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

2021vwtpartners

Region 4 Education Service Center partners with Virtually Wild! Texas to provide students with engaging and interactive virtual field trips about nature and careers in conservation.

Find all of the Virtually Wild Texas program resources by visiting Greater Houston Environment. They would also love your feedback on their programs!

Remember to subscribe to the Getting Smart Virtually newsletter to receive a monthly reminder about all upcoming programs.

Follow the Virtually Wild Texas team and Region 4 Education Service Center on our social media pages!

Houston Community Partnerships and Engagement

Texas A&M Forest Service

Citizens' Environmental Coalition

Region 4 Education Service Center

Region 4 Education Science

dcns-vw-wild-wetlands-october-2022

Wild Wetlands

Situated in the Alligator Capital of Texas, Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge is comprised of coastal marsh and prairie that borders Galveston Bay. Here, alligators, frogs, birds, snakes, and a lot of other wild critters can be found. In this program, students will make scientific observations and learn about the value of wetlands and the important role they play protecting the homes of humans and wildlife. Staff and volunteers at the refuge will wade out into the wetlands to dipnet for invertebrates and get a close look at a diversity of species that call this habitat home.

Presenter: Stephanie Martinez, Outdoor Recreation Planner

Location: Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge in Anahuac, TX

Provider: Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service - Houston Community Partnerships and Engagement Program, Citizen's Environmental Coalition, Region 4 Education Service Center

Cost: Free

Audience: This program is planned at a 3rd - 5th grade level, but students of all ages will gain useful vocabulary and an understanding of the concepts shared.

TEKS:

Science:

Grade 3 - 1A, 1E, 12B, 12C, 13A
Grade 4 - 1A, 1E, 4B, 13A
Grade 5 - 1A, 1E, 4B, 12A, 12C, 13A

Please register:

Wednesday October 12, 2022

9:00 AM - 9:45 AM

Wednesday October 12, 2022

10:00 AM - 10:45 AM

dcns-vw-snakes-october-2022

Super Cool Snakes

Join staff naturalists from Jesse H. Jones Park and Nature Center in Humble, Texas to learn all about snakes! Learn about these fascinating reptiles found in Texas and across the U.S., including how to identify them, what they eat, how they survive in their habitat, and what to do if you encounter one in the wild. We might even get a bonus visit from “Lucky”, the 13 ft. Burmese python! Whether you like snakes or not, people need them as they play an important role in nature. A lot of people assume snakes are aggressive and dangerous but hopefully our scaly, slithering friends at Jesse H. Jones will show you they are generally calm and fascinating creatures that when left alone, pose no real threat to people.

Presenter: John Carey, Education Programmer

Location: Jesse H. Jones Park and Nature Center in Humble, TX

Provider: Jesse H. Jones Park, U.S Fish and Wildlife Service, Citizen's Environmental Coalition, Region 4 Education Service Center

Cost: Free

Audience: This program is planned at a 3rd - 5th grade level, but students of all ages will gain useful vocabulary and an understanding of the concepts shared.

TEKS:

Science:

Grade 3 - 1A, 1E, 12A, 12C, 13A
Grade 4 - 1A, 1E, 4B, 13A
Grade 5 - 1A, 1E, 4B, 12A, 12C, 13A, 13B

Please register for ONE session:

Wednesday December 14, 2022

9:00 AM - 9:45 AM

Wednesday December 14, 2022

10:00 AM - 10:45 AM

dcns-forest-ecology-feb23

Forest Ecology

Lake Houston Wilderness Park in New Caney, TX is a 4,700-acre forest. Let’s explore the forest ecosystem from top to bottom. Discover what trees are found here and what animals need them to survive. We will be flipping logs in search of creepy crawlies, talking about the food chain, and more.

Presenters: Lauren Hollenbeck, Katharine LeBoeuf, and Seasonal Naturalist Staff

Location: Lake Houston Wilderness Park in New Caney, TX

Provider: Lake Houston Wilderness Park, U.S Fish and Wildlife Service, Citizen's Environmental Coalition, Region 4 Education Service Center

Cost: Free

Audience: This program is planned at a 3rd - 5th grade level, but students of all ages will gain useful vocabulary and an understanding of the concepts shared.

TEKS:

Science:

Grade 3 – 1A, 1E, 11A, 11B, 11C, 12A, 12B, 12C, 13A
Grade 4 - 1A, 1E, 4B, 12B, 13A
Grade 5 - 1A, 1E, 4B, 12A, 12B, 12C, 13A, 13B

Please register for ONE session:

Wednesday February 8, 2023

9:00 AM - 9:45 AM

Wednesday February 8, 2023

10:00 AM - 10:45 AM

dcns-vw-tx-woodpecker-october-2022

Saving a Rare Texas Woodpecker from Extinction

Scientists across the southeastern United States are striving to save the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker (Picoides borealis) from extinction. Once common in east Texas, this bird survives in small family groups on only a handful of managed forest lands. Learn about this magnificent, colorful bird and how foresters and wildlife biologists are managing the forest ecosystem to improve the woodpecker’s habitat. Meet the scientists who use technology and tree-climbing skills to monitor nests and learn how you can find a career in conservation.

Presenter: Donna Work, Biologist IV

Location: W.G Jones State Forest in Conroe, TX

Provider: Texas A&M Forest Service, U.S Fish and Wildlife Service, Citizen's Environmental Coalition, Region 4 Education Service Center

Cost: Free

Audience: This program is planned at a 3rd - 5th grade level, but students of all ages will gain useful vocabulary and an understanding of the concepts shared.

TEKS:

Science:

Grade 3 - 1A, 1E, 11B, 12C, 13A
Grade 4 - 1A, 1E, 4B, 13A
Grade 5 - 1A, 1E, 4B, 12A, 12C, 13A, 13B

Please register for ONE session:

Wednesday March 8, 2023

9:00 AM - 9:45 AM

Wednesday March 8, 2023

10:00 AM - 10:45 AM

dcns-vw-reptile-adapt-apr23-graphic

Reptile Adaptations

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 some notable Texas wildlife reptiles including alligators, snakes, and turtles. 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.

Presenter: David Heinicke, USFWS Volunteer and Ruby Lewis, Texas A&M Naturalist

Location: Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge

Provider: Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge, U.S Fish and Wildlife Service, Texas A&M Forest Service, Citizen's Environmental Coalition, Region 4 Education Service Center

Cost: Free

Audience: This program is planned at a 3rd - 5th grade level, but students of all ages will gain useful vocabulary and an understanding of the concepts shared.

TEKS:

Science:

Grade 3 - 1A, 12A, 12C, 13A
Grade 4 - 4B, 13B
Grade 5 - 13A, 13B

Please register for ONE session:

Wednesday April 12, 2023

9:00 AM - 9:45 AM

Wednesday April 12, 2023

10:00 AM - 10:45 AM

dcns-vw-phenomenal-prairie-pollinators-may23

Phenomenal Prairie Pollinators

Prairies are an important part of keeping wildlife healthy in Texas. These fields of open wildflowers and grasslands put in a lot of work to keep our ecosystems in check. A prairie can do things like help protect us and animals’ habitats from dangerous floods with their thirsty and deep roots, and also provide essential food sources for numerous critters. But what's one thing that keeps prairies healthy? Pollinators! Come join staff with the Coastal Prairie Conservancy, an organization who has been protecting local prairies for over 30 years, to learn more about mighty pollinators and the place they call home. It’s vital that we understand these landscapes, so we can know how to sustain them!

Presenter: Bethany Foshee, Stewardship and Outreach Director

Location: Katy Prairie Indian Grass Preserve

Provider: Coastal Prairie Conservancy, U.S Fish and Wildlife Service, Texas A&M Forest Service, Citizen's Environmental Coalition, Region 4 Education Service Center

Cost: Free

Audience: This program is planned at a 3rd - 5th grade level, but students of all ages will gain useful vocabulary and an understanding of the concepts shared.

TEKS:

Science:

Grade 3 - 1A, 12B, 12C
Grade 4 - 4B, 13A
Grade 5 - 12C, 13A

Please register for ONE session:

Wednesday May 17, 2023

9:00 AM - 9:45 AM

Wednesday May 17, 2023

10:00 AM - 10:45 AM

Region 4 renovations begin March 2023
7145 West Tidwell Road | Houston, Texas 77092-2096 | 713.462.7708

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