2019 Meetings/Events
Meetings are held on the Fourth WEDNESDAYS: Except November & December and are open to the public
Our meetings will usually be held at the Houston Red Cross Building at 2700 Southwest Freeway, Houston, TX .
Please join us at 6:30 pm for refreshments & presentation at 7:00 pm
January 23, 2019
Seed Cleaning Party Sponsored by Katy Prairie Conservancy:
We will be cleaning seeds collected this fall and putting them in packets to be distributed to people willing to grow them out for KPC’s Great Growout Program. Come and see what these native seeds look like, how to clean them, and take some home. Learn about prairie plants and seeds from KPC experts. KPC is providing pizza!
February 27, 2019
Della Barbato, “Inspiring Through Education at Lawther Deer Park Prairie”
NPAT AMBASSADOR, Della joined the NPAT staff in April, 2018 as our Director of Education and is based in the Houston area. (Shell Oil Company bestowed a grant to benefit individuals in their own backyard, the city of Deer Park, TX.) Ms. Barbato teaches levels K-9 (to so many young prairie people!) through her adult programs and teacher workshops in addition to K-12 prairie programs. Della has become the image of NPAT, conservation, prairies, and more to so many prairie people!
Also, board member Hazel Potvin will bring up to-to-date on the progress at the Prairie Demo Garden at Willow Waterhole, which Don Verser has been working on.
March 20, 2019
April 24, 2019
Kirsti Harms, interim executive director for the Native Prairies Association of Texas and Pat Merkord, immediate past executive director, will share information about NPAT successes at Madden Prairie.
Maddin Prairie Preserve features remnant and restored mixed-grass prairie, mesquite savanna, and riparian areas. A tributary of Champion Creek passes through the property and features a diverse riparian area.
Sideoats Grama (Bouteloua curtipendula), Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), Blue Grama (Bouteloua gracilis), and Sand Dropseed (Sporobolus cryptandrus) are common grasses.
Maddin Prairie Preserve also provides habitat for the Texas Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma cornutum), a threatened species in Texas, and Bobwhite Quail (Colinus virginianus). A Black-tailed Prairie Dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) reintroduction is in progress.
April 27, 2019
Spring Prairie Day at Lawther – Deer Park Prairie!
May 22, 2019
Ben Hutchins from Texas Parks and Wildlife will present on Invertebrate Conservation
June 2 – 6, 2019
June 26, 2019
David Riley, staff biologist with Plateau Land & Wildlife Management, will present on range land ecology.Plateau Land & Wildlife Management has been helping rural landowners protect and enhance their rural land since 1997. Plateau was born out of a law that was passed in 1995 by the Texas Legislature that made it possible for folks with an Ag valuation to maintain their same property tax savings while managing for native habitat and wildlife, instead of livestock, crops, timber or any other open-space management requirements. Plateau stepped up to help hundreds of landowners across Texas make this transition to Wildlife Management Valuation, and along the way, realized that there were many folks who needed more than just a Wildlife Management Plan to get their Wildlife Valuation in place.
July 24, 2019
Laura and Adrian Berg of Crossbone Corns will present on Snakes of Texas. Educating people about the snakes that are indigenous to Texas is a passion at Crossbone Corns. We feel that if people understand the native wildlife, they are more likely to respect it. That respect makes nature safer for the animals and people involved.
Plus, we’ll have a Moth Night event out at Deer Park Prairie!
August 28, 2019
Nathan Rains, TPWD Wildlife Diversity Biologist in the Cross Timbers and Hill Country Wildlife Districts will present on Texas Horned Lizard Restoration.
Everyone loves horny toads, but for many Texans the fierce-looking, yet amiable, reptiles are only a fond childhood memory. Once common throughout most of the state, Horned Lizards have disappeared from many parts of their former range. Come learn what the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is doing to help preserve Horned Lizards and their habitat.
Nathan has and B.S. in Wildlife Biology from Texas A&M and an MS from LSU. He started his career with the Louisiana Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries in 1998 and moved to Texas to work for Texas Parks and Wildlife in 2000. He is currently a Wildlife Diversity Biologist.
=========================
Fall is
2019 PRAIRIES & POLLINATORS REGIONAL CELEBRATION
Check out all the activities at prairiepartner.org/2019-prairies-pollinators
====================================================
September 25, 2019
Susan Conaty will present History of Nash Prairie and other Dumb Luck Stories
Susan’s presentation will address the 5 W’s (who, what, where, when, and why) and the one H (how) the Nash Prairie came to be owned by The Nature Conservancy.
Susan became a Cradle of Texas Master Naturalist in 2001 and have been a volunteer land steward for the Nash Prairie since 2010. Recently she have completed an 11-month job as an AmeriCorps Member working as an assistant land Steward for the Columbia Bottomland Preserves for The Nature Conservancy, which includes the Nash Prairie, Mowotony Prairie, Brazos Woods, and The San Bernard Woods in Brazoria and Matagorda county.
Fall Prairie Day also happens in September!
October 2019
In lieu of an October meeting, HNPAT is promoting the Citizens’ Environmental Coalition’s (CEC)
“Wild About Houston: A Green Film Festival”
Wed, October 16, 2019 (3rd Wednesday of the month)
6:00 PM – 8:30 PM CDT
Rice University Media Center
2030 University Blvd., Houston, TX 77030
Meet your fellow HNPAT members at the “one-night screening of short environmental films from the Greater Houston Area that tell the story of local environmental issues, their champions and how you can make a difference.” Free though donation to CEC is appreciated.
For more information and to register for eventbrite ticket click this link.
There will NOT be a monthly HNPAT meeting on fourth Wednesday, October 23.
Save the Date!
Saturday, November 2, 2019 is Members Only
Star Party at Deer Park Prairie with Houston Astronomical Society
Scroll down for specifics
****************
Star Party at Deer Park Prairie
Saturday, November 2
Join us for a special NPAT/HNPAT MEMBERS ONLY Star Party with the Houston Astronomical Society on Saturday, November 2, at Deer Park Prairie. All participants must be a current member or part of a family membership of NPAT/HNPAT (or a member of HAS). Not a member? Not a problem. Join at https://texasprairie.org/join/ before registering for this event or join when you come to the event.
We will provide hot chocolate and light snack. RSVP IS REQUIRED, so we can set up enough telescopes and for food count and in case we need to cancel due to inclement weather or cloudy sky. RSVP at https://tinyurl.com/DPP191102
Specifics:
Location: Lawther – Deer Park Prairie Preserve at 1222 E. Purdue Lane, Deer Park, TX 77536
Time, date: 7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.; Saturday, November 2, 2019 (weather permitting)
NPAT/HNPAT members only (or HAS member)
Telescopes and expertise generously provided by the Houston Astronomical Society.
Wear closed-toe shoes & long pants, for we may be walking to the viewing platform.
For more information, email HNPAT@TexasPrairie.org
December 4, 2019
Annual Prairie Stampede!
