WEEK 9: Mar 28-Apr 3, 2024
Geology & Soils -- April 3, 2024
This Week's Topic
Geology & Soils - Unit 7 in your textbook. Complete the (optional) quiz HERE
Our Expert on Stage
Pre-work - Must be completed by class time
Please make sure you are up to date on logging your training classes and field trips. See VMS information for logging info on each class and field trip.
If you have not yet signed up for three field trips, do that as soon as possible. You still have several options, but with each week you'll have fewer options.
If you haven't signed up to bring snacks for one class, please sign up HERE.
Look over Unit 7 in your textbook. Complete the optional quiz HERE
Watch the assigned videos. While the chapter in our textbook covers general information for the whole state, these videos are specific to North Texas.
The Story Behind the Rocks of DFW (6:08)
Lorelei on Soil, Part 1 (21:40)
Lorelei on Soil, Part 2 (22:46)
Bring to Class
Wear footwear and clothing appropriate for playing in the dirt outside (maybe mud too). Bring a change of shoes, just in case!
Sign up for End-of-Year Projects
These projects are optional, but I would encourage everyone to consider signing up. (You earn Volunteer Service Hours for your time spent in preparation and presenting.) At the January BPTMN Chapter meeting, four members of the Class of 2024 reprised their presentations. (And received rave reviews, I might add!) If you missed this meeting, you can watch the recording of the five presentations HERE.
If you choose to prepare a project, you have several choices:
Prepare and present a "Ted Talk" at our last class. These have a ten-minute maximum. Any topic in the TMN curriculum (your textbook) is fair game! These will be presented during our final class on May 8. When you sign up, please list the topic you will be covering. We will have 12 presentation slots, so sign up early HERE
Build an Education/Outreach trunk. Stephanie Gonzalez and Marla Layne will have a meeting with those who are interested in participating.
Prepare and record a presentation. Like the Ted Talks, these will have a ten-minute maximum. Again, any topic in the TMN textbook is fair game. These recordings will be added to our chapter education library. Your audience could be children, youth, the general public, or Texas Master Naturalists. When you sign up, please list the topic you will be covering.
Prepare a "product" such as a brochure, cheat sheet, etc. There are numerous possibilities here! Anything that you think advances the BPTMN mission of education about beneficial management of natural resources in our community. Again, your audience could be children, youth, the general public, or Texas Master Naturalists. When you sign up, please list the topic AND the type of resource you plan to prepare.
Reminders
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 08
Date: March 27, 2024
Hours: 3.0
Description: Volunteers as Teachers, presented by Chris Ulch
If you attended one (or more) of the iNaturalist Outings, enter your Volunteer Service Hours in VMS, including travel time, and time spent entering your data. Enter each day as a separate entry.
Opportunity: BPTMN: Blackland Prairie iNaturalist Project: TMN Field Research Hours
Date: be sure to put the date you collected the observations
Hours: include time spent at the outing, travel time, and time spent entering your data
Description: (location); collected data on local flora and fauna; edited pictures and entered my data
example: Arbor Hills park; collected data on local flora and fauna; edited pictures and entered my data.
Volunteer and Training Opportunities
Advanced Training (AT) Opportunities
Tuesday, April 9th, 12:00 noon (TMN Tuesdays) - Virtual Volunteer Fair, 1 hour AT, see the registration link here.
Tuesday, April 9th, 7:00 PM Monthly Chapter Meeting - Learning to Read Tracks and Signs, 1 hour AT, see BPTMN home page for info on the featured speaker
Other Geology and Soils Resources
Paleobiology Database Navigator - interactive map of all fossils documented worldwide
The Soil Will Save Us by Kristin Ohlson - book
RockD - smartphone app, includes minerals, paleo, fossils. geologic map
Roadside Geology of Texas by Darwin Spearing- book
Geological Formation of North America Through the Eons - video
North Texas Fossils - website
Texas Geologic History Quick Overview - YouTube video
Texas Through Time: Lone Star Geology, Landscapes, and Resources - book
CLASS MEETING INFORMATION
Meet at the Science Resource Center at the Heard Museum
Week NINE: Wednesday, April 3, 2024
6:00 - 9:00 PM
Class meets IN PERSON
WEEKY CLASS UPDATE
WEEK NINE CLASS UPDATE
March 28, 2024
Weekly Update for Week 9: Geology and Soils
Happy Thursday, Everyone!
What a great class last night! Your mini-presentations were terrific, and I can’t wait to hear more from you guys! Next week’s class is Geology and Soils, so be sure to bring a change of shoes!
It’s hard to believe, but we are in the final countdown now! After this week, we have only four more regular classes!
Week 10: Mammalogy (last Zoom class)
Week 11: Botany
Week 12: Forest Ecology
Week 13: Aquatics
Remember, you must complete thirteen of our fourteen classes in order to complete your training. If you have missed any classes and haven’t made them up, please contact your guide or Janice James jdjames28@gmail.com right away to make plans for making up these classes.
Week 14: Our final week will be a special class! No pre-work, although some of you will be busy preparing your final Capstone projects! (More on that below.) BONUS: If you have attended (or made up) thirteen classes, you will be able to count this final class as three hours of AT!
May 15: Graduation Our graduation will be held at Myers event center, at 6:00 PM. This night is all about celebrating YOU, the class of 2024. It is lots of fun, and you are welcome to bring guests: spouse, parents, children, friends. We’ll have an RSVP sign up for graduation in a couple of weeks.
NOTE: some of you have already completed the three required FIELD TRIPS. Once you have completed three, you can count any additional field trips as ADVANCED TRAINING. Log additional field trips as AT: BPTMN Other Pre-approved training. Be sure to note in the Description: that this is an ADDITIONAL Field trip, to avoid confusion.
Our next field trip is on April 5, to Chalk Hill farm (Bill and Fran Woodfin’s property.) This includes a cemetery dating from the 1850’s, untouched by a plough for at least 175 years! This trip is always a favorite!
If you are interested in completing a Capstone project, sign ups are now open. Sign up HERE. At next week’s class, Stephanie Gonzalez and Kathy Boys will tell you more about the Education/Outreach trunks, and will have a sign-up sheet for people who want to hear more about building them.
Have a great week!
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