Native aquatic life on display in Bryan

Welcome to the jungle. Native aquatic animals made their debut Tuesday evening at the opening of the Blinn Aquatic Education Center.

Founder Dwight Bohlmeyer, a biology instructor at Blinn, said the center is an outreach program.

"[Our goal] is to interest the public in nature and science," he said.

The center features about 30 aquatic vertebrate species and is open to the public.

Bohlmeyer said most do not realize that these animals can be found in the Brazos Valley, such as his personal favorite, the 2-foot-long siren salamander.

The center is 100 percent volunteer run and works directly with the Brazos Valley chapter of the Texas Master Naturalist Program.

Jo Ann Bates, president of the local chapter, described her program as a group of volunteers sponsored by Texas Parks and Wildlife. The Master Naturalist Program volunteers at the center by helping to educate the children.

"We have 2-year-olds and 12-year-olds and everything in between," Bates said.

Heather Prestridge, assistant curator for the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences at A&M and chapter adviser for the Master Naturalist Program, said families should attend the center because of the interaction with the various native animals.

"[There are] aquatic turtles, water snakes, amphibians and fish," Prestridge said.

The center allows children to engage in hands-on activities such as feeding the animals.

Prestridge described Blinn's original involvement as providing the location, but not the funding.

More involvement is anticipated, however. "Blinn is beginning to kick in additional funds to support [the center]," Bohlmeyer said.

The center is located on the College Park Plaza and is open to the public from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m every Tuesday. Appointments can also be made for groups requesting special tours. Admission is free.

For information regarding the Blinn Aquatic Education Center or the Master Naturalist Program, contact Heather Prestridge at 979-845-5783.

Be the first to comment on this article!

Add comment


I am not posting spam. I understand posting spam or other comments that are unrelated to this article will cause my comment to be flagged for deletion and possibly cause my IP address to be permanently banned from this server.

Enter the characters in the image above:

log out