Balcones Songbird Festival

The Power and Purpose of Nearby Nature

 Presented by Jennifer L. Bristol

About the Presentation:

While conducting research about the connection between nature and people, Jennifer kept hearing the same remarks “nature is a faraway place” or “I never know what to do when I get to a park.” She wanted to change that mindset and offer people opportunities to have rich experiences in nature that were welcoming, meaningful and easy. 

Birding is an experience that gives people a purpose to be outdoors and as it turns out is beneficial to our mental and physical health. So she decided to write a series of books to help people discover the wonders of birding. Parking Lot Birding focuses on parks, nature centers and other local birding spots, while Cemetery Birding focuses on – well – cemeteries. While doing the research for both books, she traveled to over 430 parks, nature centers, wastewater settling ponds, sanctuaries, highway rest stops, historic sites, and cemeteries to find the perfect combination of habitat, interesting places, and accessible, easy spaces to immerse in nature. 

We invite you to join Jennifer for a chat about what she discovered along the way as she endeavored to dispel the myth that nature is some faraway place.

About the Speaker:

Jennifer L. Bristol is the author of Parking Lot Birding: A Fun Guide to Discovering Birds in Texas and Cemetery Birding: An Unexpected Guide to Discovering Birds in Texas. She also contributed to her father's book, Texas State Parks: The First 100 Years 1923-2023. Passionate about telling the story of nature, Bristol travels the state speaking about birds and conservation.

She is the former director of the Texas Children in Nature network at the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department where she worked to better connect children and families with nature.