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U.S. Fish and Wildlife's Virtually Wild Program

Register for Virtually Wild Videoconference sesssions here: https://goo.gl/forms/zymCKyFBjqU47lCu2

 

 


Monarchs on the Move! (CANCELLED DUE TO WEATHER)

Each fall thousands of monarch butterflies make their way through Texas on the way to their overwintering grounds in México. They depend on large grasslands (like prairies), suburban backyard gardens, and even pocket prairies in large cities in order to fuel up on energy-rich nectar and provide milkweed for their young. Students will learn about the biology of this iconic butterfly species, their migration, and what they can do to help them on their journey.

 

Date: October 30, 2019

 

Location: UT MD Anderson Cancer Center Pocket Prairie

 

Provider:  The Nature Conservancy, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service - Houston Community Partnerships and Engagement Program, Katy Prairie Conservancy, Student Conservation Association

 

Length: 45 minutes

 

Session: 
Session 1 - 9:00 am – 9:45 am
Session 2 - 10:00 am – 10:45 am

 

Cost: Free

 

Grade Levels: This program is planned at a 4th grade level, but students of all ages will gain useful vocabulary and an understanding of how watersheds help both people and wildlife, from Houston all the way to the ocean.

 

TEKS:

Science: Grade 3 - 9A, C, Grade 4 - 10C, Grade 5 - 9A
Social Studies: Grade 4 - 7B, 9C

 

Guest Presenters: Jaime Gonzalez (The Nature Conservancy)

 


We're Built for This!  Reptile Adaptations and Why They Matter

What is an adaptation and how do adaptations enable an organism to survive and flourish in its environment?  Can adaptive behaviors protect an animal?  How can a snake swallow prey larger than its head?  These and more questions will be answered as we closely examine and interact with live alligators, snakes, and turtles. You will learn how these species have adapted to be successful in their environment.

 

This program will take place on Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge, home to these critters and many others! The 44,000-acre refuge is comprised of freshwater sloughs that wind through salt marshes, woody thickets and prairie. It’s a great place to see, enjoy and learn about nature.

 

Date: November 6, 2019

 

Location: Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge, Angleton, TX

 

Provider:  U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service - Houston Community Partnerships and Engagement Program and Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge

 

Length: 45 minutes

 

Session: 
Session 1 - 9:00 am – 9:45 am
Session 2 - 10:00 am – 10:45 am

 

Cost: Free

 

Grade Levels: This program is planned at a 3rd- 4th grade level, but students of all ages will gain useful vocabulary and an understanding of how reptiles have evolved and adapted to their environment.

 

TEKS:

Science: Grade 2 - 9A,B,C, Grade 3 - 9A,C, Grade 4 - 10A, Grade 5 - 9A,  Grade 5 - 9A,B,C
Social Studies: Grade 4 - 9A,C, Grade 5 - 9A

 

Guest Presenters: Tom Schneider (Brazoria NWR), FWS volunteer Ruby Lewis, 979-583-7903 rubylewis77515@ymail.com

 

 

Whoop It Up With the Tallest Bird in North America!

Have you ever seen a bird that is five feet tall with a seven foot wingspan? Join us for this program highlighting the whooping crane, the tallest bird in North America and also one of the most endangered. All of the whooping cranes alive today, both wild and captive, are descendants of the last 15 remaining cranes that were found wintering at the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge in 1941. The wild flock nests in Wood Buffalo National Park in Canada and then migrates 2,500 miles south to Aransas NWR just north of Corpus Christi, Texas. Once on the Texas coast, the birds spend their winter feasting on blue crab, acorns and other native vegetation. Join us for this exciting program to learn about the amazing bird and how conservationists (and a lot of organizations and individuals who care!) helped bring the population from 15 whooping cranes to more than 500 birds! Meet the biologists that get to study and protect the birds and their habitat. 

Location: Aransas NWR, Rockport, Texas


Provider:  Katy Prairie Conservancy, The Nature Conservancy, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service - Houston Community Partnerships and Engagement Program, Student Conservation Association, Aransas NWR


Date: December 4, 2019

Length: 45 minutes
 

Sessions: 
Session 1 - 9:00 am – 9:45 am
Session 2 - 10:00 am – 10:45 am

 

Cost: Free

Grade Levels: This program is planned at a 3rd - 4th grade level, but students of all ages will gain useful vocabulary and an understanding of how conservation and wildlife management for an endangered species helps both people and wildlife.

TEKS:

Science: Grade 3 - 9A,C, Grade 4 - 10A, Grade 5 - 9A
Social Studies: Grade 4 - 9C

 

Guest Presenters: Laura Bonneau (FWS Outdoor Recreation Planner), Andy Stetter (FWS Whooping Crane Biologist)

 

 

Using Drones to Manage Forests, Fight Fires, and Help an Endangered Bird

Drones are an important tool used by foresters to gain insight into forest health issues. They use the technology to gather real-time information that helps guide land management decisions. Data collected by the unmanned aerial systems ultimately means greater protection for surrounding communities and the forest habitat.  Fly over the oldest slash pine plantation in Texas, red-cockaded woodpecker habitat, selective thinning operations, prescribed burning and more in this exciting program that highlights how the Texas A&M Forest Service is using technology to manage forests.
 

This program will be delivered live from the field at W. Goodrich Jones State Forest near Conroe, TX, one of the nation’s largest working urban forests. The primary purpose of the forest is resource education. Sound scientific forest management that protects and perpetuates native flora and fauna is practiced. Demonstration and research areas have been installed to test various forest management techniques, forest genetics, and forest product utilization studies.

Location: Jones State Forest, Conroe, Texas


Provider:  The Nature Conservancy in Texas and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service - Houston Community Partnerships and Engagement Program


Date: January 8, 2020

Length: 45 minutes
 

Sessions: 
Session 1 - 9:00 am – 9:45 am
Session 2 - 10:00 am – 10:45 am

 

Cost: Free

Grade Levels: This program is planned at a 3rd - 5th grade level, but students of all ages will gain useful vocabulary and an understanding of how technology is used to help manage lands for the benefit of people and wildlife.

TEKS:

Science: Grade 3 - 9A,C, Grade 4 - 10A, Grade 5 - 9A,C
Social Studies: Grade 4 - 9C

 

Guest Presenters: Shruthi Srinivasan (Geospatial Analyst) and Mike Sills (Regional Urban Forester) of Texas Forest Service

 

 

Dancing, Booming Space Bird!

Meet the dancing, booming, stomping, beautiful little bird, the Attwater’s prairie chicken (APC)! APCs were once found on six million acres of prairie along the Gulf Coast, from Corpus Christi to Louisiana. Acre by acre, coastal prairies diminished as cities and towns sprouted up, industries grew and expanded, and croplands replaced the native grasslands. As the prairie was lost, so was the APC. After the 2017 Hurricane Harvey, it was estimated that there were less than 15 APC remaining in the wild on the Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge and private lands. But there is hope thanks to the captive breeding efforts of the Houston Zoo, Fossil Rim Wildlife Center and others who are breeding the birds to be released in the wild. In this program, tour the Houston Zoo’s captive breeding facility at the NASA Johnson Space Center. Learn about the bird, the science and the hard work that goes into protecting this iconic species of Texas' coastal prairie.


Location: NASA Space Center, Clearlake, Texas


Provider:  Katy Prairie Conservancy, The Nature Conservancy, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service - Houston Community Partnerships and Engagement Program, Student Conservation Association, Houston Zoo, NASA


Date: April 1, 2020

Length: 45 minutes
 

Sessions: 
Session 1 - 9:00 am – 9:45 am
Session 2 - 10:00 am – 10:45 am

 

Cost: Free

Grade Levels: This program is planned at a 3rd - 4th grade level, but students of all ages will gain useful vocabulary and an understanding of how conservation partnerships and science are helping endangered species, people and wildlife in general.

TEKS:

Science: Grade 3 - 9A,C, Grade 4 - 10A, Grade 5 - 9A
Social Studies: Grade 4 - 9C

 

Guest Presenters: Amber Zelmer (Houston Zoo)

7145 West Tidwell Road | Houston, Texas 77092-2096 | 713.462.7708
McKinney Conference Center: 7200 Northwest 100 Drive | Houston, Texas 77092
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