In April, the Texas Master Naturalists (Coastal Prairie Chapter) approached KPC with an exciting prospect - jointly running summer classes for children. This proposition was at once thrilling and daunting. Having designed and taught summer camps for many years, I knew that these classes would be a big undertaking in terms of resources and time.

I also knew that there are few things more enriching (for both students and educators) than well-run summer nature classes.
I also knew that conducting nature classes at night make the learning even more memorable. Why? Summer evenings are a time of true magic. Cicadas, Mourning Dove, katydids, and frogs orchestrate a natural symphony, brilliant pink spoonbills ply the wetland waters in search of aquatic prey, thunderheads pop up and form inky vapor skyscrapers, and lightning bugs and celestial objects demand our attention with their brilliant displays of light. Mostly though, kids seem to fully embrace their inner adventurers on summer evenings. This could be due to the fact that evening temperatures are more bearable, kids are typically more relaxed by evening (having already burned copious amounts of energy during the day), or that the dimly lit dusk world is full of secrets and shadows calling out to be explored.

We decided to start off modestly this year and to put our focus on interpreting common nighttime animals and phenomena. We also decided to offer short classes only Wednesday nights in June and July to keep the costs down so that a wide variety of students could attend classes. The response could not have been better! Our first Summer Science Nights class had eight very enthusiastic students. By the end of the series (mostly due to word of mouth) we were up to nearly thirty kids per class! Although increased attendance is something to strive for, I believe what best characterized this series was the relationships that we made along the way. KPC was able to strengthen an already strong relationship with the Texas Master Naturalists (without whom this series would not have worked nearly as well as it did) and we were able to meet students and parents from Bellville, Waller, Hockley, Fulshear and other local communities who had not known about KPC and its mission before these classes.

Perhaps the best part is that Summer Science Nights  convinced us that KPC should continue its firm commitment to youth environmental programming through educational classes and field trips.  In fact, the success of the Summer Science Nights series has already prompted plans for a winter mini-camp to be held during the winter break!  Keep an eye out for an announcement in the Observer about the winter series.

On behalf of the staff and board of the Katy Prairie Conservancy I would like to thank all those who helped ensure this program's success. Special thanks go to KPC Volunteers, Texas Master Naturalists, the Fort Bend Astronomy Club, and the Houston Astronomical Society, and, of course, the bright young scientists and parents who spent their evenings with us this summer.

PrairieWorks
Brad Alexander, Tracy Alexander, Adrian Creekmore, Caleb Creekmore, Kate Creekmore, Grace Liggett

Summer Science Nights
Bill Brookshire, Carol Brookshire, Don Mayhall, Peg d'Hemcourt, Lesli Edge, Grace Liggett, Cheryl Sedivec

Eagle Scout Project - Trail in Barn Owl Woods
Eagle Scout Candidate Daniel Chen and members of Troop 1288 (Texas Skies)

Eagle Scout Project - New shade shelter/interpretive signs display for Nelson Farms
Eagle Scout Candidate Kendrick James