Family Name: CONGRATULATIONS!!! GOOD LUCK!

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1 CONGRATULATIONS!!! You ve completed your Family Summer Environmental Challenge journal. Don t forget to double check that proof is recorded in your journal pages. We hope your family had lots of fun completing the challenges. Thank you for continuing to support your local nature centers and parks. Please turn in your journals to the Edinburg Scenic Wetlands & World Birding Center s Interpretive Naturalist, Monica Barrera, or Education Coordinator, Lily Cruz. For questions please call GOOD LUCK! Made by the Edinburg Scenic Wetlands & World Birding Center 714 Raul Longoria Rd., Edinburg, TX Family Name:

2 Families with children between the ages of 6-12 are invited to join in on the Family Summer Adventure Challenge sponsored by the Edinburg Scenic Wetlands and World Birding Center (EWBC). This is a great opportunity to get outside and enjoy the outdoors. Family Summer Adventure Challenge gives you a chance to spend quality time together while visiting different nature centers and parks of the Rio Grande Valley and, upon completion of our challenges, the opportunity to win cool prizes! (Please be advised, many nature centers and parks do charge an entry or program fee that you are responsible for. On the last page you will find nature center & park hours of operation.) Instructions: In this journal you will find 15 challenges to complete over the summer. For your family to be included in our giveaway prize raffle complete at least 10 challenges. This journal will help you and your family collect signatures for each challenge. Be sure that the required signature is recorded so that we may give you credit for completion. Completed challenges must be from at least 4 different RGV nature sites. Before you begin, call EWBC at to register your family or to let us know if you have any questions. We will keep record when you turn in your journals. Only one journal per family will be accepted. Proof of Completion: We encourage families to take notes and/or draw pictures in the spaces provided for each challenge as proof of completion. We also need the nature park staff persons to print, sign, and date the journal. Deadline: Saturday, August 1, No later than 5:00 p.m. If you complete the challenges before this date and time, you may turn in your journals to the EWBC. Families submitting a journal will receive a free pass to Summer Adventure at the Wetlands, held on August 8 from 3-8 p.m., where winners of the Challenge will be announced. Nature Center & Park Info & Summer Hours of Operation Bentsen-RGV State Park & WBC Park Open Daily 7am - 10pm Visitor Center Open Thursday - Sunday: 7:30am - 5:30pm National Butterfly Center Open Daily 9am - 4pm Quinta Mazatlan WBC Tuesday - Saturday: 8am - 5pm Open Thursday Nights until Dark Edinburg Scenic Wetlands & World Birding Center Center Open Monday - Saturday: 8am - 5pm Grounds Open Monday - Saturday: 7am - 6pm Open Thursday until 8pm Santa Ana NWR Park Open Daily Sunrise to Sunset Visitor Center Open Daily 8am - 4pm Valley Nature Center Tuesday - Friday: 9am - 5pm Saturday: 8am - 5pm & Sunday: 1pm - 5pm Frontera Audubon Tuesday-Saturday: 8am - 4pm Sunday: 12pm - 4pm Estero Llano Grande State Park & WBC Park Open Daily 8am - 5pm Visitor Center Open Wednesday - Sunday 8am - 5pm Resaca de la Palma State Park and WBC Park Open Daily 7am - 10pm Visitor Center Open Thursday-Sunday 8am - 5pm Sabal Palm Sanctuary Open Daily 7am - 5pm Laguna Atascosa NWR Refuge Open Daily Sunrise to Sunset Visitor Center Open Thursday-Monday 8am - 4pm South Padre Island Birding & Nature Center Open Daily 9am - 5pm

3 Laguna Atascosa has several different habitats. Two endangered species can be found on the refuge. The ocelot inhabits the thorn scrub and the aplomado falcon inhabits the coastal prairie. Challenge 15 Visit a nature center/park that hosts aquatic activities (fishing, kayaking, swimming, etc.). Call ahead to register and attend a program with your family. In the space below draw what you observed and ask an employee to print, sign, and date below. Prizes Include: (Only one prize will be awarded per family.) EWBC Birthday Party Gift Certificate EWBC Family Membership Guided Nature Walk, 1 hour School Classroom Outreach Program, 1 hour And More! Registration Information: Adult Names Child Name & Age Child Name & Age Child Name & Age Child Name & Age Address Telephone Address

4 Did you know that over 500 species of birds have been recorded in the Rio Grande Valley? Some species, like the Plain Chachalaca, are found Only in the RGV! Challenge 1 Visit a nature center/park that loans out binoculars or bring your own. While you are there, take a walk through the grounds and identify five birds that you see or hear. List them below. Please provide us with a staff member s printed name and signature as proof of completion. Challenge 14 Visit a nature center/park with bird feeding areas throughout their trails. Pick a bird feeding area to observe, and in the space below draw the birds that visit the feeders. Ask an employee to print, sign, and date this page. Frontera Audubon is home to roosting Turkey Vultures. These raptors feed on carrion (dead animals).

5 Riddles: Why are frogs so happy? They eat whatever bugs them! What do frogs order at fast-food restaurants? French flies and a croak! Challenge 13 Visit a nature center/park that allows bike riding. Visit the park with your family and take your own or rent them from the park and ride the trails. Describe the bike ride with your family in the space below. Ask an employee to print, sign, and date this page. Challenge 2 Visit a nature center/park that hosts morning family programs. Attend one with your family. Below describe what you learned. Please provide us with a staff member s printed name, signature, and date as proof of completion. Mexican- Free Tailed Bats can be found at Quinta Mazatlan. Around 100 return to a bat house on the grounds each spring through fall.

6 The scales of the Texas Indigo Snake are so shiny that it s black body appears to have an iridescent blue sheen. Challenge 3 Visit a nature center/park with a center that houses and displays animals indoors. In the space below, list and describe 1 live animal that you saw and learned about. Ask an employee to print, sign, and date this page. Challenge 12 Visit a nature center/park. Take a tour of their grounds with your family in search of reptiles and mammals. Use field guides to help you identify the wildlife observed. In the space below, list the types of reptiles and mammals you observed with your family. Ask an employee to print, sign, and date this page. Riddles: Why do bees have sticky hair? Because they have honeycombs! What kind of tree can fit into your hand? A palm tree!

7 As a group, shorebirds are masters of longdistance migration. The Bar- Tailed Godwit makes the longest non-stop flight at 7,000 miles from Alaska to new Zealand. Challenge 11 Visit a nature center/park. On your visit walk the grounds with your family and observe the trees. Use a field guide to help you identify 4 different trees. In the space below make a list of the trees you observed on your walk. Ask an employee to print, sign, and date this page. Challenge 4 Visit a nature center/park that hosts night programs. Attend the night program with your family. Below write any notes on what you learned. Ask an employee to print, sign, and date this page. The Eastern Screech Owl s trill song may be used to advertise nest site location and for courtship. Their other call sounds include rasps, barks, & screeches.

8 The bright red flower of the Turk s Cap Provides nectar for Hummingbirds, butterflies, and other insects. Challenge 5 Visit a nature center/park. Use a plant field guide and/or checklist. Go on a plant walk and identify 10 different plants with your family. List the plants below. Ask an employee to print, sign, and date this page. Challenge 10 Visit a nature center/park that provides tram tours. Call ahead to register and attend a tram tour. Draw some of the animals & plants that you see on your tour below. Ask an employee to print, sign, and date this page. Wetlands, like the ones found at Estero Llano Grande State Park, can sustain a variety of plant communities. These communities provide a diverse habitat for wildlife!

9 Riddles: Why do hummingbirds hum? Because they forgot the words! What happens when a duck flies upside down? Challenge 9 Visit a nature center/park that hosts afternoon/ evening programs throughout the summer. Attend one of the programs with your family. Take notes below and ask the program host to print, sign, and date this page. Challenge 6 Visit a nature center/park. Use a butterfly field guide and/or checklist. Identify butterflies with your family and in the space below make a list of 5 species you observed. Ask an employee there to print, sign, and date this page. Did you know that the monarch butterfly only lays its eggs on milkweed plants? One of the best ways to help monarchs is to plant milkweed in your garden. It quacks up!

10 Did you know that dragonflies, as nymphs & Adults, are beneficial insects? That s because they eat Mosquito Larvae & Adults. Challenge 7 Visit a nature center/park that hosts dragonfly walks or take a self-guided walk with your family. Use a field guide to help you identify the dragonflies you see. In the space below draw a picture of a dragonfly and identify it. Ask an employee to print, sign, and date this page. Challenge 8 Visit a nature center/park that provides outdoor family picnic areas. Have an outdoor family picnic and in the space below, describe the wildlife you observed. Have an employee print, sign, and date this page. Sabal Palm forests once covered 40,ooo acres in the RGV. Today, less than 100 acres survive. Sabal Palm Sanctuary contains one of the last portions of that forest.