Environmental Science and Conservation at Concordia University Texas

03/04/2021

The migrations of sandhill cranes are two of my favorite times of the year. Today I heard the cranes for the first time as they flew north. If you hear their call (click "Listen" in the page below) look up. Then look higher - it takes some practice to calibrate your eyes to see them.

Whether stepping singly across a wet meadow or filling the sky by the hundreds and thousands, Sandhill Cranes have an elegance that draws attention. These tall, gray-bodied, crimson-capped birds breed in open wetlands, fields, and prairies across North America. They group together in great numbers,....

12/09/2020

Please be thoughtful consumers, especially during the Christmas season: "The world’s plastics alone now weigh twice as much as the planet’s marine and terrestrial animals. Buildings and infrastructure outweigh trees and shrubs."

The sheer scale of buildings, infrastructure and other anthropogenic objects underscores our impact on the planet

11/25/2020

Restoration is underway at the back of Tornado Trail! Tilling and fluffing the soil is necessary for wildflower seeds to grow. Concordia’s environmental stewardship came out last week to enjoy some sunshine and hands-on work.

Nothing beats a successful morning outdoors at CTX! 🌪

09/15/2020

Besides fresh air, vitamin D, and relaxation, outdoor classrooms also provide fuzzy friends to interact with. How cool is this tarantula in Luther Park?
What will you find outdoors today? Keep your eyes open, Tornados!

09/12/2020

Amazing work done by volunteers on Tornado Trail today. Lots of digging, raking, and sweating produced a safer path for Track XC and student use.
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Thank you CTX Service-Learning for helping organize these events. Have a blessed weekend Tornados!
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08/10/2020

Hey Tornados, we are so excited to see your faces in two weeks, whether it be in person or virtually!

Continue to be present outdoors and enjoy these last bits of Summer! It may be hot, but the Hill Country offers relief in the form of big shady trees, lakes, and rivers. Cool off at the Colorado River or hammock at a local park. Through all adventures stay safe, social distance, and wear a mask. We've got this.

06/22/2020

This looks like a great opportunity!

The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension service will offer a four-part online beekeeping series designed for beginning beekeepers from June 23-July 1.

05/20/2020

Here's some of the early results from Whitehead Farm! We have 900 square feet of garden (with help from some ESC majors), 3 mulberry trees, 7 peach, 7 apple, 5 pear, 2 plum, 1 nectarine, 8 pecan, 3 black walnut, 5 blackberry bushes, and 14 grape vines. In the coming school year we hope to start some agriculture on campus!

04/22/2020

Happy Earth Day! During this difficult time, it’s more important than ever to remember Nature as a source of comfort, restoration, entertainment, education, livelihood, and sanity. As Aldo Leopold wrote, even if you’re stuck at home you can still find those things: “The weeds in a city lot convey the same lessons as the redwood…and he who has a little [nature] may use it to as good advantage as he who has much.” Visit www.earthday.org to learn how to support the environmental movement even under COVID-19 restrictions.

Visit the official Earth Day site to learn about the world's largest environmental movement and what you can do to make every day Earth Day.

03/30/2020

Dear Tornados,

Although we are physically detached from Campus this Spring, now more than ever it is imperative to be present outdoors, whether that be in your back yard, in a hammock, on a walk, or throwing the frisbee with your dog! We have been blessed with a beautiful campus that surrounds us with the sights and sounds of the Texas hill country. Wherever you are, be in nature, be present, and be grateful; the gifts around us were freely given to us by our Lord and Savior! It is by his grace that we received them. Rejoice in all your blessings this week and always!

Have a fantastic first week of online school, tornados! We can do this!

03/25/2020

Pulling up bastard cabbage (Rapistrum rugosum), an invasive species - 5 cents per plant, but only if he gets the root.