Texas Project WILD

For this week's we encourage you to become backyard conservationists and count fireflies. If you don't have fireflies in your yard, check out the tips at the end of this video for making habitat that supports their life cycle.

How to Attract Fireflies to Your Yard Fireflies still inhabit Texas and there are ways to create habitat ...

Meet Facilitator Forum presenter Marc LeFebre

Marc is a Project WILD Program Manager with the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies, where he focuses on content updating and development for Project WILD. Marc's work for the national office of Project WILD began in 2002, when he began as a Flying WILD program coordinator. Prior to this, Marc was a school teacher and a park ranger. His interests include wildlife education, paddling, camping, drumming, and nature festivals as vehicles for connecting stewardship with community and place. Marc and his family live in Austin, Texas.

There are still plenty of opportunities to receive WILD training this summer. Check out our workshop calendar for more information: https://tpwd.texas.gov/calendar/project-wild-growing-up-wild-workshops

On this WILD Wednesday, we encourage you to go outside and 'Graphananimal'. This activity from Project WILD has students graph abundance of different organisms.

How many species of insects or flowers do you see in these photo? Are there repeating colors or other patterns?

Meet Facilitator Forum Presenter Shanna Bryson!

Shanna Bryson has a BS in Interdisciplinary Studies and an MEd in Education Administration. Her career includes teaching students in grades K-8, campus instructional coach, district science instructional specialist, curriculum writer, and presenter of professional development. She is now the education coordinator at Long Acres Ranch, where she provides outdoor education.

On this we encourage you to get outside and look for Texas wildlife symbols. Animals like the Northern Mockingbird and the Nine-banded Armadillo are easy to find in many parts of the state.

Meet 2026 Facilitator Forum presenter and TPWD Conservation Education manager, Melissa Felty!

Melissa has been TPWD’s Conservation Education Manager since 2018. She manages two statewide programs, Texas Waters and Texas Aquatic Science, and oversees Project WILD and Nature Tourism. Prior to TPWD, she taught environmental education for 17 years. She teaches audiences about aquatic resources, native landscaping, and wildlife and its habitats, all the while guiding them to take responsible conservation actions. Melissa has a B.S. in Biology from Northern Illinois University and a M.A. in Teaching Biological Sciences from Miami University (OH). She feels the future of our natural resources depends on our ability to make these educational opportunities and outdoor activities relevant and accessible to all. Her love for nature started swimming, fishing, and kayaking the Great Lakes as a child.

On this WILD Wednesday we look at the state symbols of Texas. Which wildlife signs have you seen before?

https://tpwd.texas.gov/publications/pwdpubs/media/pwd_lf_k0700_1119.pdf

Meet one of our presenters for the 2026 Project WILD Facilitator Forum, Dr. Michael Kamen!

Dr. Michael Kamen became a WILD classroom teacher over 40 years ago. He taught at both progressive and traditional schools and earned degrees in education from Stony Brook University (elementary education), Bank Street College of Education (supervision and administration), and the University of Texas (science education). His university courses include Elementary Science Methods, Elementary Math Methods, Educational Technology, Innovative Schools, and The Science and Art of Play. His research interests include innovative schools, the pedagogy of play, science education, math education, creative drama, lesson study, and environmental education.
His current research focuses on the role of play in learning and development. Disheartened by the decline in play in most schools, even in the younger grades, he advocates for play-based learning and the many ways to bring play back into children's lives across a variety of educational contexts. He sees Project WILD as a rich source of engaging and playful outdoor activities. He has been teaching pre-service teachers in science methods courses since he started his graduate work at UT Austin in the late 80's. He always includes a PW workshop in these courses and typically takes these students on overnight field trips where they teach PW lessons to children at a school environmental education camp program.
Dr. Kamen sees WILD ones as a positive force to engage students to playfully to learn science and gain an appreciation for wildlife and the natural world.