ORANGE, Texas, June 18, 2008 - In its first year of offering educational programs to schools and to the public, Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center has reached over 6,000 students and adults in its mission to Mentor Children of All Ages to Be Kind to Their World.
Throughout the 2007-2008 school year, 3,322 students from Orange and Jefferson counties visited Shangri La to experience a variety of educational activities. Students began each visit with a skit performed by Shangri La educators and staff, with each skit introducing a lesson. Themes included making soil, forests, caring for the planet, watersheds, birds, and more. Students were then immersed into nature for hands-on, experimental learning, which included structured and unstructured exploration time in the bird blind, bat house, Nature Discovery Center, laboratory, children's garden or any of the three Nature Center outposts tucked away along the bayou.
"The education programs at Shangri La are designed to immerse students in the natural world," said Noelle Jordan, Environmental Education Coordinator at Shangri La. "When they are here, they experience nature with all of their senses. This is the best way for children (and adults!) to develop a relationship with nature, to feel more comfortable in natural settings, and to gain a sense of place. The ecosystems of southeast Texas, and specifically at Shangri La, are extraordinary! We hope that students will come to recognize the beauty and wonder that is in their own backyard."
In addition to these educational programs within the facility, Shangri La's outreach programs helped the staff reach another 2,893 students. Shangri La volunteers visited area schools with Maxine, a rehabilitated barred owl, and helped students learn about owls and their bones, prey, and physical adaptations. Another popular program was the STARLAB, a portable planetarium that allows teachers to educate students about the stars at any time of the day. Shangri La will offer a workshop in the fall for teachers wishing to obtain certification to reserve the planetarium for their classrooms.
Although the school year is over, Shangri La will continue to offer educational programs throughout the summer. The EcoRangers summer camp is comprised of fifth and sixth grade students who applied for the program during the school year. During the camp, Shangri La instructors will give lessons on water, wild birds, and reptiles. In addition, Shangri La will offer programs on topics such as gardening, wildlife, and living green, which the general public is invited to enjoy.
All Shangri La educational programs are funded by Shangri La admission proceeds as well as support from the Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation, which owns and operates the facility. For more information, call 409.670.9113 or visit the Shangri La Web site, www.shangrilagardens.org.
About Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center
Nestled within 252 acres in the heart of Orange, Texas, Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center is a program of the Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation, a private foundation whose mission is to improve and enrich the quality of life in Southeast Texas and encourage and assist education. The unique ecosystem of Shangri La presents an ideal opportunity to further that mission as well as carry on the vision of H.J Lutcher Stark, the man who originally developed the gardens more than 60 years ago.
The formal Botanical Gardens contain more than 300 plant species in five formal "rooms" as well as four sculpture "rooms." The Nature Center includes Adams Bayou boat excursions to educational outposts, a 15-acre Beaver Pond, a state-of-the-art bird blind, a bat house, thousands of nesting birds in Ruby Lake, and more up-close encounters with nature.
Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center is the first project in Texas and the 50th project in the world to earn the U.S. Green Building Council's Platinum Certification for LEED®-NC, which verifies that the design and construction of Shangri La reached the highest green building and performance measures. Shangri La offers a glimpse of how people can live in harmony with nature, as it strives in its mission to Mentor Children of All Ages to Be Kind to Their World.
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2111 W. Park Avenue
Orange, Texas 77630
409.670.9113
www.shangrilagardens.org
