State parks have reopened for day use, with limited facilities available and advance reservations required. To help keep parks safe during the pandemic, visitors must bring and wear face coverings, keep a six-foot distance from those outside their group and avoid gathering in groups larger than five people.
Before making any plans, consult the State Park Alert Map for the latest updates on individual parks.
If you’re unable to visit a state park, our park rangers have come up with new virtual programs and other ideas to help keep you connected to the outdoors from home.
Join Us Live (Virtually)
Gain new skills with the Texas Buffalo Soldiers by joining special workshops via Facebook Live, such as “Tracks and Trails,” “Knowledge Is Power” and more.
Join us for a series of more than 30 online Texas Outdoor Family programs throughout the rest of April, as rangers teach a variety of skills like tent setups, camp cooking, photography and fishing. Programming builds toward a statewide #TexasOutdoorFamilyCampIn on May 2.
Many individual state parks are also sharing virtual programs. Check them out if you are looking for more outdoor knowledge!
Get to Know Native Plants and Birds Near You
Get your hands dirty: You could have a yard, a patio, or even just a window sill and still be able to plant something this spring.
Texas Children in Nature Network, a statewide network with chapters in Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, San Antonio, Austin, the Rio Grande Valley and other regions of Texas, has lots of great resources to connect kids with nature. Visit Nature Rocks Texas to find your local region and more great ideas for how to make nature fun and educational for your kids. Below are a few upcoming examples:
In case you missed it: Our Wild Texas – April 2020
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department sent this bulletin at 04/21/2020 03:00 PM CDT
Watch for Butterflies in Your Backyard
Spring is an excellent time for butterfly watching, even if you can’t go far due to pandemic safety measures. We have more than 400 species of butterflies in our state, and it’s likely some have recently flown through your backyard. Watch for them on sunny days, and learn to identify different species. To encourage these winged jewels to stay a while, try these 3 things:
Grow butterfly-friendly plants in pots or in your garden – include nectar-producing flowers and plants caterpillars will eat, including milkweed.
Avoid pesticides. Most will kill butterflies and their caterpillars.
Don’t rake leaves in fall/winter, some butterfly pupae overwinter in leaf litter.
The Texas Parks & Wildlife magazine story Backyard Beauties has more tips to help you get started butterfly watching today.
Our programs may be suspended, but the learning never stops! The GROW Education Team is committed to providing engaging, educational content to our community. Starting March 24th, we will be posting videos and information on BRIT’s and the Fort Worth Botanic Garden’s Facebook pages and hosting free online Zoom classes for Adult Education. Y’all stay safe!
What can learning look like when we’re separated from our classrooms and collections and the places we love? How can we support our students and communities–and maintain physical distancing? Educators Anna Kassinger, content strategist and information architect at Echo&Co (link is external) and Emily Harris, research scientist at BSCS Science Learning (link is external) presented this interactive session on principles, best practices, and field-tested examples for bringing place-based lessons online.
This session is appropriate for anyone looking to lead and support online learning in environmental education, civics, science, social studies, and the arts.
Finding yourself in an education program at your kitchen table and backyard? RIVER CAMP! is a compilation of K-12 education resources that are featured on San Antonio River Authority social media channels, like Facebook, every Wednesday and Friday at 2 pm. Videos are created with smartphones during this time of stay-at-home protocols.
We are actively creating a series that aims to provide the at-home student and family avenues to connect to rivers and nature from their homes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Please peruse the following link for updated River Camp! materials: https://www.sara-tx.org/education/river-camp-virtual-education-series
Be sure to tune into our social media channels, especially Facebook, for our new River Camp! activities on Wednesday and Fridays at 2pm beginning April 1st!
There you will find our educational lessons and activities by topics including the ecology of the 240 mile San Antonio River, water quality, sustainable watershed best practices. The River Authority also works closely with partner organizations, such as Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Meadow Center, to extend resources that can fit any student’s needs regarding aquatic science topics. All River Authority lessons and resources provided are TEKS-aligned.
Of course, our website is an excellent student and parent resource with its engaging Be River Proudmodules that include Flood Risk, River Health, our Parks and Trails, the River Ecosystem, and finally the San Antonio River’s influence on the Bays and Estuaries. Each module has great educational information, great videos, and even ways that families can take personal actions for a sustainable river resource: https://www.sara-tx.org/be-river-proud
Allow me to point out some of our educational or engaging Youtube videos by topic on the River Authority’s Youtube Channel:
Our website’s front page (www.sara-tx.org) is full of great ways to access everything I outline below. Indeed, if you scroll down a little, you’ll find an incredible and educational “virtual tour” video of a paddling trip all the way from headwaters to the mouth of the San Antonio River as it empties into the Gulf of Mexico.
Indeed, our Newsletter is also highly educational, as it allows families to peruse several years of the agency’s impacts and insights. Explore and sign up for free!
We hope this will serve anyone in their education needs and practices in the immediacy and long term. Please do not hesitate to reach out with questions.
Witte Educational Information @ home
We have been working hard at the Witte to create engaging and educational content to connect with families at home. We would love if you could please share the information with your teachers.
Witte Where You Are features online content from the Witte Museum curators and educators using award-winning demonstrations and school program curriculum, as well as behind-the-scenes tours. This allows us to offer Witte Museum content to our community, free of charge.
The majority of Witte Where You Are is video content, but almost every video has added educational activities or resources that can be downloaded from our website.
The Goodman Center was launched in 1998 as a goodman, a one-person company with a singular mission: to help good causes reach more people with more impact. Over time, we became known for our workshops in storytelling, presenting, strategic communications and more. (See what others have said about our work here.)
In 2008 we partnered with Lipman Hearne, one of the nation’s leading marketing and communications firms, to develop online versions of our workshops and create a virtual school “where do-gooders learn to do better.” We named it The Goodman Center.
Today all of our activities are consolidated under one name and can be found on this site. Welcome! We’re glad you found us.
Texas State Univ. has Resources for Families, Teachers, Kids
I am the internship coordinator at Texas State University in San Marcos for the Recreation division.
Most of our students excel at programming, outdoor leadership, conservation, as well as outdoor education. We also have students in our Therapeutic Recreation program that focus on inclusion and adaptability. We have quite a few interns who have switched to helping with online education with educational videos or podcasts for their agency. If you are interested in learning more, please get in touch with me. My contact information is below.
I can send you some fieldwork and internship literature:
Stuck at home and tired of being indoors. All this social distancing and isolated learning can be hard
and maybe even stressful. Now more than ever, being outside – while observing safe distances, can
be one of the best ways to lift a family’s spirits. Whether it’s your backyard, Neighborhood Park or
community garden, grab a camera or smartphone and enjoy nature. Here is a fun exercise to help you
discover the familiar in a new way. Using your camera or smartphone, answer the following questions
with a picture. Take your time and think about how your want to compose your photograph before
you press the shutter. Remember to pay attention to all 4 corners of your viewfinder and hold the
camera steady so you get a good sharp image.
Answer Questions With a Picture
1. Where are you? Let’s see with your photo.
2. Turn your camera on its side and take a photo of the tallest tree you can find.
3. Do you see any water? Can you photograph the water’s reflection?
4. Is there something you see that is particularly pretty? If so take a picture of that.
5. Do you see any litter of trash nearby? Photograph that.
6. What about signs? Photograph a sign that you see.
7. Photograph something red.
8. Do you hear a bird or animal, maybe a squirrel making noise? Can you quietly sneak up and take its
picture?
9. Can you find a butterfly or insect? Photograph that.
10. Are there leaves, grass, flowers, or shapes of light and shadow that form a good “patterns in
nature” to photograph?
11. What about something with texture? Can you photograph something that has real or implied
texture?
12. Take a photograph looking up.
13. Take a photograph lying on your belly.
14. Do you see anything that surprises you? Take its picture.
15. What’s the smallest thing you can photograph with your camera? Try to fill up the frame as much
as possible.
16. Photograph your own shadow, if you can.
17. Photograph something that makes you laugh.
18. Did someone join you on this photo safari today? If so, photograph them.
Bexar Land Trust, Inc. DBA Green Spaces Alliance of South Texas is a 501 (c) (3) Corporation
108 East Mistletoe, San Antonio TX 78212 210.222.8430, http://www.greensatx.org
Our mission is to sustain the natural environment and enhance urban spaces through land
conservation, community engagement, and education.
Picture Your World Youth
Photography Program
Photo Safari
UPDATE: Out of concern and care for the health and safety of our guest, volunteers, staff and the collection of plants and in keeping with the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) guidelines to practice social distancing, the San Antonio Botanical Garden is postponing Viva Botanica. All official Fiesta® events have been rescheduled to Thursday, November 5 – Sunday, November 15.
It’s almost time for our Fiesta event Viva Botánica! Viva Botánica is an official Fiesta event celebrating the world of plants at the San Antonio Botanical Garden. Guests will see the beautiful Botanical Garden at the height of spring, and with the help of your organization we can provide fun Fiesta-themed activities for families and kids.
We are looking for nature based organizations to come out to the Garden on April 18 for Viva Botánica. The event will take place from 10:00am to 2:00pm and If your organization is interested in participating, I have attached a Viva Botánica Exhibitor Form to the email. All you need to do is fill out this form and then send it via e-mail to odemyers@sabot.org . We look forward to having your organization participate in Viva Botánica!
The Girl Scouts of Southwest Texas. Who are we? We’re 2.5 million strong—more than 1.7 million girls and 750,000 adults who believe in the power of every G.I.R.L. (Go-getter, Innovator, Risk-taker, Leader)™ to change the world. Our mission – Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place.
The event is called Urban Camporee – the idea behind our event is to bring outdoor education and camp to an urban setting. The event that is set to take place on May 2, 2020 at Texas A&M University-San Antonio from 1 pm to 4 pm.
We are interested in vendors partaking in our event and providing an educational activity for the community. What does this mean for you? Free marketing, educational impacts on the community – specifically the youth and a fun Saturday afternoon! Are you willing to provide educational information and be part of Urban Camporee Vendor Request Form PDF our awesome event!? If so, I have attached our vendor form – we ask that you fill the form and return promptly. We appreciate your time and hope to see you at Urban Camporee 2020!
University Presbyterian Children’s Center 300 Bushnell Ave, 78212 United States(210) 458-7673
Description:
Learn to share conservation with children: Professional Development for anyone who is Spanish/English bilingual and works with young children.
This workshop is conducted in Spanish with English printed materials.
Growing Up WILD invites you to explore and share the fascinating world of wildlife and ecosystems using fun, hands-on educational activities. You will experience engaging TEKS-aligned activities while networking with other educators.
Workshop participants receive:
4 hours TEA-approved CPE and TEEAC Credit
Growing Up WILD Early Childhood Guide (for 3-7 yr olds)
Texas-specific resources
Anyone who works in Spanish with children, including teachers, homeschoolers, informal educators, and scout leaders is welcome.
Held at University Presbyterian Children’s Center, 300 Bushnell Ave, San Antonio 78212
$25 Adult $15 Member
6:00 – 8:30 p.m.
Texas Master Naturalists get Member Admission when you bring your TMN badge to Walker Admission Desk.
Conservation is a state of harmony between people and land. – Aldo Leopold
The Witte Museum invites you to be a part of the 2019 dialogue series, Is Texas Wild?: Conservation Conversations. Dive into the McLean Family Texas Wild Gallery through interactive experiences and encounters with experts in fields ranging from the expansive flora and fauna of Texas to stewarding the land, as we discuss finding the harmony between people and the land.
I Think I Have an Invasive
April 3rd, 2019
Dr. Megan Clayton, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension John Kinsey and Monica McGarrity Texas Parks & Wildlife
An invasive species is a plant, animal or pathogen that does well in an ecosystem where it is not found naturally and can range from harmless to destructive. Explore the subject of invasives species vs. native species and get a bird’s eye view of what is happening on the front lines so you can help keep Texas wildlife native.
Back from the Brink: Wildlife Success Stories
August 7th, 2019
Donald Beard, Caprock Canyon State Park, Dr. Maureen Franke, Texas AgriLife Extension Service Robert Perez, Texas Parks & Wildlife
Just like the wild turkey and the American alligator, the American bison was nearly driven to extinction due to human. Today, populations are stable and growing. How did that happen? Discover how you can be a part of conserving plants and animals.
KYLE/SAN ANTONIO – Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service’s Healthy Lawns and Healthy Waters Program is hosting two residential rainwater harvesting and turf management training’s in Kyle and San Antonio on Feb. 22 and 23, respectively.
Both events are free and open to the public. Participants at either training can also have their soil tested free of charge. Both training’s will have a review of how to understand soil test results so residents and provide nutrient recommendations.
The Healthy Lawns and Healthy Waters Program aims to improve and protect surface water quality by enhancing awareness and knowledge of best management practices, coordinators said. Attendees will learn about the design and installation of residential rainwater harvesting systems and appropriate turf and landscape species based on local conditions.
The first training, in collaboration with the Plum Creek Watershed Partnership, will be from 1-5 p.m. Feb. 22 at the Kyle City Hall, 100 W. Center St. in Kyle.
The second training, in collaboration with the Upper San Antonio River Authority Watershed Partnership, will be from 1-5 p.m. Feb. 23 in the conference room at the AgriLife Extension office in Bexar County, 3355 Cherry Ridge St. suite 208 in San Antonio.
Seating is limited, so attendees for either program are requested to register at the Healthy Lawns and Healthy Waters website. Those attending the program in Kyle should register at https://hlhw.tamu.edu/workshops/2018/kyle/.
Those interested in either program can also contact John Smith, AgriLife Extension program specialist, College Station, at 979-845-2761 or johnwsmith@tamu.edu.
Dr. Ben Wherley, Texas A&M AgriLife Research turfgrass ecology scientist, College Station, said management practices such as irrigation delivery equipment, interpreting soil tests and understanding nutrient applications can help reduce runoff and provide additional landscape irrigation water.
“These practices can improve understanding of rainwater harvesting and landscape management,” he said.
Dr. Diane Boellstorff, AgriLife Extension water resource specialist, College Station, said proper fertilizer application and efficient water irrigation can protect and improve water quality in area creeks and collecting rainwater for lawn and landscape needs reduces stormwater runoff.
Reagan Hejl, research associate in the soil and crop sciences department, said soil samples will be submitted to the AgriLife Extension Soil, Water and Forage Testing Lab for routine analysis, including pH, conductivity, nitrate-nitrogen and other parameters.
Residents in the Plum Creek Watershed area can pick up a soil sample bag with sampling instructions from the AgriLife Extension office in Hays County at 200 Stillwater Drive, Wimberley, or in Caldwell County at 1403 Blackjack St. suite B, Lockhart. For more information on that program or how to collect soil samples, contact the office in Hays County at 512-393-2120 or Caldwell County at 512-398-3122.
Residents in the Upper San Antonio River Watershed area can pick up a soil sample bag and instructions at the Agrilife Extension office in Bexar County For more information on that program or how to collect soil samples, contact the office at 210-631-0400.
At the Kyle program, Nick Dornak, Plum Creek Watershed Partnership coordinator, will discuss updates on watershed protection plan activities to improve and protect water quality in Plum Creek. For more information about the Plum Creek Watershed Protection Plan, go to http://plumcreek.tamu.edu/wpp/.
uiteAt the San Antonio program, Lee Marlowe, sustainable landscape ecologists at San Antonio River Authority, will discuss updates on watershed protection plan activities to improve and protect water quality in the San Antonio River.
Get to Know Native Plants and Birds Near You
TCiN 2019 Calendar of Partner Community Events 
Trails To Tomorrow 