Mission accomplished

Historic San Antonio national park lands grant to expand educational programming

San Antonio Missions National Historical Park

With the funding, the San Antonio park hopes to reach more kids.

Photo by Stuart Seeger

A San Antonio site that’s on a mission to preserve history and culture is getting a significant chunk of change to help connect kids to meaningful learning experiences and expand its educational offerings.

The National Park Foundation recently announced San Antonio Missions National Historical Park — the only UNESCO World Heritage Site in Texas — is among 92 recipients of $2.3 million in Open OutDoors for Kids grants that aim to connect young learners with parks across the country.

While the specific amount granted to San Antonio Missions National Historical Park wasn’t released, the finding will make a notable impact for the park.

In partnership with nonprofit Expeditions in Education, the park plans to “drastically expand” its educational offerings by bringing on four seasonal education park rangers, who will engage thousands of students in classrooms and through distance learning, and help enlighten them about the park, which preserves four of the five Spanish frontier missions in San Antonio.

Open OutDoors for Kids, part of the NPF’s Youth Engagement and Education initiative, aspires to make educational experiences in parks more accessible to all, with a specific focus on engaging children who live in communities that may lack the resources to offer such learning experiences.

“National parks are America’s largest classrooms, and Open OutDoors for Kids seeks to connect as many kids as possible to them,” says Will Shafroth, president and CEO of the National Park Foundation. “With parks, learning is fun, memorable, and hands-on. Parks open kids’ eyes to the wonder and complexities of nature and history, sharing diverse perspectives that offer a wider understanding of our country’s progress and struggles.”

This school year, the NPF is partnering with the National Park Service, Expeditions in Education, and the National Park Trust to support in-person and virtual educational experiences throughout the country, with the NPF investing millions of dollars in its Open OutDoors for Kids program in fiscal year 2022.

The plan appears to be working, as the NPF has engaged more than a million students in educational programs that connect them with national parks since 2011, and hopes to connect another 1 million students to parks by the end of the 2024-2025 school year.

The only other Texas park to receive an NPF grant as part of the Open OutDoors for Kids funding is Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park in the town of Stonewall, which plans to use the funds to enhance its in-person and virtual education programs that highlight the natural and human histories of the Hill Country.

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Fight This Fly

Wildlife officials warn Texans to look out for parasitic screwworm

U.S. Department of Agriculture/aphis.usda.gov

The the New World Screwworm (NWS) is a parasite that turns into a fly.

It probably won't take much to convince Texans to stay away from the latest invasive species from Mexico, once they hear about the symptoms. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) says to look out for evidence of the New World Screwworm (NWS) affecting animals, especially near the state's southern border.

So far it sounds like the NWS is still relatively far away, having been spotted in a cow at a checkpoint near the border between Mexico and Guatemala. It was eradicated from the United States in 1966, according to TPWD, but it is being tracked northward from South and Central America.

Although it's called a worm, it is really a parasitic larva, and this is where things get disturbing.

Before the "worms" become the NWS fly (Cochliomyia hominivorax), they lay eggs in open wounds or orifices of live tissue. They are called screwworms because they screw into the flesh, worsening injuries and causing a painful condition called NWS myiasis. An infestation can even lead to the death of the animal.

The larvae drop to the ground after feeding, and emerge as flies that can travel long distances, so the movement of livestock — not just contact among them — is a concern.

If you don't own livestock, you're not quite out of the woods. Although the NWS does affect those animals the most, it also affects wildlife like deer and birds, and even pets and humans. Hunters should also keep an eye out, as well as any "outdoor enthusiasts," says the release.

From the release, here are some things to look out for:

Irritated or depressed behavior
Loss of appetite
Head shaking
Smell of decaying flesh
Presence of fly larvae (maggots) in wounds
Isolation from other animals or people

To keep the flies away, especially when traveling to NWS-affected areas like Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and South American countries, TPWD says it's important to clean and cover all wounds. Travelers should also use insect repellant on outdoor clothing.

Anyone who suspects signs in wildlife of NWS should report their findings immediately to a local wildlife biologist. Reports about livestock should be directed to the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) or U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

“Those enjoying Texas’ natural resources have an opportunity to serve as the first line of defense in protecting wildlife, livestock, and human health,” said TPWD wildlife veterinarian Dr. J Hunter Reed in the release. “Their eyes and ears will be critical to quickly responding and managing this threat.”

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Mission accomplished

Historic San Antonio national park lands grant to expand educational programming

Fight This Fly

Wildlife officials warn Texans to look out for parasitic screwworm

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