Outreach - Kids & Adults

MCTMN Outreach Team

Volunteers will promote TMN or provide nature-related outreach for kids or adults at various sites around our Mid-Coast Chapter area. Contact the Communications Director with the date(s) and location(s) you are interested in covering and to arrange to get equipment and materials. Report as CB: Chapter Business/Recruiting if you are only recruiting new members, or PO: Other Events/Partners and specify event if you are providing education to booth visitors.

Do you know of an event or festival the Chapter should support with a Mid-Coast Outreach booth? Contact the Communications Director.

MCTMN Writer

Know something that other Chapter members or the public would like to know about? Write it up and send it to the Communications Director for publication on our website, in our newsletter, or on our Facebook page. Don’t think you can write? List what happened in chronological order, and we’ll write it up for you and get your okay before publishing. Report as PO: Incidental

ALL TMN-Series: Speaker

Mid-Coast Master Naturalists have had fun presenting at the Victoria College Academy of Lifelong Learning (ALL) and the demand for more is high. Consider providing a class or outing for the next semester. Ideas are limitless! To find out requested topics or to volunteer, check your roster and contact Beth Hudson.

Report your preparation and presentation as TR: Other Organizations and specify ALL and your topic in the description. Don’t forget to count your audience for impact data in your report!

Find out more about the ALL program

Aransas Pathways Interpretation

You can earn volunteer hours by acting as an interpreter at Aransas Pathways nature sites Linda S. Castro Nature Sanctuary, Ivy Lane, Tule West, or Connie Hagar during the HummerBird Celebration each year. The 2023 festival is September 14-16. HBC details as they are developed

During the festival, make yourself available at your chosen site and time—in a TMN shirt and name tag—as an interpreter. Welcome arriving visitors and offer to answer questions about hummingbirds, what they are seeing at the site, and MCTMN festival-related information. For a quick guide to roving interpretation, check your roster and contact D’Ann Williams.

Children's Discovery Museum

Whether you have a few hours to spare once a year or several times a week, CDM appreciates any contributions of time or talent from members of the community! CDM is located at 1205 Sam Houston Drive, Victoria, TX 77901. Check out the CDM website for more information. Interested? Contact CDM for training dates.

Volunteer opportunities include being a Discovery Docent in our exhibit halls, staffing a CDM booth at an outreach event, making appearances with our mascot, helping with manual labor tasks and event setup, and more! Contact the MCTMN Projects Director if you have questions. Reporting is task-dependent.

Kid's Native Plant Gardens

Volunteers may be needed to work with elementary students and teachers to develop native-plant gardens at some Mid-Coast-area elementary schools. The general purpose of the project is to educate students and teachers about the value of native plants and provide some exposure to the TMN program, as well as to increase native habitat and pollinator plants. If you are interested, want more information, or want to suggest a potential school location, contact Brigid Berger.

Skills required are the ability to work well with children, patience, and good communication skills. Participants should bring their own tools and gloves. Report work as NPA: Other locations and specify the school in the description.

HummerBird Celebration

The Rockport-Fulton HummerBird Celebration is held each year in September. 2025 dates are Sep 18-21, with booths operating Sep 19-21. Many opportunities to do volunteer service at this event include:

MCTMN Plant Sale (Report as PO: MCTMN Plant sale)
MCTMN Outreach Booth (CB: /Recruiting)
MCTMN Aransas Pathways site Interpreter (PO: HBC)

Partner Booths

Aransas National Wildlife Refuge/FAMI: (PO: ANWR)
San Antonio Bay Partnership (PO: Other Events/Partners)
NPSOT Butterfly Tent (PO: Other Events/Partners)
Other Partners, if they have booths

HummerBird/Chamber of Commerce

HB Signage (PO: HBC)
Hummer Home Bus tours (PO: HBC)
Speaker Interactions/Speaker Hosting (PO: HBC)

See Advanced Training Opportunities—TBD

*Link will be activated closer to the event.

Calhoun County AgriLife Volunteer Service

List of service opportunities & contact information

Opportunities sponsored by R.J. Shelly, Calhoun County Extension Agent–Coastal & Marine Resources—If you have any questions about any of these projects, or would like to volunteer, please email RJ or call (361) 552-9747.

Dr. Gopal Bera, Associate Research Scientist, Texas A & M University, needs Citizen Science Volunteers to collect sand samples from Texas Beaches (both bay and gulf). This is part of a 2-year project that will be looking at petroleum levels in sand on Texas Beaches. A PowerPoint training is available for volunteers that want to collect samples for this project. If you have a number of TMN that are interested in this, Gopal said he would come down to do a training for them. I have the items necessary for sampling, and I can ship the samples back to Gopal using a prepaid FedEx label that I can get from him.
Report as FR: Other Partners
We need volunteers to work with us and the Calhoun County ISD (CCISD) Wetlands Specialist on the following dates at the Formosa Tejano Wetlands in LaWard, TX. We will be doing wetland-oriented education for CCISD students Dec 12-15. (All days will be approximately 8:00 am to 2:45 pm)
Report as PO: AgriLife
The UTMSI Nurdle Patrol could use some volunteers to collect nurdle samples. This could probably be done by the same crew that is collecting sand samples for Gopal, since they are already at a sampling site. I talked to Jace Tunnel with UTMSI. If you need a nurdle sampling kit, I can have him send it to me and I will get the supplies to the person or persons who want to do the sampling, or Jace can send it directly to a TMN Coordinator.
Report as FR: Other Partners
At the Calhoun County Extension Office, our native plant educational garden is looking great! Volunteers are maintaining the garden, and if you would like to volunteer, check your MCTMN roster and contact Donna Bailey.
Report as NPA: Other locations

Mission-Aransas NERR Service Opportunities

See details about the list of volunteer opportunities and become a volunteer! For more information about volunteering, please contact Lilly Andersen at 361-749-3153 or lilly.andersen@austin.utexas.edu.

Citizen Science—Report as FR: Mission-Aransas NERR
Field Experience—FR: Mission-Aransas NERR
Amos Rehabilitation Keep (ARK)—RM: ARK rescue/rehab
Educational Docent— Report as PO: Mission-Aransas NERR
~Bay Education Center, Rockport
~Wetlands Education Center, Port Aransas
~Estuary Explorium
Invasive Species Control
Special Event Photographer
Special Event Staff

Mission-Aransas NERR Learning Opportunities

Mission-Aransas NERR provides learning for all ages. Please Contact Adriana Reza for more information or to book a private tour.

Bay Education Center, Rockport—Science on a Sphere—Interested in Earth System science? Come see a Science On a Sphere presentation! Our room-sized, global display system projects visualizations of planetary data onto a six-foot diameter sphere to help illustrate Earth System science to people of all ages. This tour is free! Daily Tuesdays-Saturdays at 2:00 PM

Wetlands Education Center, Port Aransas—Our WEC is home to many different plants and animals. Walk along this trail system with a knowledgeable naturalist who will share information about the many creatures that call this habitat home. This tour is free! 9:00am Tuesdays & Thursdays

Fennessey Ranch Tours, near Refugio—In addition to the world class birding opportunities, the 3,261-acre wildlife oasis is home to numerous species of plants, mammals, reptiles, insects, and amphibians. The Ranch has several custom-built wildlife viewing and photography blinds. Each blind is strategically placed in areas of high wildlife activity and generally near water sources. Guided tours are offered for 1-6 people. Half day trips generally run from 8:00 a.m.- 1:00 p.m., $100 per person. Full day trips are 8:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m., $150 per person. Tour times can be adjusted to accommodate your group. For information on booking a tour, please contact Joan Garland, Outreach Program Coordinator, or call (361) 749-6806.

For Kids

R/V Katy, Port Aransas—The R/V Katy takes school groups out for an unforgettable experience on the water. We collect plankton, benthic creatures, fish, shrimp, crabs, and learn about ocean ecosystems through hands-on exploration. To schedule, contact Kimber Montanye at kimber.montanye@austin.utexas.edu

Estuary Explorium, Port Aransas—On Wednesday mornings, we have story time in the Estuary Explorium! Each week there is a new story and take-home craft to enjoy. Recommended for ages 3-7, but children of any age are welcome. 10:30am Wednesdays

Would you like to help at any of these facilities? Become a Mission-Aransas NERR volunteer!

Nueces Delta Preserve Education Team

Our Coastal Bend Bays and Estuaries volunteers help with our mission of providing engaging outdoor education and outreach experiences in coastal wetland and upland habitats. We aim to create impactful outdoor experiences for children, teachers, and the community by fostering a deep connection with nature. Throughout the year, our team requires assistance with field trips, discovery picnics, and outreach events. Assist educators with K-12 Field Trips, Delta Discovery Picnic Days, Home School Days, or the Plant Nursery. Please complete the NDP volunteer form.

Field Trips

TEKS-aligned for any K-12th grade school in CBBEP’s 12-county program area.
Typically take place Tuesday-Friday from either 9 am-12 pm (K-2nd grade) or 9 am-2 pm (3rd grade and up).
Volunteers will have a chance to shadow field trips until they feel comfortable teaching on their own.

Delta Discovery Picnics

This program is open to the public once a month and allows the community to visit and explore the property. Tasks may include:

Interact with the public and answer questions
Lead an informal program (example: nature walk)
Help with sign-in and/or parking

Outreach Events

Throughout the year, we partake in a range of community events that may include:

Engagements at schools—focused on STEM subjects—scheduled during school hours or evenings
Public events on weekends scheduled by other organizations where we set up a table with information and interactive activities

Report as PO: Other Events/Partners with CBBEP NDP as part of Service Performed

Need more information? Contact: Volunteer Outreach Coordinator, Lauren Piorkowski.

Outreach - Kids & Adults

Mid-Coast Chapter, Texas Master Naturalist