Volunteers Needed:
Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center Greeters
Meet and greet people from all over the world while giving out information about the refuge and wildlife.
Hand out maps and make sales in the Nature Nook. Come and join our team! For more information, please
email friendsofhagerman@gmail.com.
Butterfly Garden
Like digging in your garden? Want to learn about native plants? Come join out Master Naturalists and Gardeners in maintaining the Butterfly Garden. For more information on volunteering, please email friendsofhagerman@gmail.com for details.
Outdoor Crew
Do you enjoy working outside, mowing, sprucing up hiking trails, trimming and removing brush and general cleanup? Join the Outdoor Crew at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge. The Outdoor Crew meets on the First Tuesday and Fourth Saturday of every month. Please email friendsofhagerman@gmail.com for details and to join our team. Scouts welcome!
Activities & Events:
The Little Sit: August 3rd, 2024, 6:15am Pad-H on the West side of Hagerman NWR If you want to learn how to identify the birds of North Texas, the "Little Sit" is the perfect way to start.
Meet the Bird Census Team while learning how to identify the birds of North Texas, and enjoy
the beautiful sunrise over Lake Texoma! Modeled after Cornell's national "Big Sit" event, a
group of dedicated birders invite you to join them at sunrise to conduct a bird count as multiple
species fly to the water and the surrounding land to feed. Leaders will bring spotting scopes and
will provide tips for identification of the many species you will see. This event lasts a couple of
hours, but all are welcome to come and go as they please. Participants are advised to bring a
chair, binoculars and water.
We meet on the first Saturday of each month, 30 minutes before sunrise to watch the birds come into the
water and begin to feed. We usually stay out for 2-3 hours, but you are welcome for all or part of the Sit.
For more information, a map to Pad-H and to register to receive event updates (location changes, etc.)
please register https://friendsofhagerman.com/event-
5512316?CalendarViewType=1&SelectedDate=7/21/2024 (registering is recommended due to possible road
closures or location change if roads are flooded).
or email: friendsofhagerman@gmail.com.
GPS Coordinates to Pad-H: 33.734961, -96.780582
Free and open to the public, funded by donations.
Early Bird Guided Walk. Come walk on the wild side with Jack Chiles! No scheduled walks
due to summer heat. Will resume October 2024, weather permitting.
Second Saturday: Saturday August 10th at 10am: Birding in Arizona with Mike Petrick. In late
April 0f 2023 Jack Chiles, Nancy Riggs, Terry Good and Mike Petrick (AKA the old buzzards) took an
extended trip to Southeastern Arizona. They birded the Mountains, Canyons and Grasslands from Portal all
the way around to Tucson. This program is about the unique places and birds that they encountered on the
trip.
A bit about Mike:
He developed a love of the outdoors early in life. He was born and raised in Burnet and grew up in the
outdoors hunting, fishing and camping. These along with photography continued to be his hobbies for the
rest of his life. He taught in San Angelo for 18 years and in Lewisville for 20 years. The last 8 years of his
career he taught outdoor education, which included hunting and boating safety, fishing, camping, Dutch
oven cooking, orienteering etc. at Huffines Middle School in Lewisville.
After retiring, needing something to do, he had heard of the Master Naturalist program and became a Texas
Master Naturalist 2011. Mike then started going on bird walks and field trips and became an avid birder and
bird photographer
He has been able to combine his love of the outdoors, birds, photography and teaching in by volunteering.
The first place that he volunteered for was trail Mike at the Heard Museum and has since become a trail
guide at the Lewisville Lake Environmental Area leading school groups on hikes. He also volunteers at the
Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge as a tram tour guide and helps with the weekly bird census there. Since
2011 he has served almost 1500 volunteer hours.
Butterfly Garden Stroll: August 10 th 9am to 11am. Enjoy the Butterfly Garden at Hagerman NWR with
garden docents on hand to help identify the Texas native plants and visiting butterflies. Literature on plants
and butterflies will be available. Special activities for families: scavenger hunts, the Metamorphosis Puppet
and more. Registration is not necessary.
The garden is free of charge and open to the public from sunrise to sunset every day of the year.
Refuge Rocks for Kids: Saturday August 17th 10am to 11:30: The Refuge Rocks – Remnants of the
Past (Fossils and Rocks). Have you ever wondered how we know so much about the Earth many, many
years ago? Well, we have fossils and rocks to thank for that! What exactly are fossils and rocks? What
information do they give scientists, and how? Fossils and rocks can give scientists clues about animals and
plants that lived long ago and what the Earth was like then. During this program, we will be taking the
children back millions of years to the time when the refuge area was covered by a vast saltwater ocean and
learn about the plants, animals, and geology of our area long ago. Come join us on August 17 for a free
class on this popular topic! This free program is for youth ages 5-10. Registration Required.
https://www.friendsofhagerman.com/event-5672946?CalendarViewType=1&SelectedDate=8/20/2024
Tram Tours every Saturday at 10:00am (note new time). NO tours on Sunday.
Enjoy a 60 – 90-minute tour along Wildlife Drive at the Refuge. Enjoy learning about the history of the
displaced town of Hagerman while watching for wildlife. Lots of stops for birdwatching and photography.
Reservations required www.friendsofhagerman.com/Tram-Tours. Standbys are accepted if space permits.
Free and open to the public, funded by donations.
