Hello, friends. This blog is where the El Camino Real Chapter, Texas Master Naturalists shares news, articles, and reflections. You’ll find our posts right under this introduction. We encourage your comments and likes, and of course, shares!
Our chapter meets monthly on the second Thursday of the month in the fellowship hall at All Saints Episcopal Church, 200 North Travis Avenue, Cameron, Texas. Presentations begin at 6 pm, after a potluck meal. All are welcome to attend.
Our Mission: To develop a corps of well-informed volunteers to 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 Texas Master Naturalist, El Camino Real Chapter invites all local lovers of the diverse and fascinating landscape of Texas to join us beginning in January for our next training class.
We have been gathering a selection of Texas plant, animal, water, and land experts to guide students through an in-depth introduction to our surroundings, with a special focus on Milam County and its immediate surroundings. Plus there will be field trips for immersive learning. You’ll never look at the land around you the same way again!
Learn about native plants and insects
As an accredited Texas Master Naturalist, you’ll get to attend monthly meetings, engage in fulfilling community outreach, and work on projects that benefit life around Milam County. Plus there’s a yearly annual meeting for more learning and networking opportunities among Texas Parks and Wildlife staff, AgriLife Extension staff, and nature lovers from all over Texas.
Participate in community projects
To learn more about the training and get on the list for more information, contact Alan Rudd at aerudd@yahoo.com or 979-220-3328.
We are excited to announce our participation in the Pollinators for Texas Initiative! Our chapter’s project was selected to receive financial support to enhance native pollinator conservation in our area! Our project, Sow & Grow: Milam Seed Library, aims to expand by adding two additional locations to provide Milam County residents with free access to native seeds and to teach about the importance of pollinators through educational programming. By providing free access to native seeds in various locations, all residents of Milam County will have the opportunity to support pollinators and create their own natural habitat at home, making a lasting impact on pollinator conservation.
A big thank you to H-E-B for their generous support in this initiative and their continued partnership with the Texas Master Naturalist program. Together, we’re working to safeguard and enhance native pollinator populations across Texas. For more information about the Pollinators for Texas Initiative, visit https://txmn.tamu.edu/pollinators-for-texas/.
Our announcement
The two new locations for expansion will be a seed library inside the Lucy Hill Patterson Memorial Library (Rockdale, TX) and a free-standing seed library to be placed outside at the El Camino Real City Wildscape ( All Saints’ Episcopal Church, Cameron, TX).
Our project wants to raise awareness of pollinator decline and its threat to one-third of the U.S. food supply, offer educational programs on native pollinators and ecosystem services, and launch a Native Wildscape Yard of the Month (April – September 2027, county-wide) to inspire residents to create beautiful native landscapes, dispel the “messy garden” stigma and encourage seed donation back to our libraries and sustaining our seed stock while building lasting habitat improvements throughout the community.
I’d like to recognize Catherine Johnson and Patsy Coombs for all their knowledge, encouragement and expertise as they supported me. Also, Elena Berkes, the head Librarian at the Cameron Pubic Library, totally embraced our Chapter’s installation of the seed library and has continued to support our efforts. Also, many thanks to the Little River Basin Master Gardeners who have partnered with us in supplying and packaging seeds for our project.
And of course, many thanks to our El Camino Real Chapter members for supporting my idea and continuing to come monthly to package seeds!
A breezy afternoon was enjoyed at the Wildscape in the shade, making sure the garden will survive until cool weather. All focus is keeping treasured natives alive.
No worries about weeds only about finding yellow jackets and killing with non-toxic liquid.
Nature Along the El Camino Real 