Texas Master Naturalist
2025 Annual Meeting
Photos courtesy Katie Peltier, Mary O’Hara, and Hays County Master Naturalists
Katie Peltier and Mary O’Hara
The 2025 Texas Master Naturalist Annual Meeting, held October 16–19 in College Station, was a celebration of knowledge, connection, and community. More than 500 volunteers from 45 chapters gathered for four inspiring days of learning and exploration. With 170 speakers leading 130 classroom sessions and 25 field sessions, topics ranged from prairies and pollinators to restoration and community science.
Twenty-four members of the Hays County Chapter of Texas Master Texas Master Naturalist™ joined peers from across the state to exchange ideas, share experiences, and celebrate the collective impact of the Master Naturalist community.
Fourteen Hays County Master Naturalist (HCMN) meeting attendees gathered for a quick group photo (October 18).
Showcasing HCMN’s Talent and Strengthening Connections
Hays County Master Naturalist’s talented membership base was on full display at the TMN Annual Meeting, where many of our members were featured as speakers. Their strong presence and expertise underscored the depth of knowledge, passion, and commitment within our chapter. HCMN speakers included:
Cindy Luongo Cassidy: Lights Out, Texas! Campus Survey with Texas Conservation Alliance and DarkSky Texas
Loren Steffy: Lights Out: Why the Natural World Needs Light Cycles
Doray Lendacky and Christine Middleton: HELM: Steering and Inspiring Land Stewardship, One Property at a Time
Kristy Daniel and Jill Zipperer: Getting Involved and Staying Involved in Texas Citizen Science
Melissa Felty: Romance in Nature
Clover Clamons: TxDOT Environmental Film Festival
Kristy Daniel and Jill Zipperer: Navigating New Programming Paths to Build Creative Outreach That’s Wanted
Jill Zipperer, along with Lauren Young and Sam Kieschnick, were given the honor of delivering the TMN Annual Meeting’s keynote address: From Passion to Profession: The Unexpected Power of Volunteering with the Texas Master Naturalists. This recognition further showcased the exceptional expertise and dedication within HCMN’s membership.
Jill Zipperer, Lauren Young, and Sam Kieschnick delivered the TMN Annual Meeting’s keynote address: From Passion to Profession: The Unexpected Power of Volunteering with the Texas Master Naturalists.
Celebrating our HCMN Connections!
Throughout the conference, HCMN members could be found following their own paths—attending sessions, presenting, networking with fellow naturalists, and reconnecting with friends they met at previous meetings. Yet no matter how dispersed we were during the day, we always came together at mealtimes to share stories, compare experiences, and celebrate the many accomplishments of the past year. These moments of connection were a meaningful reminder of the strong sense of community that defines HCMN.
Huntsville Bat Colony in an abandoned prison building (October 15)
Sunrise bird and nature hike at Lick Creek Park (October 16)
Bat houses built but never occupied.
Watching the bats emerge!
Carolyn Langlinais and Mary O’Hara
Robert Fisher, Mary O’Hara, Jill Zipperer
Katie Peltier and Deborah Estes
The HCMN Gang
Jill Zipperer and Kristy Daniel
Mary O’Hara and Lauren Young - 10 years of friendship and 5,000 hours of service!
Mary O’Hara and Katie Peltier
“The meeting ends where it all began—with my mentor, who walks beside me as a fellow naturalist and stands beside me as a forever friend.” —Katie Peltier