Winter 2019 – Spring 2020

Austin Nature & Science Center

301 Nature Center Drive

Austin, TX 78746

Phone: (512) 974-3888

Fax: (512) 974-3885

Parking: 2389 Stratford Drive

www.austintexas.gov/ansc

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Join the Austin Nature and Science Center (ANSC) as we celebrate bugs, birds, trees, and more!

All children must be accompanied by an adult.

Visit www.austintexas.gov/ansc to learn more.

EVENTS AND MORE

Fall Fest & Star Party

November 16, 2019

5pm-8pm

Austin Nature Day

April 18, 2020

10am-1pm

Look for our

Summer Camp Brochure

in January 2020!

• Hands-on activities

• Meet an animal

ambassador

Free Family Event

Visit the Trade Counter!

Wednesday-Friday 10am-1pm

Saturday 10am-4pm

• Visit our Planetarium

• Learn about nocturnal

animals

Free Event for All Ages

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• Parties include 45 minutes of staff-led activities aligned to your

party theme, and the use of a party room with tables and

chairs. Birthday party rooms must be cleaned and vacated by

the end of the two hour period.

• Register online to reserve a party date and time. Walk-in, fax-in,

and mail-in registration are also available during ANSC’s regular

business hours.

Ages: 4-7 years; 15 children maximum

Fee: $195 for Austin residents

$225 for non-Austin residents

Time: 2 hours; 10:00 AM -12:00 PM or

1:00 PM -3:00 PM

Is there a young artist, paleontologist, or naturalist in your life whose special day is coming up? Come

celebrate with a birthday party at ANSC! See our online Birthday Parties brochure for more information.

BIRTHDAY PARTIES

ADVENTURE EXPERIENCES

Is your group looking for a unique view of our natural world that few Austinites have experienced? From

high atop a rock wall to deep underground, ANSC staff members will lead your group of adventurers on

one of four types of outdoor excursions in the Austin area. To reserve a date and time, please call Visitor

Services at (512) 974-3888. See our online Adventure Experiences brochure for more information.

More information available at www.austintexas.gov/ansc

Art in Nature Dinosaurs Awesome Animals

Ages: 7-adult

Fee: $250/group for Austin residents

$285/group for non-residents

Time: Call for availability. Spots

available Tuesday-Saturday;

November through April.

Archery Climbing Team Building Caving

Birth

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Do you know a young adventurer who is excited about climbing, caving, or the great outdoors? For 3 Thursdays, join us in building your child’s confidence, technical skills, and love for the nature in a small-group setting. Bring a snack, refillable water bottle, and child medical waiver. ANSC will provide all other necessary equipment for our adventures! Pre-registration is required!

Get ready to gear up for an awesome thrill and even better

views as we climb our way around Austin in this series. Get

up close and personal with rock faces that are thousands

of years old as you conquer new heights. You will be

assisted by staff who have ample experience climbing wild

rock and who can teach you a thing or two about the skills,

terminology, and safety techniques at work on rock climbs.

October 2019 - Climbing

Ages: 8-11 years

Fee: $75 for Austin residents

$87 for non-Austin residents

Time: 9:00 AM-1:00 PM

Sign-in & Sign-out: Visitor Pavilion

There is a whole world beneath your feet! In our caving

sessions you can explore some of the rarely seen cave

systems of Austin. While visiting these wild caves you will

learn about the unique underground geology and ecology

of the Edwards Plateau and Edwards Aquifer. In these

undeveloped caves, do not expect to stand or walk. Most

spaces will be explored on our hands and knees while

learning to safely and confidently navigate through some

tight spaces and “secret” passages!

February 2020 - Caving

This series is all about being active outside! Find out how to

find your way without a GPS! Hop on your bike or borrow on

of ours for a fun ride with great views while learning about

trail etiquette and basic bike mechanisms. Then hike on

over to our archery set up to practice ancient hunting skills

as we take aim with a bow and arrow. We will round out

this series with hikes in our preserve where we can become

aspiring master naturalists as we get to know the occupants

of the great outdoors. Participants must be able to ride a

bike unassisted for 5 miles.

March 2020 - The Great Outdoors

Series Date Skill Code

October 10, 17, 24

Inclement weather make-up date: Oct.31 Climbing 203901 01

January 30, February 13, 20

Inclement weather make-up date: Feb. 27 Caving 203901 02

March 5, 12, 26

Inclement weather make-up date: April 2

The Great

Outdoors 203901 03

HOMESCHOOL SKILL SERIES

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Make the most of school holidays with engaging activities and outdoor explorations. Pack a lunch, a water bottle, and two healthy snacks. Participants should wear weather-appropriate, comfortable clothes and shoes that can get dirty and damp. Pre-registration required! Camp activities subject to change in the case of inclement weather.

SCHOOL HOLIDAY CAMPS

Date

Theme

November 25-27

Earth and Space

January 2-3

Tinker Time

Age

Code

5-6 203816 01

7-8 203816 02

5-6 203820 01

7-8

203820 02

Cost Resident/

nonresident $150/$175 $100/$125

How does Earth compare to other planets? Learn about

the expanses of our solar system. Campers explore

geology on earth before blasting off in our planetarium to

soar through the Milky Way. 5-6 year olds will learn about

the sun and moon while 7-8 year olds will learn how far

away planets really are in our solar system hike.

November 25-27, 2019

Earth and Space

Get you brain ready to go back to school with fun STEAM

activities. Campers will be challenged to create simple

systems. 5-6 year olds will add an artistic touch to science

by creating marker bots and 7-8 year olds work to build a

penny bridge. We will spend time with our science

specialist for even more STEAM fun!

January 2-3, 2020

Tinker Time

Ages: 5-6 & 7-8 years

Fee: See chart below

Time: 8:00 AM-5:00 PM

Sign-in & Sign-out: Nature Lab Buildings

Ages Code

5-6 years 203823 01

7-8 years 203823 02

9-11 years 203823 03

March 16-20, 2020 Get out of the classroom and into nature with this week long camp and ANSC. Wear comfortable, weather-appropriate clothes and shoes that can get dirty and damp and get ready for adventure. Make sure to bring a healthy lunch, two snacks, and a water bottle each day. Pre-registration is required! Camp activities subject to change in the case of inclement weather.

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Ages 5-6

Get outside! In this camp, we will

explore outdoors around Austin.

Take a hike up a hill in Zilker

Preserve to see the Austin Skyline.

Learn about animals in the care of

ANSC staff and look for their

counterparts in nature, Explore

down low and take a field trip to a

wild cave to see a different

habitat. In this camp, we will learn

to appreciate nature in different

ways!

Ages: 5-6, 7-8, and 9-11 years

Fee: $250 for Austin residents

$285 for non-Austin residents

Time: 8:00 AM-5:00 PM

Sign-in & Sign-out: Nature Labs Building

SPRING BREAK CAMP

Ages 7-8

Could you survive being lost in the

wilderness without internet or GPS?

Learn some survival skills basics. Fire

building, flint knapping, and

wayfinding are a few skills we will

learn and put to the test in this

camp. See what it takes to be an

animal tracker and search for clues

in our preserve. Field trip to

Stephenson Nature Preserve to

hunt for artwork along the trails.

Ages 9-11

Take a hike! Stretch your legs as we

hike through trails around Austin.

Escape the busy city streets and

retreat to these hidden gems.

Relive memories as we hike familiar

trials and discover new spots to

explore! Recharge by the creek at

Austin Nature And Science Center

before going off on our next big

adventure. Learn about Leave No

Trace principals and trail etiquette.

Registration: All programs require pre-registration unless otherwise noted. Online, fax, mail and walk-in

registrations are accepted at ANSC. Online registration is available 24 hours per day; walk-in, fax-in and mail-

in registration is available during ANSC’s regular business hours, and is processed dependent on staff

availability. ANSC does not accept registration by email to protect financial data.

Online registration is strongly encouraged. Directly access the Parks and Recreation Department (PARD)

registration website at www.austintexas.gov/parksregister, or visit ANSC’s Camps and Programs webpage and

use the “online registration” link.

For mail or in person registration, visit or call the ANSC front desk to request a registration form. The completed

registration form will be entered into the system by the front desk staff; however, no spaces will be held for

non-online registration submissions. Please check your email, including your spam folder. If you have not

received an email, your registration has yet to be entered.

Confirmation: Confirmation is sent by email upon receipt of program fees. Please allow up to one week for

confirmation of mail-in or in person registration.

Austin Resident and non-Austin Resident Program Fees: The PARD fee schedule for programs has two levels;

one for residents of Austin and one for non-Austin residents. The registration office can provide a list of zip

codes used to determine residency for the purpose of PARD program registration.

Minimum Registration: ANSC reserves the right to cancel any class that does not meet the minimum number of

required participants 7 days prior to the class date. If this occurs, a full refund will be given.

Cancellation: Please notify ANSC in writing to cancel a registration 7 days prior to the first day of the program

to receive a refund. All refunds require a $35 processing fee to be assessed. If the program fee is less than $35,

no refund will be given. Refunds are issued to the charging credit card. If payment was made by check, the

City of Austin will issue and mail a check within 4–6 weeks. All field trips are subject to cancellation or

substitution.

Scholarships: PARD is extending financial assistance to qualified families of youth participants interested in

attending programs. To qualify for assistance, youth participants must 1) reside in the city of Austin and 2)

receive or be eligible to receive free or reduced lunches in their school district. Applicants must complete the

Financial Assistance Application for Youth Recreation Programs. This application can be found on the PARD

website at www.austintexas.gov/pardfinaid.

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REGISTRATION INFORMATION AND POLICIES

Overview of Registration Process

1. Go to the Austin Parks and Recreation online registration website: www.austintexas.gov/parksonline.

2. Determine if you already have a customer household account created. If you have participated in Parks and

Recreation programs before, you may already have an account. If the system associates a current account

with your contact information, you may be prompted to create a new password and username.

3. Browse the program listings, register, and pay in full with a credit card. Your receipt will be sent to the email

address you provided on your account information along with important program information. Please check

your spam folder.

4. Should you need to change or cancel the program for which you are registered, contact ANSC’s registration

office to make the request. Please review the program registration policies regarding refunds, transfers, and

other important registration and participation information.

Parks and Recreation Department Mission Statement

The purpose of the Austin Parks and Recreation Department is to

inspire Austin to learn, play, protect, and connect by creating

diverse programs and experiences in sustainable natural spaces

and public places.

The City of Austin is committed to complying with the Americans with

Disability Act. Reasonable modifications and equal access to

communications will be provided upon request. For assistance please contact

(512) 974-3914 or Relay Texas 7-1-1.

Children’s programs supervised by Parks and Recreation Department and

requiring enrollment/registration in order to participate are not licensed by the

state, but follow local standards of care as adopted by the City of Austin

Ordinance No. 020131-65. A copy of the ordinance is available and posted at

each site. Nature’s Way Preschool is licensed by the State of Texas as a

child care facility.

Meet Pogo!

Pogo is a Common Raven. Pogo has been at

ANSC since 2011. He loves to play with ice

cubes and show off his toys to visitors.

Common Raven

… are often mistaken for crows. Ravens are

larger in size than crows and have wedge

shaped tails.

… have a 4 foot wing span.

… live for 20 years in the wild.

… are omnivores and mostly scavenge for

food.

… are very acrobatic fliers and have been

observed flying upside down!

… have one of the largest brains of all birds

and are great problem solvers.

The Austin Nature & Science Center (ANSC) was established in 1960 and is part of the City of Austin Parks and

Recreation Department. Our mission is to provide hands-on educational exhibits and recreational activities that

increase awareness and appreciation of the natural environment. Located in west Zilker Park, in the Zilker Nature

Preserve, the site offers indoor and outdoor exhibits. ANSC provides environmental science education programs to

schools and the community in and around Austin. The site hosts homeschool groups, scout troops, family events,

environmentally-focused camps, and adventure programs. ANSC proudly houses Nature’s Way Preschool and is

home to over 50 resident wildlife. ANSC strives to reach communities throughout Austin.

Admission to the site is FREE

Donations Accepted

Monday through Saturday 9 AM – 5 PM

Sunday 12 PM – 5 PM

Call (512) 974-3888 or visit us on the web at www.austintexas.gov/ansc

Mayor and City Council Members

Mayor Steve Adler

Council Member Ora Houston

Council Member Delia Garza

Council Member Sabino “Pio” Renteria

Council Member Greg Casar

Council Member Ann Kitchen

Council Member Jimmy Flannigan

Council Member Leslie Pool

Council Member Ellen Troxclair

Council Member Kathie Tovo

Council Member Alison Alter

City Managers Office

Spencer Cronk, City Manager

Ray Baray, Chief of Staff

Rey Arellano, Assistant City Manager

Robert Goode, Assistant City Manager

Sara L. Hensley, Interim Assistant City Manager

Joe Pantalion, Interim Assistant City Manager

Mark Washington, Assistant City Manager

Jason Alexander, Assistant to the City Manager

Parks and Recreation Board Members

Jane Rivera, Chair

Rick Cofer, Vice Chair

Richard DePalma, Board Member

Michael Casias, Board Member

Tom Donovan, Board Member

Frank Ward, Board Member

Romteen Farasat, Board Member

Dawn Lewis, Board Member

Francoise Luca, Board Member

Randy Mann, Board Member

Fred Morgan, Board Member

Parks and Recreation Department

Kimberly McNeeley, CPRP, Acting Director

Liana Kallivoka PhD, PE, Assistant Director

Anthony Segura, Assistant Director

Lucas Massie, Acting Assistant Director

Suzanne Piper, Chief Administrative Officer