Catering to all walks of life: Yosemite striving for inclusive accommodations for impaired visitors

By: Audrey Renae Garcia Arg136@txstate.edu YOSEMITE, California – As an individual who’s mobility impaired, Dr. Babak Darvish revels in the peaceful sights and sounds of Yosemite like any other parkgoer. He enjoys bike trails, swimming pools and delights in the beauty of the park with his wife and son thanks to continuing accommodations inclusive to...

Snail Shells and Cigarette Butts

Wet, warm weather is moving into the South, and with it snails and slugs have started to emerge from underground. These tiny critters significantly impact the health of our Earth's ecosystem. These critters provide a big service to Earth's ecosystem. Snails and slugs contribute to their surrounding environments by breaking down and feeding on decaying...

Top Five Nature Documentaries on Netflix

In honor of Earth Day 2019, here is a list of my favorite nature documentaries on Netflix. Round Planet: The Story of Everything In need of a therapeutic long laugh? Grab a glass of wine, and watch Round Planet. Round Planet is a wildlife documentary parody. Produced by BBC Earth, Round Planet is a comedic...

Bluebonnets, Bees, and Butterflies – Oh My Texas.

It’s April, and colorful wildflowers have permeated through the Texas hill country. Admiring the beautiful Bluebonnets, Indian Paintbrushes and other state flowers, reminds me to recognize how pollinators really benefit the planet. Bats, bees and butterflies are particularly interesting to those who live in the state of Texas. Austin, the Texas capitol, has adopted the...

Just Pick it Up

A Spring Reminder to Keep our Parks Beautiful It won’t be long until half-naked university students over-take the green banks of the San Marcos River. The sun is out and Spring has arrived in Texas. San Marcos is a very popular spot for water recreation like tubing and kayaking, but it’s also home to several...

The Great Texas River Clean-Up

I woke up early March 2, 2019, and much to my dismay, the day was gray and damp. I desperately wanted bury my body beneath my sheets, shield myself from the cold and sleep in, but I made a prior commitment. Weather for March 2, 2019 While researching climate change and population growth in the...

Water Supplies as Environments Survive

Rivers of Central Texas and the Edwards Aquifer The beauty of Texas would not be what it is without the wonderful waterways that flow through the heart of the state, mainly made possible by the Edwards Aquifer.    The aquifer “is a unique groundwater system and one of the most prolific artesian aquifers in the...

Climate Change as we know it.

Climate Change -the word screams controversy. Since the Industrial Revolution, “climate change” has taken on many meanings; and is now commonly used interchangeably with “global warming.” So many discussions about climate change include jargon and numbers that become hard to decipher. Inevitably, lives become busy and days become mundane. People sit, watching the news and...

The First of Many…

Good day y’all! Welcome to my site on Central Texas wildlife conservation. My name is Audrey Renae Garcia; you can call me Audrey, with a ‘d’. I was born and raised in a quaint, border-town called Pharr, Texas. I earned my first bachelors in Political Science from Texas State University (TXST) in 2017; now, I...