Today we’d like to introduce you to Dick Davis.
Dick, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I have two degrees in Journalism, specializing in sports and natural resource conservation. I learned how to raise funding for conservation projects by producing a 100-episode series for public television. That led me to conservation nonprofit management, serving as Regional Director for the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation, Executive Director for the Texas Parks & Wildlife Foundation and now, Executive Director of Texas Discovery Gardens.
Has it been a smooth road?
Being a self-employed television producer is, at times, like being unemployed. But turning my love of nature into a career has been very rewarding. Everything I have done up to this point has prepared me for what I do now. I’ve raised lots of money for many worthy conservation causes and projects, but nothing I have done has been more fun and rewarding than working at Texas Discovery Gardens.
Where else, in a single day, could I raise funding for Monarch butterflies or environmental education for urban children and change the blade on a lawnmower or build a Snake Exhibit from the ground up?
We’d love to hear more about your business.
We have been a public garden since 1936. But we’ve evolved over the years. We now specialize in native and adapted plants and practice organic, water-wise sustainable gardening. We also now have a very successful and growing education program for both adults and children. We teach adults to transfer our gardening techniques to their homes or businesses. We introduce urban children to nature. We hope their experiences here will be the spark that encourages them to become wildlife biologists, naturalists, marine scientists, herpetologists, horticulturists, or pursue a number of other natural resource-focused careers.
We are home to the Rosine Smith Sammons Butterfly House and Insectarium, the Snakes of Texas Exhibit, and a soon-to-open Natural Playscape and Eco Discovery Adventure. We welcome about 100,000 guests annually, are one of the top wedding venues in Dallas, educate about 10,000 children a year, and are a proud member of the historic Fair Park family of resident institutions.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Dallas is a vibrant and diverse city with residents who love visiting cultural institutions, museums, zoos and gardens. We welcome everyone to come out and discover something new about the natural world; our favorite comments are of wonder about something new they learned while talking with a docent or our entomologist.
There is always room for more natural areas inside a big city like Dallas, no matter how small the space. People love slowing down and reconnecting to the world, even if it’s just for a few minutes during their day.
Pricing:
- $8 admission for adults
- $6 admission for ages 60+
- $4 admission for ages 3-11
- Free for members and under 3; look for discounts for armed forces, educators and first responders.
- Admission is Pay-What-You-Wish every Tuesday!
Contact Info:
- Address: 3601 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Dallas, TX 75210 - Website: www.txdg.org
- Phone: 214-428-7476 x341
- Email: contact@texasdiscoverygardens.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/texasdiscoverygardens/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TexasDiscoveryGardens/
- Twitter: @texasdiscovery
Image Credit:
James Edward Photography, Texas Discovery Gardens, Michael Presley, Jack Panzeca, and Jennifer Dixon
