The Announcements
View the full set of March announcements by clicking here. As more activities open up, more volunteer opportunities are coming into the chapter calendar. Opportunities and contacts, websites, and other details are available in the announcements.
COVID-19 update: Chapter meetings are now provided in hybrid format. Masks indoors and social distancing are required at the in-person meeting at Dallas College – Brookhaven. We’re tracking with CDC guidance and continue to encourage wearing masks indoors as well as social distancing. If you opt to participate online, please know your extra caution is appreciated. Details here.
Annual Audit: To help ensure good stewardship of chapter resources, NTMN finances are thoroughly audited each year. The audit of 2021 financial activity was just completed and the report adopted by the board. To view the audit, please visit here. If you need further information, please contact Co-Treasurers Judy Cato and Alan Lusk at treasurer@ntmn.org.
Highlights of the meeting
Seed Swap – During the half-hour before the meeting a lively seed swap took place. A wide range of natives and garden seeds were exchanged. Now it’s your turn to get those seeds in the ground!
Recognition – The camera roll featured all our newest members, the New Class of 2022. Welcome to the chapter! We’re so glad you decided to join North Texas Master Naturalist. Wishing you the best on your road to certifying as Master Naturalists.
We also took time to celebrate the recipient of our 1st Quarter Volunteer Service Award: Samantha Knight. Samantha was nominated by two teams. She was selected for her outstanding work at Twelve Hills Nature Center and on the Programs Committee. Congratulations, Samantha!
Mapping Landscapes on the Go – TEAMgo and Ground Truther
Many thanks to Wendy Anderson for an engaging program on Texas Ecosystems Analytical Mapper (TEAM). Wendy is a Spatial Ecologist with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department; she is also a Master Naturalist. Her work is concentrated on mapping ecosystems as a tool in resource management.
What is TEAM? Wendy began with an overview of how the TEAM software enhances analyzing and managing ecological resources in Texas. This Google-Maps-based tool was developed to view landscape data in relation to other abiotic map layers (soils, hydrology, public lands). TEAM combines these land cover and abiotic variables to establish each “mapped type.” The model currently features 398 mapped habitat types in Texas, including 19 invasive vegetation types.
The program contains basic GIS tools, allowing one to create custom habitat maps and reports. It also contains a Ground Truther, providing for citizen science feedback.
Who is TEAM for? Why develop it? Wendy showed how, unlike most GIS programs, TEAM is online and free, so anyone can use it. It is simplified for use with a Chrome browser, either on a phone or desktop. TEAM was designed for land managers, land owners, educators, wildlife professionals, and citizen scientists. Its objectives include supporting habitat management decisions, encouraging community involvement, and expanding ecological understanding. The Ground Truther tool is there to improve map accuracy, confirming or correcting data. This is a straightforward application that master naturalists can put right to work while hiking or doing other field work.
The balance of Wendy’s presentation was an interactive lesson on using TEAM. Taking examples from the Dallas area, she showed us how to use map layers, find locations, and identify ecosystems, including reference links to mapped types and plant lists. She also demonstrated use of the Ground Truther, taking us through the steps to enter observations into the state database.
Rather than re-creating that process here, please visit the Instruction Guide at https://tpwd.texas.gov/gis/TEAM/TEAMInstructions.pdf for detailed guidance and explanation of the software.
Going deeper: TPWD Landscape Ecology Program Website
TEAM application or search in Google “TPWD TEAM”
TEAMgo mobile application or search in Google “TPWD TEAMgo”
To contact Wendy Anderson: Wendy.Anderson@tpwd.texas.gov
To view a recording of this meeting please click here.
Thanks to our guests and members for participating in this month’s meeting. I hope all feel welcome at NTMN.
Take care,
Scott Hudson
President
North Texas Master Naturalist