Our Mission
The Texas Master Naturalist™ Program’s mission is to develop a corps of well-informed volunteers to provide education, outreach, and service dedicated to the beneficial management of natural resources and natural areas within their communities for the State of Texas. Coastal Prairie Chapter members volunteer mainly in Fort Bend, Waller and Wharton counties.
Fall 2025 Training Class
2025 Fall class enrollment is now Full
If you are interested in upcoming training classes, click below.
2025 Spring Class with Training Team and Mentors
Monthly Chapter Program – September 4th, 2025
Ecotoxicology 101 with Dr. Cindy Howard
What happens when chemicals collide with nature? Join us on Thursday, September 4th at 7:00pm at the Rosenberg Civic Center, 3825 TX-36, for Ecotoxicology 101, a dynamic and eye-opening presentation by Dr. Cindy Howard, Department Chair of Environmental Sciences and Professor of Biology and Environmental Science, College of Science and Engineering.
Discover the history and evolution of this crucial field, from environmental disasters that sparked a global awakening to cutting-edge research happening right here in our own backyard. Learn how scientists study the effects of pollutants on wildlife and ecosystems—and why it matters more than ever today.
Whether you’re new to the topic or deeply invested in protecting Texas’ natural heritage, this program, designed for curious minds and conservation advocates. will deepen your understanding and inspire action.
Come explore the science where chemistry meets ecology—and the future of environmental stewardship begins.
About Our speaker:
Cindy grew up in northeast Ohio and earned a B.A. in zoology from Miami University (the original one in SW Ohio, not that one in Florida). She moved to Houston for a job with the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), monitoring benthic macroinvertebrate and fish communities in Trinity and Galveston Bays and the Louisiana outer continental shelf. While at SwRI, Cindy helped develop one of the first labs in the state devoted to evaluating the effects of pollutants on natural populations (ecotoxicology wasn’t even a term then!). She later moved on to the UT Health Science Center while completing graduate studies at UH Clear Lake, then UT School of Public Health. She has been a faculty member in environmental science and biology at UH Clear Lake for 35 years, where she teaches ecology, toxicology, environmental biology and tropical rainforest ecology courses. Cindy conducts ecological and ecotoxicological research with students in the saltmarshes of Galveston Bay and the wilds of the Amazon rainforest. She is a Galveston Bay Area Master Naturalist and leads ecotours for college students and TMNs in the Brazilian Amazon.
Coastal Prairie Chapter programs are free and open to the public. This program will be held in-person at the Rosenberg Civic Center, 3825 TX-36, Rosenberg, TX 77471. Please plan to arrive at 6:00 pm for refreshments and social time. The program starts at 7pm.
A Zoom option is available. After registering below, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Current Projects
- Seabourne Creek Nature Park is our signature project. Come visit us!
- 8/17/25 8:00am Monthly Nature Walk at Seabourne Creek Nature Park
- 8/28/25 9:00am Monthly Insect Hike at Seabourne Creek Nature Park
- 9/4/25 7:00pm Monthly Chapter Program – Ecotoxicology 101 with Dr. Cindy Howard