Heard Natural Science Museum and Wildlife Sanctuary

The Heard Natural Science Museum is the result of one woman's vision for the future and her commitment to the community. Miss Bess Heard was a renaissance woman who devoted most of her lifetime (1886-1988) to the city of McKinney and its people. Her greatest contribution is The Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary.  

Miss Heard was 80 years old when she saw the need for a place where future generations could come to experience nature. As Collin County began to grow, she saw the natural areas quickly being developed and wanted to ensure that children would always have a place to see the wonder of nature firsthand.  At a time of life when most people are firmly ensconced in retirement, Miss Heard began her greatest accomplishment, the planning and realization of a long time dream: The Heard Natural Science Museum.

The museum opened on October 1, 1967, and now serves over 100,000 visitors annually, making it the most highly attended museum in Collin County.  Miss Bess, as she was lovingly referred to by those who knew her well, lived to see the great success of her dream. She continued to be a part of the Museum activities until her death at the age of 101 in 1988.

We use a three-pronged approach of education, conservation, and preservation to accomplish our mission of bringing nature and people together so that all may discover, enjoy, and experience our priceless environment.  

*Through our educational programs, we emphasize appreciation for nature and conservation.  Our programming includes science classes for public, private and home-schooled children; summer day camps; field trips; group events; specially-designed lab programs; and birdwalks and nature talks geared toward adults.

*We conserve our Blackland Prairie ecoregion by restoring and maintaining native vegetation and wildlife on several prairie remnants, as well as upland and bottomland forests and a 60-acre wetland. 

*We seek to preserve knowledge of our ecoregion through varying exhibits and collections inside the museum and on the sanctuary.