Ways to help Heartwood

Ways to help Heartwood

4 easy ways you can Help Heartwood

1. Very easy - Use the Internet

Use our Nature Shopping Guide for your everyday and gift purchases. We've selected the retailers you know and trust. They will donate a percent of each purchase you make to our organization to help us with funding our projects.

Add the Texas Master Naturalist - Heartwood Chapter toolbar to IE or Firefox.

Once you add the Texas Master Naturalist - Heartwood Chapter toolbar for IE or Firefox, each time you shop at one of the more than 1,300 participating stores, a percentage of what you spend will be donated to us at no extra cost to you! (you could even save money as the toolbar provides coupons and deals). The toolbar also has a search box and each time you search the Internet, about a penny is donated to us. No registration is required!

Get the ToolBar now! It's quick and easy.

http://www.goodsearch.com/toolbar/texas-master-naturalist-heartwood-chapter

2. Easier than a gym workout - Sign up for a Volunteer Activity

It's a great way to find out who we are and what we do. You might like it so much that you want to become a Certified Texas Master Naturalist. Preview the Activities section now!

All our web site members get the latest updates in their email. We definitely will not to send you spam or give other folks your address. We treat you the way we want to be treated. If you do not have a web site account with us, register now.

3. Easy as calling a friend - Donate to our Fundraisers & Wish Lists

You can buy a Home in the Forest for $175 and help save our local Endangered Species, the red-cockaded woodpecker. Call your friends tonight and pool your donations together.

Click to see if any of our Team Leaders have posted a Wish List in their Project Notes. Time to clean out the garage? You might have something they can use.

4. Join Us - Become a Texas Master Naturalist

You will be asked to attend 40 hours of scheduled lectures and field studies led by nature experts. No tests. We promise if you like nature and you like learning; you will love this Course.

What else? To maintain your certification, each year you must donate your time as outlined below. And, donate $25 for your annual Chapter membership dues.

40 hours/year of volunteer service time
8 hours/year of further education: lectures/workshops/field studies. Most of our volunteers fulfill this requirement by attending our Chapter Meeting, which includes a guest speaker each month.

You get to choose your projects and your educational training from a long list that is pre-approved by our Board.

Look in the sidebar feature box to Subscribe to our email updates for our next Texas Master Naturalist training course. Or, visit the main Texas Master Naturalist Program web site to Find a Chapter Near You.

Become a Certified Texas Master Naturalist

Step 1. Log In/Register for a web site account. Once you are logged in, look in the link under your name in the left sidebar. and click on My Account . Next screen, click the Edit tab, then the Contact Info tab. Fill in your contact information, scroll down and click the Save button.

Step 2. Fill out the Application. Deadline is March 15, 2010. Participants must be a minimum of 16 years old. Spring Course meets every other Saturday; March 27 through August 28, 2010. When finished filling in the form, click the button to Save. Next, you will see the payment options page.

Step 3. Pay the $150 Course fee via PayPal on-line or personal check by postal mail. Fee pays for training manual; other training materials; current year Chapter Dues; all lectures/field studies; and, after first year certification hours are completed, your Certification dragonfly pin, shirt with insignia, engraved name pin, and Certification document.

Step 4. Show up for every scheduled classroom-field study to enjoy learning from well-known naturalists how you can volunteer on projects in our area. No tests; listen, do, and learn.

Step 5. First year volunteers
Annual Chapter dues is included in your Course fee. You have one full year from joining to complete the Certification hours requirements: 40 hours volunteer service on Heartwood projects or with any of our nature partners + 8 hours approved training lectures/workshops beyond the Course studies.

Step 6. To maintain Certification status after the first year
Pay annual Chapter dues -$25 in 2010. Complete the Certification hours requirements listed above: 40 hrs volunteer service + 8 hours Advanced Training lectures/workshops.

Monthly Chapter Meeting the first Wednesday of each month, except Decmber, at the W.G. Jones State Forest classroom building. Not required, but it is most informative with Activity Announcements, Voting on business issues, and a Guest Speaker which counts as 1 hour towards your 8 hours of required advanced training.