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September 2008
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Johnathan Shroyer on a play dinosaur
(2007 Dinosaurs Alive!) |
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| Events |
Halloween at the Heard
Dinosaurs Alive!
Business After Hours…Times 4
A Night of Networking
Allen, Frisco, McKinney and Plano Chambers of Commerce |
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Halloween at the Heard
October 25, 6 - 10:30 PM
Sponsored by:
KLAK 97.5,
American Bank of Texas,
6-Day Dental & Orthodontics
Market Street
Experience and enjoy the spooky side of nature at the Halloween at the Heard! The Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary is once again hosting this annual event sponsored by KLAK 97.5, American Bank of Texas, and 6-Day Dental & Orthodontics. Kids will have the chance to trick-or-treat along the Dinosaurs Alive! exhibit trail featuring 12 life-size animatronic dinosaurs.
Halloween at the Heard will also featuring the Grand Opening of the Heard’s new amphitheater! The Heard will present a perfect movie for the occasion for you to enjoy under the stars. Details coming soon—make sure to check our website for updates. This amphitheater will seat more than 500 people and have handicap seating and accessibility. |
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Dinosaurs Alive!
Open Now – December 31
Grand Opening
Activities – Sept.13
Dinosaurs are back from total extinction just for your family to experience and enjoy! Encounter with 12 life-size animatronics dinosaurs along the Heard nature trails.
For a complete listing of dinosaurs and details about the exhibit, visit www.heardmuseum.org.
Grand Opening Day Activities – September 13
Celebrate the Grand Opening of Dinosaurs Alive!
Meet Tex the Heard T-Rex—a friendly, costumed dinosaur—as he roams around the event!
Stirring up excitement, kids will participate in fun activities like a dinosaur bounce House and dinosaur themed adaptations of popular games. Visit www.heardmuseum.org for updates and a complete list of event times. KLTY 94.9, a Heard partner, will be on-site to cover games by live remote.
Perfect for a Texas autumn day, inside activities and refreshments will provide your family with opportunities to cool off while enjoying dinosaur festivities. The Great Outdoors, an exhibit sponsor, will also sell sandwiches.
Enjoy music at 1 PM from McKinney Community Band as they play on the Heard’s new amphitheater stage!
Dinosaurs Alive Presented by: The Bessie Heard Foundation
Tucker David Foundation
Sponsorship opportunities still available. Click for details.
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Business After Hours…Times 4
A Night of Networking
Allen, Frisco, McKinney and
Plano Chambers of Commerce
September 18, 2008
Thursday, September 18th brings four times the networking and four times the fun to members from Allen, Frisco, McKinney and Plano Chambers of Commerce. More than four hundred members are anticipated to attend “Business After Hours. . .Times 4”
Guests will have the pleasure of networking while listening to music selections by featured DJ Maco Amoya. Ben E. Keith Distributors will provide complimentary wine and beer. Additionally, guests will enjoy complimentary coffee provided by Office Perks and complimentary hors d’oeuvres will also be served.
Chamber members will have access to complimentary door prizes and qualify to participate in a live auction for a weekend car lease by Crest Cadillac. Proceeds will benefit City House.
The event is sponsored by Evelyn’s Professional Janitorial Services and co-sponsored by Ameriprise Financial. The Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Museum is hosting the event in their scenic and spacious Science Technology Center.
For additional information about the Business After Hours event as well as the Heard’s Science Technology Center visit www.heardmuseum.org. |
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| Exhibit Articles |
| Native Texas Butterflies |
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Native Texas Butterflies
Ends September 28 Only a few weeks remain for you to experience the splendor of Native Texas Butterflies. Enjoy being immersed among fluttering butterflies in our new 800+ square foot Native Texas Butterfly House. Learn facts about each butterfly species while getting the chance to have them land on you! The exhibit also creates a beautiful setting for pictures. For more information, visit http://www.heardmuseum.org/attractions/exhibits/NativeTexasButterflies.asp
In the meantime, learn how to attract native Texas butterflies to your own garden! Visit our website for instructions to help you select plants that butterflies use as food for their caterpillars and for nectaring adults!
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| Education Articles |
Pre-school and Homeschool Science Program
Scout Badge Workshops
Fall Night Hike
Field Journal Workshop |
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Pre-school and Homeschool
Science Program
Classes Begin September 16
Register Now! Perhaps you homeschool your children and are looking for ways to broaden their home education experience, or maybe your children are just not quite old enough to head off to school. The Heard Natural Science Museum has programs to encourage their love of nature and science. The Heard’s Homeschool Science Program and Pre-school Program run September 16 through December 18. Each preschool class offers children the opportunity to be engaged in hands-on learning experiences that promote an early connection to nature. Homeshcoolers will experience learning through classroom activities, outdoor field investigations, laboratory science, small group activities, and take-home study packets. |
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Scout Badge Workshops
One of Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary’s most popular scout workshops is the Geologist Badge, and one of the highlights of this two-hour workshop is the fossil hunt in an area of the sanctuary not open to the general public. Though any fossils found on the property must remain on the property, every scout gets the opportunity to find one or more fossils on their own. The excitement and thrill each child exudes as they bring up a rock and exclaim, “Is this a fossil?” never gets old. They may find bits of shell from the Inoceramus clam or an imprint from an oyster shell. Periodically a lucky hunter will find a shell that is almost whole, and those we bring back to the Museum to add to the workshop fossil collection. When that happens, you can feel the sense of pride shared by the whole group as they escort their treasure back to the building.
The Geologist workshop meets the requirements for the Webelos badge and is offered once a month from September to May. Though it is geared for scouts, others may register for it. If you have a group of 10 or more interested children, it is possible to make a special reservation—perfect for home school groups or other organizations such as Brownies, Girl Scouts, YMCA guides, or school clubs.
Additional Scouting Programs, including other badge workshops and Guided Scout Trails, are available. The Heard Natural Science Museum also welcomes scouts and other groups to assist with service projects. For complete details or to register, visit http://www.heardmuseum.org/attractions/scouting.asp
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Fall Night Hike
October 11th. 8:15pm
The sunset was fading from the sky as the darkness of the night was settling in. As we turned the corner there was just enough light to see a skunk up ahead. We watched as the skunk casually waddled across the trail holding his tail in a lovely arch. My group was quiet and ready for whatever our night hike had to offer. Walking further, we spotted a tarantula crawling out from a deep crack in the earth. We headed toward our destination, the Cedar Brake Loop.
At the entrance to the Cedar Brake Loop we watched as small bats flitted through the air in their characteristic looping flight. The dark wrapped around us and the branches of the cedars reached out to gently welcome us. Our footsteps were quiet on the soft bed of mulch covering the trail. The air inside was cool and still. The smell of the cedar trees filled our noses. The silence was deep and we hiked on. Soon we spotted bright shining eyes staring at us from near the base of a tree only 50 feet away. Frozen in disbelief, we were looking at them and they were looking at us. There were two pairs of coyote eyes watching for our next move. They finally decided to make a break for it and left us to finish our hike. On the final curve of the trail we saw busy raccoons and heard a distant owl call. What a fantastic Night Hike!
A night hike at the Heard is a remarkable, enchanting trail experience that takes you into nature. When you participate in one of our night hikes you never know what you might see or hear. Each Night Hike and every season is unique and wonderful.
Hike with Schelly Corry on our October 11th Night Hike! Jim, a first time visitor to the Heard, confirmed that “it was fun, informative, and something [he] will definitely do again! The nature preserve is fascinating, and Ms. Corry was able to illustrate it in a professional and caring manner.”
To register e-mail Steffanie Mann at smann@heardmuseum.org
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Field Journal Workshop
Professional Development Workshop
with
Mark Baldwin of The Roger
Tory
Peterson Institute
Tuesday, October 14th, 8AM - 3PM Would you like to learn habits and attitudes that promote inquiry and discovery about the natural world? A nature journal is a simple yet effective way to record observations, organize data, make sense of what you observe and it can turn any contact with the natural world into an opportunity to learn. This workshop will engage you in a series of exercises and field experiences designed to sharpen observation and visual and verbal note-taking skills. You will transform a blank book into an indispensable tool for productive inquiry and personal discovery.
Caution! Nature journaling can be habit-forming.
To register, email Steffanie Mann at smann@heardmuseum.org. For more information, view the event flyer at by clicking this link. |
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| Garden News |
| Fall Plant Sale |
Fall Plant Sale
October 10 – Members
4:00-7:00 PM
October 11-12 - Public
Choose from dozens of native plant varieties ideally suited for Texas weather, including:
• Fall blue aster
• Gaura
• Lantana
• Turk’s cap
• Mexican petunia
• Columbine
• Autumn sage
• Flame acanthus
Get expert advice to help you find the right plant for you and your landscape. |
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| Other News |
A Call for Artisans
Holiday at the Heard and Artisan’s Market
Special Donation Needs
Volunteer Needs |
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A Call for Artisans
Holiday at the Heard and Artisan’s Market
Do you, or someone you know, make a hand-crafted item either utilizing some of nature’s resources or depicting nature? If so, then why not consider selling those wares as a unique holiday gift item at the Heard’s own “Artisan’s Market?” This market will be one of the featured activities promoted during our “Holidays at the Heard” planned for Saturday, December 6. Guests will not only enjoy shopping at this market, but also taking photos with Father Christmas and Mother Nature, touring our Dinosaurs Alive! exhibit, partaking of some special refreshments, and making a special holiday craft with their children.
The Heard anticipates a large crowd that day as almost 1,000 people attended last year’s event. Space is extremely limited and will be reserved on a first-come, first-paid basis. The cost for artisans to participate is only a nominal $25. For more information or to register, please contact Vicki Northcutt at (972)562-5566, ext. 236, or e-mail at vnorthcutt@heardmuseum.org.
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Special Donation Needs
The Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary is 100% funded by our activities, sponsors and donations. Currently, the museum is in need of a few gently-used items to help maintain our operations. Please review the list of items below:
Facility Needs
• Commercial refrigerator/freezer
• Golf cart
The items below are all important to enhance the lives of the animals at the Heard through mental stimulation and health enrichment. You may even have a few of these things sitting in your garage or yard and have been meaning to get rid of them!
Animal Care Needs
• Various large diameter PVC pipe
• Small cardboard boxes
• Cardboard paper towel rolls
• Items similar to “Kiddie” jungle-gyms
• Rope
• Parrot toys
• Horse toys (unless you have chimpanzee toys)
• Stainless steel chain
• Pond liners/koi pond
• Parrot perches
• Dog agility items
The Heard is a 501(c)(3) organization and therefore contributions to the museum are tax-deductible.
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Volunteer Needs
You may have heard (or read in previous e-newsletters) about a few of the great new projects that Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary has underway. The museum has added new education programs, more exhibits than ever before, a new high ropes course, and even a new amphitheater (to open this fall), which will seat more than 500 people! New garden plans and labeling projects are in development. The museum is even hosting a non-native animal exhibit; Animals of the World: A Conservation Exhibit.
2008 is an exciting time of expansion for the museum and also exciting time for volunteers because there are an unprecedented variety of opportunities. There is something for everyone! The museum is currently looking for volunteers interested in being Trail Guides, Animal Care Volunteers for both Inside Live Room Animal Care and Outside Animals Care (for the Animals of the World exhibit), and Nature Store Volunteers. The museum is also always seeking Native Plant Garden Volunteers and Native Sanctuary Restoration Volunteers. Many other volunteer opportunities take place throughout the year and also await your helping hands. Volunteering at the Heard is also a fun way to teach your kids about responsibility!
For information on becoming a Heard Volunteer, please consult our website where you can find an application, a full list of opportunities, as well as descriptions.
http://www.heardmuseum.org/theheard/volunteer.asp |
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