List of nature centers in Texas

See also: List of nature centers in the United States

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Texas Nature Centers (Hover mouse over pog to popup clickable link)

This is a list of nature centers and environmental education centers in the state of Texas.

To use the sortable tables: click on the icons at the top of each column to sort that column in alphabetical order; click again for reverse alphabetical order.

Name  | Location  | County  | Region  | Summary

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Acton Nature Center of Hood County | Granbury | Hood | North Texas | website, 74 acres with over 5 miles of trails
Armand Bayou Nature Center | Houston | Harris | Texas Coastal Bend | 2,500-acre urban preserve, includes a boardwalk through forest and marshes, live animal displays, bison and prairie platforms and butterfly gardens
Austin Nature & Science Center | Austin | Travis | Texas Hill Country | website, operated by the City in 351-acre Zilker Park, includes hands-on educational exhibits, live native animals, an outdoor paleontology exhibit
Bay Education Center | Rockport | Aransas | Texas Coastal Bend | Operated by the University of Texas at Austin Marine Science Institute, ecosystem of the Mission-Aransas National Estuarine Research Reserve
Baytown Nature Center | Baytown | Harris | Texas Coastal Bend | Operated by the City, 450-acre recreation area and wildlife sanctuary
Bear Springs Blossom Nature Center | Pipe Creek | Bandera | Texas Hill Country | website, 125 acres
Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park | Mission | Hidalgo | Texas Coastal Bend | 764 acres, headquarters of the World Birding Center, exhibit hall, observation tower, bird blinds, guided walks
Bob Jones Nature Center | Southlake | Denton | North Texas | website, 758 acres, operated by the City
Brazos Bend State Park | Needville | Fort Bend | Texas Gulf Coast | 4,897 acres, nature center operated by the state and Brazos Bend State Park Volunteer Organization[1]
Canyon of the Eagles Lodge and Nature Park | Burnet | Burnet | Central Texas | website, resort and nature park, located on 940 acres of Lower Colorado River Authority land, includes the Eagle Eye Observatory, nature programs
Cattail Marsh | Beaumont | Jefferson | Texas Coastal Bend | 900 acres, located at Tyrrell Park, operated by the city. The area is a constructed wetland with diked cells of shallow water and mud flats. It is located along Hillebrandt Bayou[2][3][4]
Cedar Ridge Preserve | Dallas | Dallas | North Texas | website, formerly Dallas Nature Center, 600 acres, operated by Audubon Dallas, about 9 miles of trails, butterfly gardens, live mammals, birds, insects and reptiles
Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center and Botanical Gardens | Fort Davis | Jeff Davis | Trans-Pecos | 507 acres features 20-acre botanical garden, greenhouse with about 200 species of Chihuahuan Desert cacti
Cibolo Nature Center | Boerne | Kendall | Texas Hill Country | website, 100 acres
Dogwood Canyon Audubon Center | Cedar Hill | Dallas | North Texas | website, 205 acres
East Texas Ecological Education Center | Tyler | Smith | Northeast Texas | website, 82 acres, visitor's center, indoor and outdoor classrooms, wetlands, grasslands and ponds
Eaton Hill Nature Center | Sonora | Sutton | Texas Hill Country | website, 37 acres
Edinburg Scenic Wetlands | Edinburg | Hidalgo | Texas Coastal Bend | website, 40 acres, part of the World Birding Center, educational exhibits on fish and aquatic life, computer programs about birds and butterflies, telescopes and interpretive audio station
Edith L. Moore Nature Sanctuary | Houston | Harris | Texas Coastal Bend | Operated by Houston Audubon, 17 acres along Rummel Creek
Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge | Fort Worth | Tarrant | North Texas | website, 3,621 acres of forest, wetlands and prairie, operated by the City
Fredericksburg Nature Center | Fredericksburg | Gillespie | Texas Hill Country | website, 10 acres, located in Lady Bird Johnson Park
Gulf Coast Bird Observatory | Lake Jackson | Brazoria | Texas Coastal Bend | website, interpretive center and research center for public education and volunteer-based avian monitoring programs
Hana & Arthur Ginzbarg Nature Discovery Center | Bellaire | Harris | Texas Coastal Bend | website, located in 4-acre Russ Pitman Park
Heard Natural Science Museum and Wildlife Sanctuary | McKinney | Collin | North Texas | Exhibits on Texas' venomous snakes, geology, seashells and marine life, North Texas ecosystems, 289-acre wildlife sanctuary with over 6 miles of trails
Helotes Creek Nature Center | Helotes | Bexar | Central Texas | website
Houston Arboretum and Nature Center | Houston | Harris | Texas Coastal Bend | 155 acres with over 5 miles of trails
Jesse H. Jones Park & Nature Center | Humble | Harris | Texas Coastal Bend | website, operated by the County, 312 acres
John Bunker Sands Wetland Center | Combine | Dallas County | North Texas | website, Private non-profit, 2,000 acres
Kleb Woods Nature Center | Tomball | Harris | Texas Coastal Bend | website, 134 acres
Lamar Bruni Vergara Environmental Science Center | Laredo | Webb | Texas Coastal Bend | website, part of Laredo Community College, contains representations of the Rio Grande ecosystem and live specimens of plant and animal life
Lewisville Lake Environmental Learning Area | Lewisville | Denton | North Texas | website, operated by the University of North Texas, Texas A&M University, the City of Lewisville, and the Lewisville Independent School District, over 2000 acres with over 7 miles of trails
Matagorda County Birding Nature Center | Bay City | Matagorda | Texas Coastal Bend | website, 34 acres
McAllen Nature Center | McAllen | Hidalgo | Rio Grande Valley | [1], 33 acres, two miles of trails, operated by McAllen Parks & Recreation Department, This is an important site, both for wildlife, and for people, as less than 3% of the native habitat remains in the Rio Grande Valley.
McKinney Roughs Nature Park | Bastrop | Bastrop | Central Texas | website, 1,100 acres, operated by the Lower Colorado River Authority, includes the Mark Rose Natural Science Center
Meadows Center for Water and the Environment | San Marcos | Hays | Texas Hill Country | Part of Texas State University, features glass-bottomed boat tours of the San Marcos Springs, a discovery hall and aquarium exhibit; formerly the Aquarena Center
Miller Springs Nature Center | Lake Belton | Bell | Texas Hill Country | website, A 260-acre scenic natural area located between the Leon River and nearby 40 foot high bluffs with 10.7 miles of hike and bike trails through prairie, wetlands and forests.
Mitchell Lake Audubon Center | San Antonio | Bexar | Central Texas | website, 1,200 acres including the 600-acre Mitchell Lake
National Butterfly Center | Mission | Hidalgo | Rio Grande Valley | 100 acres, butterfly conservation, habitat conservation, native plant sanctuary, trails, butterfly center, and educational tours
North Texas Wildlife Center | Plano  | Collin County  | North Texas  | North Texas Wildlife Center (NTXWC) is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization committed to the rescue, rehabilitation, and release of local injured or orphaned wildlife.
Oso Bay Wetlands Preserve and Learning Center | Corpus Christi, Texas | Nueces County, Texas | South Texas | website
Rio Bravo Nature Center | Eagle Pass | Maverick | West Texas | website, environment of the Rio Grande
River Bend Nature Center (Texas) | Wichita Falls | Wichita | North Texas | website, 18 acres
River Legacy Nature Center | Arlington | Tarrant | North Texas | website, adjacent 1,300-acre River Legacy Parks
Riverside Nature Center | Kerrville | Kerr | Texas Hill Country | 9 acres, arboretum with wildlife and native plant sanctuary, located on the Guadalupe River
Sabal Palm Sanctuary | Brownsville | Cameron | Texas Coastal Bend | Owned by the National Audubon Society and operated by the Gorgas Science Foundation, 557 acres, guided tours of the late 19th-century plantation house
San Angelo Nature Center | San Angelo | Tom Green | Edwards Plateau | website, operated by the City, collection of native animals
San Marcos Nature Center | San Marcos | Hays | Texas Hill Country | website, operated by the City in the 6-acre Crook Park, focus is the San Marcos River watershed ecosystem
Sea Center Texas | Lake Jackson | Brazoria | Texas Coastal Bend | website, marine aquarium, fish hatchery and nature center operated by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center | Orange | Orange | Texas Coastal Bend | 252 acres, includes themed gardens, children's garden, wetlands demonstration garden, Victorian greenhouse, exhibit hall
Sibley Nature Center | Midland | Midland | West Texas | website, located in the 49-acre Hogan Park
Sims Bayou Urban Nature Center | Houston | Harris | Texas Coastal Bend | website, operated by Houston Audubon, 1.1 acres, includes a log cabin, barn, gazebo, boat dock and seasonal wetland trails, open by appointment
South Padre Island Birding and Nature Center | South Padre Island | Cameron | Texas Coastal Bend | website, 50 acres of dune meadows, salt marsh and intertidal flats, part of the World Birding Center
South Padre Island Dolphin Research and Sea Life Nature Center | South Padre Island | Cameron | Texas Coastal Bend | website, focus in bottlenose dolphins and their marine environment
South Texas Botanical Gardens & Nature Center | Corpus Christi | Nueces | Texas Coastal Bend | 180 acres, includes a butterfly house and bromeliad conservatory
Spring Creek Greenway Nature Center | Spring | Montgomery | East Texas | website, adjacent to the 25-acre Peckinpaugh Preserve
Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center | Athens | Henderson | East Texas | website, includes a production fish hatchery, aquaria and exhibits, Texas Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame, Richard M. Hart and Johnny Morris Conservation Center
Trinity River Audubon Center | Dallas | Dallas | North Texas | 120 acres with 5 miles of trails
Twelve Hills Nature Center | Dallas | Dallas | North Texas | website, urban preserve and outdoor classroom
Valley Nature Center | Weslaco | Hidalgo | Texas Coastal Bend | 6 acres, focus on getting children outdoors, environment of the lower Rio Grande Valley
Westcave Outdoor Discovery Center | Round Mountain | Travis | Texas Hill Country | website, 75 acres, exhibits on area geology, water, weather, and energy and their connection to the Preserve's plants and animals
Wildcat Bluff Nature Center | Amarillo | Potter | Texas Panhandle | website, over 600 acres, 5 miles of trails, 5 acre accessible trail with pond, spring, and paleontology exhibit. Education building, visitor center. Focus on prairie ecosystems, outdoor education, and natural and human history of the Texas Panhandle.
Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve | Austin | Travis | Texas Hill Country | 227 acres with an environmental education center, operated by St. Edward's University, open to the public for trail hiking and events

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Nature Center". Brazos Bend State Park Volunteer Organization. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
2. ^ "Cattail Marsh". Golden Triangle Audubon. Archived from the original on January 2, 2016. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
3. ^ Gerald E. McCleod (February 13, 2015). "Day Trips: Cattail Marsh, Beaumont". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
4. ^ Tammy McKinley (October 15, 2010). "Waste Water Renews Marsh". Hearst Newspapers II, LLC. Retrieved October 24, 2015.

## External links

[edit]

* Map of nature centers and environmental education centers in Texas

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Protected areas of Texas

Federal|

| National Parks|

* Big Bend
* Guadalupe Mountains

|

National monuments
and memorials|

* Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument
* Castner Range National Monument
* Chamizal National Memorial
* Military Working Dog Teams National Monument
* Waco Mammoth National Monument

National Historical Parks
and Historic Sites|

* Fort Davis NHS
* Lyndon B. Johnson NHP
* Palo Alto Battlefield NHP
* San Antonio Missions NHP

National Historic Trails|

* El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail
* El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro

National Recreation Areas|

* Amistad
* Lake Meredith

National Wild and Scenic Rivers|

* Rio Grande

National Wildlife Refuges|

* Anahuac
* Aransas
* Attwater Prairie Chicken
* Balcones Canyonlands
* Big Boggy
* Brazoria
* Buffalo Lake
* Caddo Lake
* Grulla
* Hagerman
* Laguna Atascosa
* Little Sandy
* Lower Rio Grande Valley
* McFaddin
* Muleshoe
* Neches River
* San Bernard
* Santa Ana
* Texas Point
* Trinity River

National Forests|

* Angelina
* Davy Crockett
* Sabine
* Sam Houston

National Grasslands|

* Caddo
* Lyndon B. Johnson
* McClellan Creek
* Rita Blanca

Other Protected Areas|

* Big Thicket National Preserve
* Padre Island National Seashore

State|

| State Parks
and Natural Areas|

* Abilene
* Albert and Bessie Kronkosky State Natural Area
* Atlanta
* Balmorhea
* Barton Warnock Visitor Center
* Bastrop
* Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley
* Big Bend Ranch
* Big Spring
* Blanco
* Bonham
* Brazos Bend
* Buescher
* Caddo Lake
* Caprock Canyons
* Cedar Hill
* Chinati Mountains State Natural Area
* Choke Canyon
* Cleburne
* Colorado Bend
* Cooper Lake
* Copper Breaks
* Daingerfield
* Davis Hill
* Davis Mountains
* Devils River State Natural Area
* Devil's Sinkhole State Natural Area
* Dinosaur Valley
* Eisenhower
* Enchanted Rock State Natural Area
* Estero Llano Grande
* Fairfield Lake
* Falcon
* Fort Boggy
* Fort Parker State Park
* Fort Richardson State Park
* Franklin Mountains
* Galveston Island
* Garner
* Goliad
* Goose Island
* Government Canyon State Natural Area
* Guadalupe River
* Hill Country State Natural Area
* Honey Creek State Natural Area
* Huntsville
* Indian Lodge
* Inks Lake
* Kickapoo Cavern
* Lake Arrowhead
* Lake Bob Sandlin
* Lake Brownwood
* Lake Casa Blanca International
* Lake Colorado City
* Lake Corpus Christi
* Lake Livingston
* Lake Mineral Wells
* Lake Somerville
* Lake Tawakoni
* Lake Whitney
* Lockhart
* Longhorn Cavern
* Lost Maples State Natural Area
* Martin Creek Lake
* Martin Dies Jr.
* Matagorda Island
* McKinney Falls
* McKinney Roughs
* Meridian
* Mission Tejas
* Monahans Sandhills
* Mother Neff State Park
* Mustang Island
* Old Tunnel
* Palmetto
* Palo Duro Canyon
* Palo Pinto Mountains
* Pedernales Falls
* Possum Kingdom
* Purtis Creek
* Ray Roberts Lake
* Resaca de la Palma
* San Angelo
* Sea Rim
* Sheldon Lake
* South Llano River
* Stephen F. Austin
* Tyler
* Village Creek
* Walter Umphrey
* Wyler Aerial Tramway

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State Historic Sites|

* Acton
* Admiral Nimitz
* Barrington Living History Farm at Washington-on-the-Brazos
* Battleship TEXAS
* Caddo Mounds
* Casa Navarro
* Confederate Reunion Grounds
* Eisenhower Birthplace
* Fanthorp Inn
* Fannin Battleground
* Fort Griffin
* Fort Lancaster
* Fort Leaton
* Fort McKavett
* Fort Richardson State Park
* Fulton Mansion
* Goliad
* Hueco Tanks
* Kreische Brewery
* Landmark Inn
* Levi Jordan Plantation
* Lipantitlan
* Lyndon B. Johnson
* Magoffin Homestead
* Mission Espiritu Santo
* Mission Dolores
* Mission Rosario
* Monument Hill
* Penn Farm
* Point Isabel Lighthouse
* Sabine Pass Battleground
* Sam Bell Maxey House
* Samuel T. Rayburn House
* San Felipe
* San Jacinto Battleground
* Sauer-Beckmann Farm
* Seminole Canyon
* Starr Family Home
* Varner–Hogg Plantation
* Washington-on-the-Brazos
* Zaragoza Birthplace

State Forests
and Arboretums|

* E.O. Siecke
* I.D. Fairchild
* John Henry Kirby
* Masterson
* W. Goodrich Jones
* Ruth Bowling Nichols Arboretum
* Olive Scott Petty Arboretum

State Wildlife Trails|

* Great Texas Coastal
* Heart of Texas
* Panhandle Plains
* Prairies and Pineywoods

* Texas Parks and Wildlife Department

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Nature centers in the United States

* Alabama
* Alaska
* Arizona
* Arkansas
* California
* Colorado
* Connecticut
* Delaware
* District of Columbia
* Florida
* Georgia
* Hawaii
* Idaho
* Illinois
* Indiana
* Iowa
* Kansas
* Kentucky
* Louisiana
* Maine
* Maryland
* Massachusetts
* Michigan
* Minnesota
* Mississippi
* Missouri
* Montana
* Nebraska
* Nevada
* New Hampshire
* New Jersey
* New Mexico
* New York
* North Carolina
* North Dakota
* Ohio
* Oklahoma
* Oregon
* Pennsylvania
* Rhode Island
* South Carolina
* South Dakota
* Tennessee
* Texas
* Utah
* Vermont
* Virginia
* Washington
* West Virginia
* Wisconsin
* Wyoming

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