Category: Education and Outreach

Education and Outreach to Community

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TWA Land, Water & Wildlife Expeditions-Birding Experience for Youth, Ages 11-17

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Texas Wildlife Association’s Family Land, Water & Wildlife Expeditions (LWWE) Program engages youth ages 11-17 and a parent/guardian on 1-to-3 day introductory outdoor experiences on private land. These experiences are facilitated by trained mentors, volunteers, and natural resource experts to introduce participants to conservation, recreation, and land stewardship.

LWWE will host a 2-day birding experience for youth ages 11-17 and one parent/guardian in Wimberley, TX, November 19-20, 2022.  This program will include instruction on how to use optics, birding practices, bird habitat, and how to use citizen science applications. Participants will have the opportunity to learn alongside experienced birders in the field where they will develop their knowledge and skills.

This is an overnight tent camping event.  The cost to participate is $100 per family (youth/adult pair). Meals, snacks, beverages, and supplies will be provided.

To apply, complete the TWA form at this link: https://tinyurl.com/twabirding1. Space is limited!

If you have questions or difficulty with the application, contact Family LWWE Program Coordinator, Chad Timmons: ctimmons@texas-wildlife.org

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Leave No Trace Training for Williamson County, October 5, 2022

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News from The Williamson County Conservation Foundation:

The Williamson County Conservation Foundation (WCCF) is hosting a Leave No Trace classe on Wednesday, October 5, 2022. Participants obtain a pass allowing access to preserve trails. Find details about the class and how to register using this WCCF link =>  Leave No Trace registration.

“Leave No Trace” is a program by the Center for Outdoor Ethics.  The training allows participants to hike, bird watch and enjoy Williamson County preserves, such as Twin Springs Preserve and Beck Preserve.

This is not a NPSOT event.  For questions, please contact WCCF at  wccf@wilco.org or see their webpage at www.wilco.org/Departments/Conservation-Foundation.

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Full of Fun – Family Nature Fest, Garey Park on April 9, 2022

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— by Vicky H.

On April 9, 2022, the Williamson County Chapter of the Native Plant Society of Texas (NPSOT) hosted a booth during the annual Family Nature Fest held at Garey Park in Georgetown, Texas. This annual event, originally to celebrate Earth Day, took a hiatus during the pandemic but came back with renewed excitement on a sunny and windy Saturday.

image of children at info booth
Future NPSOT members?

Geared towards the kids in attendance, our blue tent was set up in a mowed field near the Play Ranch and Equestrian Center. This new location opened with a nature poetry walk and continued around a semicircle with booths sporting ways to get closer to nature, including native plants, master naturalists, outdoor enthusiasts, Balcones Canyonlands, and the quintessential pony rides, tortoises, owls, opossums and a menagerie of snakes!

volunteers at info booth
Susie and Vicky

Our fearless volunteers (thank you, Susie Hickman, Marcia Wutke, Vicky Husband and Beth Erwin) alternated handing out starts of Cowpen Daisy-Golden Crownbeard (Verbesina encelioides) with chasing flying sheets of stickers, brochures and plant lists. The 250 plant starts were introduced to the kids as a great monarch butterfly nectar source, and billed as a tough and showy plant for planting directly into the yard. The parents loved the grab-and-go aspect of the plant starts, and many showed serious interest in expanding their knowledge of native plants for use in their home landscapes. Grown by Wright’s Nursery in Briggs, Texas, all starts were handed out by the end of the event!

Take-aways from this educational event include a definite “yes” for attending future Family Nature Fests due to the success of the outreach: the volume of families in attendance, the excitement of new homeowners and young gardeners at the formative point of their learning, while keeping in mind the elementary school age of the kids and their dual interest in attracting pollinators and growing flowering native plants.

Thank you to everyone who helped to make our booth a success – a great event for our chapter!

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