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Children in Nature

Outdoors For All: Access To Nature Is A Human Right

Outdoors for all: Access to nature is a human right

A FEW YEARS AGO, pediatrician and clinical scientist Nooshin Razani treated a four-year-old girl whose family had recently fled Yemen and settled in the San Francisco Bay Area. The family had received news the night before that members of the father’s family had been killed in a bombing back home. The child was suffering from anxiety. “I was thinking, ‘I have nothing to give to this little girl. What can I give her?'” Razani says. The typical medical response would…

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Blanco County Students Paint For The Stars

Blanco County students paint for the stars

The Blanco County Friends of the Night Sky (BCFNS) last week concluded its 2021 Night Sky Art Contest for students at the high schools and middle schools in both Blanco and Johnson City. The contest, whose theme was “Discover the Night – Deep in the Dark of Texas™,” drew entries from 126 students. Two sets of cash prizes ranging from $100 to $10 were awarded. “We were excited to once again challenge these very talented students to express their love…

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Guadalupe Master Naturalists Win Best In Texas Award

Guadalupe Master Naturalists win Best In Texas award

The Schertz Parks & Recreation Dept. entered Guadalupe Master Naturalists’ Nature Discovery Series into a state-wide competition for the Best Educational Program in Texas – and won.  The Schertz City Council recognized the honor from the Texas Festival & Event Association (TFEA) at their Feb. 24, 2021 meeting. The Nature Discovery Series, a partnership between Schertz Parks & Recreation and Guadalupe Master Naturalists, was created to help grow the next generation of conservationists. With a theme of discovery, the Master Naturalists' monthly nature…

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The Importance Of Dark Skies

The importance of dark skies

Lost in the forest until nightfall, a young child faces his fears and learns how nature flourishes in darkness in the latest book from Shearer Publishing, based in Fredericksburg. The children’s book, “Who Loves the Dark? Why Nature Loves and Needs Dark Skies” brought to life by author Sheri Phillabaum and illustrator Liz Painter was created to introduce young people to the value of dark skies. Read more from Madalyn Watson with Fredericksburg Standard here.

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Texas Parks And Wildlife Honors Black Conservation Heroes, Past And Present

Texas Parks and Wildlife honors Black conservation heroes, past and present

Though often unheralded in their own times, Black contributions to conservation, parks, outdoor recreation and more are significant and will be celebrated throughout February’s Black History Month programs from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Park rangers from all over Texas, including the Buffalo Soldier Heritage Outreach Program and the Texas Outdoor Family staff, will debut a new series of 15 virtual programs to spotlight historical figures, and we'll introduce a few of our Black colleagues across the agency and…

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This Land Is Our Land

This land is our land

Gabe Vasquez first visited New Mexico when he was 8 years old, during a fishing trip to the Rio Grande with his father and older brother. They traveled from their home just south of the border in Ciudad Juárez and planned to camp in state parks along the river. Even now, Vasquez recalls the air of excitement in the car as he and his brother fought over who would get the Superman fishing rod and who would get Spiderman, both purchased…

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Stream Team Program Celebrates 30 Years Of Citizen Science, Stewardship Of Texas Waterways

Stream Team program celebrates 30 years of citizen science, stewardship of Texas waterways

The Texas Stream Team, a program of The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment at Texas State University, is celebrating 30 years of citizen science and environmental stewardship. More than 11,000 trained citizen scientists have participated in The Meadows Center’s Texas Stream Team program over the years. Launched in 1991, Texas Stream Team has become one of the longest-running and most successful citizen science program in the nation and is still going strong. Read more from Anna Huff from…

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Black Conservationists And Scientists Who Led The Way

Black conservationists and scientists who led the way

Some of the Black leaders on this list are well known. Some lesser so. But all of them have made an indelible mark on the understanding and preservation of our natural world. They have served as trailblazers in fields that have not always had the benefit of a diversity of voices. We at The Nature Conservancy believe that science and conservation are best advanced by the leadership and contributions of people with widely diverse backgrounds, experiences and identities, who reflect…

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San Antonio River Foundation: Working To Make The River Vibrant, Healthy, And Accessible To ALL

San Antonio River Foundation: Working to make the river vibrant, healthy, and accessible to ALL

Did you know that the San Antonio River Authority (River Authority) has a non-profit partner organization called the San Antonio River Foundation? Established in 2003, the San Antonio River Foundation’s efforts focus on four main pillars that guide our work: education, ecology, arts and culture, and recreation. Each of these pillars directs the projects we embark on and ensures that we are continually striving to achieve our mission of increasing environmental equity and promoting environmental stewardship of the San Antonio…

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The Importance And The Magic Of Water

The importance and the magic of water

The importance and the magic of water WATER! Yes, cool, fresh and refreshing WATER! As I begin reflecting on the cusp of Thanksgiving, it grows out of a brief conversation with one of our granddaughters. She wanted to know what kind of "thanks list" I was coming up with for 2020. I responded, "We are grateful for continued health and distanced life in this wilderness time of viral threat." Then I added, "I'm digging deep for life's essential ingredients, first…

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