by Brian Brawdy
When traveling through Texas, if you happen to be in the Houston area, The Houston Arboretum & Nature Center offers a unique urban forest and swamp refuge from city life not far away. I found myself scheduled by RVIA, on behalf of the GoRVing, this morning to meet with the local KIAH-TV affiliate and speak to the future generation of RVers and explorers during their summer camps.
This 155-acre nature preserve is located in Houston’s Memorial Park, a 1500-acre wooded park that boasts hiking and biking trails, golf, tennis and other recreational activities. Bounded by what is called the Buffalo Bayou, this ‘wild’ urban waterway is part of the city’s flood management system but has been left in its natural oasis for locals to enjoy. The Houston Arboretum has over 5 miles of trails with boardwarks to explore and according to Arboretum officials, is home to more than 160 species of birds, 75 species of native trees, 33 different kinds of butterflies, 16 species of turtles and 10 species of frogs! You can walk through swamps into pine forests and experience one of the most unique and informative nature centers I have ever visited.
As the morning progressed, I had the unique opportunity to speak with children from ages 6-12, all part of the Arboretum’s camp program and found myself in AWE over just how smart and progressive kids these days are! What floored me was when an 11-year old asked why I hadn’t installed a hydrogen fuel cell on my ‘Green RV’ and I chuckled when I was told by an 8-year old, ‘If you are going to litter, why not litter into your trash can.’ DUH! Needless to say, being able to speak, teach and ultimately learn from what will be our nation’s and world’s future generation today in a place so far from a city center, yet so close, was an experience I will remember forever.
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To learn more about Conservation thru Exploration and Brian Brawdy, please visit BrianBrawdy.com
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