The University of Texas at Austin

Marine Science Institute

• About the Institute
• Mission-Aransas NERR
  • Mission-Aransas NERR Announcements Archive
    • NERR Newsletter
    • Showcase Presentation on the Results of the Ecosystem Based Management Tools Project
    • Get Involved in National Estuaries Day
  • About
    • FAQ's
    • Reserve Advisory Board
    • Pre-designation Documents
    • Designation Ceremony
    • Staff Contacts
  • Research and Monitoring
    • Research Goals of the NERRs
    • NERR Policies and Priorities
    • Hyperspectral Imaging Project
    • System-Wide Monitoring Program
    • Biological Monitoring Program
    • Timeline
    • Mapping Habitats by Land, Sea, and Air
  • Education and Outreach
    • Education Advisory Committee
    • Wetland Education Center
    • Maritime History
    • Outreach via Media
  • Stewardship
    • Demographic Characterization
    • Animal Rehabilitation Keep
    • Site Profile
    • Ecosystem Based Management Tools Project
    • Clean Up and Recycling Programs
    • EBM Tools Working Group
    • EBM Tools Working Groups
  • Coastal Training Program
    • MANERR Conceptual Model Development Workshop
• Mission Statement
• Letter from the Director
• Institute History
• Physical Facilities
• Research Vessels
  • R/V Katy
  • Small Boat Fleet
• MSI Library
• Support MSI
  • Ways to Support
  • Friends of the Sea
• E-Newsletters
  • E-News from the Marine Science Institute
  • Red Fish Spawning: The Importance to Our Economic & Environmental Future
• Contact Us

Wetlands Education Center

  















The Wetlands Education Center (WEC) is a 3.6 acre salt marsh on-site at UTMSI. Material excavated from the site was used to create sheltering dunes around the site. Creating the WEC is a joint project between the USACE and The University of Texas under Section 206 of the Waterways Restoration Act. The Marsh has two separate tidal access points and is vegetated with high & low salt marsh plants: smooth cordgrass (Spartina alternaflora) and black mangrove (Avicennia germinans); submerged seagrasses.

Free Guided Walking Tours are available to the public on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10 am. Meet at the Amphitheater (to the right of the entrance).

Boardwalks, an amphitheater, educational signage and floating educational program platforms are available to the public. A K-12 curriculum has also been developed for the WEC and school groups can schedule tours with This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Construction photos of the WEC.

WEC Signs

Walk the Marsh Circle Scavenger Hunt
K-2 Jetty Life
Life Inside an Oyster Reef
Plankton Lab Activity
Plants of the Saltwater Marsh
Scavenger Hunt 5-7