TEXACOLOGY, SPIDERS

Class Location: Hornsby Bend Center for Environmental Research Auditorium

2210 FM 973
Austin, TX 78725
Google Map directions
Hornsby Bend Map

Date: 3/28/2020

Start time: 9:00 am
End time: 4:00 pm

Class Coordinators:  Mark Wilson and Janel Nye

The classroom is located in the brick building just inside the security gate to Hornsby Bend Wastewater Treatment Plant. Check in with the gate guard and let them know you are in the CAMN class. The CER has an auditorium (to the right as you enter), bathrooms, water, etc.

Where to Park

In the parking lot just inside the guard gate, next to the visible building. Plenty of free parking.

Class Speakers

• Jim O’Donnell – Biologist, City of Austin. Jim’s work includes restoring endangered species habitat on several tracts of the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve. He leads work days that include trail building, clearing debris along creeks, invasive species removal, erosion control, tree planting, and seed collecting/planting.
• Dr. Kevin Anderson – Coordinator of the Austin Water – Center for Environmental Research at Hornsby Bend since 2000. Kevin received his Master’s degree in Philosophy from Ohio University, where he taught philosophy and symbolic logic for several years. He was beginning his Ph.D. dissertation in Philosophy at the University of Texas at Austin in 1995 when he met some geographers, and they convinced him to switch programs and to become a geographer. He did. He received his Ph.D. in Geography from the University of Texas at Austin with a dissertation entitled, Marginal Nature: Urban Wastelands and the Geography of Nature. His research interests include urban ecology, riparian ecology, sustainable agriculture, environmental history, philosophy, and literature. He is a co-founder of the Texas Riparian Association and a Research Fellow with the University of Texas – Texas Natural Science Center.
• Joe Lapp – Joe Lapp is a self-taught arachno-naturalist and a software architect. He teaches at many different venues about spiders and has developed software technology to support taxonomic research among citizen scientists. He also researches problems in crab spider taxonomy, and enjoys writing stories about bugs.

Agenda

• 9:00-9:15      Sign in, coffee/tea and snacks
• 9:15-9:30      Welcome/ Intro to Hornsby Bend / Show & Tell
• 9:30-10:30      Jim O’Donnell (Restoration and Rehab)
• 10:30-10:45   Break
• 10:45-11:45 Natural History of Texas – Kevin Anderson
• 11:45-12:45 Walking Tour of Hornsby – Kevin
• 12:45-1:30    Lunch
• 1:30-2:30       Spiders – Joe Lapp (aka Spider Joe)
• 2:30-2:45       Break
• 2:45-3:30       Walk-about with Spider Joe – weather permitting
• 3:30-3:45 Ask about activity experiences
• 3:45-4:00 Closing remarks & reminders

How to Prepare

Dress for the weather. We will be outside for 2-3 hours. A hat, comfortable closed-toe shoes and long pants also recommended.

Be sure to bring:

• Bring a bag lunch that does not require refrigeration or reheating. There is plenty of space to spread out and eat lunch inside (or outside if the weather is good)
• Binoculars for the hike
• Notebook
• Pen/pencil
• Reusable coffee mug/thermos
• Reusable water bottle
• Interpretation item for Show & Tell

Curriculum Units to Read:

• Unit 6: Ecosystems
• Unit 13: Entomology

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For your reference:

• CER website – http://www.austintexas.gov/cer
• CER on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/austinwatercer
• Hornsby Bend on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/hornsbybend
• Hornsby Bend Bird Observatory Program website – http://www.hornsbybend.org
• Austin-Bastrop River Corridor Partnership on Facebook – www.facebook.com/austinbastroprivercorridor
• Waller Creek on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/Lifeonwallercreek
• Marginal Nature Blog – http://www.marginalnature.blogspot.com/