Essays

Has your child visited the Sibley Nature Center or our website?

October 3, 2007

“The Sibley Nature Center is the best place to learn about West Texas, bar none.” If we said that, it would be bragging, but when someone says that to members of our staff, it “swells our hearts.” Our mission is to celebrate the ecology and history of West Texas – we love our home. When visitors tell us they recommend our website to their out-of-town relatives or to prospective employees moving here to take a job, we “grin real big” and tell them that we are glad that they find us of service. Thank you, Midland, for all your support.

We have a blast doing our job. In the past two years some wonderful people have joined me. Richard Galle is a superb fundraiser and administrator. With over 30 years in the non-profit world at the executive level, he most ably serves our financial expert and as the coordinator for our membership and volunteer programs. Richard has added a tremendous amount to the programming at the Sibley Nature Center. His rejuvenation of the Permian Basin Outing Club has brought us many new members who love exploring West Texas. His creation of the Sibley Academy brought us about 100 students this fall for a wide selection of classes. His knowledgeable instruction in “the adventure sports” such as rappelling and canoeing has broadened our offerings to the public.

Michael Nickell is an incredible natural history artist and a most capable museum display specialist. With four high school students he created four large panels that grace our auditorium. Each illustrates a season, a habitat, and a historical period of the Llano Estacado. His wonderful sets of computer generated poster-size displays on the habitats of the Llano Estacado make it easy for a visitor to get a comprehensive introduction to our landscape. Michael created the interpretation for the phytosaur skull that Rick Day of Andrews so kindly gave us on “permanent loan,” including an incredible drawing of the creature as it appeared in the Triassic geological period. Volunteers Marc and Lauren Maddox created a superb case for the phytosaur skull. Our back door now has a beautiful painting of the trail for which Michael volunteered his time to create. Michael is also doing some of our school and civic group presentations. Volunteer Ronna Porter created wonderful drawings that are featured in coloring books, notecard sets, and calendars. These 12 paintings illustrate the Natural Calendar of the Llano Estacado.

Mark Webb maintains our landscape and our computers, as well as helping to teach the Junior Master Gardener group “the desert bloomers” that meet at the Junior Master Gardener garden complex along the trail. His quiet and steady ways are an excellent addition to our staff. He recently completed construction of an 1800 square foot greenhouse where we will propagate xeriscape plants that local nurseries do not carry and where we will have a plant sale next spring. Volunteers Chris Cherry, Frank Gray, and Larry Hall help Mark and maintain our trails and pick up trash that “blows” onto the property.

Library catalog expert Beverly Wise and her capable volunteers Enid Davis and Mary Rulla have now processed over three-fourths of our 3000+ book non-lending library. When finished, the catalog will be on our website, so students and others will know what books can be utilized for research. Our superb webmaster Eric Siegmund maintains our website – his quick uploading of our essays and photoessays keep our website “up-to-the-minute” current. Volunteers Briley Mitchell, Joe Carter, Bill Loos, and Chris Cherry have become regular contributors to our photoessays in the habitat section of the website.

Our twelve-person board of directors has ably guided the Sibley Nature Center to a new level that once was only a dream for me. President Jan Artley, V.P. Tom Johnson, Treasurer Travis Durham, and Secretary Mary Anne Dingus provide great leadership as we seek to fulfill our “trail and building development master plan.” The Sibley Nature Center will have many new improvements in the next few years – shade structures and seating areas along the trail, a renovation of our pond, habitat gardens so we can illustrate the habitats of West Texas, a wildlife viewing room with one-way glass and microphones so visitors can watch wildlife upclose, and a new entrance to the building, Additional parking is also included in the plan.

Board members Chuck Henderson, Mark Nicholas, Kirk Edens, Wallace Craig, Bill Loos, David Eyler, and Frank Cahoon provide added guidance, help garner financial contributions, and generate enthusiasm for Sibley in the community and beyond. Board member David Crum introduced us to active conservation with his project to aid the Lesser Prairie Chicken, and has introduced us to the world of professional biologists with Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Playa Lakes Joint Venture group, along with researchers and biologists from Texas Tech, Texas A&M, and Hardin-Simmons University.

We all are deeply appreciative of all of the wonderful financial support we have received from the following foundations organizations, and public entities; Potts-Sibley Foundation, Abell-Hangar Foundation, Prairie Foundation, Permian Basin Area Foundation, the Anne and C.W. Duncan Foundation, the Greathouse Charitable Trust, the Dora Roberts Foundation, the Chaparral Foundation, the Buddy Davidson Foundation, the Midland Arts Assembly, and the City of Midland. We have also received donations from Basin Electric Company, BP America, Campbell Construction, Forrest Oil, Marbob Energy, Marathon Oil, Pogo Producing, Summit Homes, TexStar Bank, White Star Energy, and Yarbrough Ranches. We also are very appreciative of the donations from foundations, corporations, and individuals that wish to remain anonymous!

Over 300 people have become Sibley Nature Center members – including individuals from San Antonio, Sweetwater, Salt Lake City, and Oregon! The Gem and Mineral Society, the Midland Archaeological Society, the Midland Naturalists, the Llano Estacado chapter of the Master Naturalists, the Midland Woodcarvers, the Environmental Professional group, Professor Paul Mangum at Midland College, and the Environmental Study Group of the Petroleum Engineer Society of the Permian Basin have also aided us. We also are most grateful for the incredible generosity of the Midland Reporter Telegram for allowing us space every Wednesday for this column.

Without the help of all these wonderful members, foundations, organizations, and corporations we would not have been able to expand our programming, services, and educational opportunities these last two years. All of the above mentioned groups and individuals have shown that they believe our mission is valuable by their donations of money and time. The love of one’s home is the basic building block of patriotism. A person’s love of home grows deeper with learning more and more about its natural wonders and its history.

Encourage your child’s teachers in the public, church, and private schools to develop an annual visitation schedule to the Sibley Nature Center, and encourage those teachers to utilize our website for extra-credit assignments.

West Texas is an incredible place to live!