Judy Harrison, a member of the Highland Lakes Master Naturalists, shows a turtle shell to a young visitor during the Greater Outdoor Program at Inks Lake State Park. The organization teams up with the state park to present the program to more than 500 elementary school students and 200 teachers and parents from across the Highland Lakes. Members put in thousands of volunteer hours a year to educate people on the importance of nature. Courtesy photo by Sue Kersey/Highland Lakes Master Naturalists
With members contributing more than 18,000 hours of volunteer service in 2018, it’s not hard to see why The Picayune readers and KBEY 103.9 FM Radio Picayune listeners picked the Highland Lakes Master Naturalists as their Locals Love Us favorite club/organization in the Burnet area.
“This is a completely service-oriented group and title,” said Susan Montgomery, president of the Highland Lakes chapter of the Texas Master Naturalist program. “Nobody can use the name (Texas Master Naturalist) for profit. Everyone in it is in it for the right reason: to educate and help others.”
While it holds its meetings in Burnet, the Highland Lakes Master Naturalists group is made up of about 164 active members from across Burnet, Llano, and Blanco counties.
Members spread out across the community volunteering on a number of projects and partnering with other organizations.
“We’re a very altruistic group of people,” Montgomery added.
Master Naturalists come from a wide background. Some completed the coursework and have nature and outdoors training; others joined the group after a career in an unrelated discipline.
Montgomery said many become Master Naturalists because they want to learn how to best take care of their property. Once they delve into the course and earn their certifications, they then turn around and share their newly acquired knowledge with others through volunteer efforts and educational outreach.
“We really like working with kids and educating them about nature,” Montgomery said.
Which is why at just about every youth event, activity, or program in the area, you’ll probably find the Highland Lakes Master Naturalists there. The group’s members can be seen volunteering with Candlelight Ranch, Children’s Day Out, the Science Mill, the Great Outdoor Program at Inks Lake State Park, and the Hatchery Outdoor Program at Inks Dam National Fish Hatchery. Or, they can be found helping anytime a youth organization asks for a nature presentation.
Highland Lakes Master Naturalists also do a tremendous amount of volunteer work for other programs and projects as well. They helped build and maintain the wildlife viewing stations at several area state parks, in Granite Shoals, and at the national fish hatchery. Members routinely check the stations, ensure bird feeders are cleaned and filled, clean the glass windows, and help keep them up and running.
Others assist with the Land Management Assistance Program.
“It’s a committee that serves landowners who want to know what they have on their property and the best ways to take care of their land,” Montgomery said.
The committee visits a property, which could be a small parcel or more expansive acreage, completes an assessment, and helps lay out a management plan.
Two of the main tenets of the Master Naturalists are focusing on native plants and animals and educating people about the best way to care for the land and the environment.
“Most people, I think, want to do the right thing and will,” Montgomery said. “They just might not know what the right thing is. That’s why educating people is so important to us.”
She said the group loves getting outside to work. “They’re all willing to get their hands dirty,” she said. “These are the type of people you want to have as neighbors.”
Go to txmn.org or facebook.com/highlandlakesmasternaturalists for more information about the Highland Lakes chapter of the Texas Master Naturalist program.
daniel@thepicayune.com
