Imagine a child who has never heard the croaking of frogs in a pond, who has never watched a dove take flight, who has never walked in a field of bluebonnets. Many of us take the simple outdoor pleasures for granted. Even if we live in cities, we have had opportunities to connect with places that instill in us a love of nature and a spirit of adventure. But for many Texans, the outdoors is growing more distant. 

One of the most pressing needs of Texas students is access to field-based experiences, which are strongly recommended by the Texas Education Agency.  At our Audubon Centers in Dallas, Cedar Hill, and San Antonio, Audubon Texas is offering these experiences, strengthening and reinforcing classroom scientific concepts, and introducing students to nature as a context for life-long learning. 

Audubon Centers serve as living laboratories for these field-based science education programs.  As outdoor classrooms, Audubon Centers provide settings and guides to help people learn about the natural world and motivate them to care for the resources around them.  Audubon’s curricula are developed in partnership with local school districts and are aligned with state standards, addressing the need for students to improve and strengthen their science skills. 

Across the country, Audubon Centers are inspiring millions of Americans to protect their natural resources.  Here in Texas, at the Mitchell Lake Audubon Center in San Antonio, the Trinity River Audubon Center in Dallas, and the Dogwood Canyon Audubon Center at Cedar Hill, we are creating special places to unveil a world many children and families have never seen, sparking a lifelong love of nature, changing lives, and preserving our natural heritage.