When Central Texas was Wilderness

Nicholas Cowey last appeared at our club in 2006, dressed and equipped as Captain William Clark would have appeared 200 years earlier—when he and his partner Meriwether Lewis returned to St. Louis after their historic 2½-year exploration of the Louisiana Purchase. Reenactments are just one of the ways Nicholas has shared his vast knowledge of history—natural and human—with audiences of all ages.

Nicholas has a passion for the natural world that is fun and contagious. As an instructor at the 1140-acre McKinney Roughs Nature Park on the Colorado River, he teaches conservation using hands-on activities to get students involved in nature. Students from Central Texas schools who visit for field trips and summer camps learn through touch, smells and sounds as well as sights. (For example, he makes amazing frog and owl sounds to call animals on night hikes!)

He will talk to us about the flora and fauna of Central Texas as it existed before it was colonized—and how Native Americans used the natural resources of the Colorado River Valley.

Nicholas earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Texas State University in May 2002. An Eagle Scout, he worked ten years at the Lost Pines Scout Reservation in Bastrop, from merit badge counselor to Camp Program Director. He also worked with the Fort Smith Mountain Men, developing adventure travel programs for youth throughout the western states and Canada. Nicholas is certified as a River Safety & Rescue Instructor by the American Canoe Association, and is the lead compiler for the Lost Pines Christmas Bird Count, an annual bird survey of the Audubon Society.

Spaghetti & Meatballs
Green Beans
Zucchini Medley
Lemon Cake