by Sandra Skrei, CHES Programs for Prairie Rose Chapter, Native Plant Society of Texas
CHES and Prairie Rose Chapter of the Native Plant Society are now meeting together!
We’ll start the New Year with a SWAP and MEET
SWAP:
Gifts – White elephant style, but no spending money allowed and you don’t get to be anonymous! Bring a gardening/native plant book you no longer use to recycle, a plant, something from your garden, to help someone else garden, or you’ve made from your garden, even those goofy socks with plants on them you got for Christmas.
Information – Have a question prepared for members of the ‘other’ group or bring a ‘factoid’ about gardening and/or native plants to share. When your gift is chosen, you’ll introduce yourself, explain your gift, and share your information or ask your question.
MEET:
We’ll get to meet each other, and perhaps get to know your fellow members a little better!
How it will work:
Please bring your gift wrapped in a plain bag, newsprint, box, or something else reused, covering it just enough to disguise it.
When you sign in, you’ll get a raffle ticket, we’ll draw those to take turns. When it is your turn, you pick a gift, and unwrap it.
The gift giver will then introduce his/herself, explain why they brought that gift, and then share their tip or ask their question. If the question is asked by a Master Gardener, a member of the Native Plant Society will answer, and vice versa.
Gifts may be ‘stolen’ from each other, in which case the person who had to give up their gift picks another gift. The first person who was drawn, will have a final chance to ‘steal’ a gift, too!
Doors open at 6:00
Meeting starts at 6:30
Monday, January 11th, Somervell County Senior Citizens Center
Future programs sponsored by the Prairie Rose Chapter of the Native Plant Society:
March: Texas A&M Forestry Service, Oak Wilt Program and Services, we will sign up for a field trip Tuesday morning with our speaker to show us how to inspect and manage for oak wilt.
May: Native American natural dyes with Pat Kriener of the Big Bear Native American Museum and Johnson County Herbal Society, Cleburne. Follow-up field trips to the Museum’s Native American Powwow on May 27/28 and the Herbal Society’s Natural Dyes workshop June 4th at 10:30
July: TBD
September: Minette Marr, Ladybird Johnson Wildlife Center’s seed bank director on their milkweed and Texas Ash projects. Field trip Tuesday morning (to be confirmed in August) to High Hope Ranch, (bordering Fossil Rim in Glen Rose) to scout and learn collecting techniques.
November: TBD
Please indicate your interest in a field trip to the Bamberger Ranch in Blanco County. www.bambergerranch.org. They are closed in August and Nov-Jan. We can join a Land Steward Workshop April 23rd from 8:30 – 4:30 for $115 each (Texas Master Naturalist enjoy a discount), or schedule our own.
Information on ranch tours from their website:
Group Tours – want to see more?
While Selah Bamberger Ranch Preserve is not open to the public on a daily basis, there are ways to visit the ranch. We have workshops, field days and public tours throughout the year, and we can also tailor a private tour to a specific group. There are many components of the ranch available to select from for a private tour including the Rain Machine Demonstration/Nature Trail Walk, Ranching Heritage/Horse Demonstration, Dinosaur Tracks/Fossils, as well as a visit to the Scimitar Horned Oryx. One or more of the knowledgeable ranch staff guides all tours. If you have a group that is interested in visiting us, contact the ranch office for available dates and prices.
You can schedule a tour of the ranch, for your group on “The Bluebonnet”, our covered trailer. We will take you to see all the tour spots offered to other visitors. Meal service maybe available for larger groups of 20 or more for an additional fee.
COST- $15 per person
($300 minimum*)
*20 or more people needed in order for everyone to pay just $15.00