PARTNERS and SPONSORS

Brazoria County Library System
http://bcls.lib.tx.us/index.asp
Library cards are free.   You must provide proof of your current address when applying for a library card.   Parents must sign the library card application for children 17 years of age or younger.   Cards are issued at the time of application, at all branch locations and may be used at any of our branches.   You may check out items immediately.   During the school year, our Chapter conducts numerous public events at county libraries; volunteers are needed to assist with these events.

Brazoria County Parks Department
http://www.brazoria-county.com/parks/
Twenty three miles of sandy beaches, picturesque coastal plains, lush green forests, inshore and offshore fishing, bird watching, shelling, wildlife preserves, a baseball great, ghosts and some of the richest history in Texas, awaits you in Brazoria County.   We host numerous public events during the year, some of which provide volunteer opportunities for TMN-COT members.   For details, check the calendar.

Brazos Bend State Park
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/brazos_bend/
BBSP, a unit of the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, is approximately 28 miles southwest of Houston in Fort Bend County.   The park covers roughly 5000 acres, with an eastern boundary of 3.2 miles fronting on the Brazos River.   This was the area of Texas' first Anglo colonization.   It was purchased by the state in 1976-77 and was opened to the public in 1984.

Gulf Coast Bird Observatory
http://gcbo.org/
GCBO is an independent non-profit organization.   We seek to be recognized as the authority on Gulf of Mexico bird conservation.   We do this by building innovative partnerships with communities, educators, governments, industries, universities, individuals, and other conservation groups.   We have become recognized as an innovative organization, which has designed and conducted a significant number of large conservation projects, including migration studies, habitat enhancement, land acquisition, regional habitat mapping, and others.   We maintain a close partnership with TMN-COT, offering many volunteer opportunities.   For details, check the calendar.

Gulf Coast Wildlife Rescue
http://gcwr.org/
GCWR is a tax-exempt non-profit organization of permitted wildlife rehabilitators and volunteers dedicated to caring for injured and orphaned wildlife for the purpose of release back into the wild.   The primary activity of GCWR is to provide food, shelter, medical treatment, and rehabilitation to all Texas native wildlife at no cost to the public.   We serve the Brazoria and Matagorda County areas along the upper Texas Gulf Coast.   GCWR is an all volunteer organization with no paid employees.   GCWR receives NO state, federal, or city funds; however, donations are welcomed from individuals, business, and industry to help defray costs for food and medicine.   We maintain a close partnership with TMN-COT, offering many volunteer opportunities.   For details, check the calendar.

Phillips 66
http://www.phllips66.com/
Phillips 66 sponsors the LEEP (Linnville Environmental Education Program) for grade-school students in the Sweeny Independent School District.   Classes are taught by Phillips 66 employees with on-call assistance by Cradle of Texas Volunteers.   Classes are held throughout the school year at the Phillips 66 Environmental Education Center located on the grounds of the Phillips 66 Sweeny Refinery in Old Ocean.

Nature Conservancy
http://www.nature.org/
The Nature Conservancy is the leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people.   It addresses the most pressing conservation threats at the largest scale.   TNC owns the Nash Prairie Preserve located on County Road 25 in Brazoria County, and Mowonoty Prairie located on County Road 18 in Brazoria County.   TMN-COT members participate in activities at both locations.   Volunteer activities at the Nash Prairie Preserve and Mowonoty Prairie are coordinated by St. Mary's Episcopal Church in West Columbia.

Sea Center Texas
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/visitorcenters/seacenter/
SCT is a marine aquarium, fish hatchery and nature center operated by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD). The site's visitor center educates through interpretive displays, a "touch tank" and aquariums depicting native Texas habitats including a salt marsh, jetty, reef and open Gulf exhibits.   The Gulf aquarium houses nurse sharks, large red drum, gray snapper, Atlantic spadefish, and the state record moray eel.   The center offers a variety of educational programs that promote the wise use and conservation of Texas' marine resources.   We maintain a close partnership with TMN-COT, offering many volunteer opportunities.

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
http://agrilifeextension.tamu.edu/
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service offers practical, how-to education based on university research.   It's available to any resident of Texas.   You may read it in the newspaper, hear it on the radio, attend an Extension workshop, order a publication, or just call your county Extension office.   The Brazoria County A&M AgriLife Extension Office is located in Angleton.

Texas Mid-coast National Wildlife Refuge Complex
http://www.fws.gov/southwest/refuges/texas/texasmidcoast/index.htm
Texas Mid-Coast National Wildlife Refuge Complex comprises three National Wildlife Refuges located in Brazoria and Matagorda Counties, Texas: Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge, San Bernard National Wildlife Refuge, and Big Boggy National Wildlife Refuge.   Refuge habitats are made up of salt water, fresh water and brackish wetlands.   In addition, there are prairies, woody thickets, salt and mud flats, and lakes and streams.   These wetlands provide a safe home for many plants and animals.   Many animals use the refuges as a stopover during their migration or as a home-away-from-home during the winter months.