The Nature Center Book: How to Create and Nurture a Nature Center in Your Community

Brent Evans is a licensed social worker who has practiced family counseling and community organization for 33 years.He has been active in conservation work for many years as an educator, entertainer, and executive director of a land trust, the Cibolo Conservancy. He developed the therapeutic programs SEED (Self-Esteem through Ecological Dynamics)for the adolescent unit of a psychiatric hospital, and SAGE (Senior Activity for the Good Earth), a horticultural program for a local nursing home. Heoccasionally shape-shifts into "GreenMan" or"GarbageMan." TheGreenMan coloring book was his brain child"I am proof that you do not need to be a naturalist to start a nature center. Ihave a learning disability I call dysbotnia'-I have a hard time remembering names of plants. I really do groove on nature, I just don't get the nomenclature. This has not proven to be a handicap, since we have surrounded ourselves with people who are brilliant. I was born and raised in the Sierras, and have always been drawn to the wild. When Carolyn and I partnered up, we moved an old house to the woods and lived there for three years without electricity. It was wonderful to raise our children in the woods. Eventually, we moved into the 20th century with a telephone, electricity, a television, and a DSL Internet connection. I have a private counseling practice with children and parents, and I love my work. But it is nature that has provided the beauty in our lives, our spiritual grounding, and our fun. If you jump into nature center work, it will be just like Randy Newman said, 'You'll be as happy as a monkey in a monkey tree."

Carolyn Chipman Evans is the founder and executive director of the Cibolo Nature Center in Borne, Texas. For 15 years she and her husband Brent have worked with the city of Borne to protect and preserve this park. She created The Friends of the Cibolo Wilderness, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the conservation of natural resources through education. As founding director of the CNC, Carolyn has worn all the hats involved in nature center development. She has worked as a naturalist, volunteer coordinator, educator, public relations coordinator, programs designer, newsletter editor, display designer, construction oversight, development director and executive director.Carolyn was also instrumental in starting a land trust organization forthe Cibolo watershed. Currently, Carolyn's conservation work includes working with the city of Borne and Kendall County to develop greenways and open space master planning, preserving additional land for the Cibolo Nature Center, and expansion of the Cibolo Nature Center's educational facilities.She has worked to build community by involving the Nature Conservancy, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, service organizations, businesses, universities, Scouts, schools, clubs, and many more organizations and individuals in the creation of the nature center."I am sixth generation on this hill country ranch we live on.In the last 20 years, I have been able to live in the woods and have the menagerie I always dreamed of: horses, goats, cats, dogs, ducks, chickens, and more. We have red-tailed hawks and armadillos for neighbors. I was raised in the city so I have never lost appreciation for wild places.My children have been able to have the childhood I always wanted. But creating this woodland home for our own children was not enough. I wanted all children to have the opportunity to play in the creek or see a great blue heron fly overhead. I am in love with our natural world and I want every generation to have the chance to experience it."