Meetings and Field Trips

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Membership Meeting

Thursday, Feb 16, 2012, 7:00 PM

Garden Center, Tyrrell Park, Beaumont

Fire Management in the

Upper Texas Marshes

C. Craig Crenshaw

Asst Fire Management Officer

Texas Chenier Plains Refuge Complex

Craig Crenshaw was born and raised in Corpus Christi, TX. and obtained a B.S. at East Texas State University, Commerce and an M.S. at Sul Ross State University, Alpine, Texas. He started his career with the Fire Management Branch of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service in 1993, his first duty station being at the Charles M. Russell NWR in the Missouri River Breaks of Montana. During his tenure with the Fish & Wildlife Service, he has been a part of nearly 400 prescribed or wildfires in 15 different states.

Craig is based at the Texas Point/McFaddin headquarters building in Sabine Pass, and was responsible for management of the wildfire in Texas Point NWR last June, and the wildfire in McFaddin NWR in early January.

We will plan on having the doors open by about 6:00 p.m. and the program will start at 7:00 p.m. sharp.

Directions to Garden Center in Tyrrell Park.

From the south

Go "north" on US69/96/287 around the south side of Beaumont.

Take Texas 124 (south or west, whichever it is signed) towards Fannett (left turn under the highway).

Travel about a mile to the first light.

At the first light, turn left onto Tyrrell Park Road and go about 1/2 mile.

Turn left into Tyrrell Park through the nice new arch.

Almost immediately turn left at the conservatory into the parking lot for the Garden Center.

From IH10

Exit at Walden Road on the west side of Beaumont

Go south of Walden Road for about 1/2 mile to the first light

At the light go straight over Highway 124 onto Tyrrell Park Road and go about 1/2 mile.

Turn left into Tyrrell Park through the nice new arch.

Almost immediately turn left at the conservatory into the parking lot for the Garden Center.

 Saturday February 18, 2012.

Field Trip to Sheldon Lake

Important Note: Field Trip notices published here should always be regarded as needing confirmation a day or two before the trip. Our ability to access sites could change; and local bird concentrations could change quite rapidly. We want to be able to make changes and adjustments to take advantage of the latter. Changes will always be posted on this website at www.goldentriangleaudubon.org. Confirmation of the location will also always be available at the Membership Meeting normally two days prior to each trip, or by contacting Field Trip Committee chair, Steve Mayes at sgmayes@hotmail.com

This trip will be to Sheldon Lake State Park and nearby Harris and Chambers Counties, looking for wintering passerines, waterfowl but also raptors and sparrows. Sheldon Lake State Park includes a large lake, which attracts many waterfowl, and well as (normally) moist wooded areas and newly restored prairie. The park entrance and Environmental Learning Center are at 15315 Beaumont Highway (Business 90) at Park Road 138 just outside the northeast section of Houston. We will meet at 8:15 a.m. inside the park outside the Environmental Learning Center. Normal travel time from the Golden Triangle should be about one hour 30 minutes to one hour 40 minutes. It is about 85 miles from Beaumont, and a little further from mid and south county.

If you approach on US 90, in Crosby, take the Beaumont Highway (Business 90, not the "main" US 90) and proceed about 5 miles to the park entrance to the right. If you reach Beltway 8 you have gone too far.

If you prefer IH10, exit at Sheldon Road and turn north. After just over five miles cross under US 90. Go another half mile or so and turn left on Business 90 (Beaumont Highway) and proceed just over two miles to the park entrance on the right

The narrow park entrance road is inconspicuous and not well signed, and may not be shown on your GPS. There is an eye-level brown sign right at the entrance road.

The park does not open until 8:00 a.m.  Park telephone is 281-456-2800.

Bird Cam Available for Use by Members

In July, Wild Birds Unlimited made available a Bird Cam for use by members of Golden Triangle Audubon. Harlan Stewart kindly took it, wrote directions of how to use it, and bought a bag to make it easy to carry. We will have a sign-up sheet in case anyone knows which month they would want to use it.

Jana Whittle