GENERAL INFORMATION

Scout Level Pages

Boys

Cub Scouts

Webelos

Boy Scouts

Girls

Daisies

Brownies

Juniors

PROGRAMS Scout programs cover a variety of natural, scientific and adventure topics.

Our programs are aligned with Badge and Journey

requirements and can be customized for your group’s interest!

ZILKER PRESERVE The 77-acre Zilker Preserve is adjacent to the Austin Nature & Science Center.

The preserve is home to some of the best native wildlife viewing in the parks

system. With excellent bird watching, vaulted limestone cliffs, ponds and

diverse native plants, the preserve is a wonderful resource for any program!

WILDLIFE The ANSC is home to over 50 animals! From bobcats and foxes to

hissing cockroaches and snakes, our wildlife can be observed and

incorporated into programming to provide a unique natural

experience.

WHERE Programs are facilitated at the ANSC unless stated otherwise.

WHEN CAN WE GO? We provide scout programs after school and on Saturdays.

After school: 2:30pm & 3:30pm

Saturdays: 10:00am, 11:30am, 1:00pm

PROGRAM FEES? Austin residents: $12.00/participant

Non-residents: $14.00/participant

REGISTRATION Please fill out the registration form. Contact the front desk with questions or

concerns: (512)974-3888 or anscprograms@austintexas.gov

ANSC SCOUT PROGRAMS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

2

2

3 - 4

5

5

6

2 Scout Leaders are free

Cub Scouts (Tiger/Bear/Wolf)

FUR, FEATHERS, AND FERNS

Explore the outdoor world of mammals, birds, plants and more! Meet

Texas wildlife up-close and learn how they are interconnected in a food

web. Use tracking skills to see who’s visiting the nature center at night!

Merit Badge

Webelos

Table of Conents Registration

Merit Badge

2

EARTH ROCKS!

Learn the processes of the rock cycle and fossil formation while exploring

the preserve’s limestone formations. Get a handle on the rock cycle with

real samples of igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks. Use a

Mohs hardness test kit to identify x number of different minerals.

Wrap-up with a hunt for cretaceous fossils!

INTO THE WILD

Meet birds, reptiles, amphibians and other native Texas wildlife and use

them to model a real-life food web. Discuss the ways in which humans

historically and currently affect food webs in Texas and beyond. Hike in

the preserve and identify the plants and wildlife that make up ephemeral

pond ecosystems.

INTO THE WOODS

Dissect the different parts of trees and learn about the different plants

and animals that rely on them. Relive the lives of trees by analyzing their

growth rings. Identify the different household materials that are made

from trees. Explore the preserve and identify native plants while discuss-

ing their role in the ecosystem.

WEBELOS WALKABOUT

Develop a hike plan with ANSC staff in the Preserve or beyond. See

and describe how to avoid venomous or poisonous plants and ani-

mals. Prepare a hiking backpack with a complete first aid kit and the

necessary supplies. Discuss the Leave No Trace Principles and demon-

strate them on a hike.

Merit Badge

Webelos

Boy Scouts

3

Table of Conents Registration

Merit Badge

ASTRONOMY

Travel out of this world with the Austin Nature & Science Center! Ex-

plore our galaxy in the new Digitalis Planetarium. We’ll observe and dis-

cuss the seasonal constellations visible from Austin then travel the

lengths of our solar system with stops at each planet. Discuss the star

cycle and how astronomers study stars. End with a look at different tel-

escopes and how they’re used.

BIRD STUDY

Explore the diverse world of birds! Handle and identify different feath-

ers, bones, beaks, and eggs. Observe these characteristics up-close

on live owls. After meeting resident birds, scouts will embark on a bird-

ing tour of the preserve. We’ll provide binoculars and keep a checklist

that will be uploaded to the research website ebird.

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

Study the complex world of environmental science. Conduct experi-

ments to understand the greenhouse effect and how oil spills affect

the environment. Meet indicator species that play integral roles in

their ecosystem. Hike along Barton Creek and discuss the ecology of

the Barton Springs Salamander and its role in the Austin ecosystem.

Meets at the Beverly S. Sheffield Education Center - 2201 Barton

Springs Road, Austin, TX 78741.

Boy Scouts

Merit Badge

4

Table of Conents Registration

INSECT MERIT BADGE

Did you know that approximately 80% of the species on Earth are Insects?

Explore this incredibly diverse world by collecting species in the wild, observ-

ing them with the videoscope, and meeting some of their amazing rela-

tives—scorpions, tarantulas, and centipedes.

MAMMAL STUDY

Meet the amazing members of class Mammalia. Discuss the ingenious ad-

aptations of this group of animals while feeling fur, skulls, bones, quills and

more! After meeting live animals, search the preserve for signs of coyotes,

foxes, deer and raccoons.

NATURE

Explore the connections between plants and animals by building an inter-

active food web. After meeting producers and consumers, head into the

preserve to see the various food webs in a Texas ecosystem. Identify plants

and animals and learn how species adapt to their environments.

REPTILE & AMPHIBIAN STUDY

Study the unique adaptations and hisssstory of reptiles and amphibians!

Learn why they developed a ‘cold blooded’ lifestyle and how that

impacts their biology. Feel scales, shells and study the breathing

abilities of amphibian skin. End with a hike in the preserve to catch and

identify tadpoles, toads, frogs, lizards, and other species!

Daisies

Girl Scouts

3 CHEERS FOR ANIMALS!

Celebrate the amazing animals that call the nature center home. Meet

furry mammals, smooth snakes, and curious birds up close! Discuss the

differences between pets, wild animals, and rehabilitated animals.

Explore the preserve and look for signs of the wild animals that live there.

Brownies

5

Table of Conents Registration

BUGS - NATURALIST

Meet the cool crawling creatures we call bugs! As you meet

various arthropods you will learn how scientists identify and classify them.

We’ll scratch the surface of the amazingly diverse world of insects,

arachnids, crustaceans and more. End the day collecting arthropods in

the field or in Barton Creek.

OUTDOOR ART CREATOR

Use the sights and sounds of the Zilker Preserve to identify the

artistic side of nature. Campers can bring their own digital cameras, or

use ours, to explore focus, framing, lighting and more! While in the pre-

serve, scouts can build ephemeral art and/or elf houses using the sup-

plies around them. Finally, end by making seedballs that will create living

pollinator art in the spring and fall!

WOW! WONDERS OF WATER

What does water mean to you? Where does our water come from? How

can we protect our water? These are all questions we will explore at the

Splash! Exhibit in Barton Springs. Scouts will create an artistic bubble map

illustrating their connections with water. Afterwards, scouts will head to

Barton Creek to collect aquatic invertebrates - an important group of

organisms that tell scientists about water quality. Meets at the Beverly S.

Sheffield Education Center - 2201 Barton Springs Rd., Austin, TX 78741.

Juniors

ANIMAL HABITATS

Scouts will meet ANSC animals and use them to build a food web

identifying the ecological roles of species in Texas’ ecosystems. After

meeting and interacting with species up-close, tour the ANSC animal

enclosures and learn about how we care for imprinted and injured

wildlife. We’ll end the program with a hike in the Zilker Preserve using

our senses and series of tools to identify wildlife that lives in the middle

of the city!

FLOWERS - NATURALIST

Uncover the science and artistry in the flowers that brighten Central

Texas. Dissect a flower under microscopes to identify flower anatomy

and learn how they invite pollinators in! Test your knowledge with an

activity matching the foods we eat with their flowers and the pollina-

tors that make it all possible. With your botanical knowledge, tour the

ANSC and preserve to identify seasonal wildflowers.

GEOCACHER

Join us for a real-life treasure hunt! Learn how to use GPS units to un-

cover a series of hidden treasures sprinkled throughout the Zilker Pre-

serve. Explore the natural beauty of the preserve’s cliffs, forests, mead-

ows and ponds.

6

Table of Conents Registration

SKY SEARCH

Don’t have a rocketship to travel to space? No problem! Join us as we

travel the lengths of the solar system in our new Digitalis planetarium!

We’ll observe the seasonal stars and constellations visible from Austin.

Watch as the moon orbits Earth and changes phases. Then we’ll leave

Earth and travel through our solar system, observing the planets and

their unique features.

Todays Date:

2017

2018

Austin Nature

& Science Center

301 Nature Center Drive

Austin, TX 78746

Scouts Scheduling Form Please, complete the form then press

submit. You may also fax to (512)974-3885 or

email to anscprograms@austintexas.gov

1

After School

2:30pm

3:30pm

Please call the Austin Nature & Science Center for more information.

(512) 974-3888 or anscprograms@austintexas.gov

The City of Austin is proud to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. If you require assistance for participation in our programs or use of our facilities, please call 974-3888.

ANSC requires a 2 week notice for cancellation. No fee is assessed if cancellation is due to city closures.

I will consider bringing an interpreter with us if we need translation from English.

My program is not confirmed until I receive a confirmation letter and have replied to ANSC .

Participant is anyone that attends the program. The leader is exempt from the program fees.

The Google Maps address is 2389 Stratford Drive, Austin 78746

2

Mammal or Bird Studies

Geology

Astronomy

Aquatic Science*

Outdoor Skills

Naturalist and Wildlife

Insects Studies

Reptiles or Amphibians

Ecosystems

1st Choice of date ____________

2nd Choice of date _____________

Badge/Journey ______________________________ OR Choose one of our other topics (all scout programs are 1.5 hours):

Type of Scout Group

Leader’s Name

Phone

Age / Grade of Scouts

Leader Address (w/ Zip)

Leader Email

Alternate phone

Total # of scouts attending program

3 Important Information - Initial by Each Statement

Please Check Time(s)

Saturdays

10:00am

11:30am

1:00pm

Scout Group Information

All Scout programs are 1.5 hours unless a custom program is requested.

Austin Resident: $12.00/participant

Non-resident: $14.00/participant

Minimum fee for 9 or fewer scouts

Austin Resident: $108.00; Non-resident: $126.00

Program Fees

*Meets at 2201 Barton Springs Rd.