Tuesday, December 3 from 7 – 9 pm
Current NDC Members, come join us for news of how the Center fared in 2024 and to hear our plans for the future. Please stay to vote on our 2025 NDC Board of Directors! Festive refreshments will be served at this adult-only event.
The Nature Discovery Center is partnering with Houston Audubon to conduct the monthly urban Willow Waterhole bird survey. Mary Ann Beauchemin, Senior Naturalist at the NDC leads these surveys on the 3rd Saturday of each month except December. The monthly Bird Survey at Willow Waterhole lets both researchers and birders study how the creation of retention ponds can attract birds to urban areas as well as how populations of species change over time in this urban setting.
Upcoming Surveys:
September 16 at 7 am, October 21 & November 18 at 8 am
December – No Count! Join in one of the many Houston area Christmas Bird Counts instead!
January 20, February 17, & March 17 at 8 am
We would love to have you volunteer to help out with this survey! Beginning birders can help spot birds and more experienced birders can help with identification. We break into 3 or 4 groups to try and cover a good portion of the park. Trails are fairly easy walking and the survey takes about 2 hours. We meet in the parking lot of the Gathering Place at 5310 South Willow Drive, Houston.
What: Join us for some light gardening every Monday and help us care for the park. We’ll be removing some invasive species, growing out & planting natives, watering recently planted plants and more.
• No experience necessary. Experienced staff will work with you & guide you through the projects.
• Come dressed for the weather and prepared to get dirty.
• Bring your own gloves and gardening gear or use ours.
Please contact Ranger, our Park Steward, in advance if you are interested in coming or have any questions. Email ranger@naturediscoverycenter.org or call 713.667.6550.
When:
Mondays, September 9 through March 16 from 9:00 to 11:00 am
March and April dates CANCELLED due to COVID-19.
3rd Monday in May (May 18) CANCELLED due to COVID-19.
If you are interested in volunteer gardening, but cannot make it on Monday mornings, contact Ranger. She can probably use your help on another day!
Come explore and learn more about the wild side of nature in the city with our fun, family-friendly nature walks in Russ Pitman Park. Join us while we sneak up on lizards, peer through a spotting scope for close up looks at honey bees or birds, search for colorful spring flowers, spy on the secret life of animals that hide under logs, and investigate more seasonal nature surprises! Learn some tips to explore nature with your family in your own backyard or on your travels. These walks are about an hour long.
Where: Meet us on the Nature Discovery Center’s front porch.
When: Oct 14, Nov 11, Dec 3, Jan 13, Feb 11 at 10 am
Cost: Members – FREE; Nonmembers – $5/family
This is a drop-in program. No registration required. As a courtesy, please call Mary Ann at 713.667.6550 if you plan to come with a group of 6 or more.
Come explore and learn more about the wild side of nature in the city with our fun, family-friendly nature walks in Russ Pitman Park. Join us while we sneak up on lizards, peer through a spotting scope for close up looks at honey bees or birds, search for colorful spring flowers, spy on the secret life of animals that hide under logs, and investigate more seasonal nature surprises! Learn some tips to explore nature with your family in your own backyard or on your travels. These walks are about an hour long.
Where: Meet us on the Nature Discovery Center’s front porch.
When: October 14 and November 11 at 10 am
Cost: Members – FREE; Nonmembers – $5/family
This is a drop-in program. No registration required. As a courtesy, please call Mary Ann at 713.667.6550 if you plan to come with a group of 6 or more.
What: Spend a Sunday afternoon at the Center getting to know our animals with up close and personal animal encounters! Each family-friendly Meet the Animals session will include: hands-on exposure to live animals and/or specimens, an informal discussion about the animal’s basic biology and behavior, and a Q/A period with one of our Staff Naturalists.
When: September 17 at 2 pm
Where: Meet us in the classroom of the Nature Discovery Center.
Cost: $10/family
This is a drop-in program. No registration required. As a courtesy, please call us at 713.667.6550 if you plan to come with a group of 6 or more.
Ages: 7 – 12
Would your kids enjoy digging in the garden and trying to grow their own healthy snacks or learning to make fun, edible creations of their own?
Sophia Kontos, a former camper and counselor at the NDC, is teaching this series of three classes on Saturday mornings in September on the basics of gardening, knowing where food comes from, and healthy eating. Sophia is doing this as part of earning her Girl Scout Gold Award.
Kids will learn, explore, and be enticed with healthier food options by trying new vegetables such as jicama, romanesco and kohlrabi. Kids will plant seeds of easy-to-grow vegetables and herbs, watch them grow and learn how to care for the plants. Then they will get to take them home to plant in their yards in pots or in the ground.
Dates: September 9, 16, & 23
Times: 10 – 11:30 am
Cost: $10 (for the entire 3 class series; fee goes directly to the Nature Discovery Center)
Bring: Kids should wear clothes that they can get dirty in. Mosquito spray and sunscreen are recommended.
Class size: 3 – 8 kids
Registration required. Click here to register
Date: Friday, September 27
Location: Join naturalists at the Kleb Woods Nature Center, 20303 Draper Rd, Tomball, TX 77377 as they count chimney swifts.
For More Details: Check out their online calendar
Join us for our family-friendly ‘Swift Night Out’ events in the fall. Watch chimney swifts swoop and soar over their roosts and then count them as they enter their chimneys. Mark your calendars to come help us with this citizen science project to document the numbers of chimney swifts migrating through Houston.
What to bring: A folding chair if you prefer to sit, and mosquito repellent! Binoculars are optional (the swifts are visible with the naked eye as they enter the chimney).
Swift Night Out in Spring Branch at Sky High Sports
Co-sponsored by the Nature Discovery Center and Houston Audubon Society.
Date: Sunday, September 8
Time: 7:00 pm
Location: Join us at Sky High Sports, 10510 Westview Dr, Houston, TX 77043 for special activities and information about chimney swifts.
We are a nonprofit, tax-exempt charitable organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law.
