Wild About Learning

Environmental Education Through Preserving Nature

by Bill Earley, Coordinator of Environmental Education

Did you know that Trinity is home to its very own Wildlife Preserve? For the past 13 years, our community has helped protect the woodlands surrounding campus. This area is rich with native plants and curious critters. It not only supports local biodiversity but also serves as a vibrant outdoor classroom where students explore, observe, and learn.

A Preserve With a Purpose

Since acquiring the initial 8 acres of land in 2000, Trinity has always intended to utilize the surrounding forests for educational purposes and conservation. Since then, not only has Trinity grown as a school, but also as a preserve.

Trinity now sprawls across 25 acres, with 15 acres making up the wildlife preserve. The preserve consists of short hills separated by small canyons from streams that flow into the Colorado River. It is underlain by Glen Rose Limestone, a Cretaceous formation dated back to 145-165 million years ago, and has formed the cave system that 6th graders use for study and observation.

Located in the preserve is part of the West Bull Creek Watershed system. This system is comprised of two creeks that converge and eventually flow into the Colorado River. The preserve also features six ponds, which provide a good source of water for the animals that live there.

Nature in Motion

Over the past 13 years, I have kept track of wildlife interacting on Trinity’s campus by setting up trail cameras around the preserve to observe and track animals each year. Sightings are then recorded, organized, and analyzed for any changes that occurred year to year. The analysis helps us make reasonable conclusions and inferences about the effectiveness of Trinity’s restoration work.

Throughout the 2024-2025 school year, the preserve has seen some ups and downs. The creek that runs through the preserve was dry for most of the year, threatening the crayfish that live there. However, the ponds, created with rainwater runoff,  have been a reliable water source for the other wildlife. The leopard frog, in particular, relies on Trinity’s ponds for tadpole development.

The armadillo population rebounded close to Trinity’s yearly highs, and we recorded an increase in opossum, porcupine, and rodent populations. Bobcats and coyotes have seen a slight decrease, as well as deer, but they still maintain a healthy predator-prey balance. This helps keep the deer from browsing and killing the preserve’s native plants.

The preserve also welcomed some new species. Two new bird species – the Eastern Yellow-rumped Warbler and Brown Thrasher were spotted during the migration season. We also discovered Deer Mice, Western Slimytail Salamander, and the Red Ribbon Snake. New bees such as the Modest Masked Bee, Orange-legged Furrow Bee, and Tepanec Long-horned Bee buzzed their way onto the preserve. We also witnessed a new plant, the Round-flowered Catclaw, growing behind Jane Hill Hall.

Learning by Protecting

I can confidently conclude that our efforts are improving habitat diversity across our campus. Evidence of this is that the wildlife tend to stay within their natural habitat and have not become pests on our campus, indicating that their primary needs are being met in the restored wild spaces.

Much of this process is thanks to the hands-on work of Trinity’s students. From removing invasive species to building habitats, students have played a vital role in restoring the preserve. Native plant species have bounced back quickly, and some of the removed invasive plants became learning tools like the invasive lingstrum tree, whose trunks were cut and hinged to showcase organisms that live inside them. Teachers can now open these logs to give students an up-close look during walks on the trails.

Students in Mr. Earley’s ecology class also took the lead in building homes for wildlife. They created brush piles, rock shelters, and nesting sites that the preserve’s residents have adopted. A fox couple now raises their kits in a large student-built den. A screech owl has made a nesting box its home, and rock squirrels have moved into smaller student-made hideouts. 
Students also contributed to this year’s pond rebuild. Students collected mud, added new liner, and created new rock barriers, providing a safe walk-down path on our trails and a thriving habitat for small animals.

The wildlife preserve has become more than just a home for wildlife, it’s a living classroom. From preschoolers exploring the trails to Middle School students taking an active role in restoration, Trinity’s Wildlife Preserve is where learning comes to life.