Discover Free Third Thursdays at Trinity River Audubon Center

Posted on March 18th, 2009 9:54am by Nancy Nichols
Filed under Education, Entertainment, Events, Local News, Nature

Last night, I spent three hours in a classroom listening to an intense herpetology lecture conducted by Rodger Sanderson from the Heard Museum in McKinney. I am studying to get my Master Naturalist certification and part of our lesson last night involved passing various snakes around the room. I was happy to learn that “snakes are stupid”.

If you like to learn about nature, or have kids home on break who need an activity, the Trinity River Audubon Center is full of opportunities. Tomorrow, they offer “Myths and Misunderstandings,” a program presented by the Dallas-Fort Worth Herpetological Society. The education director, Mark Pyle, will bring some live reptiles and amphibians that live in Dallas County. I believe they start around 6:30PM. Go early for the Chimney Swift Tower dedication at 6:15 pm. It’s all free. All day, every Thursday. (photo of my ex-husband courtesy of TRAC website.)

13 comments

  1. The Heard is a great place to learn about the natural resources our region has. The three Fs – Flora, Fauna, and Fossils are exhibited really well there. The Halloween haunted trail is pretty awesome, too!

    Disclaimer: I was a young trail guide at the Heard, way back in the late eighties.

    @ 10:08 am on March 18, 2009

  2. Snakes are NOT stupid. They’re crafty, like cats. Not trainable, like dogs. They’re escape artists. And very quick to learn who brings them mice, and how the cage opens.
    My snake can beat your bird.

    @ 10:11 am on March 18, 2009

  3. They’re incredibly stupid, Bill; they operate on pure instinct. Only marginally brighter than an insect.

    It’s hard to argue with anecdotal evidence — your snake can balance a beachball on its nose, fetches you the newspaper and your slippers, etc. — but, neurologically speaking, a snake has no ability whatsoever to form memories. A snake’s brain is a hippocampus. A hippocampus and a hippocampus only. (I did, however, once train a snake to “sit.”)

    A cat’s brain is more complex to a very significant degree.

    @ 10:30 am on March 18, 2009

  4. Daniel, what are you doing tonight?

    @ 10:36 am on March 18, 2009

  5. I had to scroll up to realize we were still talking about actual snakes, and not Dallas politics.

    @ 11:06 am on March 18, 2009

  6. NASA didn’t train snakes to go into space.
    Nobody tours with a snake circus, though the Texas Legislature meets every other year after molting.
    Of course, snakes can use the alphabet, specifically C,G,I,J,L,M,N,O,P,Q,R,S,U,V,W,Y and Z.
    Dog’s can’t get beyond dancing to YMCA.
    No cat invested with Bernie Madoff.
    Humans — AKA “Feline food delivery system.”

    @ 11:23 am on March 18, 2009

  7. @ Bill M.: Didn’t you mean your snake can “eat” her bird?

    @ 12:26 pm on March 18, 2009

  8. What we have got here are mother****in snakes on a mother****ing blog!

    @ 1:50 pm on March 18, 2009

  9. Shouldn’t the original post say it’s free every 3rd Thursday, instead of “It’s all free. All day, every Thursday.”

    @ 2:08 pm on March 18, 2009

  10. Daniel,
    At least my snake is smart enough to detect irony, sarcasm and other branches of humor.
    But I’ve already violated my no-blogs-for-lent vow.

    @ 2:20 pm on March 18, 2009

  11. More Heard Museum volunteer alumni here. Do I know you El Rey? I did trails and native plant sales for about 10-12 years but it might have been 1990 or so when I started.

    Hi Rodger! Hi Charlene! Rodger is serious about his snakes even owning “hot” or venomous snakes.

    Have fun getting your master naturalist cert, Nancy. Good times.

    @ 2:23 pm on March 18, 2009

  12. Bill Marvel,

    Damn, guess I oughta get me one a them hippocampuses, eh?

    @ 3:03 pm on March 18, 2009

  13. Snakes were here before man and will be here long after we’re extinct. “Intelligence” isn’t the end all, be all, of adaptations.

    @ 11:10 am on March 19, 2009