Research Rangers
A Model of Service-Learning in Action
Jill Zipperer representing the Research Rangers at the Summer Point Park Conservation Fair in Buda, Texas, supporting an Eagle Scout project.
All photos courtesy Kristy Daniel
Kristy Daniel, PhD
You may have already encountered the Research Rangers project’s ambassadors, Binx and Scout, out in the community. These two locally famous bobcat mascots have been busy over the past year, popping up at community events and sharing the wonders of nature!
Image with permission Research Rangers and artist Raylee Schobel
For the Research Rangers, environmental stewardship and outreach are year-round commitments, but this year our efforts are gaining a powerful new dimension. Beneath the cuteness of our two fun mascots lies a unique partnership between the Hays County Chapter of Texas Master Naturalist™ and Texas State University. Together, we are creating a new way to provide nature outreach to the Texas Hill Country community.
The Research Rangers project was purposefully designed as a place-based, service-learning model to integrate scientists and community members sharing similar objectives. Each Research Rangers activity booklet provides a new opportunity for us to engage with our neighbors and protect the beauty of Hays County.
Project team members work diligently to translate complex scientific ideas into fun, engaging, nature-based explorations that foster a sense of appreciation for, awareness of, connectedness to, and responsibility toward nature (environmental mindfulness) in community members.
Children pinning the tail on a Texas Blind salamander with help from Hays County Master Naturalist chapter volunteers, Tara Lenore and Samantha Youngblood, at a Research Rangers-hosted Seasons of Science event.
Each Research Rangers activity is purposefully designed to engage audiences who may not have a strong science background. Our activities can be completed in most natural settings in the Texas Hill Country within about 30–45 minutes and do not require any specialized scientific equipment.
We work with Texas State University students, local educators, librarians, and Hays County Master Naturalist chapter members to ensure all content is accurate and aligned with Texas and national educational standards. This alignment step has helped Research Rangers normalize science engagement as a core pillar of lifelong learning, from youth through retirement.
Texas State University students, Yazmin Montes, Victoria Garcia, and Lily Dahl, introducing their brand new Research Rangers Gall Guide nature exploration.
Service-learning programs offer a distinctive framework for connecting university students with local community organizations to foster meaningful learning and community impact. While the university students bring the latest scientific research, the Hays County Master Naturalists bring the wisdom of the field, providing local context from seasoned experience. Master Naturalist volunteers serve as mentors to students and help build the bridge that brings our community and science together. By offering outreach events led by both university students and Master Naturalists, Research Rangers presents a united partnership as we engage with the public, manage participant flow, and ensure that every child and adult walks away with new environmental mindfulness insights.
Kyle Tucker, a Texas State University student, acting as a Ranger Guide for the Hays County community.
Involving the public in scientific research promotes transparency and trust in science while engaging all participants as a community. Binx and Scout have been spotted encouraging people to get involved in nature investigations all across Hays County, including at Earth Day festivals, library events, Jacob’s Well, Blue Hole, area elementary schools, market days, Aquatic Science Adventure Camps, the Discovery Center, the Shady Llama, and Roughhouse Brewery—just to name a few locations. Since our first Research Rangers public outreach event in 2023, we have reached nearly 6,500 members of the public with the help of more than 140 chapter members and student volunteers!
A child learning to use binoculars to search for native Texas birds with the help of the Research Rangers Bird Buddies nature exploration.
Children working through Research Rangers activity books to help Binx and Scout collect scientific data by exploring nature.
The Research Rangers activity library is expanding quickly. We currently have 24 nature exploration booklets available, each free to download from our project website (https://researchrangers.wp.txstate.edu/).
With each new season, we continue to roll out exciting new activities. Keep an eye out for upcoming topics, including Leaping Levers (the physics of grasshopper movement), Night Critters (nocturnal animals), Slow Shells (turtle ecology), and Toad Transformations (amphibian life cycles).
A Call to Action for HCMNs: Seasons of Science
Hays County Master Naturalists (HCMNs) are uniquely qualified to support the Research Rangers mission. We need interested volunteers to help lead nature explorations, create seasonal crafts, play interactive learning games, and share our love of nature with guests. We invite HCMNs to volunteer alongside Texas State University students during one of the upcoming Seasons of Science events.
Research Rangers provides an excellent way for HCMNs to earn volunteer hours while witnessing science in action! HCMNs may sign up for the following Research Rangers Seasons of Science volunteer opportunities by going to the HCMN online Calendar:
MARCH (Spring): Sign Up for March 7-8
MAY (Summer): Sign Up for May 2-3
OCTOBER (Fall): Sign Up for October 3-4
DECEMBER (Winter): Sign Up for December 5-6
Each Hays County Master Naturalist chapter member who records at least 12 volunteer hours with Research Rangers (Project #1903) will receive a custom Binx and Scout enamel pin as a token of our appreciation.
By participating in the Research Rangers project, we aren’t just logging volunteer hours—we are building a lasting infrastructure for conservation. We are ensuring that when today’s university students become tomorrow’s professionals, they carry a deep-seated appreciation for our community and the natural world. Together, we can help Binx and Scout turn every resident of Hays County into a Research Ranger in their own right.
Research Rangers Project Directors, Drs. Kristy Daniel and Carrie Bucklin