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 almost finished 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!
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Facebook Auction Details and Instructions:
When the bidding ends on October 14th:
To make an appointment or as a question, please Contact Us! Have fun while supporting the Friends of Hagerman! |
The New Education Pavilion is Nearly Completed!! It took 49 dump truck loads to bring in the 490 yards of dirt needed to level the area and the slab required 46.5 cubic yards of concrete! It looks great, the contractor and his grandson did a great job. The pavilion is plumbed and wired but won’t have water and electricity right away. Hopefully students will be able to have classes in our amazing pavilion as soon as the Visitor Center opens! Thank you to everyone who supported this magnificent project! |
The refuge is beautiful this time of year! The trails are wonderful and thousands of pelicans are migrating through. Photo by Chris Sanders Notice: Due to the Coronavirus, the Visitor Center remains closed. Refuge lands remain open to the public from sunrise to sunset daily. Restrooms are located at Goode Day Use Area, the Visitor Center, Big Mineral Day Use Area and Sandy Point Day Use Area. |
Refuge Update:Upcoming Hunt Information, Closures and Applications Archery Deer Hunt November 5-7, Nov 19-21 and December 3-5 Areas Closed: Big Mineral, Sandy, and Godwin. Feral Hog Hunt March 4–6, 2022, Mar 18–20, 2022 Areas Closed: Big Mineral, Sandy, Godwin, Goode, Meyers, and SE Harris Creek. Spring Turkey April 22–24, 2022 Areas Closed: Big Mineral, Sandy, Godwin, Meyers, and SE Harris Creek |
Fall Flowers Are Fabulous! by Laurie Sheppard
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October is my favorite month to visit the Butterfly Garden. Many plants and flowers are at the height of their blooming period and butterflies are abundant. It’s a good time to see migrating butterflies like Monarchs and Painted Ladies, and it is also the best time to see southern strays, like Southern Dogface and Mallow Scrub-hairstreaks. Every year is slightly different and while Southern Dogface has been seen every fall since we’ve been keeping the records, many of the others are only occasionally found. That makes it all the more Native Plant Sale October 9th at the Eisenhower Birthplace
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The Friends of Hagerman NWR will have a native plant sale as part of the Eisenhower Birthday Celebration at the Eisenhower Birthplace in Denison on Saturday, October 9, from 10 AM until 3 PM. The plants offered for sale were thinned from the Hagerman Butterfly Garden and the properties of our generous volunteers. Plants for sale include Gregg's Mistflower, Lindheimer Senna, Fall Obedient Plant, Rock Rose, Red Yucca, Yellow Columbine, and many others. Popular plants will sell out early.Photo: Monarch on Mistflower by Truett Cates |
Join Us for the Big Sit!
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Like to Work Outside? Join Our Team!
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New 61" Skagg zero-turn mower is the newest addition to the mowing team. For more information about outdoor volunteer positions, please Contact Us |
Second Saturday: Shorebirds with Dr. Wayne Meyer
Saturday, October 9th, at 10:00 AM Online via ZOOM (Registration Required)
Every Spring and Autumn Hagerman NWR hosts thousands of shorebirds of 30 or more species. We’ll talk about the importance of shorebirds and the importance of NWRs to shorebirds. Then we’ll discuss some (certainly not all) of the different species that visit. We’ll learn how to tell the players apart, which isn’t always easy.
Dr. Wayne Meyer is Associate Professor of the Biology department at Austin College, where he has been teaching for 28 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.
| Puddles' Craft Corner Bat Craft By Cindy Steele |
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Welcome back to Puddles’ Craft Corner. Are you afraid of bats? Well, did you know that bats are afraid of you? These amazing mammals have long been misunderstood! In fact, bats actually help the environment and people by eating tons of flying insects that destroy crops and spread diseases. Bats also pollinate night flowers, such as cactus, and help spread seeds to create new fruit trees. They’re mysterious, nocturnal hunters who have captured our imaginations for centuries. |
| Birding with Jack Updated, Weekly Census Results By Master Naturalist Jack Chiles, Mike Petrick and Dr. Wayne Meyer (Pictured Right) |
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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. |
Shop Amazon Smile to Support the Friends of Hagerman
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. |
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| Thank You To Our Contributors: Jack Chiles, Laurie Sheppard, Cindy Steele, Cathy Van Bebber Refuge Manager: Kathy Whaley Deputy Refuge Manager: Paul Balkenbush Editor: Patricia Crain Friends of Hagerman NWR Foundation 6465 Refuge Road, Sherman, TX 75092 Phone: 903-786-2826 www.facebook.com/FOHNWR |
