Nature Centers Near Me in Klondike

History of Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary

The Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary, in Mckinney Texas, is the result of one woman's vision for the future and her commitment to the community and North Texas.

Miss Bessie Heard devoted most of her lifetime (1886-1988) to the city of McKinney and its people. Her philanthropic endeavors and generosity of spirit left a legacy of accomplishment few people attain.

Miss Bessie's greatest contribution to her community and North Texas is the Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary. Miss Heard was 80 years old when she saw the need to preserve a place where future generations could visit to experience nature. The museum opened October 1, 1967 and now serves more than 100,000 visitors annually.

In keeping with Miss Heard's vision, the museum's mission is threefold: education, conservation and preservation. Through education, particularly for young people, the Heard emphasizes an appreciation of nature and its conservation.

Big Thicket Gateway
Amazing diversity of both plants and wildlife makes Village Creek State Park a very special place. We’re 10 miles north of Beaumont on the edge of the Big Thicket. Come to camp, canoe, or just enjoy the quiet – you’ll be glad you did!

Things to Do
The park sits along Village Creek, one of the few free-flowing creeks in Texas. Here you can camp, picnic, fish, hike, mountain bike, swim, geocache, study nature and view wildlife. Rent our covered picnic pavilion for your next group gathering.

Paddle the Village Creek Paddling Trail, which you can access from the park’s canoe launch.

Explore eight miles of trails on foot or bike. Take young hikers on the Lil’ Paws Nature Trail. The longer Water Oak Trail passes through arid sandy lands and bottomland swamps.

Fish in Village Creek for catfish, bass and sunfish. We lend fishing tackle for use in the park. You do not need a fishing license to fish from shore in a state park!

Things to Do

With both beach and bay sides, Galveston Island State Park offers activities for every coast lover.

You can swim, fish, picnic, bird watch, hike, mountain bike, paddle, camp, geocache, study nature or just relax! Visit our nature center to learn more about the park and its programs.

Fish
Try your luck fishing in the bay area or beach-side. We have canoe/kayak launches and a fish cleaning station. Remember, you do not need a fishing license to fish from shore in a state park.

Hike or bike
Explore four miles of trails through the park's varied habitats. Stop at the observation platform or photo blinds, and stroll boardwalks over dunes and marshes.

Paddle
Take your kayak or canoe on one or all of our paddling trails!

Grand Canyon of Texas

The second largest canyon in the country lies in the heart of the Texas Panhandle. Visit Palo Duro Canyon State Park; experience the canyon's rugged beauty and enjoy its colorful history.

Things to Do

Explore the canyon by foot, mountain bike, horse or car. We have more than 30 miles of hiking, biking and equestrian trails. Camp, geocache, study nature or bird watch. During the summer, enjoy a performance of the outdoor musical drama TEXAS.

Choose from campsites with water and electricity, primitive drive-up sites, equestrian sites, or backpack camping areas. Stay in one of three cabins on the canyon's rim or four limited service cabins on the canyon floor. Rent our new pavilion for a wedding, reunion or meeting.

Stop by the Visitor Center on the canyon rim to learn more about the park. The park store at the Visitor Center sells books, pottery, jewelry and more. Look for souvenirs, snacks and meals at The Trading Post on the canyon floor.

HISTORY

Seminole Canyon State Park and Historic Site in Val Verde County, west of Comstock, contains 2,172.5 acres; the park was purchased from private owners in 1973 to 1977, and opened in February, 1980.

Early man first visited this area 12,000 years ago, a time when now-extinct species of elephant, camel, bison, and horse roamed the landscape. The climate at that time was more moderate than today and supported a more lush vegetation that included pine, juniper, and oak woodlands in the canyons, with luxuriant grasslands on the uplands. These early people developed a hunting culture based upon large mammals, such as the mammoth and bison. No known evidence exists that these first inhabitants produced any rock paintings.

By 7,000 years ago, the region had undergone a climate change that produced a landscape much like today's. A new culture appeared in this changed environment. These people were increasingly dependent on gathering wild plants and hunting small animals and less dependent on hunting big game. They lived in small groups since the land would not support larger social units for long periods.

Despite the struggle for survival, some of these prehistoric people found the creative energy to paint the pictographs found in Fate Bell and other rock shelters of the Lower Pecos River Country. The distribution of this distinct style is limited to a district which includes a portion of the Rio Grande, Pecos, and Devils River. More than 200 pictograph sites are known to contain examples of their style of rock paintings, ranging from single paintings to caves containing panels of art hundreds of feet long. Although numerous figures or motifs are repeated in different locations, the exact meaning of the paintings is buried with the people who painted them.

The first known European in this area was Castano de Sosa, who set out from Monciova, Mexico, in 1590 and traversed much of present Val Verde County en route to New Mexico. The U. S. Army was the first American presence in the Lower Pecos. In 1851, Lieutenant Nathaniel Michler made a reconnaissance of the Rio Grande above and below its junction with the Pecos for the United States and Mexico Boundary Commission. After the Civil War, Lieutenant Bullis and his Seminole-Negro scouts operated in the area, and Bullis blasted a wagon road into the Pecos Canyon near the Rio Grande to provide the military with a shorter route between forts Clark and Davis.

In 1882, construction of the Southern Pacific Railroad reached the present park location. The route to connect El Paso with San Antonio was begun after the merger of the Galveston, Harrisburg, and San Antonio railroads with the Southern Pacific. The section of railroad in the canyon of the Rio Grande was finally abandoned in 1892, when a new bridge spanning the entire breadth of the Pecos River Canyon was completed. The present bridge was built at the same site during World War II.