February 2022
Texas Children in Nature Network Quarterly Newsletter
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What a winter it has been for Texas Children in Nature Network! We were able to officially host our 2021 Summit in Fort Worth, TX in early December - we have some great highlights in this newsletter. We also produced wonderful webinars - check them out on our YouTube.
We hired some exciting new members of our Team! Alice Jansen joins us as our Education Events Coordinator, and we have hired THREE Health and Nature Liaisons: Marisa Oliva, Robyn Kebede, and one more in Dallas/Fort Worth.
Lastly, we are currently collecting data about our partners from 2021. Please take a few minutes (it takes less than 10 minutes) to fill out our survey. https://forms.gle/LAq9jjYzdJEMBuXZ6
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Join our March 9th Webinar - Nature Play: An Early Childhood Health Equity Strategy with presenter Liz Houston with the National Wildlife Federation |
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Houston - Cities Connecting Children to Nature
The City of Houston was awarded a $200,000 grant by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in October 2021 to create and launch a public health campaign, “Houston Inspires/Houston Inspira”. This effort is being headed up by the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs (MOCA) who will be engaging environmental organizations, artists, and storytellers to inspire awareness and action to improve health and safety outcomes. The 5 Complete Communities selected have the highest amount of concrete batch plants. As a result, these neighborhoods have been adopted by local environmental organizations to increase capacity building, engage in public forums, storytelling, and other innovative programs that raise awareness of health concerns around COVID-19 and air pollutants, particularly PM2.5 and benzene.
Participating Complete Communities
- Acres Homes
- Alief/Westwood
- Kashmere Gardens
- Near Northside
- Second Ward
Environmental Partners:
- Air Alliance Houston
- Citizens Environmental Coalition, Houston
- Environmental Defense Fund
- Houston Wilderness
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Early Childhood Nature Connection: City Assistance Opportunity
Bring nature’s benefits to young children, ages 0 - 5, in your city and support other city priorities, such as school readiness, health and wellness, and equity in child development. Cities Connecting Children to Nature (CCCN), a joint initiative of the National League of Cities and the Children and Nature Network, invites cities to apply by March 18th, 2022 to receive technical assistance to launch or expand approaches to connect young children to nature more equitably.
CCCN will select six cities to receive 18 months of technical assistance to increase equitable access to nature for young children (0-5) —with a focus on communities that lack nature access due to systemic racism and injustice. Cities that have received CCCN catalytic grants are not eligible to apply.
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Our 2021 Summit was a huge success!
Thank you to everyone that was able to attend, it was great to get to see everyone in person after two years!
We were able to hear from many of you and the impressive work you are doing during our concurrent and poster sessions. The keynote speakers were excellent and Lisa Carlson has shared a recording and the power point presentation from the talk. In addition a recording of our equity panel is available.
Stay tuned for a Save the Date for our December, 2022 Summit in Central Texas. If you would like to join our Summit Planning Committee please email Alice Jansen.
Below are some photos and impressions from our time together.
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I loved the summit- it's always awesome to connect with TCiNN colleagues from around the state. It was extra special to be together in person! A special thanks to the Gingko tree and the gift it gave us during forest bathing. -Anne Mueller
The ability to gather in person and learn and be inspired by our colleagues was a pure joy. The keynote speakers and panel discussions were all so good that my pencil couldn't keep up with note-taking. Add in the fun sessions and new connections made - also the beautiful Botanical Garden grounds! - and I'll say it was a resounding success. Kudos to Sarah and the TCiNN team for putting it all together. -Julia Hill
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I found the conference to be very educational and informative. In addition, it is encouraging to find so many individuals interested in getting children involved in nature.
I learned something from all the speakers, but I especially enjoyed Literacy in Nature-Starting your own Storybook, not that I plan on starting a storybook, but I learned a lot about how to choose books for children. Creative Arts Inspired by Nature provided some excellent ideas on incorporating art and nature. David Buggs was an excellent speaker and provided many things to consider as we develop our curriculums and the speakers were also top notch. And last but not least Angela Hanscom was amazing. Angela's presentation prompted me to examine my own teaching methods and has inspired me to step back and see where the students can initiate their own learning in nature. -Rita Lokie
Impressions from Jaime Gonzalez
- In light of the pandemic, more public health advocates/decisionmakers are really understanding the vital need for nearby nature
- This conference was the most diverse gathering yet in terms of ethnicity, age, and background
- The work happening at the regional levels is critical and continuing to pollinate ideas between regions is an important part of the work
- TCiNN as an organization is moving forward with really important initiatives connecting nature, equity, and public health
- A rich dialogue around Justice Diversity Equity and Inclusion is starting to accelerate in the nature space but more work needs to be done to ensure that it is always included in our work.
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Agents of Discovery is an educational mobile gaming platform that uses augmented reality to get youth outdoors and engaging with nature. The app empowers educators in all sectors to turn the whole world into an engaging and fun learning environment. Agents of Discovery works with federal, state, and municipal agencies and many organizations across the country to provide an interactive, fun approach to their programs by using tech to link location to learning.
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Join the Texas School Health Advisory Committee
The Texas School Health Advisory Committee (TSHAC) advises the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) in its support for and delivery of coordinated school health programs and school health services. The DSHS commissioner is accepting applications for membership on the Texas School Health Advisory Committee. Seeking new members for the following positions:
- Parent of a school-age child currently enrolled in a Texas school.
- Parent of a school-age child with special health care needs currently enrolled in a Texas school.
- School nutrition services professional working in a school setting.
- Medical professional (currently practicing physician, physician assistant, or nurse practitioner) who provides health services to school-age children.
- Representative from an organization or agency involved with the health of school children.
- School professional (superintendent, assistant superintendent, principal, assistant principal, or school district board member).
Application Deadline:
Interested applicants should complete Application. Must be received before 11:59 p.m., March 7, 2022.
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Every newsletter the equity strategic area group strives to bring you the story of a conservationist doing great work so we can all share about more people of color as conservation heroes.
Underground Naturalist: Harriet Tubman
Harriet Tubman is known for epic roles in history including a “conductor” for the Underground Railroad and a covert soldier, spy, and nurse for the Union Army during the Civil War. She certainly broke barriers doing this work, but it turns out that Tubman was also an accomplished naturalist. She discovered the natural world and its inner workings at an incredibly early age when living and working with her enslaved family in the early 1800s in Maryland. Working in the outdoors offered up frequent nature interactions like trapping muskrats and helping her father in the timber forests and at local wharfs where she was able to get the lay of the landscape that later assisted her with the Underground Railroad effort.
These early experiences translated to a skill set that would make her a naturalist extraordinaire and these talents aided her when guiding people in search of freedom to the North. Tubman was a well-rounded naturalist with knowledge of botany, astronomy, navigation, wildlife behavior, natural habitats, geography and even ornithology. Her expertise was in nighttime activities and used her familiarity with the Barred Owl call to create her own hoot-owl sounds to let the people she guided know if the coast was clear. The next time you hear the call of the ‘who cooks for you?’ owl, think of Harriet Tubman and how her naturalist abilities enabled her to help so many. Tubman also deserves recognition for changing the face and narrative of who we consider to be true naturalists.
Upcoming Webinar with West Atlanta Watershed Alliance and Aya Institute to learn more about Harriet Tubman and her contribution to our understanding of the natural world.
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San Antonio - Canyon Lake Gorge
The Canyon Lake Gorge has recently opened a self-guided hiking trail that allows participants to view the Gorge from eight observation points along a mile long path. The Gorge was carved by waters that breeched the spillway in a flood event of 2002. This resulted in opening a million years of Cretaceous limestone that can be seen along the trek. Listed as an easy to moderate hiking trail, families enjoy the many benches and picnic tables along the way.
A $5.00 fee is charged for Adults. Children 12 and under are free. The Gorge is open Tuesday – Sunday 9:00am through 4:30pm.
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Texas Wildlife Association
The Texas Wildlife Association is starting up a new public program in 2022 called, “Land, Water, & Wildlife Expeditions.” These experiences will provide youth ages 11-17, along with a parent/guardian with a 1-to-3-day expedition experience on private land. Each expedition will be hosted by trained mentors and natural resources experts and will provide families with the opportunity to learn about ornithology and birding, water ecology and angler education, photography in nature, and more!
To make this program a success, TWA needs a network of mentors and volunteers who are passionate about getting kids and their parents in the outdoors. TWA will be hosting its inaugural Mentor Training on March 12 & 13 on private land in Central Texas. This is a great opportunity to grow as an outdoor educator and work toward providing enriching and life changing outdoor experiences for families. During our Mentor Training, participants will…
- Learn how to plan and execute an expedition experience and how to recruit participants and volunteers
- Work alongside diverse and knowledgeable natural resource professionals
- Visit and work with landowner/land managers to create a welcoming site to host expeditions
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Access Partner Spotlight- Student Conservation Association (SCA) |
The SCA is celebrating 65 years of connecting America’s youth to conservation efforts at national parks, marine sanctuaries, cultural landmarks, and community green spaces throughout the country. Houston is home to the Gulf Coast office where they offer both a school-year volunteer program and a paid summer service opportunity for youth and young adults in the area. This program goes beyond helping the environment by teaching young people valuable skills in leadership, teamwork, outdoor experiences, stewardship, and environmental education. SCA links Houston youth with area local nonprofits as well as city, state, and federal agency partners. Youth learn through hands-on projects such as habitat restoration, trail building, and invasive species removal. For longer term summer jobs they may find themselves restoring sand dunes at Galveston Island State Park or removing invasive species in Memorial Park in Houston.
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Taking Care of Texas
Taking Care of Texas has a new video all about the Rio Grande and what makes its environment unique. This YouTube video is free and available to be used in classrooms and environmental education settings. It is also available in both English and Spanish. |
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Austin - Cities Connecting Children to Nature - By Gabby Benitez
The Youth Leadership team has been busy this
winter! They had the opportunity to present at
the Texas Children in Nature Summit in Fort Worth and compensate the youth who joined and presented for their time and attendance
with the funds awarded through the Children
and Nature Network’s Youth Development Cohort.
Chair member Sheridan Ray was also recently
featured by the City of Austin’s Sustainability
Office as a Net-Zero Hero!
In mid-December, members of our team also attended and presented at the Aspen
Institute’s Community Forum: The Power of Place: Reframing Environmental Justice with a
Racial Lens. We were very grateful for the invitation to join for such a lovely event, with
keynote speaker Dr. Carolyn Finney, and participants from across the U.S.
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Things We are Learning From! |
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TCiNN Partner Job Postings |
As many of our friends and partners are looking for their next opportunity we will share some postings that have been shared with us.
We are also excited to share a new Partners Job Board on our Webpage - continue to check it out between newsletters.
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A full list of upcoming grants is available on our Grants Resource page. Check it out regularly for any grants that have been shared with us. Here are a couple upcoming grant opportunities:
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Upcoming Regional Meetings |
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Austin: email Ashleigh to find out more
- Next meeting March 7
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Coastal Bend: email April to find out more
- Next meeting March 24
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Houston: email Amanda to find out more
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North Texas: email Dustin to find out more
- Next Meeting March 1
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Pineywoods: email Ted to find out more
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Rio Grande Valley: email Bianca to find out more
- Next Meeting March 16
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San Antonio: email Thea to find out more
- Next Meeting February 24
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Give to Texas Children in Nature Network |
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You can support Texas Children in Nature Network and our work creating a state wide collaborative through an online gift |
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