Explore the subtleties of adaptation that animals and plants need to survive a place that reaches 110 F in the summer, -10 F in the winter, sandstorms with winds up to 80 mph, and multi-year droughts every other decade.

To view photoessays LLano Estacado chapter link to the Sibley Nature Center .

The photoessays are the third exposure to each habitat of the Llano Estacado for the 2008 class,  they are part of our instruction. The members of the class visited the habitat on their own.  Latter the class returns as a group to the habitat.  After the photoessays are posted on the Sibley Nature Center website the students are tested orally on the photoessays at their next meeting.  It is amazing how the class has gotten into the project and taken it beyond the original focus. Several have been photographing some of the burned pastures in the area for a future photoessay on plant succession after a wildfire.  Others have been macro-photographing pollinators.
Burr Williams
Executive Director
Sibley Nature Center


Soda Lake
Dry Shafter Lake
Stink Creek and Mustang Draw

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TexasTexas Master Naturalists Recognized By the Wildlife Habitat Council

The Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC) is a nonprofit, nonlobbying 501(c) (3) group of corporations, conservation organizations, and individuals dedicated to restoring and enhancing wildlife habitat. Created in 1988, WHC helps large landowners, particularly corporations, manage their unused lands in an ecologically sensitive manner for the benefit of wildlife. More than 2 million acres in 48 states, Puerto Rico, and 16 other countries are managed for wildlife through WHC-assisted projects.

In 2006, Texas Master Naturalists, Carolyn May- Monie (Cradle of Texas) and Tracie Teague (Mid-Coast Chapter) were nominated by ConocoPhillips Sweeny Refinery for the Community Partner of the Year Award at the WHC Annual Symposium. The Texas Master Naturalists were one of four partners recognized at the event; Sweeny Refinerys Little Linville Wildlife Habitat also received recognition as a Certified/ Internationally Accredited Corporate Lands for Learning Site.

Sweeny Elementary Pre-K through 5th grade students attended environmental education programs developed by Texas Master Naturalists Carolyn May-Monie and Tracie Teague based on needs expressed by Sweeny teachers. After meeting with each grade level, Carolyn and Tracie carefully developed specific programs to meet TEKS requirements and reinforce classroom lessons while emphasizing age appropriate hands on learning. The Sweeny Employee Excellence Team acted as hosts and chaperones at the Little Linville Wildlife Habitat Corporate Lands for Learning Site.

Texas Master Naturalists members from Cradle of Texas and Mid-Coast Chapter, along with special guests from Brazoria County Parks Department, USF&W, TPWD, Gulf Coast Bird Observatory, and Gulf Coast Wildlife Rescue, taught classes for more than one thousand students, ranging in age from 3 years old up to 12 years.

ConocoPhillips Sweeny Refinery was proud to nominate Texas Master Naturalists, Carolyn May-Monie and Tracie Teague, for their hard work and dedication in creating a high quality educational program that kept the students engaged and also impressed the teachers with the amount of knowledge their students retained.

http://midcoast.tamu.edu/Chapter_News.htm

Surfside Turtle Nest
 

Keep Texas Beautiful