| A “Partner Organization” is any organized function which has agreed to work with the Cradle of Texas Chapter in providing Natural History educational support and/or facility resource use. The Cradle of Texas Chapter in return provides assistance in selected Natural History projects and activities as designated by the partner.The Cradle of Texas Chapter maintains written agreements with our partner organizations. These agreements specify projects and activities that any chapter member may perform, as approved volunteer hours, on behalf of the partner. These approved activities are summarized in a Volunteer Project and Activity List (VPAL) for each partner. Links to VPALs are posted on the Forms page of this website. A “Sponsor” an agency of the State of Texas that provides administrative and financial support for the Cradle of Texas Chapter. Two agencies provide such support: • Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, a unit of the Texas A&M University System. Texas A&M Agrilife Extension Service receives administrative and financial support from Texas A&M University, the United States Department of Agriculture, and Brazoria County. • Texas Parks & Wildlife Department including its subsidiary organizations Brazos Bend State Park and Sea Center Texas. |
| Brazoria County Library System http://bcls.lib.tx.us/index.asp Library cards are free. You must provide proof of your current address when applying for a library card. Parents must sign the library card application for children 17 years of age or younger. Cards are issued at the time of application, at all branch locations and may be used at any of our branches. You may check out items immediately. During the school year, our Chapter conducts numerous public events at county libraries; volunteers are needed to assist with these events. Brazoria County Parks Department http://www.brazoria-county.com/parks/ Twenty three miles of sandy beaches, picturesque coastal plains, lush green forests, inshore and offshore fishing, bird watching, shelling, wildlife preserves, a baseball great, ghosts and some of the richest history in Texas, awaits you in Brazoria County. We host numerous public events during the year, some of which provide volunteer opportunities for TMN-COT members. For details, check the calendar. Brazosport Museum of Natural Science and Brazosport Planetarium The Brazosport Museum of Natural Science and Brazosport Planetarium are two of the Programs offered at The Center for the Arts and Sciences. Brazosport Center for the Arts and Sciences is the cultural home for an entire community of approximately 340,000 people. Established in 1976 as a result of the visioning and commitment of the region’s industrial and civic leadership, The Center has become a shining example of what is extraordinary about living and working in this unique location on the upper Texas Gulf Coast. All of the various activities are volunteer-driven with only a modest-size staff to manage the daily challenges of running a multi-use cultural facility. Every actor, director, painter, teacher, naturalist, astronomer and archaeologist is a volunteer. The Center for the Arts and Sciences is an authentic community collaboration where ideas are encouraged, talents are nurtured and opportunities for discovery are provided to every visitor and volunteer. Brazos Bend State Park http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/brazos_bend/ BBSP, a unit of the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, is approximately 28 miles southwest of Houston in Fort Bend County. The park covers roughly 5000 acres, with an eastern boundary of 3.2 miles fronting on the Brazos River. This was the area of Texas’ first Anglo colonization. It was purchased by the state in 1976-77 and was opened to the public in 1984. Gulf Coast Bird Observatory http://gcbo.org/ GCBO is an independent non-profit organization. We seek to be recognized as the authority on Gulf of Mexico bird conservation. We do this by building innovative partnerships with communities, educators, governments, industries, universities, individuals, and other conservation groups. We have become recognized as an innovative organization, which has designed and conducted a significant number of large conservation projects, including migration studies, habitat enhancement, land acquisition, regional habitat mapping, and others. We maintain a close partnership with TMN-COT, offering many volunteer opportunities. For details, check the calendar. Gulf Coast Wildlife Rescue http://gcwr.org/ GCWR is a tax-exempt non-profit organization of permitted wildlife rehabilitators and volunteers dedicated to caring for injured and orphaned wildlife for the purpose of release back into the wild. The primary activity of GCWR is to provide food, shelter, medical treatment, and rehabilitation to all Texas native wildlife at no cost to the public. We serve the Brazoria and Matagorda County areas along the upper Texas Gulf Coast. GCWR is an all volunteer organization with no paid employees. GCWR receives NO state, federal, or city funds; however, donations are welcomed from individuals, business, and industry to help defray costs for food and medicine. We maintain a close partnership with TMN-COT, offering many volunteer opportunities. For details, check the calendar. Nature Conservancy http://www.nature.org/ The Nature Conservancy is the leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. It addresses the most pressing conservation threats at the largest scale. TNC owns the Nash Prairie Preserve located on County Road 25 in Brazoria County, and Mowonoty Prairie located on County Road 18 in Brazoria County. TMN-COT members participate in activities at both locations. Volunteer activities at the Nash Prairie Preserve and Mowonoty Prairie are coordinated by St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in West Columbia. Sea Center Texas http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/visitorcenters/seacenter/ SCT is a marine aquarium, fish hatchery and nature center operated by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD). The site’s visitor center educates through interpretive displays, a “touch tank” and aquariums depicting native Texas habitats including a salt marsh, jetty, reef and open Gulf exhibits. The Gulf aquarium houses nurse sharks, large red drum, gray snapper, Atlantic spadefish, and the state record moray eel. The center offers a variety of educational programs that promote the wise use and conservation of Texas’ marine resources. We maintain a close partnership with TMN-COT, offering many volunteer opportunities. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service http://agrilifeextension.tamu.edu/ Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service offers practical, how-to education based on university research. It’s available to any resident of Texas. You may read it in the newspaper, hear it on the radio, attend an Extension workshop, order a publication, or just call your county Extension office. The Brazoria County A&M AgriLife Extension Office is located in Angleton.Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service Brazoria County AgriLife Office 21017 County Road 171 Angleton, TX 77515-8903 281-756-1558 (Alvin and north) 979-388-1558 (Brazosport and south) 979-864-1558 (Angleton and west) Texas Mid-coast National Wildlife Refuge Complex http://www.fws.gov/southwest/refuges/texas/texasmidcoast/index.htm Texas Mid-Coast National Wildlife Refuge Complex comprises three National Wildlife Refuges located in Brazoria and Matagorda Counties, Texas: Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge, San Bernard National Wildlife Refuge, and Big Boggy National Wildlife Refuge. Refuge habitats are made up of salt water, fresh water and brackish wetlands. In addition, there are prairies, woody thickets, salt and mud flats, and lakes and streams. These wetlands provide a safe home for many plants and animals. Many animals use the refuges as a stopover during their migration or as a home-away-from-home during the winter months.Texas Mid-coast NWR Complex sponsors the Discovery Environmental Education Program (“DEEP”) and the Hudson Woods Environmental Education Program (“HWEEP”) for grade-school students from local school districts. Classes are taught by Cradle of Texas Volunteers. For details, see the DEEP and HWEEP pages on this website. In addition to DEEP and HWEEP, several other volunteer opportunities are available. |