February Announcements

The Announcements
View the full set of February announcements by clicking here.

Ah, the Fickleness of Dallas Winter
Considering that our speaker, Kevin Sloan, was ill and that winter weather was threatening, your board felt the best path was to cancel the February chapter meeting. That’s the bad news. Thankfully, the weather didn’t hit our area as hard as it did elsewhere and I understand Kevin is already getting better.

The very good news is the rescheduling: Kevin is looking forward to presenting to NTMN as soon as possible, likely this fall. I’m excited about hearing his rewilding vision as it relates to the Trinity River basin, as well as how rewilding principles can be applied to our chapter projects, our neighborhoods and our own yards. Stay tuned for news about Kevin’s upcoming presentation.

Welcome to the New Class of 2020!
February 4^th marked the kickoff of the NTMN New Class of 2020. Please join me in extending a warm welcome to all 51 new trainees! The class is off to a great and very energetic start. As you see new class members (round name tags, remember?) please help them feel at home and part of the chapter’s work.

Many thanks also to the New Class Committee for all your work bringing this class together.

Planning and Goals Retreat
Twenty-five NTMN leaders met on January 11^th for the annual planning retreat, a time when we take stock of the chapter’s progress and establish goals for the upcoming year. I’m happy to report that NTMN is doing very well. Just to pick a few numbers that speak to how we are fulfilling our mission:

• in 2019 you provided 28,465 hours of volunteer service to our community and participated in 3909 hours of advanced training
• with our new 2020 class, we now have 375 active members.

You will be hearing more about chapter goals in the near future; for now, just a short summary of the four priorities identified for this year:

• Improving Outreach Efforts, especially through refining educational materials and use of our speakers bureau
• Enhancing Member Engagement with a focus on opportunities for small group impact
• Increasing Chapter Diversity through better partnerships with local organizations and outreach
• Improving Budgeting and Financial Processes to clarify processes and plan for funding opportunities.

Important Announcements Not in the PowerPoint

• New home: our AgriLife Office sponsor office at Hillcrest and LBJ (6820 LBJ, Suite 3200) is open. Since the old office was closed by tornado damage, forcing an early move, many of you have asked about the new location opening. The new location is airy, contemporary and provides a much-needed improvement. Thanks to you who have been working so hard to  relocate and organize chapter materials and supplies.
• Dues reminder: Our dues for 2020 are $40 and were due before the start of this year. If yours are among the few that aren’t in, there’s no time like the present. Your quickest option is to pay online using PayPal.

Thank you for all you do for our chapter and our community.
Scott Hudson
President
North Texas Master Naturalist