The Biology, Health, and the Environment Department, in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), created an outreach program that included visits to elementary school classrooms and summer camps. The program sought to engage participants with opportunities for hands-on scientific discovery and inspiration with activities designed around monarch butterflies and hydrology. The University of Texas at San Antonio and the USFS are active in monarch research and federal programs for the conservation of monarch butterflies.
Lessons were delivered by faculty and students through the Educating Youth in Environmental Science (EYES) Program. The mission of the program is to foster and promote interest in ecology in third to fifth grade students and teachers in the San Antonio area.
Our goal is to bring basic concepts in monarch biology, ecology, and conservation to students in the San Antonio area. Lessons provided hands-on monarch butterfly education and generated interest in wildlife conservation efforts in Texas.
We visited elementary schools to discuss complete and incomplete metamorphosis, migration, and the importance of milkweed. A small butterfly habitat enclosure was provided to each classroom visited; the enclosure contained a milkweed plant and a monarch caterpillar that the students could watch grow and metamorphose into an adult monarch butterfly that would be released outdoors.
During the summer, we offered week-long day camps focused on monarch butterfly ecology as well as week-long day camps focused on hydrology. These camps were held at the main campus and were open to kids 6-14 years old.
Funding
This research project is funded through the USDA USFS Southern Research Station.
The Southern Research Station conducts forestry research that emphasizes measuring and monitoring forest resources; understanding ecosystem structure, function, and processes; managing resources for sustained and enhanced productivity; and protecting environmental quality. The Station conducts forestry research in the 13 Southern States: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.
