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John Bunker Sands Wetland Center Newsletter Fall 2019
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John Bunker Sands Wetland Center
972-474-9100 / 655 Martin Lane Combine/Seagoville TX 75159
Visit our website!
September October November
Saturday, September 7 Center open 7 a.m. – 4 p.m. Walk & Talk Bird Tour 7 a.m. – 9 a.m. Free with $5 admission Members free Saturday, September 21 Center open 7 a.m. – 4 p.m. Boardwalk Getaway 10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Free with $5 admission Members free Wilderness First Aid 8 a.m. Sept 21 – 5 p.m. Sept. 22 Register now! For questions, call REI: 214-368-1938
Saturday, October 5 Center open 7 a.m. – 4 p.m. Advanced Bird Walk 7 a.m. – 9 a.m. $10; members $5 Registration required Walk & Talk Bird Tour 7 a.m. – 9 a.m. Free with $5 admission Members free Saturday, October 19 Center open 7 a.m. – 4 p.m. Sunrise Saturday Sunrise is 7:34 a.m. Free with $5 admission Members free Boardwalk Getaway 10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Free with $5 admission Members free Saturday, Oct. 26 Wings Over the Wetland It’s a Hoedown! 5 p.m. – 10 p.m. Register now!
Saturday, November 2 Center open 7 a.m. – 4 p.m. Advanced Bird Walk 7 a.m. – 9 a.m. $10; members $5 Registration required Walk & Talk Bird Tour 7 a.m. – 9 a.m. Free with $5 admission Members free Saturday, November 16 Center open 7 a.m. – 4 p.m. Boardwalk Getaway 10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Free with $5 admission Members free Sunrise Saturday Sunrise is 7 a.m. Free with $5 admission Members free
Eastern amberwing
Want More Info or to Register?
Call 972-474-9100 or email Linda Dunn at
Consider purchasing tickets or becoming a sponsor by donating online atwww.wetlandcenter.com
Join us for our Fall Fundraiseradvancing Conservation Literacy of Water, Wetlands, and Wildlife
It’s teaching students and seeing how they’re
impacted by what they learn that motivates us to
continue to carry the message of conservation lit-
eracy. Part of getting ready for students is making
sure we also have the teacher’s best interest in
mind when it comes to what we teach.
All our teachers receive lesson material they
can use to prepare their students before their visit,
or they can choose to use it as an assessment of
what their students learned after their visit.
This summer we spoke and met with teachers,
asking them if our current material was something
they would use. With their feedback, we developed
new material for our elementary and high school
wetland ecology and water conservation pro-
grams—our most requested programs.
You would think input from teachers is all we
need; however, the state has a large role to play as
well.
All teachers in Texas must plan their lessons
around the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills,
or TEKS, state standards that are written for every
grade level and any class/subject area that is
taught in Texas schools.
Any lesson we develop must meet the TEKS for
the different grade levels, or teachers will not visit
our center. All our program descriptions include
the TEKS that are met with
each class so teachers can
document this information
for their administrators.
Take a look here.
With our wetland ecolo-
gy and water conservation
materials updated, our
work begins on wildlife eco-
systems, bird adaptations
and our high school plant
class.
The creativity of our staff is remarkable, and I
know the next set of materials developed will meet
the needs of teachers and be fun for students.
Test your wetland ecology knowledge!
Learn more here about what’s re-quired of our
teachers.
W e always look forward to getting back in the classroom, working with
students. By Linda Dunn
Wednesday Home School Is in Session
See You in September!
T he bell is ringing for our Wednesday home school
classes. By Edith Hilborn
We’ve ramped up this year’s topics to be a lot more in-depth. So,
students, put on your thinking caps and get your mom or dad to reg-
ister you for this fun and challenging
school year.
Classes are the second Wednesday of
each month from 10-11:30 a.m. Each
class is $9 per student, and parents are
free. Preregistration is required.
You’re welcome to sign up for indi-
vidual classes or for the entire year. Our
curriculum accommodates all ages.
Fall session
Sept. 11 Metamorphosis—Change Happens
Oct. 9 Population Explosion
Nov. 13 An In-depth Look at Macros Dec. 11 Fur—More Than Meets the Eye
Spring session
Jan. 8 Lost on the Trail!—What Do I Need?
Feb. 12 Behind the Scenes at the Wetland
March 11 Bats—The Most Under-Appreciated Mammal!
April 8 Thorns, Bristles and Hairs—Yes, We Are Talking
About Plants
May 13 Cold Blood and Scaly Skin Make Me Reptilian!
Want to register or know more? Get all the details about how to register, what your child should bring and wear, and much more. If you want to register or have questions, contact Linda Dunn or call 972-474-9100.
Join us the third
Saturday of the
month from 10-
11:30 a.m., and find
out!
As your guide
leads you down the
boardwalk into the
wetland, you’ll learn
about this special ecosystem’s flora and fauna.
Look out, up and under the boardwalk. Sur-
prises abound.
But there’s more. You’ll also learn about the
fascinating history of the property, the
innovative de-
sign of the wet-
land, the rela-
tionship the
wetland has
with water sup-
ply, and the interaction between hu-
man engineering and nature.
For sunny days, bring a hat,
sunglasses and water.
Our Bunker’s Pond walk is
closed for ongoing construc-
tion.
For a respite from the rou-
tine, take a
Boardwalk
Getaway.
Y ou never know what you’ll encounter on Boardwalk Getaway, our new
monthly guided tour. By Carol Garrison
Rail birds: Little blue heron with great and snowy egrets. Photo by Tom Fleming.
Boardwalk Getaway What? Our new guided tour When? 3rd Saturday of the month Time? 10-11:30 a.m. Cost? Free with admission Registration? No, just be here!
North America’s largest rodent. Found close
to waterways across most of the continent, the
semi-aquatic, nocturnal beaver weighs 40-70
pounds, is 3-4 feet long and stands about 1½
feet tall. They excel as swimmers and secrete a
liquid to waterproof their fur. The world’s only
larger rodent is the South American capybara.
Engineers extraordinaire. Beavers are second
only to humans
in their ability
to change the
environment to
suit their needs.
They use limbs
sealed with mud to construct watertight dams
across rivers and streams to create ponds and
wetlands where they build their homes. The
new habitats that emerge thanks to this key-
stone species support incredibly diverse biologi-
cal communities. At the same time, beavers can
cause significant property damage.
Master homebuilders too. Their colonies of
lodges are built in open water with underwater
entrances to thwart intruders. The lodges can
reach 6 feet high and 40 feet wide. They typical-
ly have two insulated, ventilated rooms, located
above the waterline. The first is a mudroom of
sorts where beavers dry off. The family lives in
the second, drier, room.
Family values. A monogamous couple and their
last two litters make up the family unit. The cou-
ple has one litter a year, usually of 4 kits. Bea-
vers live in social units but
work independently.
You eat what you sow.
Beavers are herbivores,
who practice conservation.
Their building materials—
chiefly popular, aspen, wil-
low, birch and maple—are
also their preferred foods.
Nothing is wasted.
That famous tail. The
shape, which can vary from
short and broad to long and
narrow, is an individual and
family trait. Practically
hairless and covered with
black scales, it’s used as a
rudder in swimming, a bal-
ance prop on land and a signal of danger when
slapped on the water. It also stores fat for sur-
vival if food’s not available. Call it a kind of
Swiss Army knife.
usy as a beaver, eager beaver, work like a beaver, leave it to beaver. (Oops, not that
last one, although they do always seem to be up to something.) But there’s more to
the North American beaver and JBS resident than clichés. By Patricia Nichols
Those Pearly Oranges Beavers’ teeth never stop growing and are strong enough to gnaw through mas-sive trees. Yet they’re immune to decay. What’s the dental secret? It’s not brushing, flossing or fluoride. The enamel contains iron, which makes their teeth stronger, resistant to acid—and orange. National Park Service image
Beaver lodge. National Park Service image
Celebrate Sunrise Saturdays
A dd the wetland, pastries and coffee. What could be sweeter?
By Carol Garrison
Join us to greet the sunrise on the third Saturdays of
October through December! We’ll welcome the sun with
complimentary coffee and breakfast pastries.
This event is free with admission. Bring your camera
and capture the beauty of the sunrise over the wetland.
Sunrise Saturdays at JBS is a special event you won’t
want to miss!
Sunrise Saturdays Dates & Times
Oct. 19: 7:34 a.m.
Nov. 16: 7 a.m. Dec. 21: 7:25 a.m.
Geared for toddlers to third-
graders, Caterpillar Corner aims to
inspire fun, creative ideas about our
fascinating wetland ecosystem.
Kids will find books, blocks, a
felt board with land and aquatic
wetland inhabitants, and other edu-
cational play materials chosen just
for them.
So the next time you’re at JBS,
drop by Caterpillar Corner with
your little caterpillars.
Our hope is that they’ll have
fun—and begin their metamorpho-
sis into lifelong lovers of our natu-
ral world.
W hether spending time in the backcountry is your passion or your profes-
sion, you should never ask, “What do I do now?” Join us Sept. 21-22 to
find out what you should ask!
Zoo Camp. It’s Aways a Happening! We look forward every July to partnering with the Dallas Zoo to
host the second half of its Texas Born & Bred summer camp.
Our middle school campers always arrive early and eager, lugging
backpacks and sleeping bags for their two jam-packed days at JBS.
They hit the ground running. They learn about wetland ecology
and how plants help clean drinking water. They collect and identify
macroinvertebrates, or aquatic insects. They study the wildlife that
live here. They stargaze and learn about astronomy.
There’s downtime, too, for crafts and geocaching. And just lazing
away in a porch rocker (no phones!).
But what’s camp without food? Fajitas, sloppy joes, s’mores and
more. Hot coals in a fire pit. The fun of cooking and preparing much of
it themselves. And then, listen up, parents, cleaning it all up too!
Thanks to the Dallas Zoo for its commitment to this program.
These wonderful kids are the conservationists of tomorrow.
By Stephanie Weber
What. In this two-day course, led by an REI spe-
cialist, you will learn skills and abilities to make
sound decisions in emergency situations.
From the Patient Assessment System through
traumatic, medical and environmental emergen-
cies, you’ll experience a wide variety of topics de-
signed to prepare you to act if an accident occurs.
Who. This course is ideal for trip
leaders, camp staff, outdoor en-
thusiasts and individuals in re-
mote locations.
Those who are 16-17 years
old must arrive with a completed
release of liability form but do
NOT need an accompanying adult.
Participants younger than 16 must contact NOLS
Where and when. This class is at the John
Bunker Sands Wetland Center. It begins at 8 a.m.
on Saturday, Sept. 21, and ends at 5 p.m. on Sun-
day, Sept. 22.
Cost. The REI member cost is $245. The non-
member cost is $275.
Prerequisites. No prerequisites.
Successful completion results in a
Wilderness First Aid certification.
You may be eligible to recertify
your NOLS Wilderness Medicine
Wilderness Advanced First Aid,
Wilderness First Responder or Wil-
derness EMT (wilderness portion
only) certification on this course. Please review
NOLS Wilderness Medicine recertification policies
prior to registering.
hether spending time in the backcountry is your passion or your
profession, you should never ask, “What do I do now?” Join us Sept.
21-22 to find out what you should ask!
To Register or for More Information
You can register or get more information here. Questions? Call REI’s Dallas store at 214-368-1938.