Texas Master Naturalist Receives Award Supporting Native Pollinators – AgriLife Today

The Texas Master Naturalist Program could receive up to $50,000 in grants to support community projects that benefit the state’s diverse native pollinator populations.

The grant, awarded by Texas grocer HEB, is part of the company’s new Pollinators for Texas initiative. Individual Texas Master Naturalist chapters are eligible for up to $3,000 to support large-scale, community-based projects that improve biodiversity while supporting native pollinators and their habitats.

“This funding provides a unique opportunity to inspire ongoing, meaningful engagement in pollinator conservation efforts, both by volunteers and the communities they serve,” said Mary Pearl Meuth, Texas Master Naturalist deputy state coordinator for the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service.

Impact on local communities

The Pollinators for Texas initiative aims to help Texas communities by restoring and creating pollinator-friendly habitats. This includes, among other things, establishing native plant gardens, also known as wild landscapes, and engaging the public in conservation-related education and volunteer activities.

“Native pollinators give so much to our Texas ecosystems, from the critical role monarch butterflies play in sustaining our beloved wildflowers to the pollination and pest control services bats provide for Texas crops like cotton and corn,” said Anahi Villarruel, HEB Project Manager for Environmental Affairs.

Villarruel said protecting pollinators is essential to protecting Texas’ biodiversity, food security and the health of the ecosystems that people and wildlife rely on.

How chapters can apply for funds to support pollinators

Texas Master Naturalists chapters can apply for project funding from October 15th to November 15th. 30. Participation requirements, application instructions and further information can be found on the Pollinators for Texas website.

“Our Texas Master Naturalist volunteers already conduct similar pollinator projects and provide technical guidance, but this initiative will enable larger impacts at the habitat and landscape level,” said Michelle Haggerty, Texas Master Naturalist state coordinator with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

About the Texas Master Naturalist Program

Established in 1998 as a partnership between AgriLife Extension and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the Texas Master Naturalist Program aims to develop a corps of well-informed volunteers.

These volunteers provide education, outreach and services committed to the beneficial management of Texas’ natural resources and natural areas in their local communities.