History
The Dallas Independent School District's Environmental Education Center began in the late 1970s on 206 acres of land donated by the nearby Federal Correctional facility. The popular program has continued to grow in many ways including not only the new museum facility (see below), but also in the amount and variety of programs it offers. All of the Centers programs are aligned with and designed to extend and enrich the state and local curriculum. The classes offered provide classroom teachers with multiple opportunities to meet state curricular requirements for laboratory and field-based learning experiences utilizing the special equipment and natural resources at the Center. This basic set of programs, which make use of the natural resources of the site, is the core around which the educational program is built. The rural setting and the outstanding natural resources at and around the Environmental Center site provide numerous opportunities for visitors to come into closer contact with the flora and fauna of north central Texas. In the near future, the Center's programs will be built upon and expanded to include topics of interest for all visitors to the Center including the general public. This year the Center will deliver environmental education programs for approximately 25,000 visitors. While the majority of these visitors will be students in the Dallas school system, many more visitors are discovering this gem that is right "in their own backyard".
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About the Environmental Center Museum
The Environmental Education Center is more than just 500 acres of natural Texas habitat in the town of Seagoville. It includes interactive displays, nature trails, plants, animals, exhibits, laboratories, a greenhouse, gardens and much more. Made possible through a special project of the United States Federal District Court, the new Environmental Education Center building was completed and dedicated in the spring of 1996. This new 26,000 square foot facility has greatly expanded the possibilities and learning opportunities for students and all visitors to the Center. The new museum building includes a large orientation theater and a variety of fascinating and instructive exhibits that focus on the actual ecosystems at the Environmental Center site. There is a main exhibit hall which features grassland, pond and forest ecosystems and their accompanying nature trails. The main exhibit hall also contains fossil exhibits, leaf, insect and bird collections, and a variety of preserved animals displayed in their particular habitat. Other exhibits include a large mural of famous scientists and others who have contributed to our understanding of the environment. Students and visitors can also explore careers in the environmental field, and learn fascinating facts about animals and plants that inhabit our area of the world at our animal and plant "fun facts" areas. There is also an eight-foot rotating globe with interactive video stations and much more. The building is also equipped with a lobby area, a dining hall and decks, and four large environmental learning laboratories.
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The Dallas County Post Oak Preserve
Through a special land use agreement established in 1993 between Dallas County and the Dallas school district, the Center is fortunate to be adjacent to one of Dallas County's most beautiful natural areas, the Dallas County Post Oak Preserve. This 334-acre area is primarily woodland and provides yet another environment for visitors to explore. The preserve is dedicated for educational purposes, protected from development and exists to provide green space and guard against urban sprawl. All species within the Preserve are protected. The preserve is managed by the Environmental Center, which uses the trail system extensively in its educational programs. More than two miles of nature trails have been created in the Preserve winding along heavily wooded creeks, small meadows, thickets, Post Oak parks and savannas. In the center of the preserve there is a twelve-acre lake which is a frequent stopping place for waterfowl and other wildlife. The Preserve is a diverse and scenic area providing a glimpse of what north Texas was like before settlement and development. The Preserve is open the year round from dawn until dusk. No motorized vehicles are allowed in the preserve. 
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The Environmental Center Grounds and Trails
Winding through the varied habitats of the 500 acre site are three nature trails. These trails are used in instructor-led trail walks or may be used for a self-guided experience. A wheel chair accessible trail is planned for the Post Oak Preserve in the fall of 1999. Existing trails include the R.F. Patton Old Field Trail, the Ken Smith Pond Trail and the Post Oak Preserve Trail system. Checklists and information about the abundant birds, reptiles, mammals and other inhabitants of the area are available in the main building. For those wishing to walk the trail on their own, there are printed trail guides available at the Environmental Center building.

Also on the grounds, the Center has a new barn to house our farm animal collection, an outdoor classroom/camping area, and the Nannie Hogan-Boyd Challenge (ropes) Course. There is also a Live Animals Lab which houses a variety of reptiles, amphibians, arthropods, birds and mammals used in the Center's educational programs. The main museum building is surround by native plant gardens with a special emphasis on plantings that attract butterflies, bees, hummers and other pollinators. There are two vegetable gardens, orchard areas and other special plantings.
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Hours of Operation
The Center is currently open from 9:00 AM until 4:00 PM all regularly scheduled school days from August through May. The Center is not currently open on all weekends, but there are some special weekend events during the year. Call ahead to see if the Center will be open on a given weekend. The Center is currently not open on Sundays. Admission is $3.00 for adults and $2.00 for children under 12. Senior citizens are free. As volunteers are recruited and trained to provide programming - expanded weekend hours of operation are expected.
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Contact Information
Event information, and information about programs, classes, training events and other educational programs are available by calling 972-749-6900.

The Environmental Center is located in southeast Dallas County. To reach the Environmental Education Center from Dallas, take U.S. Highway 175 East (toward Kaufman) to the Simonds Rd./Kimberly Dr. exit in Seagoville. (This is also the exit for the Federal Correctional Institution). Turn right onto Simonds Rd. and go approximately 2 miles to Bowers Rd. Turn left on Bowers Rd. and follow Bowers Rd. approximately 1.5 miles to the Center. Look for the large stone pillars and gates on your left. Print out a copy of the map below for more detailed directions.
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The Dallas Independent School District-Environmental Education Center
1600 Bowers Road
Seagoville, Texas 75159
Phone: (972) 749-6900
Fax: (972) 749-6901
Email: envedctr@dallasisd.org

Map
'Click' on this map to get larger (printable) version.

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