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Category: Events

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Data Collection with Time to Restore

Ongoing - your schedule!
Volunteer Hours and CE Hours
Earn volunteer hours collecting phenology data with the Time to Restore citizen science project! Visit local phenology trails at City Park, Audubon Louisiana Nature Center, or Jean Lafitte Barataria Preserve and enter your observations of open flowers, ripe fruits, and more using the Nature’s Notebook app. Collecting phenology data on a regular basis helps habitat managers understand how plants are responding over time to changes in average temperatures, precipitation levels, and frequency of extreme weather events. Contact [email protected] to schedule a training session before you hit the trails! 

You will receive one CE hour for the training, and volunteer hours for any phenology trail data paths you complete. Please note that you will need to manually enter this into POINT and specify which trail you observed.

CRCL Native Plant Nursery Care Day

Friday, February 21
Saturday, February 22
9am-3pm
Volunteer Hours
CRCL is excited to have you join us in Violet, LA! We will be doing general maintenance at our Restoration Headquarters as well as nursery work. Installed in 2022, CRCL's Native Plant Nursery has grown several hundred trees that will soon be planted. We will be potting, weeding, watering, and completing other tasks around CRCL's Restoration Headquarters.

You must register here: https://connect.crcl.org/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=785
Link to POINT post

Tree Planting in Plaquemines Parish

Friday, March 7
10am-3pm
Volunteer Hours
Help offset the carbon footprint of Hannah Chalew's recent installation Orphan Well Gamma Garden by planting cypress trees next Sunday, February 23rd at Maktub Forêt—10.5 acres of former cattle land being restored to coastal wetland forest by Richie Blink (of Delta Discovery Tours) and Jacqueline Richard in Plaquemines Parish (about 1.25 hours from New Orleans).

Hannah Chalew partnered with Artists Commit to track the climate impact of her installation, which totaled 2.5 tons of CO₂. To offset this, she is trying to plant 300 cypress trees, which will absorb this carbon in 11–23 years (depending on how many trees we plant/how you do the math)

Take a break from Mardi Gras and help us get these trees in the ground before planting season ends!

And please share with anyone you think might be interested in spending some time in the woods, getting their hands dirty with mood-boosting bacteria, and connecting with the Southern Louisiana landscape, the more the merrier. Link to POINT post

SOUL Community Tree Maintenance and Small Planting 

Saturday, March 8 - 9am-1pm 
Volunteer Hours 
Lower 9th Ward

Volunteers like you are critical to reforesting our urban landscape and reaching our goal of planting 1,500 native, water-loving trees this year!

Please join Sustaining Our Urban Landscape (SOUL) for a community planting and tree maintenance day. Volunteers must sign up at www.soulnola.org/volunteer-sign-up. Detailed information, including the meeting address, will be shared with registered volunteers a few days prior to the planting. We especially need volunteers with pickup trucks who are willing to arrive early and help drop trees in the surrounding neighborhood. Link to POINT post

SOUL Community Tree Unloading

Friday March 21 - 8-9:30am
Volunteer Hours

Hollygrove: Please join Sustaining Our Urban Landscape (SOUL) to help unload 15-gallon trees off of our delivery truck and organize and prepare them for a community planting event the following day. Volunteers must sign up at www.soulnola.org/volunteer-sign-up. Link to POINT post

SOUL Community Tree Planting

Saturday, March 22 -9am-1pm
Volunteer Hours 

Hollygrove: Please join Sustaining Our Urban Landscape (SOUL) for a community planting and tree maintenance day. Volunteers must sign up at www.soulnola.org/volunteer-sign-up. Detailed information, including the meeting address, will be shared with registered volunteers a few days prior to the planting. We especially need volunteers with pickup trucks who are willing to arrive early and help drop trees in the surrounding neighborhood. Link to POINT post

New Harmony HS CERF Field Experience Volunteer

Wednesday, March 12
9am-1:30pm 
Volunteer Hours 

This event will be with approximately 25 9th grade students. Half of the  group will go canoeing while the other group will learn about coastal restoration. They will switch after lunch break. 

We need assistance with launching canoes and helping students with paddling. Need help with teaching land-based lesson. Contact Dinah for details. Link to POINT post

Big Lake Native Plant Trail Maintenance 

Friday, March 7,14,21,28 - 9am-11am
Volunteer Hours
The Big Lake Native Plant Trail at New Orleans City Park is an ongoing Native Plant Initiative project that began in 2019. The trail is near the swan boat, surrey, and bike rental area and features hundreds of native plants to inspire gardeners and provide habitat. City Park hosts volunteer work at the trail every Friday morning, and it’s a great way to roll up your sleeves, get your hands dirty, and make a real difference in a location seen by hundreds of people every day.

Watch this video to learn more about the trail. Link to POINT post

TREE Chaperones- Expeditions at the Botanical Gardens

Thursday, March 13
Friday, March 21
Tuesday, April 1
9:15am-12:30am
Volunteer Hours 

Volunteer Chaperones will be responsible for guiding a group of 5-7 3rd graders on a 'scavenger hunt' type adventure through the Botanical Gardens. Students will be on a search to identify the 6 Plant Kingdom Characteristics from their classroom lessons in a real world context. This is a really fun way to spend a morning, and the experience is ALWAYS made better with the help of trusted adult support.

TREE will cover the cost of admission to the garden for any volunteers.

TABLING: Spring into Action at Audubon Nature Center 

Saturday, March 22
9:30am-2:30pm
Volunteer Hours 

We will be using our Bio-facts materials to educate visitors about local Louisiana organisms and their habitats. We hope to make them more environmentally aware and interested in becoming conservation stewards. We will also be promoting LMNGNO. Link to POINT post

Community Garden Day 

Sunday, March 23 - 10am-1pm 
Volunteer Hours 
We meet monthly, on the 4th Sundays, in the garden at Material institute to teach gardening skills, making plant medicine, processing compost, and other similar skills. We alternate monthly between a garden working day and a medicine-making day. Visitors should bring their own water bottle; we have filtered water and garden tools and gloves on site. Volunteers will be fed lunch at the end of the event. All ages welcome. Link to POINT post

Continuing Education Opportunities

OAS Bonnet Carré Spillway Field Trip

Saturday, March 22
8am-12pm 
Continuing Education Hours 
Bring binoculars, field guides, bug spray, rain gear, sunscreen and refreshments. Boots and cell phones may be useful. Snacks and drinks are recommended. Contact the trip leader if you have questions. Any last minute changes will be posted on the events page of the Orleans Audubon Society website, so check https://jjaudubon.net/events/ for updates. Link to POINT post

LMNGNO Book Club 

Sunday, March 9
2-3:30 pm

Continuing Education Hours 
Come join the LMNGNO Book Group as we discuss the environmental classic, Silent Spring, by Dr. Rachel Carson.  This is one we should all read and re-read.  We meet under one of the most magnificent Ancient Live Oaks of New Orleans, the McDonough Oak at City Park- adjacent to Allard Blvd and in between City Park Ave and Café De Monde.  No requirement to have read all or any of the book- just your enthusiasm!  Call, email or text with any questions! Link to POINT post

Loyola Research Seminar- Lessons from Plants 

Tuesday, March 18 
12:30-1:30pm 
Continuing Education Hours 
Professor Walter G. Moore Lecture in Ecology talk, by Dr. Beronda Montgomery - Author of Lesson from Plants 
Date: Tuesday, March 18 at 12:30 pm 
Location: Miller 114
Link to POINT post

Tulane Summit on Environmental Law and Policy 

Friday and Saturday, March 28-29 
9am-5pm 
Continuing Education Hours 

"The Tulane Environmental Law and Policy Summit is an annual event that brings together legal experts, policymakers, scholars, and community advocates to discuss pressing environmental issues. This year’s event, taking place on March 28-29, 2025, will commemorate the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, with a focus on how communities can build resilience to environmental challenges.

The theme for the 2025 Summit is Community and Resilience. This theme delves into the development of environmental law and policy in response to disaster recovery and general environmental challenges. As we mark the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, we’ll explore how legal frameworks and policies have evolved to better address the impacts of environmental disasters and enhance community resilience. The Summit will highlight advancements and reforms in the field, aiming to foster stronger, more sustainable legal and policy solutions for future challenges." https://tulaneenvironmentallawsummit.com/
Link to POINT post

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SUNDAY, MARCH 2     8:30-10:30 a.m.     PLANT GIVEAWAY at Big Lake Native Plant Trail in New Orleans City Park (the trail is near the boat and bike rental on Friedrichs Avenue; giveaway is at the amphitheater seating area next to the lake—look for the signs) - Giveaway plants are Elliott's lovegrass (Eragostis elliottii) and mixed Drummond phlox (Phlox drummondii). Option 1: Stop by and pick up a native plant or two. Option 2: Volunteer for the giveaway team AND pick up a native plant or two. Four to six volunteers are needed to set up/take down table, signs, and plants and to give away plants. Volunteers must arrive by 8:00 a.m. Follow the link to sign up via NPI email.

SATURDAY, MARCH 8 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Saturday at the Refuge
Bayou Sauvage Wildlife Refuge Ridge Trail
20876 CHEF MENTEUR HWY,
NEW ORLEANS, LA 70129
Join us for an exciting and educational day during our 3rd Saturday at the Refuge event! This family-friendly event will take place at the beautiful Ridge Trail, a great spot to explore the unique beauty of the Bayou Sauvage wetlands. Learn more.

SATURDAY, MARCH 8 9:00-11:00 a.m.     Native Plant Initiative meeting at Rosa F. Keller Library and Community Center, 4300 South Broad, New Orleans - Despite this winter's chills, there's a lot going on in our gardens, including a crowd of volunteer plants growing in surprising places. Susan Norris-Davis will share the latest on the Good Weed/Bad Weed database, an easy-to-use guide for deciding what to pull and what to encourage that's available on the NPI website. There'll also be NPI baseball caps and magnets available as donation thank-you gifts (see the details below in the "Learn & Share" section). As always, anyone and everyone (NPI member or not) is welcome to attend the meeting. After the meeting, share native plants and seeds AND help tidy up the garden; bring your garden gloves, clippers, etc., if you want to join the Pull & Prune fun. (Note that this Pull & Prune will take the place of the previously scheduled March 12 volunteer project at the library.)

SATURDAY, APRIL 5 - SUNDAY, APRIL 6     9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.     SPRING GARDEN SHOW at New Orleans City Park Botanical Garden     5 Victory Avenue, New Orleans - Education programs, plant sales, music, and more: it's THE spring event for plant people! Come for the fun and stay for the sharing: NPI's garden show booth will showcase native plants and answer the age-old question "Is it a good weed or a bad weed?"

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The Louisiana Master Naturalists of Greater New Orleans invite you to our upcoming event.

Date: Sunday, February 23, 2025 
Time: 10:00 AM
Address: Meet at Fontainebleau State Park on the back porch of the Visitors Center. (Email Tres if you need more specific directions.)

Open to: Certified members (we ask that you have paid this year’s dues) and those undergoing certification. Children are welcome with a parent or guardian.

Cost: No cost to attend. 

Agenda:  We will walk a small trail slowly looking and learning about a few target species of plants and fungi that are staples for home use this time of year.  Our walk will be led by John Nettles of the Slow Hike Company.  John is also a Baton Rouge Master Naturalist and super resourceful for anyone looking to get more acquainted with Louisiana's wonderful natural history.  John will also host an online presentation on Thursday (2/20/25) at 7pm to review some basics of foraging and then review some species we might see on Sunday and our plan of action.  Link to online meetup: https://meet.google.com/mso-vehr-xrt  or dial: ‪(US) +1 984-221-1367 PIN: ‪472 940 037#

Hours: This activity counts for continuing education hours.

Bring: Wear weather appropriate shoes and clothes, and bring water bottles, clipboard, paper and a pen to take notes. 

Questions: Contact Tres Fisher at [email protected]

About Fontainebleau State Park: The 2,800-acre park is located on the shore of Lake Pontchartrain. The park's nature trail is a favorite of nature lovers. Interpretive signs along the trail will help you identify many of the common trees and shrubs. Always be on the lookout for birds and other animals, as over 400 different species live in and around Fontainebleau. Bordered on three sides by water – Lake Pontchartrain, Bayou Cane and Bayou Castine – and characterized by a convergence of diverse ecosystems, it has a multitude of habitats for birds.

For information and resources about John's venture check out: https://slowhikecompany.com/

Sign up on POINT.

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Date: Sunday, February 23, 2025 
Time: 9:00 AM

Address: City Park's Scout Island, which is near Magnolia Dr. at Harrison Ave. Meet at the pedestrian bridge at the main entrance to Scout Island, which is on the west side of the island near a playground.

Open to: Certified members, Friends of LMNGNO (we ask that you have paid this year’s dues) and those undergoing certification. Children are welcome with a parent or guardian.

Cost: No cost to attend. 

Agenda:  Locate and learn about invasives that are thriving in City Park. This includes trees- camphor, tallow, raintree, chinaberry which now are preventing native trees from germinating. A vine, bushkiller, which has had an explosion of growth in recent months.   And inspect water borne plants- water hyacinths, salvinia and water lettuce that at times completely cover the park’s waters. Finally, look for the most recent arrival- apple snails.  Plans are to walk into two different sites where the invasives are the most invasive. The intent is to provide an overall look at the magnitude of the invasive problem and some possible eradication efforts. This walk will be lead by Byron Almquist and Anna Hernandez.

Hours: This activity counts for continuing education hours.

Bring: Wear weather appropriate shoes and clothes, and bring water bottles, clipboard, paper and a pen to take notes. 

Questions: Contact Byron Almquist at [email protected] 

About Scout Island: Scout Island is a 62-acre site in New Orleans' City Park, across Harrison Ave from the more well-known Couturie Forest. The island is surrounded by bayous and wooded around the edges with a large open area in the center. There has been little development on the island except for walking trails.

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February is one of the busiest months for volunteering with LMNGNO partner organizations. There are 8 events scheduled for February 7 and 8 alone — Carnival Season is ramping up!

To stay active in LMNGNO in 2025, you will need to:

  1. Pay the dues for 2025. This can be found here.
  2. Complete 20 volunteer hours
  3. Complete 8 Continuing Education hours 
Participants in the LMNGNO Fall 2024 Class--This is for you! 

Did you recently complete the Fall 2024 workshops and are you thinking of certifying in the next six months? If you complete the 20 required volunteer hours in the first six months after you complete the LMNGNO workshops, you do not need to earn 8 continuing education hours for the initial certification. 
 
Do you currently volunteer with a group whose mission relates to LMNGNO? Wondering if it counts towards your 20 required volunteer hours? Email me at [email protected] to double check!

If you are a partner organization and have events in the future, please email [email protected] to have your event added to the calendar OR complete this google form.

Announcements

POINT-ers
All volunteer hours must be entered into POINT. If your volunteer activity was not published in POINT, you can still add it manually, and the certification team can approve your hours. Please email [email protected] if any questions arise. 

Want to learn about volunteer and continuing education opportunities as they go up on the calendar? Download the app and turn on notifications!
Apple Google Play

You will need to manually log your hours on POINT after your volunteering or continuing education opportunity.

Continuing Education 

If your work or studies relate to our mission, you can apply for a continuing education waiver by completing this form.

To maintain certification, you need 8 continuing education hours per year.  There are four ways to earn CE Hours:

  1. Attend 8 hours of qualifying CE workshops, talks, and/or seminars.
  2. Earn 1 hour for each Membership Meeting attended. 
  3. Teach a substantial section of a LMNGNO workshop
  4. Be employed or do volunteer teaching (have full responsibility for teaching) in a natural history-focused organization or other educational organization.  Those qualifying under this heading include science or environmental science teachers, naturalists, and those doing volunteer educational activities of the same quality teaching.  Hours are earned, for such qualified credits, for both preparation/research and the actual presentation.

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Date: Saturday, February 8, 2025
Time: Meet at the pavilion near the parking area at 10:00 AM
Open to: Certified members and Friends of LMNGNO (we ask that you have paid this year’s dues) and those undergoing certification. Children are welcome with a parent or guardian.
Address: 449 F. Edward Hebert Blvd., Belle Chasse, Louisiana (20 minutes from the Superdome)

Cost: No cost to attend. If you would like to make a donation, you can do so at: https://woodlandsconservancy.networkforgood.com/projects/48597-help-preserve-forested-wetlands-in-southeast-louisiana.
Agenda: We will walk the 1.1-mile Upland Trail loop to view invasive removal/native restoration sites and make other plant and wildlife observations. Optionally, participants can continue to hike some or all of the longer Bottomland and North trails, both of which pass additional restoration sites and end in WWII-era ammunition bunkers.
Hours: This activity counts for continuing education hours.
Bring: Dress to be outside and bring your favorite outdoor equipment (binoculars, magnifiers, field guides, etc.). It may be muddy if it has recently rained. Bring water and snacks. There is a very nice restroom and (usually warm) potable water at the parking area.
Questions: Contact Janna Wisniewski at 517-927-4371 or [email protected].
About the Woodlands Conservancy: “Woodlands Preserve is a 650-acre forested wetland that is managed primarily for the conservation and enhancement of native vegetation for the benefit of wildlife and the thousands of resident and migratory birds that depend on this pocket of forest. The property serves as a natural sponge to absorb runoff and as a windbreak during storm events.” https://www.woodlandsconservancy.org/

Sign up on POINT.

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The Louisiana Master Naturalists of Greater New Orleans invite you to our upcoming event: Walkabout: Wintering trees in Lafreniere Park
Date: Sunday, February 2, 2025
Time: 9:00 AM
Address: Lafreniere Park, 3000 Downs Blvd, Metairie, LA 70003. Meet in the parking lot of the Foundation Center, which is on South Scenic Drive just east of the Children’s Memorial Garden.

Open to: Certified members and Friends of LMNGNO (we ask that you have paid this year’s dues) and those undergoing certification. Children are welcome with a parent or guardian.
Cost: No cost to attend.
Agenda: In the park there are about forty species of trees with some twenty-seven being deciduous broadleaves. During the winter season there is an opportunity to look at these trees in their winter mode – bare profiles, buds, seeds, and leaf litter. Byron Almquist and Anna Hernandez will lead the group on a walk around the park, observing and identifying trees.
Hours: This activity counts for continuing education hours.
Bring: Dress to be outside and bring your favorite outdoor equipment (binoculars, notebooks, field guides, etc.), and water. There is a restroom on site.
Questions: Contact Byron Almquist at [email protected]
About Lafreniere Park: "Lafreniere Park was once one of the last pieces of large undeveloped acreage in East Jefferson, it has blossomed into a lush, thriving natural green space. With careful planning and vigilant nurturing for over three decades, the park now sports open green spaces, multiple use lawns, fountains, family picnic areas, hills, landscaped gardens, fishing, tot-lots, paths, trails, man-made ecological marsh environment, a championship Frisbee golf course, carousel, soccer, a conference center, and dog park. The marshes and gardens offer educators a wealth of native plant life to use as an aid for teaching students; the open spaces and family picnic areas are enjoyed by all." https://lafrenierepark.org/.

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LMNGNO Calendar of Meetings and Events for 2025

Download the calendar.

Executive Committee Meetings           5:30 PM
STEM Library LAB
3011 N I 10 Service Rd E, Metairie, LA 70002    

  • January 15, 2025
  • April 9, 2025
  • July 9, 2025
  • October 8, 2025

Board of Directors Meetings     5:30 PM
Open to all members in good standing
STEM Library LAB
3011 N I 10 Service Rd E, Metairie, LA 70002

  • January 22, 2025
  • April 16, 2025
  • July 16, 2025
  • October 15, 2025
  • December (if needed)

General Membership Meetings
Social Hour begins at 5:30 PM.
Business meeting begins at 6:30 PM.
Feature Presenters to be determined.

Loyola University - Miller Hall Room 114

  • January 29, 2025
  • April 23, 2025
  • August 6, 2025
  • October 22, 2025

LMNA State-wide Rendezvous 2025
April 11-13, 2025
Baton Rouge, LA

2025 LMNGNO Annual Gathering at Bogue Chitto State Park
October 24-25, 2025

Spring 2025 LMNGNO Workshop Dates

All workshops are from 9:00 – 3:00 unless otherwise noted

  • Orientation (two parts)
  • January 10 Pt 1 Social Hour- STEM Library Lab (6-8 PM)                          
  • January 11 Pt 2 Audubon Nature Center   (9:00 – 4:00 PM)                       
  • January 25 Bayou Sauvage    
  • February 8 City Park/Urban Ecology   
  • February 22 CERF
  • March 8 Northlake Nature Center
  • March 22 Turtle Cove   
  • April 25-26 Elmer’s Island/Grand Isle (two-day trip)
  • May 3 Jean Lafitte/Bayou Coquille Trail (4:00 – 10:00 PM)
  • May 24 Bayou Dupont
  • May 28 Closing – STEM Library Lab (6-8 PM)

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Happy fall! Please come to our final meeting for 2024 on November 13 at Loyola University in Miller Hall, room 114.  Our theme will be Thanksgiving Dinner.  Please prepare your favorite dish for the potluck social, which starts at 5:30 pm. You can receive a volunteer credit by bringing a dish and an educational credit for attending. Remember to come a little early so we are ready to serve at 5:30 pm. Please try to help us conserve paper products by bringing your own silverware, plate, and cup. 

 The link for SignUp  is 

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0E4FAAAB2BA7F85-53030163-lmngno

 See you there!
Marianne Maumus

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The last Louisiana Master Naturalists of Greater New Orleans general membership meeting of 2024 will take place at Loyola University on November 13 in Room 114 of Miller Hall on November 13, 2024. Click for parking information. 

November 13, 2024
Room 114 Miller Hall 
Loyola University

5:30 PM Potluck (link to sign up will follow) 
6:30 Business meeting

  • Certifications of new Master Naturalists
  • Results of election for board members and officers
  • Spring 2024 Bradburn Award

7:00 Speaker: Nancy Newfield, 2024 Percy L. Viosca Award, "The Wonderful World of Hummingbirds."

Important Announcements:

  1. All LMNGNO members who have paid dues for 2024 will shortly receive an electronic ballot to vote for the slate of officers for 2025 and the 2027 cohort of Board Members. Please submit your ballot promptly. Thank you to all who vote.
  2. The Nature Store is running a SALE of LMNGNO merchandise. Order by 11/12/24 to pick up your items at the general meeting on 11/13/24.  Details of items on sale and link to order are HERE. 

Janell Simpson, Secretary