The Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center, home of the Chihuahuan Desert Research Institute, is located 4 miles south of Fort Davis, TX, on HWY 118. Open Mon–Sat, 9–5.

The CDRI is a nonprofit organization.

 

The mission of the Chihuahuan Desert Research Institute is to promote public awareness, appreciation, and concern for the natural diversity of the Chihuahuan Desert region through research and education. To achieve this mission, the Institute provides environmental education to the community, encourages biodiversity conservation, and promotes and demonstrates sustainable development in the desert. 

 

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Index to Pages

	About CDRI
	Board of Scientists
	Butterfly Watch
	Chihuahuan Desert Mining Heritage Exhibit (Soon)
	Education Program
	The Chihuahuan Desert Region
	Events and Programs
	Field Guides
	Interpretive Geology Exhibit (Soon)
	Membership
	North American Deserts
	Nature Center Facilities & Grounds
	Resource Links
	5th Symposium Abstracts
	Volunteering
	Tierra Grande Chapter, Texas Master Naturalist Program (Soon)
	What's the Buzz?

Admissions 

Admission Fees

Admission to the Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center is:

 

  * adults:  $5.00

  * seniors, 65+:  $4.00

  * members & children, 12-:  free

Come hike the Canyon! 

Financial Information

Complete financial information is available on request as required by the Internal Revenue Service. All requests must be in writing and mailed to: 

 

    CDRI

    PO Box 905

    Fort  Davis, TX  79734 

 

NFG details 

Do you know someone that suffers from nature deficit syndrome? We can help.

CDRI Field School

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Hands-on Activities
TEKS Followed
Co-curricular

 

Come join us for outdoor education programs in the heart of the Davis Mountains. Interpretive field trips in Desert Ecology are currently being offered.

 

For education programs and news, follow the link to Education. 

 

For more information contact Jessica Glasscock at education@cdri.org or 432-364-2499.

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Special News

In Memoriam

The Institute has lost a co-founder and a friend: Dr. James (Jim) Franklin Scudday. Jim's family has requested that gifts be used to construct a stone bench in the memorial grove at the Nature Center. This bench, surrounded by the trees and the landscape that he loved, will be an ideal memorial for an extraordinary man. To learn more about Jim, see Dr. A. Michael Powell's farewell.

If you would like to make a gift in Jim's memory, please send it to the James F. Scudday Memorial Fund, Chihuahuan Desert Research Institute, P.O. Box 905, Fort Davis, TX 79734. 

Welcome New Corporate Partners

Directors' Circle:

Fort Davis State Bank

    Fort Davis, TX

 

Basic Level:

A.G. Hays Equipment

    Alpine, TX

Barmore Plumbing      

    Alpine, TX

Community National Bank

    Midland, TX

King Land & Water

    Fort Davis, TX

Law Office of J. Brian Martin

    Midland, TX

Texas Mines Venture

    Fort Davis, TX

 

 

New Website Coming!

 

Can't you feel the excitement? We're getting a new website! Check back this winter to see our new look.

 

Limited Edition Print: 

Fallugia paradoxa (Apache Plume) 

 

 

This limited edition giclée print by Alpine artist Ellen C. Ruggia is currently available for purchase at the Nature Center. Call 432-364-2499 or email mbrady@cdri.org for details.

 

*  Signed and numbered prints: $125 ea. Now $100.00 ea.

*  Dimensions: 22 in. X 13 5/8 in.

*  Edition limited to 100, produced with archival Epson Ultra-Chrome K3 inks on acid-free Moab Entrada Rag Natural paper.

*  Original: acrylic ink, gesso, and colored pencil on paper.

*  Certificate included

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Support the CDRI

 

Through iGive.com, over 650 online merchants donate to the cause of your choice each time you make a purchase. All you have to do is register with iGive, login, designate the CDRI as your cause, and shop at your favorite stores. So, login to www.igive.com, shop to your heart's content, and support the CDRI.

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Nature Notes 

 

Are you interested in nature? Tune in to Marfa Public Radio, KRTS 93.5 FM, Thursdays at 9:30 AM for interesting notes on the northern Chihuahuan Desert region. These short programs feature a different nature topic each week about the natural resources in our corner of the world. Topics include plants, animals, rainwater harvesting, native gardening, and wildlife habitat. 

Life-long Learning Programs and Events 

February Events

*  Great Backyard Bird Count

*  Orchids in the Desert

    Lecture

*  Early Spring at Cattail

    Falls Fieldtrip

A PDF of 2010's programs is here!

Seventh Symposium on the Natural Resources of the Chihuahuan Desert Region

Scheduled for November of 2009; postponed until fall of 2010. More information to follow shortly.

6th Symposium on the Natural Resources of the Chihuahuan Desert

Held October 15–16, 2004

A volume of the proceedings of the 6th Symposium is currently under way as we compile reviewers' comments and edited papers. Our thanks to everyone who has returned papers in a timely fashion. Upon completion the publication will be available for sale through the CDRI.

 

Click here for 2004's Symposium details.

Chihuahuan Desert Mining Heritage Exhibit Update

Dinamito, a replica of a Sicilian burro, now stands near the head frame, working hard to power the burro whim hoist. Dinamito’s namesake was born in a mine shaft, at the 600-foot level. He led an exemplary life for a mining burro, prospecting for gold and silver in the Chihuahuan Desert region.

 

Other highlights of the exhibit include a collection of historic mining equipment, ores mined in the Chihuahuan Desert, a battery-powered locomotive with an ore car, and a pavilion with interpretive displays and historic photographs.

 

Cash donations for the finishing touches, including permanent signage, can be designated for this project and sent to:  CDRI, P.O. Box 905, Fort Davis, TX 79734. For additional information, call 432-364-2499. 

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