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From birds of prey to frisbee-catching canines, Bridgeland’s second annual Nature Fest promises to be one wild adventure for children and
adults.
Free and open to the public, the event takes place from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday,
Sept. 26, in Bridgeland
’s Oak Meadow Park. Foot-tapping music, the Houston ZooMobile and Birds of Prey,
an educational program with live hawks and owls, will entertain families, as
will a frisky performance by the Houston Canine Frisbee Disc Club. A food
concession area will keep hunger at bay. Plus, a section of the park will be
designated as the American Heart Association
’s Play Station, where kids can climb a rock wall, swing, slip down slides and
participate in other activities. The play station recognizes the Worldwide Day
of Play, also on Sept. 26, which is one of several initiatives promoted by the
association to encourage kids to stay healthy through regular, active play.
Also planned are a farmers’ market, armadillo races, a children’s arts and crafts area, fishing clinics, face painting and a number of
nature-oriented exhibitions offering a multitude of activities and information
about ecology and conservation in the area. Another must-do activity: guided
tours along the lush Cypress Creek Nature Trail, set along the historic Cypress
Creek Corridor. Wildlife observation areas and educational signage have been
installed at intervals along the trail, with information pertaining to the area
’s rich history and indigenous plants and animals, such as the great horned owl
and American beaver. One and a half miles of the planned six-mile trail are now
open.
Although the event is free, visitors can bring a $10 donation to the Katy
Prairie Conservancy and receive a reusable grocery bag packed with an event
T-shirt and other Nature Fest goodies.
In addition, Habitat for Humanity Northwest Harris County will
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run the “Create a Bug House” craft area where families can make a small donation and children can make a bug
house to take home, complete with a pamphlet detailing recommended insects for
the new habitat and how to care for the critters.
The Katy Prairie Conservancy is a land trust committed to protecting a
sustainable portion of the Katy Prairie for the benefit of its wildlife and all
Texans forever, and Bridgeland is working closely with the organization to
protect the land during the community
’s development.
The KPC already has conserved nearly 18,000 acres and offers public tours and
programming on its more publicly accessible preserves. The Katy Prairie is
considered an oasis for migratory birds, with millions of birds, especially
waterfowl, arriving there each fall.
Last year’s Nature Fest raised more than $7,000 for the conservancy through event-goer
donations and an additional $4,000 for Habitat for Humanity NWHC. Nearly 3,000
people attended the inaugural event.
Habitat for Humanity NWHC is a nonprofit ecumenical Christian organization that
partners with the community and families to create affordable housing and to
help develop responsible homeowners and successful neighborhoods. Habitat NWHC
has built more than 140 homes for needy families in suburban northwest Harris
County since 1990. The organization is an affiliate of Habitat for Humanity
International, the corporate charity of choice for General Growth Properties,
Inc., developer of Bridgeland.
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