Photographer: Joe Saenz Students from the tri-county area learning about sea turtle migration from Padre Island National Seashore Environmental Education Staff at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge Complex.

Photographer: Bernice Jackson Students learning about hermit crab migration, May 4, 2006 at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge Complex.

Photographer: Bernice Jackson Students learning about the perils of migration for migratory birds presented by Corpus Christi Muesum of Science and History.

Photographer: Bernice Jackson Students participating in an interactive whooping crane presentation at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge Complex on May 4, 2006

Photographer: Bernice Jackson Students participating in Wildlife Crochet with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Corpus Christi ES Office personnel on May 4, 2006.

Phototgrapher: Bernice Jackson Students eyeing birds of prey from The Texas Zoo of Victoria on May 4, 2006 at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge Complex.

Migration Stewardship: Beyond Borders was designed by Education and Biological staff of the Refuge as a two part educational outreach program for students in the tri-county area.  The event was designed to educate students about animal migration and the purpose of adaptations. The goal of The Migration Event is to teach about the National Wildlife Refuge System’s mission as it relates to the endangered whooping cranes and other migratory wildlife, while using the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge as an outdoor classroom to enhance environmental education opportunities. This is the second year for the event.

Phase I of the program was hosted on October 3 & 5, 2005 by the Fennessey Ranch in Bayside, TX.  Refuge staff presented programs on birding identification, monarch butterfly biology/tagging, insect collecting, and migration for 200 students and 48 teachers. A wildlife identification tour gave the students a chance to use their new found birding skills. The programs and activities met several Texas state public school educational objectives.

In celebration of International Migratory Bird Day, Phase II of the 2006 Migration Stewardship: Beyond Borders was held on May 4.  Approximately 309 local 4^th grade students and 46 teachers from six schools were in attendance to learn about a myriad of species that migrate as part of their life cycles.  The event was an outreach effort to local students in the tri-county area.  It was designed to educate rural underserved students about animal migration, adaptation and the value of habitat preservation.  Activities addressed Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills requirements for the State of Texas Public Education Guidelines.  Environmental education was the focus of scheduled activities which included fourteen presenters from various environmental organizations, Program presentations were designed to study the migration of various species.  Students rotated around learning stations with topics about  whooping  cranes, sea turtles, hawks, fiddler crabs, habitat restoration, habitat preservation, migrating waterfowl, migrating shorebirds, jellyfish migration, monarch/hummingbird migration, and the threats of power lines and tall structures to migratory birds.  Additionally, a Refuge tour discussing wildlife and habitat interactions, a “migration barriers” activity and an interactive whooping crane presentation were enjoyed by all.

Partners for the event were Friends of Aransas and Matagorda Island, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Ecological Services Corpus Christi, Fennessey Ranch, Padre Island National Seashore, Texas State Aquarium Corpus Christi, Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, The Texas Zoo of Victoria, The Nature Conservancy and Texas Master Naturalists. Many volunteers helped to ensure the day was a huge success.