Set amid a former working cattle ranch and an expansive wetland on the East Fork of the Trinity River, the John Bunker Sands Wetland Center is a nature center, an educational destination for teachers and students, a birder’s paradise and photographer’s dream, and a serene escape to nature like no other in North Texas.
Our primary mission is educating the public about water, wetlands and wildlife and the need to conserve these essential resources. Our environmental education programs give students a memorable field research experience designed to inspire conservation literacy, encourage careers in science and conservation, and immerse them in our wild classroom. We also offer nature seminars, bird walks, boardwalk tours and a host of special events focused on the natural world, with an emphasis on activities for families.
Located just 25 miles from downtown Dallas, our boardwalk into the wetland and miles of trails allow visitors of all ages to experience diverse habitats that host close to 300 species of birds, including bald eagles, and scores of native mammals, insects, amphibians and reptiles.
The John Bunker Sands Wetland Center is located within the East Fork Water Reuse Project, a 1,840-acre constructed wetland that is one of the largest in the country. The project is owned and operated by the North Texas Municipal Water District, which services over two million residents within 13 member cities in North Texas. The wetland essentially acts as a large-scale water recycling project, diverting treated wastewater flows from the East Fork of the Trinity River and filtering it naturally before it is returned to blend with other water supplies for future treatment and use.
As the educational component of the wetland project, the John Bunker Sands Wetland Center provides critical education, research and recreation opportunities to the public, inspiring them to become better stewards of the natural world. The center celebrates the collaboration of human innovation and nature to create a better world for all.
Our mission is to educate the public and provide research opportunities in the areas of water reuse, quality and supply, wildlife conservation, and wetland systems.
Our vision is to be the premier education and destination nature center serving the North Texas region and beyond.
North Texas faces a critical gap in environmental education, particularly in hands-on, STEM-based learning that connects students to the natural world. While the region’s population grows rapidly, opportunities for students to engage directly with ecosystems remain limited, leaving many without a clear understanding of conservation, resource management and sustainability. Schools—especially those in underserved districts—often lack the resources, transportation and curriculum support needed to provide meaningful field-based experiences. Without direct exposure to these environments, students may fail to grasp the critical role wetlands play in sustaining communities and biodiversity.
By donating through North Texas Giving Day, you are equipping us with the tools we need to inspire future stewards of conservation. We need additional support for educators and students, scholarship funding to support bus fees (one of the biggest barriers to field trips) and participation for underserved communities, and more classroom microscope setups.
At around $1,200 per microscope, these quality pieces of lab equipment are the most impactful tools we can add to our education programs. Their presence alone inspires students to explore possibilities of lab research careers. Microscopes show students the world in brand-new ways, building regard for the other creatures we share our world with and their need for clean water. Currently, we do not have enough microscopes for all our teaching spaces.
We also need nets to collect macroinvertebrates, a key indicator of water quality. Our dip nets serve thousands of students each year, and some of them deserve to be retired!
Your donation paves the way for students to explore their passions with modern, relevant scientific equipment and real-world data collection experiences. Their time spent here at the John Bunker Sands Wetland Center will help guide future environmental scientists down the path of a more sustainable and equitable future for humans and animals alike!
Conservation Literacy for All. The John Bunker Sands Wetland Center provides conservation programs and conservation awareness for all backgrounds of students and adults. We serve many Title 1 schools, and we provide scholarships to pay for things like buses and other field trip and education expenses. We strive to promote conservation justice and equity through diverse, equitable, inclusive programs and offerings for the populations we serve in the North Texas region.
View our current participation opportunities.
In-Person Volunteering
Wetland Steward Opportunities
Joh Bunker Sands Wetland Center
In-Person Volunteering
Group Opportunities
John Bunker Sands Wetland Center
Organization name
John Bunker Sands Wetland Center
Causes
Education - STEM, Environment & Conservation, Parks and Greenspaces
Operating Budget
$500,000 - $999,999
Counties Served
Collin, Dallas, Denton, Kaufman, Rockwall, Tarrant
Address
655 Martin Lane