The following is the Friends of Hagerman NWR Press Release. For more information about these events, please email: friendsofhagerman@gmail.com . All events are sponsored by the Friends of Hagerman and occur at the Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center: 6465 Refuge Road, Sherman, TX 75092, unless stated otherwise.
Volunteers Needed:
There is something for everyone at Hagerman! From Bat & Monarch monitoring to greeting visitors and being a tram tour guide, get more information at https://friendsofhagerman.com/Volunteer.
Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center Greeters
Meet and greet people from all over the world while giving out information about the refuge and wildlife. Hand out maps and make sales in the Nature Nook. Come and join our team! For more information, please email friendsofhagerman@gmail.com.
Butterfly Garden
Like digging in your garden? Want to learn about native plants? Come join out Master Naturalists and Gardeners in maintaining the Butterfly Garden. For more information on volunteering, please email FriendsofHagerman@email.com for details.
Outdoor Crew
Do you enjoy working outside, mowing, sprucing up hiking trails, trimming and removing brush and general cleanup? Join the Outdoor Crew at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge. The Outdoor Crew meets on the First Tuesday and Fourth Saturday of every month. Please email friendsofhagerman@gmail.com for details and to join our team. Scouts welcome
Activities & Events:
Early Bird Guided Walk. Come walk on the wild side with Jack Chiles! Saturday June13th at 8am to 9:30am Master Naturalist Jack Chiles will lead this Early Bird Walk, weather permitting. Participants will view birds and wildlife along Harris Creek Trail, walking about two miles, and returning to the Visitor Center in time for the Second Saturday program. Register to receive event updates. https://friendsofhagerman.com/event-6514722?CalendarViewType=1&SelectedDate=6/25/2026
Second Saturday: Saturday June 13th at 10am. Lake Texoma: A 4D view of Lake Ecology with Dr. Tim Patton. This presentation will provide a broad overview of lake ecology. We’ll place emphasis on Lake Texoma, but it will be applicable to lakes in general. We’ll start outside of the lake with topics such as watershed and lake basin characteristics. Then we’ll take a deep dive (pun intended) to look at factors such as light, heat (including lake “turnover”), carbon, and oxygen, and how these come together to shape food webs. We’ll also discuss how these factors change in space and time, that is, how they vary depending upon where you are in the lake profile and what time of year, or even what time of day it happens to be. There’s a lot going on down there!
Tim Patton is a Professor Emeritus (which is a fancy way of saying retired professor) at Southeastern Oklahoma State University, where he worked for 26 years. He is a native of Arkansas and completed his Bachelor of Science in Fisheries and Wildlife Management at Arkansas Tech University. He went on to obtain a Master’s and then a Ph.D. in Zoology and Physiology from The University of Wyoming, then worked as a research scientist for the Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit before becoming a professor at Southeastern in 1998. He was also an adjunct faculty at the University of Oklahoma and taught reservoir ecology at the OU Biological research Station. His career research has focused on various aspects of aquatic ecology and vertebrate ectotherms including fish, amphibians, and reptiles. His most recent and current research has focused alligators in the wetlands of southeastern Oklahoma.
Refuge Rocks: Saturday June 20th at 10am. Refuge Rocks FREE Youth Program: What's the Buzz About Hummingbirds? (Ages 5-10) Discover the amazing world of one of nature’s tiniest — and busiest — birds during June’s Refuge Rocks program, “What’s the Buzz About Hummingbirds?” on Saturday, June 20 from 10:00–11:30 a.m. at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge.
Young nature lovers ages 5-10 will flutter into the fascinating lives of hummingbirds through a mini lesson, hands-on activity, and fun craft as they learn how these tiny birds hover, zoom, migrate, and help pollinate flowers. Kids will discover what makes hummingbirds so unique while enjoying an engaging morning of nature exploration and creativity.
Refuge Rocks is a monthly youth nature program designed to spark curiosity and encourage children to connect with the natural world through fun, interactive learning experiences.
Register at:
https://friendsofhagerman.com/event-6707691?CalendarViewType=1&SelectedDate=6/25/2026
Butterfly Garden Stroll: Saturday, June 13th and June 27th from 10am to noon. 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.
Tram Tours every Saturday and Sunday at 2:00pm
Enjoy a 60 – 90-minute tour along Wildlife Drive at the Refuge. Enjoy learning about the history of the displaced town of Hagerman while watching for wildlife. Lots of stops for birdwatching and photography. Reservations required. Standbys are accepted if space permits. Free and open to the public. Funded by donations. https://www.friendsofhagerman.com/Tram-Tours.
