It’s a Celebration!

Welcoming the 2025 Spring HCMN Class and
Honoring Achievements

The Spring 2025 Graduating Class of Fireflies Photo courtesy Tina Adkins

Betsy Cross, Mimi Cavender, and Tina Adkins

On Saturday, November 8, members of the Hays County Chapter of Texas Master Naturalist™ celebrated the 2025 Spring Graduating Class of Fireflies. The Gala event included a social hour with dinner, a presentation by President Bob Adkins, including Chapter highlights and yearly metrics, followed by introduction of the graduating class by Training Director Mary O’Hara. Then came the individual members’ milestone and tenure awards, Community Partner awards, and Chapter recognition awards.

Training Class Director Mary O’Hara presents the 2025 Graduating Class of Fireflies.

Chapter Recognition: Recertification and Milestone Awards

Tenure Awards

Chapter Recognition Awards

This year’s Outstanding Chapter Volunteer has gone above and beyond in every sense; sharing over 800 hours of her time and talents in service to our chapter and community. Her year was filled with teaching, leading, organizing, and inspiring others to connect with nature. She assisted Research Rangers in leading engaging classes on galls, fossils, and the Seasons of Science event. You may have seen her behind the table at community events--from the Shady Llama and Kyle Market Days to the Pollinator Party at the San Marcos Library--always ready to spark curiosity and share knowledge.

**Steph Dodson - Outstanding Chapter Volunteer**

As chair of our Community Education Committee, she organized volunteers for countless outreach events and even trained new liaisons to confidently represent our chapter. She created training materials for the iNaturalist City Nature Challenge, coached volunteers on how to run a BioBlitz, and continues to strengthen our chapter’s citizen science efforts.

Her passion for learning and teaching extends to TPWD’s Bat Acoustic Monitoring Project, where she helped digitize records, create training videos, co-host webinars, and even lead bat walks and presentations.

From turtles and reptiles at the San Marcos Discovery Center, to migratory birds at the Meadows Center, to serving as a docent at both Jacob’s Well and Bracken Bat Cave, she has truly embraced every opportunity to engage people with the natural world.

Our 2025 honoree is truly an educator extraordinaire. She’s known for captivating audiences of all ages as she shares her vast knowledge of all things nature. She leads a talented team on an ever-growing project that inspires people to explore the wildlife right in their own communities, creating fun, engaging curriculum that connects kids, adults, and families alike to the natural world.

**Kristy Daniel - Significant Contribution to the Chapter**

You might spot her at a Texas State University STEM Festival, chatting with curious kids in Buda at the Stagecoach Park Conservation Fair, celebrating with the Mermaid Society in San Marcos, or sharing nature stories at Kyle Market Days, the Shady Llama in Wimberley, the Roughhouse Brewery, Jester King in Dripping Springs, or even at Kirby Lane or an Earth Day event at UMC. In short, she’s everywhere spreading enthusiasm for wildlife across our county.

In more formal settings, she trains teachers how to use her team’s curriculum, and she even shares her expertise with other Master Naturalist chapters across Texas. And as if that weren’t enough, this dynamo also led the planning and implementation of a statewide survey and focus group project at the 2024 Texas Master Naturalist Annual Meeting. Months of research planning, logistics, data collection design, volunteer coordination, and analysis that reached hundreds of participants. She and her colleague shared the results of this survey at this year’s TX Master Naturalist Annual Meeting. Whew!

She also lends her time and expertise to our Training Committee, serving as a regular and much-loved presenter for our new trainees each semester.

This next honoree has been a true driving force behind some of the most creative and impactful projects in our chapter! She’s worked tirelessly with Dr. Daniel on Research Rangers; those engaging, hands-on nature guides that make science come alive! She’s presented at major conferences across Texas, from Corpus Christi to San Antonio, sharing the magic of outdoor learning with educators, families, and students alike. Whether she’s prepping materials, organizing outreach, leading family hikes, or mentoring university students developing new activities, she does it all with boundless creativity and enthusiasm.

**Significant Contribution to the Chapter - Jill Zipperer**

And that’s not all! She also dove right into the award-winning Beautiful Hays County Coloring Book project; helping families discover our local parks in a whole new way. She updated the TEKS connections to make the book even more valuable for classroom teachers and joined in strategy and grant meetings to help plan for its bright future, including exploring an H-E-B pollinator grant!

At the 2024 TMN Annual Conference, she teamed up with Dr. Daniel to co-present an engaging interpretation session, while also delivering two fascinating talks of her own: Mother Nature’s Naturalist Mothers and Turning Master Naturalists into Nature Interpreters. Both were packed with enthusiasm, insight, and inspiration.

She even developed supporting materials and helped conduct a focus group for a TMN/Texas State research project, contributing to both learning and community understanding in a big way.

At this year’s Texas Master Naturalist Annual meeting, she and Dr. Daniel shared the results of their research to captivated attendees. Then she surprised many of us by being one of the keynote speakers for the evening. Closer to home, she’s a beloved presenter to our Master Naturalists in training, sharing her knowledge and enthusiasm with new members year after year. And this year, she took on one of the biggest roles in our chapter; Training Class Coordinator, stepping in with grace, organization, and a smile.

From crafting schedules and organizing field trips to creating graduation programs, coordinating mentors, and even planning those famous nature trivia games, she’s led our Fall Training Class with extraordinary heart and energy, keeping trainees and mentors inspired every step of the way. Through every project, every presentation, and every email (and there have been many!), she’s made a lasting difference to our chapter and community.

This Master Naturalist has taken on a very special role in our chapter as our “video documentarian-in-chief.” His first award-winning video was the history of our chapter for our 20th Anniversary Celebration, for which he won 1st place in the 2019 TMN Annual Meeting Video Contest. For this project, he traveled far and wide to interview the founder, founding members, and AgriLife and TPWD advisors of our chapter.

**Special Achievement Award - Bob Currie**

Other award-winning works include Wild About Nature, an education outreach to Hays County children and their parents which won 1st place in the 2022 TMN Annual Meeting Video Contest. Also in 2022, he produced Habitat Enhancing Land Management (HELM), an education outreach to ecology minded rural property owners which won 2nd place in the TMN Annual Meeting Video Contest. Both videos were collaborations with Chris Middleton, the Project Coordinator.

The most recent award bestowed was for Nature in the Heart of Wimberley, documenting the Patsy Glenn Refuge Project, for which he and his team of HCMNs won 1st Place in the 2025 TMN Annual Meeting Video Contest. In addition to juried work, in 2011, his first year with HCMN, he created a video for the Night Sky website.

From 2015 through 2017, he videoed our training classes as a member of the training committee and since has served as a substitute to video the training classes when needed.

In 2021, he created a moving and memorable video tribute for our HCMN Emeritus award recipient, LaRay Geist. Other meaningful contributions include his work with the Video Team Project. According to Irene Foelschow, the Project Coordinator, he generously created an instructional video on how to make our social media videos look professional using only our cell phones. His work encouraged many volunteers to work on the project who otherwise would have been intimidated, and it served as a helpful reference when questions came up throughout the project. In addition to video work, he is the Project Coordinator for The Patsy Glenn Refuge.

Members have described him as always being positive, willing to fulfill requests, and perseveres with a good attitude when difficulties arise. He is also known to all as a wonderful person and a pleasure with whom to work. When he and his wife, Salwa, were interviewed for a HUMM article he said, “We are dedicated to living our commitment to sustainability and a program of sustainable agriculture.”

Click below to watch the 2025 TMN Annual Meeting award-winning video!

Katherine Sturdivant serves as the Education Director and Volunteer Coordinator for Hays County Parks & Recreation. Throughout her tenure, Katherine has demonstrated unwavering support for the HCMN Chapter's mission and has made exceptional contributions to community education and engagement. Her enthusiasm and leadership have been instrumental in motivating countless HCMN volunteers.

**Community Partner Award Individual - Katherine Sturdivant**

Katherine’s ability to inspire participation has resulted in active engagement in local conservation efforts, creating a ripple effect of community involvement and collective action for the environment. Members are consistently eager to join learning opportunities and volunteer projects led by Katherine, confident that her passion and expertise will provide meaningful and impactful experiences.

In addition, Katherine has tirelessly dedicated her time and expertise to educating the community about the importance of environmental conservation. By developing innovative programs and hands-on workshops, she has made complex environmental issues accessible and relevant to individuals of all ages. Katherine’s unwavering passion and commitment have sparked positive change, fostering a culture of environmental stewardship that will benefit future generations.

The United Methodist Church of Wimberley’s Green Team was established in September 2024 with a clear mission: “to put their faith into action by protecting God’s creation and promoting environmental justice.” In pursuit of this mission, the GreenTeam has implemented a variety of impactful environmental projects.

**Community Partner Award Non-Profit** - representing The United Methodist Church of Wimberley’s Green Team: **Sandra Londa** (center, holding the award) and **Janice Sisson** (dark sweater)

One notable initiative involved the purchase of rainwater collection barrels, which were then sold at a discounted rate to members of the congregation. This effort aimed to empower and encourage congregation members to launch their own environmentally friendly projects, thereby extending the impact of the Green Team’s work throughout the community.

United Methodist Church bird viewing station in Wimberley, Texas

Recognizing a valuable opportunity for collaboration, HCMN member Pat Heintz facilitated a partnership between the Green Team and the Hays County Master Naturalists through the Hays County Birding Project. As a result of this partnership, a dedicated group was formed, consisting of both Master Naturalists and UMC Green Team members. Working together, this team successfully planned and constructed a bird viewing station within the United Methodist Church’s Natural Area, completing the project in just one and a half months.

Project Coordinator Larry Calvert praised the group’s dedication, noting that “this group was highly engaged and hard working.” His words reflect the strong commitment and effective teamwork demonstrated by everyone involved in the project.

**Texas Master Naturalist of Distinction - Dell and Gerin Hood**‍

This is a new award for our Chapter. It recognizes members who have served long and strong. Today we honor depth of service—enduring volunteerism in a dozen projects, many focused on habitat renewal in most of our County’s natural areas, invasive species data collection, and sustainable land management. Also, there’s that fierce scientific curiosity about the natural world: wildflowers, skunks, fungus, rain, and drought. There has been enthusiastic project leadership, most recently designing and coordinating the native landscaping of a high profile public area. These strengths and their sustained friendship have been their gift to us.

We honor, too, the length of their service. From 1999, from the Hays County Chapter’s first graduating class, the Roadrunners, this extraordinary couple--known to be joined at the hip—are our Texas Master Naturalists of Distinction— Gerin and Dell Hood.

Outgoing Officers

Treasurer – Larry Calvert

Larry has served as Treasurer since 2016, following his service as Chapter President and Past President. The volume and complexity of the Chapter’s financial activity has increased considerably in that time and he has helped guide that growth. Thank you, Larry, for 10 years of service as Chapter Treasurer.

Vice President – Doray Lendacky

Doray has served as our Vice President and Program Committee Chair for two terms. She has coordinated a number of interesting speakers and topics and has been a charming and enthusiastic host for Chapter Meetings. Thank you, Doray, for your service as Vice President!

President – Bob Adkins

Bob was elected in 2020 and has served as Chapter President for 4 terms. He has overseen the addition of a second training class each year, celebrating our 25th Anniversary, and hosting the TMN State Meeting in San Marcos last year. Thank you, Bob, for your service to the Chapter!