It is with great pleasure that I announce that the Visitor Center at the Cibolo Nature Center has officially reopened after a long hiatus. We have revamped and updated our beloved Visitor Center and Gift Shop for a busy season.

Before the pandemic, the Visitor Center was booming, working as an interpretative space, gift shop, education, and information center. We are excited to bring it back to life, after a dark period, with some great docents who generously give their time to welcome all who visit with a smile and helping hand.

The volunteer docent program at the Cibolo Center for Conservation has a long history. The docents have helped the Cibolo education team with many of our projects and programs during the pandemic. Now, people are returning to our campus, and we could not be more ready to welcome them back with open arms. Docents are a particular group of volunteers specially trained to work with the Cibolo with everything from programs to tour guides. There are many opportunities to become a docent, including the Visitor Center, field trip assistant, historical interpretation, animal care, and more.

All volunteer docents, regardless of background, are supported and placed in the area where they feel the most comfortable. In fact, over the course of the last two years, volunteers have played a critical role in getting us to where we are today. You will find people cleaning up the trails or working in our gardens on any given day.  If you have attended one of our night hikes, come to our Farmers Market, or participated in a service project, you’ve probably met one of our gracious volunteer docents.

Much like when the Cibolo was founded, so much of our work relies on our friends to help us carry out the vast amount of work we do from year to year. We welcome all ages and are also excited to bring back the Trailblazers teen volunteer program that gets kids ages 13-18 to volunteer and learn about the myriad of environmental work we do. 

Many of our Trailblazer teens at the Visitor Center on Saturdays learn how to do animal presentations, walk the trails, remove invasive plants, or monitor the water quality in the Cibolo Creek. The Cibolo’s staff work hand in hand with these teens to manage these unique nature spaces and provide robust conservation education to children and visitors alike.

If you, or someone you know, is interested in becoming a volunteer docent at the Cibolo, please get in touch with laurie@cibolo.org or call 830-249-4616. We want to thank all the docents and volunteers who have been working with us over the years, and we look forward to you joining our community of friends as you share your gifts with the greater community. Visit Cibolo.org/volunteer to learn more.