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

ldunn@wetlandcenter.com

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

(Wilderness_Medicine_Admissions@nols.edu).

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.