The City of Fritch Picture
Menu Museum

Lake Meredith Aquatic & Wildlife Museum

Under the water tower in Fritch

OPEN

Mon - Sat

10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Closed most national holidays.

FREE ADMISSION

Donations Recommended


Download April 2011 Newsletter

 


LMAWM

P.O. Box 758
Fritch, TX 79036
Phone: 806-857-2458
Fax: 806-857-3229


 

The following programs are available during the school year. Call to schedule: 806-857-2458

Dinosaur Days - During the month of October. Good for ages Pre-K through 3rds grade.

This program helps students practice comparative skills as well as analytical skills in a social environment. This program consists of a short discussion, questions and answers about dinosaurs, examination of prehistoric artifacts, a short video, and a tour of the museum. Students are separated and rotated about every 10 minutes through 4 to 5 learning centers.

  • Students will act as paleontologists by digging for cow bones in a sand box.
  • Students will complete dinosaur puzzles and worksheets about dinosaurs.
  • Students will view fossils and a wooly mammoth tooth.
  • Students will also view a short film.
  • Program lasts about 50 minutes.

Native American Days - During the month of November Good for ages 2nd - 4th grades.

This program focuses on the Plains Indians and how they lived near the Canadian River. Alibates Flint is displayed and discussed. Focus is on how technology has changed the way people live but on how some things have stayed the same.

  • Students will participate in corn grinding as the Indians did it.
  • Students will make a storyboard using pictographs and share it with the class.
  • Along with Alibates Flint, students will local art dedicated to Indians and discuss Native American culture.
  • Program lasts about 50 min.

Playa Lakes Program - Runs from December 1st through the end of the School Year. Good for 4th and 5th grades.

Program focuses on Playa Lakes utilizing the Playa Lake Exhibit. Program focuses on playa characteristics, plants and animals of the playas, how playas are made, and history of playas. Children will work in groups to complete a crossword puzzle on what they learn from the presentations.

  • Students will have a guided tour of the Playa exhibit which offers interactive panels for identifying locations of playas and wildlife of the playas.
  • Students will hear the sounds of the playas.
  • Students will view artifacts found at playas and get to know the local history of playas.
  • Students work in groups to complete a word puzzle about the playa exhibit.
  • Program lasts about 50 min.

 

Playas..... Gems of the Plains Exhibit

Playas are a unique natural feature of the High Plains region, and 96% of the world's playas are found in the Texas Panhandle. There are over 20,000 playas in the Texas Panhandle and South Plains alone! Despite their common occurrence, the crucial role they play in the ecology and hydrology of the region is little known and even less appreciated. Because they represent a reliable source of water in a semiarid environment, they have always been a magnet for animals and their human hunters throughout prehistory and into historic times. The first settlers, and the first towns, focused on the playas. Many playas have names and long, colorful histories. All this information is conveyed in the exhibit, reinforced by a variety of educational material designed for teachers, local residents, and the traveling public.

The LMAWM is a participant in the Window on the Wider World (WOW) program sponsored by the Globe-Center for the Performing Arts. For more information visit the WOW website: http://www.windowonawiderworld.org/


 

The Lake Meredith Aquatic & Wildlife Museum was established in 1976 as an American Bicentennial project by the Citizens of Fritch, the City of Fritch, and the National Park Service.

Our mission is to advance knowledge and enable people to appreciate, protect and enjoy their natural and cultural heritage.

Annual visitation is over 15,000 with guests coming from every state in the union and over 60 foreign countries.

Educational programs are conducted throughout the year to students of all ages from across the Texas Panhandle. The museum also serves as a focal point in the community promoting tourism.

Dioramas

Six large realistic dioramas of local wildlife in their natural habitats depict the rock, soil, plant life and seasons that occurs within this geographical region and is enhanced by the work of local artist, the late LaNelle Poling. Other wildlife exhibits include owls and other game birds, and the different foxes that are often found in the area.

Aquariums

The museum maintains two aquariums that together hold more than 4000 gallons of water. They feature a variety of freshwater fish found in Lake Meredith and the Canadian River. A map of the watershed contributing to Lake Meredith is on display as well as other aquatic educational materials.

Additional Exhibits

The exhibit room has a fine arrowhead display, including some made from Alibates Flint, and other artifacts from people who lived along the Canadian River bluffs as early as 900-1200 A.D.