How to Join and Class Schedule

Our mission is to develop a corps of well-informed volunteers who provide education, outreach, and service dedicated to the beneficial management of natural resources and natural areas within their communities for the State of Texas. The North Texas Chapter primarily serves Dallas, Rockwall, and Kaufman counties. Visit this link to find other chapters throughout the state.

Applications for the 2025 Training Class are now closed. You are always welcome to attend a chapter meeting, either in person or via Zoom. Meetings are the first Wednesday of each month beginning at 7:00 pm.

Click here for a sample application.

Click here for tips to know when completing your application.

Master Naturalists enjoying a hike

Master Naturalists enjoying a hike

Why become a Master Naturalist?

Educate, Connect and Engage with Nature and People

  • Be part of a group of like-minded people that enjoy nature and the outdoors
  • Learn more about our natural environment in the North Texas area from experts in their fields
  • Work with people from North Texas with varied individual interests, experience, and talent
  • Help others love and value our natural environment
  • Learn about and support great nature organizations and their work
  • Protect and restore our natural resources
  • Make new friends and discover many wonderful prairies, forests, aquatic areas, nature centers, and parks you don’t even know exist

Quick Views of our Chapter:

Check out these short videos to see more about us!

The NTMN Class Experience  (3 minutes)
I’m a Texas Master Naturalist (2 minute video)

Some 2025 classes will be held online and some in person at Brookhaven College. We will have small-group, in-person experiences – nature walks, field trips, meet-ups to see Master Naturalist Projects and places to volunteer, and also for you to meet and get to know fellow Master Naturalists.

Learn. Volunteer. Repeat.

How do I become a certified Master Naturalist?

    • Submit the application for the class and pass the mandatory background check to be accepted into the program. To become a Master Naturalist, you must be at least 18 years of age.
    • Complete the training program: 40 classroom hours (in person and online), 3 field trips (1 each for Aquatic, Prairie, and Forest ecosystems), homework, and class project.
    • Obtain a minimum of 8 hours of approved advanced training and complete a minimum of 40 hours of chapter-approved volunteer service within the same calendar year.

    Master Naturalists maintain certification by completing 8 hours of advanced training and 40 hours of volunteer service each year.

    The next class will start on Tuesday, January 28, 2025 and run through April 29, 2025

    Preference will be given to applicants who express a commitment to stewardship of our natural resources, a willingness and availability to contribute time to volunteer service, a desire to complete the coursework, homework, and field trips, and those already volunteering.

    This is a selective process and applicants will be notified of acceptance status by end of November following the application period each year.

    Cost

    The registration fee for the 2025 class is $200.00, which includes the membership payment for 2025, textbook, and other supplies. Please pay only AFTER you receive an acceptance notice. Detailed instructions will be given at that time. Acceptance notices will be e-mailed no later than December 1, 2024. Some partial scholarships are available. Send an e-mail to ne******@nt**.org to request a scholarship application. 

    If you have received an email notifying you that you have been accepted in the Class of 2025, a tuition invoice will be emailed to you from “North Texas Master Naturalists <qu********@no**********.com>”.  You can securely pay your tuition by clicking the “Pay Invoice” button or by sending a check made out to “North Texas Master Naturalist” to the AgriLife office using the address below. Payment is due by December 9, 2024.

    NORTH TEXAS MASTER NATURALISTS
    C/O TEXAS A&M AGRILIFE EXTENSION SERVICES
    6820 LYNDON B JOHNSON FWY STE 3200
    DALLAS TX 75240-6580

     

    What does the training program include?
    The class provides volunteers with a broad naturalist education: ecological concepts, ecosystems and natural history; human impact on nature; and awareness of ethics, value judgment, and citizen science. Instructors are local experts in the natural resources community from universities, state and federal agencies, and nature centers. Tuesday evening classes meet from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. and many will be held via Zoom.To obtain certification, each trainee must attend at least twelve of the thirteen classes.This is the 2025 Training Class Schedule
    2025 Class Schedule
    DateUnitTopic
    28-JanUnit 5Introduction to Texas Master Naturalists
    and Ecosystem Concepts
    4-FebUnit 4Ecological Regions of Texas & VMS Info.
    11-FebUnits 14, 18Aquatic Ecology and Ichthyology
    18-FebUnit 6Ecosystem Management
    Unit 21and Urban Ecosystems
    25-FebUnit 17Forest Ecology and Management
    4-MarUnit 20Prairie Ecology and Management
    18-MarUnit 15Herpetology – Amphibians
    Snakes
    25-MarUnits 10Taxonomy
    Unit 16Mammalogy
    1-AprUnit 7Geology
    Unit 8Effects of Weather and Climate
    8-AprUnit 13Entomology
    15-AprUnit 12Ornithology
    22-AprUnits 24,22Citizen Science/ Laws/ Ethics
    Unit 23Outreach and Interfacing with the Community
    29-AprUnit 11Botany

     

    Field Trip topics and locations: To obtain certification, each Trainee must attend one field trip in each category: Forest, Prairie, and Wetlands. Field trips take place on weekends. Several options will be available for each category. The locations and dates for the Field Trips have not been finalized. These are some examples of possible locations for the trips.

    FOREST Field Trip Options   

    LocationMore Information
    Ned and Genie Fritz Buckeye Trail7000 Bexar Street,
    Dallas
    https://trinityrivercorridor.com/recreation/texas-buckeye-trailA mile-long trail into the Great Trinity Forest that, at one point, borders the Trinity River.
    Spring Creek Preserve1770 Holford Road,
    Garland
    https://springcreekforest.orgA 69-acre preserve that features old-growth bottomland forest, with 20-40 ft tall limestone cliffs cut by a spring water stream. Over 650 species of plants & animals have been observed, including Solomon’s seals, very rare for this area.
    Dogwood Canyon Audubon Center1206 W. FM 1382
    Cedar Hill, TX
    https://dogwood.audubon.org/Set at the mouth of a forested canyon, Dogwood Canyon is a 200-acre natural habitat with two miles of hiking trails. It is one of the few remaining places in Dallas County to observe native trees, grasses, wildflowers, etc.. The 3,000 acres greenbelt that surrounds DCAC is an important stopover for migrating birds and other species.

    PRAIRIE Field Trip Options     

    LocationMore Information
    Clymer Meadow4318  FM 1562,
    Celeste, TX
    https://www.nature.org/en-us/get-involved/how-to-help/places-we-protect/clymer-meadow-preserve/ The 1,400-acre Clymer Meadow Preserve contains some of the largest and most diverse remnants of the Blackland Prairie, including imperiled plants such as little bluestem-Indiangrass and gamagrass-switchgrass.  Owned by the Nature Conservancy of Texas, Clymer Meadow serves as a study center and is seldom open to the public.
    Connemara PreserveOn the border of Allen and Plano just to the east of Alma Drive, north of Hedgcoxe Drive and just south of Bethany Drive.https://connemaraconservancy.org/A 72-acre oasis of beauty and serenity in the midst of suburban sprawl. Owned by the Connemara Conservancy Foundation, it is rich in floral diversity that is reminiscent of the tall grass Blackland Prairie that once existed in north Texas.
    Lake Lewisville Environmental Learning Area (LLELA)201 E. Jones St., (corner of Jones and Kealy streets), Lewisville, TXhttps://www.llela.org/llela-homeA 2,000 acre property in Lewisville where the Blackland Prairies and the Eastern Cross Timbers meet, intersected by the Elm Fork of the Trinity River.

     

    WETLANDS Field Trip

    *Note: JBS is the best place in town for wetlands education.  There will be two trips to JBS on the calendar, and we are hoping that we can get 100% of trainees registered in one of these Saturday morning classes.  Understanding that Saturday mornings may not work for everyone, I’ll work with those of you who can’t attend the JBS trips to try and schedule an alternative option.

    LocationMore Information
    John Bunker Sands Wetlands Center655 Martin Ln,
    Seagoville, TX
    https://www.wetlandcenter.com/Located in the middle of the 2,000-acre East Fork Wetland Project, the JBS provides education and research opportunities pertaining to water conservation, wetland systems and wildlife management. The Center serves as the hub of environmental and social interest of man-made wetland habitats on the Rosewood Seagoville Ranch property. This includes the North Texas Municipal Water District’s 2,000 acre East Fork Wetland Project, and an additional 1,200 acres of bottomland hardwood forest restoration as part of the Bunker Sands Mitigation Bank.

    Who can I contact for more information about the training program?

    For more information on joining the North Texas Master Naturalist chapter, contact: Anne Edwards, New Class Director at ne******@nt**.org

    If you live in Collin, Denton, Ellis, or Tarrant County, consider your local chapter. The Texas Master Naturalist website provides a map and links for chapters across the state.

    If you are a Trainee from another chapter, inquiring about a make up class or field trip, please email cl*********@nt**.org

    Download our 2025 Member recruitment flyer in English here. The Spanish version of the flyer can be downloaded here.

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    Trinity River Audubon Center || Sunday Morning Bird Walk (AT) Sunday, January 26, 2025  |  9am – 10am  CT Description:  Join us for a Sunday...
    January 26, 2025    
    1:30 pm - 4:30 pm
      Sunday, January 26, 2025  1:30 - 4:30pm Address: 2725 N. Jim Miller Rd. Dallas, Texas 75217; A few blocks south of Scyene in the parking...
    John Bunker Sands Wetland Center || 1st Saturday Walk & Talk Bird Tour (AT) Saturday, Feb 1, 2025  ||  7:30am – 9:30am Description:  Join us...
    TMN-Elm Fork Chapter || Early Bird Watch & Walk at Furneaux Creek (AT) Saturday, February 1, 2025  ||  9:00 AM – 11:00 AM  CT Description:...
    Heard Museum || 1st Saturday Guided Trails  (AT) Saturday, February 1, 2025  ||  9:30am – 10:30am CT Discription: Experience the ecology, geology, flora and fauna...
    February 1, 2025    
    10:00 am - 1:00 pm
    Join Dallas municipal leaders at this community event to keep City of Dallas parks and creeks clean. Bring comfortable clothes and shoes. Dress for cold...
    Chapter Meeting / Winter Awards Banquet / POT LUCK Please RSVP HERE Please SIGN UP for POTLUCK & HELP HERE Location:  Water Building at the...
    February 3, 2025    
    7:23 pm - 8:23 pm
    Board Meetings are open to all members and to the public. Please contact the Vice President at vicepresident@ntmn.org for meeting details if you want to...
    TMN-Elm Fork Chapter || 2nd Saturday Trail Walk at Furneaux Creek (AT) Saturday, February 8, 2025  ||  8:00 AM – 10:00 AM Description: Fun for...
    Heard Museum || 2nd Saturday Bird Walk (AT) Saturday, February 8, 2025 ||  8am – 9:30am CT Description: 2nd Saturday Bird Walks are intended to...
    Trinity River Audubon Center || Second Saturday Guided Hike (AT) Saturday, February 08, 2025  |  8:30am-10:00am   CT Description: Join us for a guided hike led...
    Trinity River Audubon Center || Morning Bird Walk (AT) Saturday, February 15, 2025  |  7:30am – 9:00am  CT Description:  Join us for a monthly bird walk...
    Project site name changed to Prairie Creek Marsh and Wildscape (formerly Canyon Creek) Monthly workday 1001 G. Bush Freeway ( Hilton Garden Inn) Every third...
    John Bunker Sands Wetland Center || 3rd Saturday Guided Boardwalk Tour (AT) Saturday, February 15, 2025 ||  9:00 AM – 10:30 AM    CT Description:  As...
    Heard Museum || 3rd Thursday Bird Walk (AT) Thursday, February 20, 2025  |  8am – 9:30am CT Description: 3rd Thursday Bird Walks in the Heard...
    Trinity River Audubon Center || Sunday Morning Bird Walk (AT) Sunday, February 23, 2025  |  9am – 10am  CT Description:  Join us for a Sunday...
      John Bunker Sands Wetland Center || 1st Saturday Walk & Talk Bird Tour (AT) Saturday, March 1, 2025  ||  7:30am – 9:30am Description:  Join...
    TMN-Elm Fork Chapter || Early Bird Watch & Walk at Furneaux Creek (AT) Saturday, March 1, 2025   9:00 AM – 11:00 AM Description: Join Randy...
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