New Braunfels Edition | March 2026

Community

BY AMIRA VAN LEEUWEN

Grassroots network encourages children and families to get outside After being a part of Texas Children in Nature Network’s San Antonio chapter and then moving to Kerrville, Helen Holdsworth said she wanted to launch a Hill Country chapter. TCiNN is a grassroots statewide network of over 900 partner organizations and individuals dedicated to connecting children and families with nature, according to previous reporting by Community Impact . Holdsworth, who serves as the director of stewardship education at the Witte Museum, said the Hill Country Texas Children in Nature Network Collaborative’s purpose is to not only get kids out- side but also serve as a resource for organizations to network and support one another.

The local impact Some of the organizations involved in the Hill Country collaborative include: • Texas Wildlife Association • Comal Conservation • Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority • Headwaters at the Comal Ryan Spencer, executive director of Comal Conservation, said the collaborative is working hard to get kids outside. “All of these organizations are doing their own activities, but understanding how we align, how we benet each other, what we can do to really reconnect kids to the outdoors, is critical,” Spencer said. One of the goals identied in Comal Conser- vation’s Strategic Plan for 2025-2027 is to pass a Children’s for TCiNN Outdoor Bill of Rights as part of an initiative to engage young people in environ- mental stewardship. Nancy Pappas, managing director of Headwaters at the Comal, said they work to connect children and families to the outdoors by creating hands-on

TCiNN is a grassroots statewide network dedicated to connecting children and families with nature.

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experiences in a place where nature, history and conservation come together. “Kids experience a sense of wonder when they explore the site, observe wildlife and connect what they are learning at home or in school to the real world,” Pappas said. “Our hope is that these experiences build curiosity, condence and a lifelong appreciation for the environment.”

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