Timberlake newsletter summer 2025

TIMBERLAKE BIOLOGICAL FIELD STATION NEWSLETTER Summer 2025

Celebrating Timberlake’s 10th Anniversary!

2015-2025

Spotlight on the Field Station’s Emphasis on Education

Vol. 2 – Issue 1

Meet Timberlake’s Management Team

Dr. Kevin Johnson

Dr. Victoria Chraïbi

Mr. Nic Hurbough

Director

Assistant Director

Site Manager

As director, Dr. Johnson ensures activities align with the mission of the field station, manages funding, and directs the strategic plan for building and operations.

As assistant director, Dr. Chraïbi manages the TBFS outreach and education programming. She also coordinates the Mobile Discovery Lab with the COSM Outreach Committee.

Dr. Johnson joined the faculty of Tarleton in the fall of 2023 as the Associate Dean of Research and Director of Timberlake. In 2024, he became the Dean of the College of Science and Mathematics. He is a full professor with a split appointment in Biological Sciences and Environmental Science.

Dr. Chraïbi has been very involved at Timberlake since joining the faculty in 2016.

From 2019 to 2021, she was PI of the NSF-REU program.

Since becoming the assistant director in 2023, she has co/authored and managed $165,000 in grants to support the field trip program at Timberlake and the Mobile Discovery Lab’s retrofit.

As site manager, Nic lives full-time on the property. He oversees security, building maintenance, landscaping, wildlife management, and visitor orientation. He also participates in field trip activities and facilitates the Mobile Discovery Lab on tour.

Dr. Johnson’s research expertise is in zoology, plankton ecology, and marine science. In addition to his administrative roles, he mentors research students in the environmental science program, including research conducted at Timberlake.

Dr. Chraïbi is an associate professor of Biological Sciences. Her research expertise is in limnology, paleoecology, phycology, and aquatic ecology. She has mentored 7 Master’s research theses and multiple undergraduate projects at Timberlake.

Contact Dr. Johnson for inquiries about research, operations, and donation opportunities:

Contact Dr. Chraïbi for inquiries about field trips, group visits, student research, or MDL tours:

kbjohnson@tarleton.edu 254-968-1985

chraibi@tarleton.edu

Nic Hurbough is a Tarleton alumnus with a Bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Education. He worked for several years as a high school agriculture teacher before becoming the site manager of Timberlake.

Nic is also an active producer with his own livestock in Iredell and Brady.

He is the owner of Crimson Creek Ranch Enterprises. He serves as the executive director of the Bosque County Livestock Association.

Contact Nic Hurbough for questions about the property or scheduled visit itineraries: hurbough@tarleton.edu

Dr. Sudman Retires After 28 years of dedicated service to Tarleton, Dr. Phil Sudman retired in July 2024. Dr. Sudman was the director of Timberlake since 2020. His leadership spearheaded the dedication of the Farley Education Building in 2021, the creation of Timberlake’s strategic plan in 2022, the installation of two dorms in 2022, the installation of the MesoNet weather station in 2022, and the construction of the site manager’s house in 2023. He fostered wide interest in the station’s mission and built relationships that paved the way for funding in continued support of buildings and programs. As a professor of biological sciences, he led field trips at Timberlake for ornithology and mammalogy and mentored student research conducted at the station.

NSF Grant Funded Timberlake Biological Field Station has been awarded a Major Research Instrumentation grant of $190,000 by the National Science Foundation to construct a research laboratory building. This is the first of two planned lab buildings and is an important step in advancing the research mission of Timberlake. The grant was co-written by Drs. Phil Sudman, Michael Huggins, and Victoria Chraïbi. The grant is being managed by PI Dr. Kevin Johnson and co-PI Dr. Victoria Chraïbi. The lab will be fully functional by 2027.

Record Number of Visits Timberlake received a record number of visiting groups in the 2024-25 academic year. This included Tarleton courses in Freshwater Biology, Ornithology, Mammalogy, Animal Diversity, Aquatic Environment, Phycology, Entomology, and the Environmental Science program. Timberlake has also attracted the attention of other regional universities as a field trip site, including Baylor University and St. Edwards University.

Honors Biology at Cathedral Rock

A field trip to Timberlake provides the opportunity for students to learn field research techniques like catch-and-release trapping, tagging, collection, and identification. Students can also conduct research from the classroom.

For example, Intro Biology Honors students collected data from trail camera footage in spring 2024, and in spring 2025 Phycology students collected and identified diatoms from the river and ponds and researched their autecology for publication, both under the mentorship of Dr. Victoria Chraïbi.

Phycology class collects algae samples (L to R: Breann Archer, Maci Smelscer, Mary Mullins, Christina Guerrero)

Timberlake is also becoming a destination for professional societies and community organizations. The Texas Society for Ecological Restoration (TXSER) held their board retreat at the station. Dr. Russell Pfau hosted the annual spring BioBlitz event for the Fort Worth Master Naturalists.

Timberlake continues to welcome 3rd-12th grade classes for field trips through the FIELDS program. A notable tradition is for the local Soil and Water Conservation District to host Goldthwaite Middle School’s 6th grade for a field trip and cookout every October.

SWCD teaches 6th graders about soil conservation

Timberlake in the Community

Graduate students James Raney and Katarina Howells and Dr. Victoria Chraïbi volunteered at Goldthwaite’s Science Night to teach about how moles use electricity to hunt insects underground. The event was organized by Goldthwaite teacher Stephany Eoff, who often brings students to visit Timberlake.

Nic Hurbough, site manager of Timberlake, was awarded the 2025 Texas Farm Bureau’s Young Farmer and Rancher Excellence Award, recognizing him as an outstanding young producer.

Graduate Research Spotlight: Kelly Phillips Kelly Phillips hails from Dallas, Texas. As a graduate student in the Environmental Science program, she attended the spring break field trip that traces the Colorado River from Timberlake to its mouth in Matagorda Bay, led by Dr. Anne Egelston and Dr. Karl Aho. During her stay at Timberlake, she was inspired to investigate the potential nutrient load from soil erosion at the station being released into the Colorado River.

Kelly worked diligently to learn about soil science and to design an experiment under the mentorship of Dr. Victoria Chraïbi. She installed soil collars around the station on the five most common soil types, then simulated rainfall, caught the surface runoff, and characterized the runoff’s nutrient content. She used this information to run model simulations accounting for soil type, vegetation type, and land use management strategy to estimate nutrient loads and make recommendations on remediation strategy.

Kelly reflects on her experience: “I really enjoyed my time at Timberlake. It was rewarding to explore the property, construct the equipment, develop the study layout, as well as collect and analyze the simulated runoff samples. Having the opportunity to contribute to the larger water quality, soil and vegetation health research made it well worth the effort. I will never forget my time working on this project with Dr. Chraïbi.”

Kelly Phillips graduated in 2024 with a Master’s degree in Environmental Science and is now employed by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) in Houston, Texas.

Kelly Phillips and Dr. Victoria Chraïbi doing fieldwork

Dr. Kevin Johnson presented research on microplastic pollution in the Colorado River at the 2024 Society for Ecological Restoration conference in Vancouver. This research is being conducted in collaboration with Dr. Rajani Srinivasan of Chemistry and includes student researchers James Raney, Marconi Azadah, Ethan Gilbert, and Kendrick Deshawn Magana.

Mobile Discovery Lab Completes Inaugural Tour After its retrofit by the Science Mill, the Mobile Discovery Lab completed its first tour to showcase seven new activities. The MDL visited Lingleville, Hico, Gorman, and Huckabay ISDs in May 2025. It delivered interactive educational experiences on regenerative agriculture, ecological remediation, and local flora and fauna to 484 students. Visitor ages ranged from 1st grade to 12th grade.

In 2024, the Mobile Discovery Lab, the STEM outreach trailer managed by COSM, underwent a retrofit to equip the trailer with interactive learning platforms. The Science Mill outfitted the trailer with seven activities focused on soil health, weather, topography, pollinators, aquatic microorganisms, and aquaponics.

Each day of the tour experienced joyful learning thanks to the enthusiasm of students, teachers, and the student volunteers who guided the interactive experiences. The volunteers were Kayleigh SingerDotson (Biology), Asher Thetford (Biology), James Raney (Environmental Science), Matthew Sato (Wildlife), Emma Reamy (Geology), Rylee Widger (Biology), Kimberly Olguin (Biology), and Alan Parchman (Oak Prairie Master Naturalists).

The success of the tour was thanks to the efforts of Nic Hurbough, who drove the trailer, welcomed students, and led activities; Dr. Victoria Chraïbi, who managed the tour and led activities; the Science Mill team that scheduled the tour stops; COSM Outreach Committee members Jason Jacks, Joree Burnet, and Dr. Gwinn North, who volunteered time to lead activities and maintain the trailer; and Abel Martinez, who provided maintenance on the trailer before it headed out on tour.

The trailer retrofit and funding for the tour were generously funded by two grants from The Texas Pioneer Foundation. This allowed COSM to provide the all-day visits at no cost to the school districts.

If you would like more information on having the Mobile Discovery Lab visit your school, please visit https://www.tarleton.edu/cosm/mobile-discovery-lab/

Timberlake currently offers three themed all-day field trips: Option #1: Fur & Feathers Focus on animal adaptations, food webs, and habitats, suitable for grades 3-9, with the following activities: Eat – mammal skulls and diets Fly – physics of flight in birds Hide – camouflage Track – animal tracks and scat Option #2: Plants & Pollinators Focus on plants, insect pollinators, ecology and sustainable agriculture, suitable for grades 3-9, with the following activities: Pollination – dissect flowers and build bugs to investigate adaptations for pollination Sustainable agriculture – soil-root systems and aquaculture Pollinator diversity – insect diversity and plantpollinator interactions Pigments – use plant and lichen pigments to tiedye a keepsake bandana

FIELDS is the field trip program at Timberlake for grades 3-12.

Education Season: Timberlake is open for educational visits September 1 – November 1 and March 1 – May. Reservations for a Tuesday or Thursday visit are required.

Cost to Visit: Thanks to a generous donation from The Texas Pioneer Foundation, school visits to Timberlake for FIELDS trips are free.

How to Schedule a Visit: If you are interested in booking a field trip or group visit to Timberlake, please contact Dr. Victoria Chraïbi (chraibi@tarleton.edu, 254-968-9326).

Option #3: World of Water Focus on water quality and aquatic ecosystems, suitable for grades 5-9, with the following activities: Water Quality – water chemistry Bubble Busters – measure the geometry of bubbles World in a Drop – view aquatic microorganisms under a microscope River Walk – river geology and geomorphology Option #4: Build Your Own Adventure Choose 3-4 activities from the themed days to build a tailored experience for your class.

Support Timberlake Become a Donor There are opportunities available to support the education and research missions of Timberlake Biological Field Station.

For more information, please contact Dr. Kevin Johnson (kbjohnson@tarleton.edu, 254-968-1985)