Meteorology -- March 20, 2024

Weather and Climate - Unit 8 In Your Textbook. Complete the (optional) quiz.

Dr. David Baker, Professor of Physics, Austin College and Adams Observatory Director

Read Dr. Baker's BIO

1. Read Unit 8 in your textbook and complete the (optional) quiz.

2. Watch the video on cloud types (5:05)

3. After watching Pecos Hank's video on lightning (10:58), review the Lightning Types page on the NSSL website. 

4. Watch the video Adding iNaturalist Observations from the Website (6:13) 

Optional Activites

Read this USFWS article about protecting endangered species in a changing climate

Logging Hours

*Make sure that you have recorded last week's attendance in VMS.

(If you missed class, contact your pod guides to schedule a make-up.)    

Opportunity: Init Training-Class 06      

Date: March 13, 2024      

Hours: 3.0 

Description: Prairie Ecology with Brandon Belcher

Snack Sign-Up

Have you signed up to bring a snack for class yet? If not, sign up HERE.

Volunteer Service (VH) Opportunities

• Pod 8's BioBlitz at Bonnie Wenk Park in McKinney, March 16th, 9-11am, see chapter calendar for details

• Caldwell Park Pollinator Garden workday, March 17th, 8-11am, see chapter calendar for details

• Pod 4's BioBlitz at Bob Woodruff Park in Plano, March 17th, 10am-12pm, see chapter calendar for details

• See Chapter Calendar for additional approved opportunities

• AUSTIN COLLEGE WEATHER STATION

• My NASA Data - About the Biosphere - website & video

• The Complete Guide to Ten Cloud Types - From the What's This Cloud website

• NSSL on Lightning - website with photos

• How to Read Surface Weather Maps - National Weather Service (NWS) Jetstream website

• TexMesonet - Earth Observation data collection network

• Do cosmic rays cause lightning? - Article from Scientific American.

• Weather Resources from the American Meteorological Society

• Weather Underground (wunderground.com)

• WeatherBug - phone app, good for lightning alerts when you're hiking

• CLYMER PRAIRIE feature on the Texas Parks & Wildlife's TV show. You can see the full episode HERE

WEEK SEVEN CLASS UPDATE

Happy Thursday, Class of 2024!

Hope everyone enjoyed the class with Brandon Belcher last night. Log your class in VMS as:

Opportunity: Init Training-Class 06      

Date: March 13, 2024      

Hours: 3.0 

Description: Prairie Ecology with Brandon Belcher

Be on the lookout for the opportunity to visit Clymer Meadow: it’s amazing! As Nancy shared last night, Clymer is featured in the latest episode of Texas Parks & Wildlife's TV show. You can see the full episode at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4aUOhj7e2Ao  Parkhill Prairie is very cool, too, and it is also one of our planned field trips. Next week we’ll be back in the SRC at the Heard. Hopefully everyone has had a chance to read one or two of the supplemental reading books. Here’s the list of books:

• Nature’s Best Hope by Doug Tallamy

• Prairie Time, by Matt White

• The Naturalist at Home, by Kelly Brenner

• Prairie: A Natural History, by Candace Savage

• Wild DFW, by Amy Martin

Check off the ones you’ve read (or at least looked through!) and bring yours back next Wednesday to exchange for the next one!

Our first iNaturalist bioblitz is coming up this week-end. Sponsored by Pod 8, it will be held on Saturday, from 9:00 – 11:00 at Bonnie Wenk Park  , you can sign up HERE.

(Also see information about other bioblitz opportunities sponsored by the other pods.) When you attend an iNaturalist Bioblitz, log as Volunteer Service Hours:

Opportunity:  Blackland Prairie iNaturalist project: Field Research Hours

Date: ACTUAL DATE

Hours: You should count your time at the event, plus travel time. If you spend additional time at home editing your pictures and

entering your observations, you should include that as well.  

Description: Group Outing to PLACE took pictures and made observations for entry into iNaturalist. (add more details if you like)

Reminder regarding dress for the field trips, bioblitzes and for outdoor volunteering:always wear long pants and closed-toed shoes, even if the weather is warm!

We’ve occasionally had people show up in shorts and sandals, which isn’t safe for our off-trail excursions. (AND always wear your nametag!)

Everyone have a great week! I’ll be out of town this week-end, but I’ll be looking for your iNaturalist observations!

Cheers,

Lisa

Lisa Travis, Training Director

Texas Master Naturalist, Blackland Prairie Chapter
education@bptmn.org
(817)832-3912

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.”

  -- Margaret Mead