Contact Information:
- Email: jrektorik@gmail.com
- Phone: 956-975-9933
- Address: PO Box 3054, San Juan, TX 78589
- Website: https://www.stbctmn.org/
- Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/stbctmn
About the Partner:
Chartered in October 2015, the South Texas Border Chapter of the Texas Master Naturalist Program includes more than 100 active members serving Starr, Hidalgo, Cameron, and Willacy Counties. The public is welcome to attend free monthly meetings, which feature educational presentations on the natural world of South Texas. The chapter’s comprehensive volunteer training program begins each January.
Chapter members contribute in many ways—as nature guides, educators, speakers, citizen scientists, gardeners, administrators, and hands-on conservation volunteers. They build and maintain trails, interpret nature for visitors, restore habitats, support native gardens, and participate in a wide range of conservation and monitoring projects. Texas Master Naturalists share a love of learning and a willingness to get their hands dirty for conservation.
Services & Areas of Operation:
Chapter projects include the creation and maintenance of pollinator gardens and native tiny forests, including sites at Vannie E. Cook Jr. Children’s Cancer & Hematology Clinic and B.L. Gray Junior High School. The chapter also supports numerous citizen science efforts, such as sky quality monitoring, acoustic bat monitoring, the Red-crowned Amazon Parrot Count, and plant and wildlife monitoring at sites along the Texas Great Wildlife Trails. In addition, chapter members participate in education and outreach efforts at nature sites throughout the Rio Grande Valley and serve as speakers on nature and conservation topics.
Training classes for those interested in becoming a Texas Master Naturalist are held every January through March, with applications opening each fall.
Certifications & Affiliations:
Affiliated with the Texas Master Naturalist program.