Wildlife

Presented by Pat Merkord, executive director of Native Prairies Assocation of Texas.

Pat owns a consulting business, Bluestem Environmental Consultants. Her previous business endeavors included wildlife management plans, wildlife and endangered species surveys, plant surveys and watershed evaluations.

DFW came out on top in the recent iNaturalist City Nature Challenge. Over the weekend of April 14-18, we competed with cities nationwide to see which could record the most urban wildlife observations. When it was all said and done, DFW had topped the closest contender by more than 1,000 observations!

Pull up a camp chair and listen as Master Naturalist Scott Kiester tells us about one of our native insect controls – bats! Then watch the sun set and the stars appear as you enjoy traditional campfire fun: stories, songs, and of course, s'mores! $10. Call 972-219-3550 to ask about special pricing for families of four or more. Registration is required by 5 p.m., Thursday, May 11 at bit.ly/CoLRegistration; search for activity code 800006.

This month, Leah Patton  will discuss the Texas tarantula population and her work with the Hentzi Project, which is a 10-year attempt to reintroduce a population of the Hentzi tarantula into a controlled Wildlife area. 

Leah is a local spider expert. She has rescued tarantulas from several sites throughout North Texas where they have lost their homes to development or invasive species. She has been collecting and raising baby spiders for release at several controlled Wildlife areas including LLELA.  She is often referred to as the “Spider Queen”. 

This is a great opportunity to visit one of our North Texas Preserves, located near Celeste, Texas, in Hunt County. We are focused on maintaining the unique plant communities and delicate ecosystems of preserved Blackland Prairie tracts, as well as encouraging the natural functions of these systems. These rare remnants have avoided the plow of agriculture and concrete of urban development, and so offer a look back in time to the natural rolling grasslands of North Texas.  Come join us to celebrate spring as we offer a guided tour through the rich, colorful prairielands of Cly

The event will take place at the Nacogdoches Exposition Center on May 5-6, followed by a fun and fact-filled field day on May 7 at Boggy Slough, outside of Lufkin. A pollinator conservation conference for Texas and beyond featuring some of the best and brightest of minds and committed professionals in pollination conservation today.  

Cathy Downs of Monarch Watch will present: Monarchs as a Model for Change. For thousands of years, Monarchs and other butterflies have been a symbol of spiritual transformation. In more recent times they have become the icon for physical transformation of the landscape. The Monarch decline amplified a host of much larger issues and has become a symbol of multinational cooperation in restoring and conserving native plant habitat for all pollinators.

Bruce Benz, professor at Texas Wesleyan University, and John Tandy, local prairie activist, will present a BioBlitz Double Feature combining nature, technology and citizen science. The presentation begins with the showing of a 20-minute video titled “2016 BioBlitz: The Tandy Hills Story,” followed by a discussion about the ongoing iNaturalist project for Tandy Hills Natural Area and the underlying science and conservation concepts behind it.

It is customary to give your mother flowers on Mother’s Day. How about taking her on a walk to see a variety of wildflowers? Join a naturalist and learn how to identify local species and enjoy the many colors you find. $5 (with paid admission)/