Join the Work Crew

Do you enjoy working outside, mowing, sprucing up hiking trails, trimming and removing brush and general cleanup? Show your love for nature by joining the Outdoor Crew at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge. Outdoor Crew volunteers meet on the First Tuesday and Fourth Saturday of every month. 

With budget cuts and staff shortages due to retirements, the refuge needs you more than ever!

For exact times, dates and other details about joining the volunteer Work Crew, please email us at: 

info@friendsofhagerman.org

Scouts welcome!

Enjoy the Butterfly Garden at Hagerman NWR

Garden docents will be on hand to help identify the Texas native plants and visiting butterflies.  Literature on plants and butterflies will be available. Special activities for families: scavenger hunts, the Metamorphosis Puppet and more. Registration is not necessary.

The garden is free of charge and open to the public from sunrise to sunset every day of the year.

Donations are accepted to support the Butterfly Garden, Garden Walks and other events and programs sponsored by the Friends of Hagerman NWR.

Join us with membership today to receive the monthly Featherless Flyer newsletter with nature articles, program information, updated events and other important refuge information!

Photo of American Lady Butterfly by Laurie Sheppard

Take a Tour on the Wildlife Explorer!

Come join us for a ride on the Wildlife Explorer! Our new and beautiful tram is available for ninety-minute tours of Hagerman every weekend, weather permitting. Our tours are as varied as our drivers. Each tram driver has her/his approach to the tour: you may learn about wildlife, birds, habitat, refuge history, photography, you name it! To paraphrase, “a Wildlife Explorer tour at Hagerman is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get.” But you know it’s going to be good! Come see us! Lots of stops for bird-watching and photography.

• Weather permitting, seating is limited. 
• Bring binoculars or borrow ours.
  
• Standbys accepted if space permits. 
• Ages 6 and above.
• Meet at the visitor center 15 minutes before departure. 

Free, open to the public, Donations are accepted to support all events and programs sponsored by the Friends of Hagerman NWR.

Join us with membership today to receive the monthly Featherless Flyer newsletter with nature articles, program information, updated events and other important refuge information!

Take a Tour on the Wildlife Explorer!

Come join us for a ride on the Wildlife Explorer! Our new and beautiful tram is available for ninety-minute tours of Hagerman every weekend, weather permitting. Our tours are as varied as our drivers. Each tram driver has her/his approach to the tour: you may learn about wildlife, birds, habitat, refuge history, photography, you name it! To paraphrase, “a Wildlife Explorer tour at Hagerman is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get.” But you know it’s going to be good! Come see us! Lots of stops for bird-watching and photography.

• Weather permitting, seating is limited. 
• Bring binoculars or borrow ours.
  
• Standbys accepted if space permits. 
• Ages 6 and above.
• Meet at the visitor center 15 minutes before departure. 

Free, open to the public, Donations are accepted to support all events and programs sponsored by the Friends of Hagerman NWR.

Join us with membership today to receive the monthly Featherless Flyer newsletter with nature articles, program information, updated events and other important refuge information!

The Little Sit Sunrise Bird Count

Meet Jack and the Bird Census Team while learning how to identify the birds of North Texas, and enjoy the beautiful sunrise over Lake Texoma! Modeled after Cornell's national "Big Sit" event, the public is invited to join a group of dedicated birders at sunrise to conduct a bird count as multiple species fly to the water and the surrounding land to feed.  Leaders will bring spotting scopes and will provide tips for identification of the many species you will see.

This event begins 30 minutes before sunrise (sunrise is 7:19 AM) and lasts a couple of hours, but all are welcome to come and go as they please. Participants are advised to bring a chair, binoculars and water. 

The location of the Little Sit is technically in Sadler, TX, but it is within the boundaries of Hagerman NWR.

Location: H Pad, Sadler, Texas 76264 

GPS Coordinates: 

33.734961, -96.780582

Directions from the Hagerman Visitor Center:

• Take a right (north) out of the Visitor Center parking lot road.
• At the bottom of the hill, take a left onto the gravel road (Wildlife Dr).
• The road will end at the Big Mineral Day Use Area. Take a right onto Bennett Lane.
• You will cross a bridge over Big Mineral Creek, then go over a low water crossing.
• There will be several small gravel roads going off to the right.
• Stay on Bennett until the road forks, then go right.
• When the road forks again, go right.
• Take the gravel road to the right marked “H” (you will see oil tanks on the NE corner) and go all the way to the end.

Free and open to the public.  Donations are accepted to support this and other events and programs sponsored by the Friends of Hagerman NWR.

Join us with membership today to receive the monthly Featherless Flyer newsletter with nature articles, program information, updated events and other important refuge information.

Calling all kids! Let's Go Fishin' on Saturday, May 2nd with Hagerman NWR staff and volunteers. This special Refuge Rocks event is for youth ages up to 16. We will be fishing from 9:00a.m. to 11:30a.m. and this is open to children ages 16 and under. With the help of volunteers, kids will be able to demonstrate their fishin' skills!

Gear will be available for kids to check out and bait will be provided. No registration is required for this event, and you can come and go as you please. We'll also be providing a fishing-themed craft table.

Registration is not necessary for this very special come-and-go event.

Learn the many photography opportunities at the refuge, where to find them and the best time to see them.

May meeting has been rescheduled for May 2nd due to the Bird Festival during our normal meeting date of May 16th.

Event Leader: Nancy Miller

fohphotoclub@friendsofhagerman.org

Join the Work Crew

Do you enjoy working outside, mowing, sprucing up hiking trails, trimming and removing brush and general cleanup? Show your love for nature by joining the Outdoor Crew at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge. Outdoor Crew volunteers meet on the First Tuesday and Fourth Saturday of every month. 

With budget cuts and staff shortages due to retirements, the refuge needs you more than ever!

For exact times, dates and other details about joining the volunteer Work Crew, please email us at: 

info@friendsofhagerman.org

Scouts welcome!

Come walk on the wild side and discover the birds of Hagerman!

Join Dr. Wayne Meyer, ornithologist, and Master Naturalist Jack Chiles for a guided bird walk along the Harris Creek Trail every Second Saturday, weather permitting. This easy, flat, well maintained trail makes for a relaxed and enjoyable walk as you spot birds and other wildlife along the way. The group will return in time for the Second Saturday nature program.

Binoculars are available to borrow—just bring your curiosity and a bottle of water!

Registration is recommended to receive event updates and weather-related notifications.

Free and open to the public.  Donations are accepted to support this and other events and programs sponsored by the Friends of Hagerman NWR.

Initial Results of Bat Monitoring on Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge and around Grayson County, Texas

With Bryon Clark and Margaret Avard

The Friends of Hagerman (FoH) National Wildlife Refuge was awarded the O’Brien Prize by the National Wildlife Refuge Association in July 2025 for their application titled “Music of the Night: Citizen Science Bioacoustic Bat Monitoring at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge.”

The primary goal of this project is to help address key gaps in understanding local bat species and their distribution on the refuge and in Grayson County, Texas. Such information may then be used to inform refuge management decisions and contribute to broader conservation efforts for bats across the region.

Another major goal of the project is public engagement. Through hands-on educational programs and citizen science opportunities, this initiative aims to inspire both youth and adults to learn more about these often-misunderstood mammals and, hopefully, become bat advocates.

Bryon Clark and Margaret Avard serve as the project leaders and will provide an update on this initiative, discuss challenges encountered, and share preliminary results from acoustic bat monitoring conducted on the refuge and throughout Grayson County, Texas. To date, analysis of the acoustic data suggests the probable presence of at least eight bat species across area.

Bryon Clark and Margaret Avard are both nature enthusiasts and live southeast of Sherman, Texas. Their son, Gerald, is a master’s student at the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management at the University of California Santa Barbara. After retiring from Southeastern Oklahoma State, both have become active members of the Friends of Hagerman NWR and are certified Texas Master Naturalists. Dr. Avard served as a Professor of Earth, Space, and Environmental Sciences and Dr. Clark was a Professor of Biological Sciences before moving to administration and retiring as the Interim President of the University.

Bryon has been interested in bats for almost 5o years and completed his master’s thesis and a post-doctoral experience on bat ecology. Margaret developed her interest in bats through the Texas Master Naturalists and listening to Bryon’s presentations. Together, they enjoy camping and often take their personal bat detectors along to record bat calls; needless to say, this activity has sparked some interesting comments from other campers. They have conducted acoustic bat monitoring in Texas, Iowa, West Virginia, Nevada, Utah, and California.

The O’Brien Prize awarded by the National Association of Wildlife Refuges has expanded opportunities for Bryon and Margaret to share their enthusiasm for bats with others. As project leaders for the Bat Monitoring Project at Hagerman, they hope to recruit others to become interested in bats and assist with bat monitoring efforts on the refuge and their own property. Bats play a critical role in the environment, and these collective efforts will help promote a greater understanding of this remarkable group of mammals.

Registration is not necessary—all are welcome! But if any of these programs spark your curiosity, signing up will get you a friendly reminder three days beforehand. You’ll also receive our once-a-month Featherless Flyer newsletter—no email overload, and it’s easy to unsubscribe anytime.

Enjoy the Butterfly Garden at Hagerman NWR

Garden docents will be on hand to help identify the Texas native plants and visiting butterflies.  Literature on plants and butterflies will be available. Special activities for families: scavenger hunts, the Metamorphosis Puppet and more. Registration is not necessary.

The garden is free of charge and open to the public from sunrise to sunset every day of the year.

Donations are accepted to support the Butterfly Garden, Garden Walks and other events and programs sponsored by the Friends of Hagerman NWR.

Join us with membership today to receive the monthly Featherless Flyer newsletter with nature articles, program information, updated events and other important refuge information!

Photo of American Lady Butterfly by Laurie Sheppard

Enjoy the Butterfly Garden at Hagerman NWR

Garden docents will be on hand to help identify the Texas native plants and visiting butterflies.  Literature on plants and butterflies will be available. Special activities for families: scavenger hunts, the Metamorphosis Puppet and more. Registration is not necessary.

The garden is free of charge and open to the public from sunrise to sunset every day of the year.

Donations are accepted to support the Butterfly Garden, Garden Walks and other events and programs sponsored by the Friends of Hagerman NWR.

Join us with membership today to receive the monthly Featherless Flyer newsletter with nature articles, program information, updated events and other important refuge information!

Photo of American Lady Butterfly by Laurie Sheppard

Big Brown Bat found in the Visitor Center at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge.

Photo by Kathy Whaley, Refuge Manager

Bat Monitoring Workshop

Free and Open to the Public, Registration Required

Have you ever wondered if there are bats on your property or flying around your yard at night? Maybe not, but now that you are thinking about it, wouldn’t you really like to know? Now is your chance to learn more about bats!

Join the Friends of Hagerman (FOH) Bat Monitoring Team to participate in this hands-on workshop that includes an indoor presentation and an outdoor field experience at the refuge. Learn how to identify bats of North Texas, use tools and techniques to survey bats, and request a bat monitoring session on your property. Space is limited, so sign up today using the QR code or click FOH Bat Monitoring Workshop.

This workshop is being conducted by FOH as one aspect of its grant “Music of the Night: Citizen Science Bioacoustic Bat Monitoring at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge” funded by the National Wildlife Refuge Association’s O’Brien Prize.

Schedule

6:00 – 7:00 pm (Presentation in the Visitor Center) 

An introduction to North Texas bats, mist netting techniques, acoustic monitors (bat detectors), analysis of acoustic data, permit requirements, and the North American Bat Monitoring Program

7:00 – 7:15 (Break)

7:15 – 10:00 pm (Field Session)*

*Please note that bat activity is weather dependent and the field portion may be rescheduled due to rain or cold temperatures. Although bats have been previously observed at the field site, they may not be present on any given night. If needed, you may leave the field session early on your own.

What to Wear/Bring (Field Session Participants)

Workshop Leaders

• Dr. Bryon Clark – retired university professor and administrator, mammalian ecologist with nearly a 50- year interest in bats, and certified Texas Master Naturalist
• Dr. Margaret Avard – retired university professor, environmental scientist, experienced bat acoustics analyst, and certified Texas Master Naturalist

Help bat conservation in North Texas by discovering “Music of the Night”

at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge!

Schedule for the Day: 8:00 to 9:30 Early Bird Walk Visitor Center parking lot 10:00 to 11:00 Refuge Rocks - Birds! Ages 5-10, Reservations Required  10:00 to 11:00 Tram Tour (Reservations Required) 11:00 to 12:00 Lecture: What Exactly is a Bird  with Dr. Bryon Clark, Vertebrate Ecologist 11:00 to 2:00 Ice Hole Food Truck (carport) 11:00 - 2:00 Book Signing: Sam Crowe - Birds of North America 12:00 to 12:30 Master Storytelling with Doris Haynie (VC Patio) 12:00 to 1:00 Tram Tour (Reservations Required)   12:30 to 1:30 Lecture: Birds are Amazing Flying Dinosaurs with Dr. Tom Stidham, Evolutionay Biologist and Paleontologist   1:00 to 3:00 Butterfly Garden Walk  1:00 to 3:00 Children's Activities & Puddles  Skins and Skulls of Mammals & Bats  ( Pavilion) 2:00 to 3:00  Lecture: Where are All the Birds Going - Current Trends in Population Size with Dr. Wayne Meyer, Ornithologist 2:00 to 3:00 Tram Tour (Reservations Required)

Have you ever found a bird's nest while exploring outside? They are absolutely amazing. What makes it even more incredible is that these little creatures do it all with no hands!

Join us at the education pavilion during this special Refuge Rocks program occurring during our day-long Birdfest celebration!

Bird nests can be made of twigs, grass, plants, mud, spider silk, moss and almost any other materials birds can get their beaks on. Some birds, like eagles, build their nests high in the trees to keep them safe from predators. Other birds build their nests on the ground or in low shrubs. There are as many type of bird nests are there are types of birds!

Come join us for a fun challenge.....can you build a nest using natural materials just like real birds do? NO GLUE OR TAPE ALLOWED!

This "Make a Bird's Nest" project is a fun way to test out our creative building ideas and problem solving.

This free nature activity is for youth ages 5-10. Registration required.

Take a Tour on the Wildlife Explorer!

Come join us for a ride on the Wildlife Explorer! Our new and beautiful tram is available for ninety-minute tours of Hagerman every weekend, weather permitting. Our tours are as varied as our drivers. Each tram driver has her/his approach to the tour: you may learn about wildlife, birds, habitat, refuge history, photography, you name it! To paraphrase, “a Wildlife Explorer tour at Hagerman is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get.” But you know it’s going to be good! Come see us! Lots of stops for bird-watching and photography.

• Weather permitting, seating is limited. 
• Bring binoculars or borrow ours.
  
• Standbys accepted if space permits. 
• Ages 6 and above.
• Meet at the visitor center 15 minutes before departure. 

Free, open to the public, Donations are accepted to support all events and programs sponsored by the Friends of Hagerman NWR.

Join us with membership today to receive the monthly Featherless Flyer newsletter with nature articles, program information, updated events and other important refuge information!

Although birds display a remarkable diversity of colors, shapes, sizes and behaviors, they share a set of defining characteristics that distinguish them from other animals. This presentation will explore several key adaptations, such as feathers, beaks, lightweight skeletal structures, and, in most species, the ability to fly, that enable birds to inhabit almost every environment on the earth’s surface. From Antarctica to your own backyard, you are likely to encounter several of the more than 11,000 species of birds found worldwide. This presentation will also provide a few simple and practical tips on how to identify the birds you see.

Bryon has been a nature enthusiast since growing up on the family farm in southern Iowa. He has a B.A. in Biology from Central College (Iowa), an M.S. in Biology from Western Illinois University, and a Ph.D. in Biology from Kansas State University. From 1990 until his retirement in 2020, Dr. Clark served as a Professor of Biological Sciences and later as an administrator at Southeastern Oklahoma State University. Although trained as a mammalian ecologist, Bryon has developed a keen interest in the natural history and ecology of birds. Since retiring, he enjoys photographing birds and other wildlife, traveling, and volunteering with the Friends of Hagerman, Texas Master Naturalists, and Texoma Audubon Society.

Bryon and his spouse, Margaret Avard, live southeast of Sherman, Texas. Their son, Gerald, is a master’s student at the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management at the University of California Santa Barbara. A shared enthusiasm for nature runs in the family, and their vacations are always adventures.

Photo by Bryon Clark

Registration is not necessary—all are welcome! But if any of these programs spark your curiosity, signing up will get you a friendly reminder three days beforehand. You’ll also receive our once-a-month Featherless Flyer newsletter—no email overload, and it’s easy to unsubscribe anytime.

Take a Tour on the Wildlife Explorer!

Come join us for a ride on the Wildlife Explorer! Our new and beautiful tram is available for ninety-minute tours of Hagerman every weekend, weather permitting. Our tours are as varied as our drivers. Each tram driver has her/his approach to the tour: you may learn about wildlife, birds, habitat, refuge history, photography, you name it! To paraphrase, “a Wildlife Explorer tour at Hagerman is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get.” But you know it’s going to be good! Come see us! Lots of stops for bird-watching and photography.

• Weather permitting, seating is limited. 
• Bring binoculars or borrow ours.
  
• Standbys accepted if space permits. 
• Ages 6 and above.
• Meet at the visitor center 15 minutes before departure. 

Free, open to the public, Donations are accepted to support all events and programs sponsored by the Friends of Hagerman NWR.

Join us with membership today to receive the monthly Featherless Flyer newsletter with nature articles, program information, updated events and other important refuge information!

Dr. Thomas Stidham will talk about some of the different lines of evidence from anatomy, behavior, and the fossil record that demonstrates that birds are very diverse living dinosaurs.

Dr. Thomas Stidham is an evolutionary biologist and paleontologist who is fascinated by bird biology and evolution from their dinosaurian origins to today. During his career as a professor at Texas A&M University, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and now Austin College, he has published scientific research on birds from the Arctic to the Antarctic. In addition to his main work on birds, Tom’s broad natural history perspective also has resulted in research publications on insects, mammals, reptiles, plants, and much more, including the discovery of new species in Texas and elsewhere. As a professor at Austin College, Dr. Stidham engages an active student body in exciting biology courses, mentors students in independent research projects in his lab, and continues his scientific collaborations around the globe.

Registration is not necessary—all are welcome! But if any of these programs spark your curiosity, signing up will get you a friendly reminder three days beforehand. You’ll also receive our once-a-month Featherless Flyer newsletter—no email overload, and it’s easy to unsubscribe anytime.

Take a Tour on the Wildlife Explorer!

Come join us for a ride on the Wildlife Explorer! Our new and beautiful tram is available for ninety-minute tours of Hagerman every weekend, weather permitting. Our tours are as varied as our drivers. Each tram driver has her/his approach to the tour: you may learn about wildlife, birds, habitat, refuge history, photography, you name it! To paraphrase, “a Wildlife Explorer tour at Hagerman is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get.” But you know it’s going to be good! Come see us! Lots of stops for bird-watching and photography.

• Weather permitting, seating is limited. 
• Bring binoculars or borrow ours.
  
• Standbys accepted if space permits. 
• Ages 6 and above.
• Meet at the visitor center 15 minutes before departure. 

Free, open to the public, Donations are accepted to support all events and programs sponsored by the Friends of Hagerman NWR.

Join us with membership today to receive the monthly Featherless Flyer newsletter with nature articles, program information, updated events and other important refuge information!

Enjoy the Butterfly Garden at Hagerman NWR

Garden docents will be on hand to help identify the Texas native plants and visiting butterflies.  Literature on plants and butterflies will be available. Special activities for families: scavenger hunts, the Metamorphosis Puppet and more. Registration is not necessary.

The garden is free of charge and open to the public from sunrise to sunset every day of the year.

Donations are accepted to support the Butterfly Garden, Garden Walks and other events and programs sponsored by the Friends of Hagerman NWR.

Join us with membership today to receive the monthly Featherless Flyer newsletter with nature articles, program information, updated events and other important refuge information!

Photo of American Lady Butterfly by Laurie Sheppard

Birds are a familiar and cherished part of life at the refuge—but many species are becoming harder to find. This Second Saturday program will explore current trends in bird populations and examine why changes are happening.

Dr. Wayne Meyer, an ornithologist, began birding at the age of 13 in Connecticut. He has birded extensively on both coasts of the United States and has spent the past quarter century birding in Texas and Oklahoma. Dr. Meyer has conducted extensive research on prairie birds and has been studying song learning and vocal development in Painted Buntings for more than a decade. He is a sought-after speaker for Master Naturalist groups and a frequent presenter at the Friends of Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge Second Saturday programs.

Photo by Adam Graham

Registration is not necessary—all are welcome! But if any of these programs spark your curiosity, signing up will get you a friendly reminder three days beforehand. You’ll also receive our once-a-month Featherless Flyer newsletter—no email overload, and it’s easy to unsubscribe anytime.

Join the Work Crew

Do you enjoy working outside, mowing, sprucing up hiking trails, trimming and removing brush and general cleanup? Show your love for nature by joining the Outdoor Crew at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge. Outdoor Crew volunteers meet on the First Tuesday and Fourth Saturday of every month. 

With budget cuts and staff shortages due to retirements, the refuge needs you more than ever!

For exact times, dates and other details about joining the volunteer Work Crew, please email us at: 

info@friendsofhagerman.org

Scouts welcome!

Enjoy the Butterfly Garden at Hagerman NWR

Garden docents will be on hand to help identify the Texas native plants and visiting butterflies.  Literature on plants and butterflies will be available. Special activities for families: scavenger hunts, the Metamorphosis Puppet and more. Registration is not necessary.

The garden is free of charge and open to the public from sunrise to sunset every day of the year.

Donations are accepted to support the Butterfly Garden, Garden Walks and other events and programs sponsored by the Friends of Hagerman NWR.

Join us with membership today to receive the monthly Featherless Flyer newsletter with nature articles, program information, updated events and other important refuge information!

Photo of American Lady Butterfly by Laurie Sheppard