DragonFlyer Article for June edition

It’s been a lovely spring. Starting my fourth year as a master naturalist, I’m enjoying seeing the
rhythm of old friends leafing out, coming into bloom, migrating through. Going through the
training often felt like drinking from a firehose. Integrating that learning into what we see in the
ecosystems around us is fine reward.

Speaking of training: Congratulations to our 2021 New Class interns as they finish their training
and move toward certification. Great job persevering through 13 classes and completing your
coursework!

As we move through spring and into summer it’s exciting to see so many steps in the return to
more normal life. I’m particularly looking forward to our July 7 th Summer Social, our first chance
to gather as a chapter in well over a year. Eager as we are, we’ll do it right. Just as we put safety
first going into the pandemic, we want to stay safe and increase activity in a way that protects
you our members and the public. By the time you’re reading this, the board will have again
reviewed COVID requirements. I’m hopeful that some of the state restrictions will have been
eased.

What’s going on with Diversity and Inclusion at NTMN?

You’ve likely noticed increasing emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion around our chapter
over the last several months. Ranging from brief chapter meeting D&I spotlights and website
postings to having TPWD’s Diversity & Inclusion Director David Buggs as our featured speaker at
the May program, these are elements of an effort to raise our awareness and position us to
take further action.

At the January 2020 NTMN leadership retreat we set enhancing diversity and inclusion as a
chapter priority. In the time following the murder of George Floyd, the chapter published a
statement on diversity. We later published a series on chapter mission statements, updated to
reflect a D&I perspective.

Lemonade from lemons – While many of our activities have been paused or slowed during the
pandemic we’ve taken the opportunity to look inward a bit and reflect on how NTMN compares
with our community, and what our best steps should be. If COVID prevented pursuing some of
our goals over the last year – some prospective partners haven’t been available – your D&I Task
Force has taken advantage of the time, considering how we can better engage with the whole
community. Rather than being out “doing” as much as we might wish, this has also been a good
time to bring in some resources.

So why are we giving D&I this much attention? While heavily positive, I’ve heard a range of
reactions, from “is this what I signed up for?” to “glad we’re starting to catch up!” Clearly our
group doesn’t reflect the community we serve, yet we want it to. And need it to. As our region
continues to change, we will either become more inclusive, equitable, and diverse or lose
relevance.

We’re all learning together as we consider where we are and how to proceed. This is long-term
work. As David Buggs pointed out, we’ll make mistakes along the way and may well have some
awkward moments. Better that discomfort than not moving forward.

It’s clear across Texas – Our work parallels the Be The Change initiative at the state level. That
series of third Tuesdays webinars is intended to provide D&I resources to master naturalists in
all 48 chapters. It does so in two ways: directly through the webinar content and by building a
playbook of tools and approaches to help chapters grow. Part of an ongoing effort, the series
will run through September. It builds toward a capstone workshop, tentatively set for Spring
2022.

I hope you’ve been able to participate in these sessions. Like TMN Tuesdays, you can watch
these anytime and still get one hour of Advanced Training (an exception to the “must have live
interaction” rule for online classes).
Birdability (March) focuses on birding being for “everybody and every body”
irrespective of disabilities or health concerns.
The End of Outreach (April) emphasizes the changes in Texas demographics and the
need to engage with all communities.
An Introduction to Black Outside (May) discusses the cycle of awareness, analysis, and
action that makes allies.

What’s next?
Together We Dine - Another opportunity I’m especially excited about is our Together We Dine
evening coming up on June 10th. Sometimes conversations about diversity and race can be
awkward or uncomfortable. Together We Dine provides for safe, courageous conversations about
race in a virtual setting. After an introduction, we’ll go into breakout rooms with fellow master
naturalists and a trained facilitator. This will give us a chance to share questions and perspectives
on race relations, our community, and our service as master naturalists. Please join us!

Making D&I a natural part of NTMN’s perspective is ongoing work. Recognizing this, the board
has created a D&I Director position to serve on the board. Pending questions include how we
engage and develop partnerships with other organizations, especially in areas we’ve not usually
served. If you have questions or if working on this interests you, please contact the Diversity &
Inclusion Task Force.

Thanks for all you do.

Take care,
Scott Hudson