Elements of Science story by Joan Gould photos by Suzzanne Chapman, Grace Diaz, and Sarah Wiesner
T
he Houston-Galveston area topped the charts during the 2020 City Nature Challenge, an annual worldwide citizen science competition documenting urban biodiversity through the smartphone app iNaturalist. The Houston-Galveston area logged more than 27,000 observations and 3,300 unique species. Citizen science opportunities like the City Nature Challenge invite the public to experience science in a simple, straightforward way that has lasting impacts on monitoring and improving biodiversity, water conditions, and other ecology aspects. With its abundance of flora, fauna, and fascinating water ecology, Harris County Precinct 4 is a prime location for anyone with an interest in science to explore and learn about nature. Participating in citizen science is only one of the ways Precinct 4 facilitates scientific exploration for both children and adults and is making significant contributions to the scientific community. POWERS OF OBSERVATION Kris Linberk, Precinct 4 Trails As Parks (TAP) director and naturalist, brings an extensive educational and professional background in science education to Precinct 4. Before coming on board with TAP, Kris taught at the university level in Ecuador and worked for the state of Connecticut helping develop the “No Child Left Inside” curriculum, a program that strives to eliminate “nature deficit disorder” and connect kids to nature and the outdoors. “I live, breathe, and eat this stuff,” Linberk says. She incorporates her passion for nature and education into not only science-based programs like aquatic walks and dissection activities, but also canoeing, fishing, and geocaching – the core of Trails As Parks programming. “On a regular basis, we’ll put little nuggets of information for participants to digest as they can. When we do aquatic walks, it’s essentially a rapid bioassessment. We call it something a little bit more fun, a little less intimidating, but they’re still doing essential science,” Linberk says. TAP tailors these activities for the public, also offered as field trips for schoolage children to coincide with Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) curriculum. Linberk says this provides a unique opportunity for children to learn concepts like animal adaptations, which they wouldn’t typically experience until later in their school career through activities like dissection. “It’s hard to teach interconnectivity and help kids understand that these aren’t separate learning boxes, that everything is a chain reaction, and by doing that in the field it solidifies this concept. It’s practical learning, rather than theoretical,” Linberk says.
THIS PAGE Kris Linberk demonstrates the diversity of aquatic life found in Precinct 4 identifies the organisms using a dichotomous key. OPPOSITE PAGE Jason Naivar conducts a water quality test of Spring Creek as part of the Texas Stream Team.
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Precinct4Update Spring/Summer 2020
