of the Edwards Aquifer protection program in 2000 and 2005 and the passage of Proposition 1 in 2010, the scope of service of the NAs substantially broadened. Today the NA arm of COSA is charged with management of Hardberger, Fried- rich Wilderness, Crown Ridge, Eisenhower, and Medina Parks, as well as Rancho Diana, which is not open to the public. Thus with the addition of more properties and the close working relationship between the Friends and the NAs, the concerns of the Friends also broadened. We are happy to say that we’ve outgrown our name! The change was made officially January 2014 and we have worked hard over the last year to develop a new logo and website.

I have heard concerns about the name change of our highly respected Friends group. Most fear that we will lose leverage or recognition, but this has not been my experience when working with City officials and local lawyers.The name change seems to be serving its purpose, allowing us to have more official oversight over NAs that are not FWP. The change is a positive reminder of previous Board members’ hard work and dedication to protecting and expanding our natural areas. We and our membership are available to address the needs of all of the current NAs, although Hardberger Park has its own friends group. And with the recent renewal of Proposition 1 in May, we want to be ready to be called on for more. In other NA news—We were saddened to lose Eric Lau- tzenheiser, long-term Assistant Manager of the NAs, to retirement last year. Mr. Lautzenheiser began work at FWP in 1987 as the sole park employee. Under the guidance of Mr. Lautzenheiser, and then NA Manag- er Ron Smudy, FWP was designated by COSA as the first NA in 1992. This meant that public recreation in these areas was limited to activities that would preserve wildlife and protect the aquifer. Lucky for us he agreed to stay on as a board member for the transition to our almost entirely new board. We benefit greatly from his expertise and deep knowledge of the political and natural history of San Antonio.

We were fortuitous to have Mr. Robert Rinn hired to replace Mr. Lautzenheiser as the new assistant manager. Mr. Rinn holds a BS in Wildlife Management from Texas A&M. He comes to us with extensive experience working for the State Parks Division of TPWD. Watch for the new FoSANA website in late September 2015 at fosana.org and check out the new trails in the first of our San Antonio Natural Areas, Friedrich Wilderness Park. Balcones Invaders (VSH): Spring and Summer Leaping into Fall

The Balcones Invaders have had a lot of late spring and summer activities in spite of the fact we took off for the month of August.

In late spring, we met with a reporter from The Millennium Train Project, sponsored by National Geograph- ic Traveler and several other organizations. The group of reporters were traveling west to east on the train and making stops along the way to talk with people in local communities about many topics. Our reporter, Erin Spencer, was interested in invasives and the roles of community volunteers.

Catsclaw vine is the hot invasive plant, and several groups are actively involved in controlling it, includ- ing the resident experts of the Headwaters Sanctuary and John Garland in Alamo Heights. We had a lot of contact with a resident who lives along the Comal River and has actively been providing information on the problems of the vine with nearby residents in Comal County. Kudos to all of them for their efforts!

We spent most of our spring and summer invasive work at Rancho Diana and were joined by a group of UTSA students for several of the July sessions. In addition to the widely scattered and heavily infested areas of nandina, we removed a variety of other species also–pyracantha, ligustrum, and chinaberry.

Fall plans Although we will continue to monitor and schedule periodic sessions at Rancho Diana, Helotes Creek, and Frank Madla Natural Area, our new and exciting invasive venture will be in Government Canyon State Nat- ural Area. Beginning in mid-September, we will be embarking on this and will be sending out details of the specific activities to those on our mailing list. We hope many of you will join us.

Join us Would you like to join us in the eradication of invasive plants? No prior experience is required, just a desire to join us in making a difference!

Wear sturdy shoes, long-sleeved pants and shirts and gloves. Bring water. We have a supply of tools, but welcome anyone who brings their own.

For details of exact location and direc- tions, contact Lonnie at lonnieshock- [email protected] or Cheryl at chrym@ hotmailcom. Those on the mailing list receive notification of the specific location of the eradication area and cancel- lation for severe weather conditions.

When: Tuesday mornings in September for two hours each session at locations in Northwest San Antonio. Current start time: 8:00 am.

Liz Robinson, Lonnie Shockley, Erin Spencer, and Cheryl Hamilton at Headwaters area. Approved for VSH Thoughts from a WaterSaver Coupon Pro

Rebecca Jost, conservation intern with San Antonio Water System

Now that a new round of WaterSaver Landscape and Patioscape Coupons is about to start, we thought we’d highlight a customer who combined our spring/summer coupons to successfully transform his yard from a water-hungry grass landscape to an oasis of drought-hardy plants that provides habitat for wildlife in the area.

The backstory: Mike Tayloe [member & representative of AAMN Class 36] is passionate about gardening and creating natural habitats for the wildlife in his neighborhood. But his backyard was a sea of turf grass, complete with an irrigation system to quench its never-ending thirst. And it wasn’t attracting wildlife as much as he would’ve liked.

The plan: For Tayloe, conserving water was the draw and what ultimately convinced him to make a change in his landscape. It didn’t make sense to him to have all that Bermuda grass when he could have an equally gorgeous landscape made up of water-friendly plants. His plan was to tear out all of the Bermuda grass and replace it with as many different types of drought-tolerant plants as possible.

The plant selection process: One of Tayloe’s main goals was for his yard to be a habitat for the wildlife in his neighborhood. He achieved this by choosing plants that encourage wildlife to visit and stay awhile. Tay- loe chose milkweed for caterpillars and butterflies, and frog fruit for groundcover because butterflies enjoy it. Beyond his plant choice, he also included structures that wildlife can use as habitats. One of the main features of Tayloe’s backyard is a bubbling river water feature that gives birds a water source to drink and bathe in. He also has all of the planters and pots in the front yard set on bricks to provide a place for Texas toads and lizards to beat the heat and escape predators.

The challenges: Things go wrong all the time when gardening. Tayloe says “everything I do is an experi- ment.” His gardening philosophy is to “build something and see if it works. If not, take it out.” One of the biggest challenges he faced was the persistent Bermuda grass. When Tayloe was placing the river rock in his backyard, some Bermuda grass escaped the weed barrier treatment and started sprouting up between the rocks. His suggestion for other gardeners attempting to completely removing their Bermuda grass? Be thorough the first time around! It’s much harder to get rid of the pesky stuff when it’s growing up around the rocks.

The success: Using the WaterSaver Landscape Coupon, Tayloe chose the plants he needed. He also took ad- vantage of SAWS Irrigation Design Rebate to remove the entire irrigation system. He no longer had a need for it since the plants he selected were happier with hand watering.

Feel like you’re ready to try your hand at making your landscape more water friendly? The fall edition of the WaterSaver Landscape and Patioscape Coupon starts Sept. 1, so keep an eye out for them.

Reprinted from gardenstylesanantonio.com/2015/08/thoughts-watersaver-coupon-pro/ Approved for AT