September 2019
Friday the 13th Full Moon 2k & Fun Walk/Run
It’s a full moon AND its Friday the 13th…. a perfect time to get outdoors and get moving with this 2k plus fun run/walk. Individuals and families can go at their own pace along the edge of the Center’s tall grass prairie trail. Along the trail, stations will award glow sticks to those who choose to stop and answer moon or nature questions related to the night. If you plan on running the trail be sure to bring a head…
Find out more »2nd Saturday Bird Walk
Bring your binoculars and discover the birds that visit and live in Chisholm Creek Park. No birding experience is needed. Expect 1–2 miles of walking on paved paths. The walk will last about 90 minutes. Meet at the Great Plains Nature Center parking lot.
Find out more »Meeting Program – Jurassic Lark: Why Birds Are Dinosaurs by Rachel Roth
From brooding behaviors to pneumatic bones, the similarities between modern birds and dinosaurs go well beyond feathers. In the last two years huge leaps in research and hundreds of new fossils continue to paint a picture of ancient birds that blurs the line between "avian" and "non-avian." Rachel will explain why dinosaurs still exist; they simply took to the sky. Rachel Roth is the Great Plains Nature Center's resident bird nerd who got hooked on all things feathered while studying…
Find out more »Quivira National Wildlife Refuge & Cheyenne Bottoms Field Trip
Meet at the Quivira National Wildlife Refuge headquarters and bring a lunch. This is prime migration time for shorebirds at these nationally renowned locations. Contact the leader for carpool information.
Find out more »Butterfly Tagging — Nature Day Celebration At Chaplin Nature Center
Celebrate the wonders of nature by participating in the monarch migration. The butterfly tagging program is part of on-going research conducted by the University of Kansas. Participants will learn about the migration and be given an opportunity to capture and tag a monarch. Leaders from the Wichita Audubon Society will be offering a variety of nature hikes throughout the day. Whether you like birds, butterflies, or reptiles there will be a little something for everyone to enjoy. Lunch will be…
Find out more »October 2019
2nd Saturday Bird Walk
Bring your binoculars and discover the birds that visit and live in Chisholm Creek Park. No birding experience is needed. Expect 1–2 miles of walking on paved paths. The walk will last about 90 minutes. Meet at the Great Plains Nature Center parking lot.
Find out more »Chisholm Creek Park Clean Up
Join us after the second Saturday bird walk to collect trash and keep our adopted park looking nice. Bring gloves, we’ll provide trash bags, along with coffee and donuts. Meet in the Great Plains Nature Center parking lot.
Find out more »Meeting Program – People and Wildlife: An Anthropologist’s Journey to Namibia by Dr. Ryan Klataske
Join us for a public talk by Dr. Ryan Klataske about his research in southern Africa and its relevance to conservation issues and efforts in the Great Plains. African wildlife face an array of formidable threats, from habitat loss and fragmentation to human-wildlife conflict and illegal trafficking. Similar threats to wildlife exist around the world. Fortunately, in southern Africa, groups of people are working together to manage and conserve wildlife and natural resources in innovative ways. For the past decade,…
Find out more »Fall Birding in the Cross Timbers
Meet at the Dillon's parking lot at Kellogg and Andover Road, where we will consolidate the number of vehicles. Plan to depart at 6:45 a.m. This trip will wander through the scenic Cross Timbers region, visiting Fall River and Toronto Reservoirs. Expect a good variety of waterfowl, gulls, shorebirds, raptors and songbirds. Bring lunch as this trip will take up the majority of the daylight hours. A State Park Permit will be needed for each vehicle.
Find out more »Star Gazing
Can you pick out the Big Dipper, or the North Star? Join us in the parking lot of the Nature Center for an evening of astronomy. A variety of telescopes will be available for the public to use to view a double star, galaxy, or a globular cluster. Of course, all the well- known constellations and stars that can be found in the Fall skies will be pointed out. Be sure to dress for the weather. In the event of…
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