Who Cares About Rocks? Everyone Should! By Margaret Avard
Mineral, Quartz (Photo by Didier Descouens) I have heard many adults say “who cares about rocks?” and students say “why do I have to learn about rocks in school?” Most people don’t realize that just about everything in their everyday lives ultimately comes from rocks, minerals, or is a product of geological processes (like plate tectonics)! Some rocks and minerals can be used nearly “as is” coming out of the ground, while others need to be processed into useful products. |
What is the difference between a rock and a mineral? A mineral must meet four basic criteria: 1) naturally-occurring, 2) solid, 3) set chemical composition, and 4) has a crystal structure. Some examples of minerals are quartz, diamond, and sulfur. A rock is typically made up of one or more minerals. Granite is a great example of a rock because you can see the colors of the different minerals. When you look at granite, you may see white, gray, brown, pink, black; each color is a different mineral. What in your life has to do with rocks? Let’s start with the obvious: kitchen countertops. Granite, quartzite and marble are all rocks. Other materials around the house are also derived from rocks or minerals. Walls are made of sheetrock which is made from the mineral gypsum. Glass is made from fine quartz (mineral) sand.
Rock, Granite (Photo by Lysippos) What about jewelry? Gold, silver, copper, and platinum are all mined then processed from rock material. Gemstones like diamond, topaz, sapphire, and ruby are all high-quality minerals. Low quality diamonds may be used to make drill bits, while very clear diamonds with no inclusions or blemishes may be made into expensive jewelry. How about food? Crops are grown in fields with plant rooted firmly in the soil. What is soil made of? The ideal composition of soil for plant growth is 45% parent material, 25% air, 25% water, and 5% organic material. Guess what the parent material is? Yep, disintegrated rocks! So anything related to soil is dependent on the rocks underneath. |
This includes plants that grow in soil, animals that eat the plants that grow in the soil (ex: cows), and anything made out of plants (ex: cotton clothing). Any item made of metal comes from rocks; all metal has been processed from an ore (rock that contains a concentrated amount of a mineral) into a useful product. For example, iron and steel come from minerals such as magnetite and hematite. Everything made of plastic comes from the processed fossils fuels of natural gas or petroleum – both of which form on the ocean floor. Oil from the Permian Basin of West Texas was formed during the Permian time period (299-251 million years ago) when that part of the state was on the bottom of the ocean! Limestone has many uses. It may be cut into blocks for use in construction, crushed and used for road bases, or combined with sand to make concrete. Limestone may also be applied to agricultural fields to neutralize soil acidity or used in the processing of iron ores. Powdered limestone may be used in the manufacture of some food supplements, papers, paints, and cleansers. You can really pick anything around you and see how it traces back to rocks. The window? Clean, fine silica sand (the mineral quartz) is melted to form glass. How about cellphones? Dozens of minerals are used in the manufacture of the average cellphone including spodumene (processed into lithium), cassiterite (tin), bauxite (for LED backlighting), chalcopyrite (for copper to conduct electricity), and quartz (for the screen). A book? Paper is made from wood, trees grow in the soil, which is derived from the rocks below. What about make-up? Much of it is derived from clay products. Rocks also play an important role in the natural environment. Think about the land around you - it may be flat, mountainous, beach, ocean, canyon. All of these landforms were created by geological processes related to plate tectonics (the movement of “plates” of rock material) and/or weathering and erosion. As plates move around the surface of the Earth, they may travel far over time – Texas spent millions of years near the equator which is why we have so many fossil palm trees and fossil coral in the state. The state rock of Texas is actually petrified palm wood. Because the plates move continents to different areas of the Earth, climate (ex: desert, tropical, temperate) and weather are impacted. Sometimes plates run into each other and the ground moves upward into tall mountains. With elevational changes also come changes in weather: temperature, rain/snow, wind. The weather on the top of a mountain is much different than that at the beach. So weather and climate are, ultimately, affected by geological processes.
Petrified palm wood (Photo by Daderot) |
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The most important mining industries in Grayson County are oil/gas and aggregates. Oil and gas wells are found in the central and western parts of the county. Oil and gas are fossil fuels that may be processed into fuel or used in the manufacture of plastic products. Aggregates are raw materials, such as sand and gravel, that are produced naturally and extracted from pits or quarries. Along the Red River, sand and gravel are mined primarily for construction. Approximately 85% of the world’s mining is of aggregate materials because aggregates are used in virtually all construction projects. Grayson County is also an excellent location for fossil hunting. Various types of seashells, including ammonites, may be found in the limestone along the shores of Lake Texoma. Along the banks of Post Oak Creek in Sherman, hunters delight in finding the teeth of at least four different species of ancient sharks. Geology is a fascinating science that helps us understand how all of Earth’s systems are interconnected. So why care about rocks? There are many reasons, so please don’t take rocks for granite! Refuge Update: Though refuge lands are open from sunrise until sunset every day of the year, the Visitor Center is open Monday through Saturday 9-4, Sunday 1-5. Notice: The entire refuge will be closed March 18, 19, 25, 26 for aerial hog control. Due to maintenance issues at the refuge, indoor restrooms may not be available on the following dates: 3/21 to 4/11. |
Photos by Donnie Simmons More Amazing Nature Photos taken at the refuge (Facebook account required.) |
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Upcoming Activities:
The Friends of Hagerman is Hosting 18 Family Friendly Events in March! Donate to help fund programs like these! |
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March 16th at 2:00 PM in the Visitor Center The public is invited to attend The Friends of Hagerman annual meeting. The Board of Directors will present their activities and accomplishments of the past year, and board members beginning new terms will be elected. |
Join Us for Our Annual Meeting
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If you enjoy your backyard birds, you may want to help them with offerings of nesting materials, as nesting season is just beginning. Here is a guide to safe offerings for wild birds: Twigs For birds looking for small twigs, almost any tree or shrub you plant will do. When small branches or twigs fall from a shrub and gather at its base, leave them for birds to pick up, preferably in lengths under 4 inches. Greenery Some birds line nests with soft plant matter. You can provide this accoutrement by growing catkin-bearing trees and shrubs such as cottonwood, maple, mulberry, willows, poplar and beech. Cattails, Cottonwood or Milkweed Fluff Many birds—hummingbirds spring to mind, but other songbirds as well—gravitate toward fluffy material, such as seeds with silky attachments designed to waft them on the wind or seed pods with a soft, hairlike covering. You can provide these items via cottonwood trees, lamb’s ear (the ground cover plant), milkweed (also good for attracting monarch butterflies), honeysuckle, and clematis. Mud If you have a pesky spot in your garden that refuses to grow anything but dirt, try adding a little water and see if you can grow mud. Mud is a favored nesting material for swallows and swifts and even the common robin. Dry grass When you trim your yard, perhaps you can find a spot in your garden for laying out a selection of dried grass stems cut 2 to 4 inches long. Grass is a common ingredient in songbird nests, used by species from native sparrows to robins. Moss If you have a shady spot in your yard, trying growing moss; with its velvety green growth, moss is a beautiful highlight for any moist garden and is a favored building material of some hummingbird species. Please DO NOT offer yarn, string or human hair for birds to build nests! Every year we see both young and adult birds being admitted to wildlife rehabilitators due to this. It can sometimes result in the bird losing their foot or entire leg from the yarn/string/hair slowly tightening and cutting off circulation . Please do not offer laundry dryer lint either. The lint collected in your dryer filter may seem like ideal nesting material, but it isn’t. It will soak up water and may be steeped with chemicals unhealthy for birds, such as remnants of detergent and softener. Also a warning about offering pet hair. Many of our pets are treated with specialty shampoos or tick/lice treatments which stay on the hair and can be harmful to birds collecting it for nesting material. Do not offer pet hair, as it has likely been exposed to shampoo treatments and chemicals. |
Second Saturday: Butterflies of Concern at HNWR with Laurie Sheppard The US Fish and Wildlife Service recently proposed Endangered Species Act protection for Monarch butterflies. The Monarch migration is unique in the butterfly world. While some other butterfly species are known to travel long distances to find food or populate different areas, those are one-way migrations. Only the Monarch butterfly flies south to survive the winter and then the same individual returns north. Laurie will explain what we are doing at Hagerman to track and protect these beautiful insects. But Monarchs aren’t the only butterfly species in danger of disappearing. We’ll look at some other butterfly species once found in Texas but are now “species of greatest concern”. Laurie Sheppard is a certified Texas Master Naturalist with a primary interest in butterflies. She has tracked, photographed, and documented 95 butterfly species at Hagerman NWR of the 98 species of butterflies recorded in Grayson County. She leads a group of volunteers who provide Monarch migration data to Journey North each year and she was responsible for locating and reporting on several sub-populations of “at risk” Frosted Elfin butterflies at Hagerman. Laurie is a long-time volunteer at Hagerman NWR, currently serving as a Butterfly Garden Docent, a Tram Driver, a Nature Nook staffer, a writer/editor for the Featherless Flyer, and a member of the Friends of Hagerman Board of Directors. She is an avid photographer and regularly shares her images of butterflies, birds, and other wildlife on social media and in the Friends of Hagerman’s public outreach materials. Photo by Laurie Sheppard Future Second Saturday Programs |
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Sea Glass in the Nature Nook Come see our unique creations! Perfect for Mother's Day! Click to Enlarge |
Join the Butterfly Garden Docents Do you love butterflies and native plants, like to learn new things, enjoy being outdoors and meeting new people, and like helping others learn? Then consider joining the Hagerman Butterfly Garden Docent Program!
For more information contact: Kim Tingle Texas Master Naturalist HNWR Butterfly Garden Docent Program Chair info@friendsofhagerman.org |
Birding with Jack: The Weekly Bird Census
Left to Right: Mike Petrick, Nancy Riggs, Jack Chiles and Terry Goode Each Tuesday a team of experienced birders, including Master Naturalist Jack Chiles, traverse 35 miles of refuge roads and hiking trails, documenting every bird they encounter. This Bird Census is reported to The Cornell Lab of Ornithology for use in research, and each week we will bring you a link to their actual bird count, and a summary of their adventures. February 25, 2025 Complete Bird Census 87 Species Observed, +2 other taxa, 5,066 individuals
Ruddy Shelducks It was a very pleasant warm day for today's census. There were at least 3500 white geese still present. They will probably be leaving on their trip north soon. The surprise of the day was 6 Ruddy Shelducks in Muleshoe Marsh. It has been many years since this species has been seen at the refuge. These birds are most likely escapees from someones waterfowl collection. This species breeds in southeastern Europe and Central Asia and winters in South Asia. The lake has thawed out from the recent freeze and ducks were numerous. This past weekend most of the lake on the refuge was frozen over and what ducks there were, were congregated in small patches of ice free water. Shorebirds seen today included, 26 Killdeer, 33 Long-billed dowitchers, 14 Wilson's Snipe, 14 Greater Yellowlegs, 16 Least Sandpipers and an early arriving Pectoral Sandpiper. We had a high count of 12 Red-shouldered Hawks and 9 Red-tailed Hawks. We saw 5 Red-headed Woodpeckers. There were a couple of Hairy Woodpeckers on Raasch Trail. We finished the day with 87 species. Today's photo, three of the six Ruddy Shelducks present today. Watch for the census results every Tuesday evening: Bird Census Results Photo Club Meeting: Composition by Nancy Miller March 15 at 1:00 PM in the Visitor Center Join us for the March meeting of the Friends of Hagerman NWR Nature Photography Club. Everyone is welcome to attend -- members and non-members, beginners and experienced. Using various elements to make a photo more visually appealing. Event Leader: Nancy Miller _____________________________________________ For questions about the photo club, contact: Lisa Wilkins, Photo Club Leader Email FOHphotoclub@gmail.com |
A full day of learning all about nature: fossils, prairies, spiders, birds, snakes and water cycles! Make a terrarium, enjoy a nature craft and meet other young nature enthusiasts! This program has become so popular, that it fills up very quickly. As a pre-registrant, you will be emailed a link to apply for a confirmed reservation on Wednesday, May 7th at 10:00 AM, one day before reservations become available to the general public. The first 30 students to complete registration on or after May 7th will be granted a confirmed reservation. |
Join Cindy Steele for: The Refuge Rocks! Programs for Children Future events (Registration Required)
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| Puddles' Craft Corner By Cindy Steele, Master Naturalist |
Shades of Green!
Welcome back to Puddles’ Craft Corner. It’s March and spring is about to burst out all around us! Spring officially begins on March 20, but signs of spring start earlier in the month in our area. It seems like everyone, young and old, gets a little bit excited once we start to see grass turning bright green, early spring flowers starting to bloom, and the trees unfurling their vibrant delicate new leaves. Let’s learn a little bit about why plants are green and how this helps them grow!
To answer this question, we have to back up a bit to understand how plants get food and how they grow. What do we need to grow, and jump, and run, and think? We need energy! And we get this energy from the food that we eat. In the spring especially, we wonder…plants grow too, but have we ever seen a plant eat anything? Probably not! In that case, where do they get their energy? The answer to this question is a little bit amazing! Plants make their own food! That’s right, you heard it correctly…plants make their own food!! They do this through a fantastic process called photosynthesis. What does this have to do with the green color in plants? Let’s find out. What is Photosynthesis?
Photosynthesis is a fancy scientific word, but it’s really pretty simple. Photo means “light” and synthesis means “to make,” so photosynthesis just means...
Continue the Lesson With Full Instructions and other Nature Crafts with Puddles
Junior Ranger Program
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| The Junior Ranger Pledge As a Junior Ranger at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge, I pledge to protect outdoor creatures small, big and huge. To keep the water, air and land clean. To make enjoying nature a routine. I will share my new skills with family and friends. When people and nature work together, everybody wins! |
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Sponsors Enable the Friends to…
Join Today! Memberships available for $10 |
Come, Take a Tour on the Wildlife Explorer! Come join us for a ride on the Wildlife Explorer! Our new and beautiful tram is available for ninety-minute tours of Hagerman every Saturday and Sunday, weather permitting. Our tours are as varied as our drivers. Each tram driver has her/his approach to the tour: you may learn about wildlife, birds, habitat, refuge history, photography, you name it! To paraphrase, “a Wildlife Explorer tour at Hagerman is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get.” But you know it’s going to be good! Come see us! Lots of stops for bird-watching and photography. |
Register for a Tram Tour Today! |
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Photo by Cathy Van Bebber | Sunrise at the Little Sit by Laurie Sheppard |
Meet Jack and the Bird Census Team and learn how to identify the birds of North Texas while enjoying 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. The First Saturday of every month, beginning 30 minutes before sunrise. |
Location: H Pad, Sadler, Texas 76264 (H Pad is in Sadler, but it is part of the refuge) GPS Coordinates: 33.734961, -96.780582
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Early Bird Walk with Jack Chiles Master Naturalist Jack Chiles will lead our Early Birding event, weather permitting. Bring binoculars or borrow ours. Meet at the Visitor Center and return in time for the Second Saturday program.
Please Register (Optional) so we may inform you via email of unforseen changes/cancellations. |
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Do You Like to Work Outside? The Refuge Needs You! |
It takes a lot of people to have a beautiful garden! The Wednesday Garden Team Love to work with native plants and meet other gardeners? Come and help us add plants, weed and mulch our beautiful butterfly garden. Garden Team volunteers get first dibs on thinned native plants as well as access to seeds and cuttings for propagation. Gardeners meet on most Wednesdays, but times vary. Contact Us to subscribe to the volunteer garden team weekly email. Provide own tools and gloves. Minimum age 18, or 16 if accompanied by parent/volunteer. |
Mowing and Refuge Beautification: The Work Crew Do you enjoy working outside, mowing, sprucing up hiking trails, trimming and removing brush and general cleanup? Show your love for nature by joining the Outdoor Crew at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge. Outdoor Crew volunteers meet on the First Tuesday and Fourth Saturday of every month. Contact Us for exact times, dates and other details about joining the volunteer Work Crew. Scouts welcome! |
Visitor Center Volunteers Needed! |
Do you enjoy meeting all kinds of people from all over the world, and like-minded people in our area? If yes, consider joining our team of Visitor Center Volunteers. You will greet refuge guests, distribute maps and other refuge information, and make sales in the gift shop. Shifts available every day of the week: Monday through Saturday 9 AM to 12:30 PM and 12:30 to 4:00 PM, Sunday 1:00 to 5:00 PM. Training is provided. Contact Us if interested. |
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| Thank You To Our Contributors: Margaret Avard, Jack Chiles, Cindy Steele, Laurie Sheppard Refuge Manager: Kathy Whaley Deputy Refuge Manager: Paul Balkenbush Visitor Services Manager: Spencer Beard Editors: Patricia Crain, Laurie SheppardFriends of Hagerman NWR Foundation 6465 Refuge Road, Sherman, TX 75092 Phone: 903-786-2826 Join us on Facebook: |
Search for any word--do not use quotes for phrases |
6465 Refuge Road Sherman, TX 75092
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Kroger: Stop by the customer service desk at Kroger and link your Kroger Card to the Friends of Hagerman: the Friends will get rewards for every dollar you spend, at no cost to you.
Please add info@friendsofhagerman.org to your contacts to ensure delivery of registration confirmations, account information and the Featherless Flyer
See you at the refuge!