The following is the Friends of Hagerman NWR Press Release. For more information about these events, please email: friendsofhagerman@gmail.com .
All events are sponsored by the Friends of Hagerman and occur at the Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center: 6465 Refuge Road, Sherman, TX 75092, unless stated otherwise.
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 Friends of Hagerman NWR Online Auction is here!
This is the time of the year that we invite you to support our local Refuge and its programs. Projects resulting in our beautiful Butterfly Garden, our popular Wildlife Explorer electric tram, renovations to the Big Mineral Creek Recreation Area, and the Education Pavilion are available, thanks in large part to your donations and financial support. All monies raised from the auction will be reinvested in educational opportunities and programs for both children and adults.
The online auction is a chance for you to contribute while picking up something nice for yourself!
6:00 AM Thursday October 3 through 5:00 PM October 5
https://www.32auctions.com/organizations/101879/auctions/165417 Link is under construction until the go live date / time.
Winners of auction items will be notified when the bidding ends.
Items will be available for pick up at the Friends of Hagerman Building or by appointment at: friendsofhagerman@gmail.com
Questions? Please contact us at friendsofhagerman@gmail.com
Have fun while supporting the Friends of Hagerman
The Little Sit: October 5 , 2024, 7:00 am 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://www.friendsofhagerman.com/All-Event-Calendar-VewEventViewMode=1&EventListViewMode=1
(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.
The Refuge Roundup: Birds of Prey Festival – Saturday, October 12 from 8am to 4:30pm.
Come spend the day and get up close and personal with raptors that have been rescued and rehabilitated by the Blackland Prairie Raptor Center. Raptors will not be at the refuge until 1:00 p.m.
8:00am Early Bird Walk with Jack Chiles (Parking Lot)
8:00am Native Plant sale until sold out (Carport)
8:00am Auction Surplus Sale (Carport)
10am Second Saturday/ Raptors of Texoma – Dr. Wayne Meyer (Visitor Center)
10am Tram Tour (Reservations required)
10am – Noon Children’s activities & Pictures with Puddles (Environmental Education Pav)
11am –2pm Ice Hole Food Truck
12 noon Master Storyteller Doris Haynie (Visitor Center)
12 noon Tram Tour (Reservations required)
1pm Live Raptor Program (Visitor Center)
1pm – 3 Butterfly Garden Walk & Monarch Tagging (Garden)
1:30pm Children’s Live Raptor Program (Environmental Education Pavilion)
PLEASE BE ON TIME FOR THIS PROGRAM
2pm Tram Tour (Reservations required)
2pm – 3pm Children’s Crafts (Environmental Education Pavilion)
2:15pm Live Raptor Program (Visitor Center)
Early Bird Guided Walk. Come walk on the wild side with Jack Chiles! Saturday October 12 at 8am to 9:30am Master Naturalist Jack Chiles will lead this Early Bird Walk, weather permitting. Participants will view birds and wildlife along Harris Creek Trail, walking about two miles, and returning to the Visitor Center in time for the Second Saturday program. Register to receive event updates. https://friendsofhagerman.com/event-5512336?CalendarViewType=1&SelectedDate=10/24/2024
Second Saturday: Saturday October 12 at 10am: Learn about Raptors with Dr. Wayne Meyer
Texoma has many birds of prey. Not all of them are called raptors, although the word applies to all of them. In this talk we will discuss what makes a bird a raptor and what makes them special. We will also discuss how to identify the diurnal raptors.
Dr. Wayne Meyer is Associate Professor of the Biology department at Austin College, where he taught for 30 years. He started birding at 13 in Connecticut. In 1993 he finally achieved his life’s dream of being paid to look at birds when he joined the faculty of Austin College. He has birded both coasts of the U.S. extensively and now has spent a quarter century birding in Texas and Oklahoma.
The proximity of Austin College to Hagerman NWR has made research on prairie birds easy and convenient and he has been studying song learning and singing in Painted Buntings for over a decade. Meyer is also a sought after speaker for Master Naturalist groups and a frequent speaker at the Friends of Hagerman NWR second Saturday programs.
Join the Friends of Hagerman NWR Nature Photography Club for a night photo shoot at Hagerman NWR on Thursday, October 17 th at 6:30pm. This shoot will include sunset shots across the water and moonrise of the full moon of October called Hunter's moon.
This event is limited to FOHNWR Nature Photography Club members only. Registration is not required. We have permission to stay in the refuge after dark. Click here https://friendsofhagerman.com/Membership to become a member of the Friends of Hagerman and select a membership with Photo Club.
Thursday October 17: Meet at the 1st pad on Plover Drive at 6:30 pm. Plover Drive is gravel and driving too close to the pads will create dust and may interfere with people that have setup their cameras and equipment. Please park accordingly. Click for a Refuge Map.
Sunset is approximately 6:50 pm.
Moonrise is approximately 6:55 pm.
The visitor center will be closed in the evening. There is an outdoor restroom down the path from the visitor center parking lot.
For questions about this event, contact:
Lisa Wilkins, Event Leader
Mobile 972-658-8544
Email FOHphotoclub@gmail.com
Refuge Rocks for Kids: October 19, 10am to 11:30: Going Batty for Bats. Bats are often called creepy, scary and spooky, but they often get a bad rap. They’re an important species that impacts our daily lives in ways we might not even realize. From pollinating our favorite fruits to eating pesky insects to inspiring medical marvels, bats are actually heroes of the night.
Come join us on October 19 for a free class for ages 5-10 to go a little batty for bats through games, activities, and crafts! Registration required
Free and open to the public, registration is required. https://friendsofhagerman.com/event-5672966?CalendarViewType=1&SelectedDate=10/24/2024
Donations are accepted to support this and other events and programs sponsored by the Friends of Hagerman NWR.
Butterfly Garden Stroll: October 26th, 10am to 12 noon. 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.
Tram Tours every Saturday and Sunday at 2:00pm (note new time). 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.