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4th Quarter 2023 | Volume 31, Issue 3

Photo by K.P. Wilska

A Quarterly Newsletter Sponsored by the Friends in Support of the Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge

Dear Friends,

 

Fall has finally arrived, and the holidays are just around the corner. That includes the New Year. 2024 has a special meaning for the Friends. We will be celebrating our 50th anniversary. The Friends were founded in 1974 by a group of passionate volunteers eager to support the Nature Center however they could.

The history of the Friends is inspiring, and many people have devoted time, resources, and working hands to make the Friends and the Nature Center what it is today. We will share more of our history in 2024. In the meantime, we hope you will help us celebrate our 50th by sharing your Nature Center connections, stories, and/or experiences. Please email your stories to info@naturecenterfriends.org. We look forward to hearing from you.

 

In April, we will host our annual Fort Worth Wild fundraiser and will honor botanist Bob O’Kennon. Bob has a long history with the Nature Center as well as with the Friends and the Botanical Research Institute of Texas. If you have attended a Botany with Bob event, then you met Bob and experienced his passion for plants and the Nature Center.

 

We will be sharing more information soon about how you can sponsor this event and help us honor Bob and celebrate 50 years of preserving and protecting the Nature Center for future generations.

 

Your friend in conservation,

Haily Summerford, MBA

Executive Director

Friends News

Blessing the Bison


Breakfast with the Bison has become one of our most popular member events, and its new location at the Bison Viewing Deck gives attendees a spectacular view of the bison herd. On September 16, members once again returned to the deck to hear a special talk about bison and their relationship to the Indigenous People of the area.

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Conservation on the Refuge

A Tiny Predator of Summer


This summer brought record-breaking heat that news broadcasters described as brutal, horrible, and unbearable. The weather conditions and extended periods without rain took a toll on plants and wildlife. Even the usual summer chorus of cicadas at the Refuge seemed quieter this year. Despite the challenges, one tiny creature thrived in the heat. The ant lion, also known as the doodlebug, completed its life cycle and continued living in its pit, catching and devouring innocent passersby underground.

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Bison Brief

A Golden Anniversary


The Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge is preparing to celebrate the 50th anniversary of an auspicious event in Nature Center history: the arrival of bison on the Refuge. On November 9, 1973, three bison, following a long trip from the Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma, were released into what is now known as the East Pasture.

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At the Nature Center

Reconnecting with Nature


Fall is always a great time to reconnect with nature. Fall migration is in full swing, the leaves are changing, and the weather is becoming cooler. Getting outdoors has a tremendous healing effect on our minds, bodies, and souls, and, in my opinion, there is no better time or place to do that than in the fall at the Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge.

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Volunteer and Staff Spotlight

A New Adventure


My name is Jared Wood, and I am the new Natural Resource Manager at the Refuge. As a native of Waurika, Oklahoma, I spent most of my youth playing sports and roaming the countryside, searching for critters, especially amphibians and reptiles. Growing up in a town that hosts an annual rattlesnake roundup sparked my interest in conservation, so after graduating high school in 2006, I chose to attend Southeastern Oklahoma State University to pursue a degree in conservation.

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Did You See It?

Bison Viewing


Each issue, we highlight the most popular post that was featured on social media the previous quarter. Enjoy this look back at what caught our followers' attention. Follow us if you haven't already! Links are below.


From September 16, 2023

Once again, bison win the day as our most popular post. We posted a photo from our September 16 member event Breakfast with the Bison. You can read more about this event in the article above.

Upcoming Events

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