Exhibits
The Heard's indoor exhibits provide an interactive environment in which
visitors can discover, enjoy and experience various aspects of the Texas
natural environment. The exhibits also enhance the experience of
visitors to The Heard by providing interpretation of natural events and
objects found that might otherwise be overlooked or misunderstood when
encountered on the wildlife sanctuary.The Heard Museum currently
maintains exhibits on Texas' venomous snakes, rocks, minerals and
fossils, seashells and marine life, North Texas ecosystems, a children's
fossil dig, a marine room, and more. Exhibits at the Heard Museum provide valuable learning
opportunities for the more than 20,000 students who visit each year.
Collections
The Heard Natural Science Museum maintains an extensive group of
natural science collections. The collections include minerals and rocks,
sea shells, insects (including moths and butterflies), bird skins,
mammal skins and a herbarium. These archived collections are part of The
Heard's resource for its ongoing research, education outreach and
natural science exhibits. In addition, The Heard actively creates
collections from prairie fragments, small pockets of undeveloped native
habitats. This provides an important window into the past or snapshots
of prairie flora and fauna as they exist in documented points in
time.The Natural Science Department does make the collections available
for qualified researchers. Please contact Michele Dudas for further
information.
Gardens
The mission of Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife
Sanctuary is to bring nature and people together to discover, enjoy,
experience, restore, and preserve our environment. While most of the
Heard’s property is preserved or restored to a state in which once-dominant
ecosystems can be shared with future generations, the Heard also uses two garden
spaces to educate the public about designing wildlife-friendly landscapes,
wildlife habitats, native plant gardens, and residential bird and butterfly
gardens. Using native plant life, the Heard hopes to also share techniques for
conserving natural resources.