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Upcoming Events
Check here for The Nature Conservancy's Oklahoma Chapter Events
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There are no docent events scheduled at this time.
Watch this space for future events!
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Past Events
If you have photos or descriptions of past docent events that could be posted on this page, send them to the webmaster on the contacts page.
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Saturday, May 22nd, 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Prairie Road Crew, Cookout, and Hike
Morning roadside clean-up, followed by lunch hot off the grill (all food will be provided), followed by a hike in part of the Preserve not frequented by the general public.
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Saturday, April 24, 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Spring Work Day
Please meet at the Preserve Visitors Center, and bring a lunch. Volunteers will pick up any debris accumulated around the old Florence Jones ranch headquarters, acquired by The Nature Conservancy at the south end of the Preserve a few years ago. Docent Workday Coordinator: Dennis Bires.
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Saturday, April 10, 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Docent Reorientation
Ecological Research Station, Tallgrass Prairie Preserve. Please bring lunch. Docent Reorientation Coordinator: David Turner.
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Saturday, March 27, 9:00 a.m. - 4:15 p.m.
New Docent Training
Ecological Research Station, Tallgrass Prairie Preserve. Docent Training Coordinator: Barbara Bates.
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Monday, March 8, 5:45 - 7:30 p.m.
Bartlesville Docent Recruiting
Bartlesville Public Library, 600 South Johnstone, in Bartlesville. All Docents are welcome to come chat with new Docent prospects. Hosts: Betty and David Turner.
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Sunday, March 7, 2:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Tulsa Docent Recruiting
Hardesty Regional Library, 93rd Street at Memorial Drive, in Tulsa. All Docents are welcome to come chat with new Docent prospects. This is a drop in event, so there is no need to arrive right at 2:00 p.m., or to stay until 4:00 p.m. Hosts: Dennis Bires and Barbara Bates.
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Saturday, March 6, 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Prairie Road Crew
Please meet at the Preserve Visitors Center for roadside clean-up assignments and equipment. (Docents who wish to start near the south end of the Preserve need not check in at the Visitors Center.) Bring along a lunch for the noon break on the Bunkhouse porch. Docent Workday Coordinator: Dennis Bires.
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Saturday, February 6, 2010
3:00 p.m.
Tallgrass Docents Winter Meeting
All Tallgrass Prairie Docents are urged to attend the 2010 Docent Winter Meeting on Saturday, February 6, at 3:00 p.m., at The University of Tulsa College of Law, Room 203, on the TU Campus (see directions below). The meeting is expected to last at least an hour.
The purpose of the Winter Meeting is to discuss how things are going in the Docent Program, and what we can do to improve the service we provide at the Tallgrass Prairie.
In advance of the meeting, please submit your ideas for our agenda. You can do this by email to Dennis Bires at dennisbires@lycos.com, or by calling (918) 341-3908 (home). Even if you donŐt send them in beforehand, please bring your ideas and questions.
One topic on the agenda will be solicitation of volunteers for key planning positions. We currently have openings in the following areas: Docent Reorientation, Docent Scheduling, Docent Work Days, Docent Recognition Luncheon, and Tulsa Docent Recruiting. No final decisions need be made on the 6th, but do give these positions some thought.
Directions to the Winter Meeting: The College of Law is in John Rogers Hall, on the north edge of The University of Tulsa Campus. It is on East 4th Place, between Harvard and Delaware Avenues, at the corner of Florence Avenue. There should be ample parking in the lot across East 4th Place, in which visitors to campus are welcome.
Thank you in advance for your active involvement.
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Saturday, November 21, 2009
12:15 p.m.
Docent Recognition Luncheon and Fall Field Day
All Tallgrass Docents are cordially invited to the annual Docent Recognition Luncheon at the Ecological Research Station at the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve on Saturday, November 21, at 12:15 p.m. This informal catered luncheon is our opportunity to honor the young Docents who have served their first four shifts at the Visitor's Center by presentation of service pins. Those passing other shift milestones will be recognized as well. For all of us, it is a great chance to catch up with fellow volunteers and meet others.
Immediately following the Luncheon, at about 1:30 p.m., Preserve Director Bob Hamilton will lead our Fall Field Day. This will be a non-strenuous walk onto the prairie to observe native flora and fauna at this wonderful time of year. The tall grasses will be at their peak height after a delightfully rainy summer.
Docents are welcome to bring a guest to the Luncheon and Fall Field Day. It is a fine means of introducing someone to the Preserve.
Please RSVP reservations only to Dennis Bires at dennis-bires@lycos.com or 918-341-3908 by Friday, November 13.
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Saturday, November 7th, 2009
1:00 p.m.
Docent Day at the Bison Corrals
Docents interested in watching the bison working this year should plan to meet at the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve headquarters area Saturday, November 7, at 1:00 p.m. Ann will meet the group and they can follow her in their own vehicles to the corrals. Each docent is allowed to invite one guest to the bison working.
When guests are viewing the bison working from the catwalk viewing area, please keep in mind that you should "duck" down when the cowboys are trying to move the bison from the alley into the sweep tub. The animals tend to want to turn back if they see a human, so please try to be attentive to what is happening and duck down to get out of sight as much as possible during the movement of bison into the sweep tub.
For those of you working the gift shop, November 4 through 9, please remember that the bison working is closed to the public.
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Saturday, September 26, 2009
1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. at the Preserve
Tallgrass Prairie Preserve 20th Anniversary Open House
Tallgrass Docents: Come join the activities at the 20th Anniversary Open House at the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve, Saturday, September 26. On that day Preserve Founders, Trustees, Donors, Barnard Family members, and the general public will gather for an afternoon of informative conservation programs.
There are two ways Docents can be a part of this milestone recognition:
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Just attend. Go on a Bison Ecology Driving Tour with Bob Hamilton, a Botany Hike with Van Vives, and a Nature Photography demonstration with Chapter Director Mike Fuhr, visit the Fire Ecology Display, and take a Ranch Bunkhouse Tour.
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Be a helper. Serve as a Bunkhouse Tour guide, or a "Greeter at the Gate" of the parking lot distributing event programs and providing directions, or serve a shift in the Visitors Center to handle the heavy visitor traffic there. We need about a dozen extra Docents for these important functions.
Docents who wish to offer their services should contact Kay Krebbs at the Preserve: kkrebbs@tnc.org. Please meet on the Bunkhouse porch at 11:30 a.m. for a bring-your-own lunch meeting to receive assignments and instructions. Thanks a bunch, and let's have a great day!
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Saturday, September 19, 2009
10:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Painting Party
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Docents Painting the Corrals
by Charles Randall
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Tallgrass Docents and other friends of the Preserve gathered for a corral painting work day on Saturday, September 19. We enjoyed the mild weather and helped make the bison corrals more weather resistant and attractive at the same time.
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Saturday, May 2, 2009
10:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Docent Road Crew, Cookout, and Hike
A morning of light work from 10:00 to noon, then a barbeque cooked by Preserve staff. The afternoon hike will take us somewhere on the Preserve not open to the general public. Meet at the Visitors Center. Departure by 4:30 p.m. Don't forget a hat, sunscreen, and walking shoes suitable for off-trail trekking.
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Saturday, April 18, 2009
9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Docent Reorientation
Always illuminating, always enjoyable. This year new docents will have trained prior to Docent Reorientation, so this will be a good chance to meet and welcome our newcomers. 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Ecological Research Station. Bring a lunch, and be prepared for a possible nature walk.
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Saturday, April 4, 2009
10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Corral Painting Work Day
Some bison have complained about the aging paint job. Put on your most disreputable old clothes for a fun and productive day. Meet at the Visitors Center at 10:00 a.m. Lunch break is at noon -- bring your own. Quitting time is 4:00 p.m.
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Thursday, March 12, 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Bartlesville Public Library
600 S. Johnstone
Bartlesville, OK
Bartlesville Docent Recruiting
Experienced Docents are welcome to join host Betty Turner to discuss the Docent Program with interested candidates.
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Suday, March 8, 2009
2:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Tulsa Docent Recruiting
Tulsa Docent Recruiting will be held at Hardesty Library, 93rd Street near Memorial, 2:00 p.m. until 4:00. Watch email for details on this and other Docent Recruiting events.
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Saturday, March 7, 2009
10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Prairie Road Crew
Our most satisfying road cleanup, because there is plenty of litter after a winter's accumulation. Meet at the Visitors Center at 10:00 a.m. for equipment and instructions. Bring a lunch for the break at noon. Wrap-up by 4:00 p.m.
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Saturday, February 21, 2009
3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Tallgrass Prairie Docents Winter Meeting
The University of Tulsa College of Law
John Rogers Hall, Room 203
All docents are encouraged to attend this year's Winter Meeting on Saturday, February 21, beginning at 3:00 p.m. The venue is the same as in recent years: Room 203 in the TU Law School. John Rogers Hall is on East 4th Place at the corner of Florence Avenue, between Delaware and Harvard Avenues. Parking is across East 4th Place -- ignore signs limiting parking to students and faculty, as visitors are always welcome.
Information will be presented about a new approach to scheduling New Docent Training and Docent Reorientation, as well as on other springtime docent activities. We also need your ideas and questions for discussion at the Winter Meeting. Docents are welcome to let Dennis Bires know of topics they would like to have addressed, by email at
dennisbires@lycos.com
, or by phone at (918) 341-3908, any time before the meeting. Advance notice is not required, though, so feel free just to bring ideas and concerns to the meeting.
Holding the Winter Meeting in Tulsa each year presents a distinct disadvantage for our many docents in Bartlesville, Stillwater, Osage County and other places, though a majority of docents are from the Tulsa area. Docents in outlying areas are encouraged to carpool to the "big city," and even make a day of it, say with a morning at Gilcrease or Philbrook museum. If you need suggestions for places to have lunch or dinner in town, contact Dennis Bires or any of our Tulsa docents.
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