test on west texas.... with answers

1.     The land form that we reside on is;   c                                                                                                                a. Permian Basin  b. High Plains c. Llano Estacado d. west Texas

2.     We live on the drainage of the;     d                                                                                                                       a. Pecos River b. Rio Grande River c. Brazos River d. Colorado River

3.     We live in a;         d                                                                                              a. desert b. semi-arid grassland c. brushland d. semi-arid grassland turned semi-arid brushland

4.     Until the 1870’s millions of what animal lived here; a, b, c                                            a. buffalo b. pronghorn c. prairie dogs d. cows

5.     What groups of Hispanics visited here from the 1650’s until the 1870’s;  a,b, d, e                        a. Ciboleros b. Comancheros c. Conquistadores d. pastores e. mesteneros

6.     Put the native Americans that visited here in historical order;     b,a,c                                       a. Apaches b. Jumanos c. Comanches and Kiowas

7.     The first U.S. Army commander that explored in Midland County is;    c                              a. Colonel McKenzie b. Colonel Grierson c. Captain Marcy d. Lieutenant Nolan

8.     To fight the Indians, the Army relied on what groups of scouts; a,b,c,d                                                  a. Tonkawa Indians b. Delaware Indians c. Lipan Apache Indians d. Seminole-Negroes

9.     The first roads here were b                                                                                  a. “buffalo bone roads” b. Comanchero trails c. army trails d.  ranch supply roads

10.  What invention allowed settlement of this area;   a                                                                a. windmills b. railroads c. oil wells d. cars

11.  The first barbed wire fences here were;       a                                                                            a. drift fences b. enclosed farms c. enclosed ranches d. enclosed towns

12.  Droughts of several years duration occur here every;  c                                        a. fifty years b. ten years c. twenty years d. forty years

13.  Our rainiest months are;   a                                                                                  a. May and September b. June and July c. October and November d. August and September

14.  Sandhill cranes come here every;  b                                                                                    a. spring b. fall c. summer d. winter

15.  Put the progression of spring wildflowers in order;        d,c,a,b                                           a. huisache daisy b. goldenwave daisy c. bladderpod d. draba

16.  The black witch moths come through this area in;  c                                                   a. April b. December c. July d. May

17.  The big dog day cicadas;  b                                                                                  a. were always here b. came with elms in the 1920’s c. came with mulberries in the 1950’s d. came with live oaks in the 1970’s

18.  A hundred years ago 40 species of birds nested here, now how many species have been recorded;  b                                                                                                             a. 20 species b. 80 species c. 50 species d. 30 species

19.  How many species of foxes live here;       c                                                                            a. 1 b. 7 c. 4 d. 2

20.  What are our native species of trees in Midland County;   a,b,c,d                                             a. juniper(cedar) b. soapberry c. hackberry d. shinnery

21.  Mesquite is the most common shrub here, and it;  c                                                             a. came with Spanish cows b. came with Spanish sheep c. has always been here        d.  was planted here by Indians for food

22.  Which of the following animals emigrated here in the last 40 years;      a,b,c,d             a. ringtail b. javelina c. mountain lion d. porcupine

23.  Which of the following birds emigrated here in the last 40 years; a,b,c                                    a. white-winged dove b. blue jay c. great-tailed grackles d. mockingbird

24.  Horny toads shoot blood from;     b                                                                                    a. their mouth b. right above their eyes c. their horns d. their eyes

25.  Which species of rattlesnake live in Midland County;   b,c,d                                              a. Mojave rattler b. Massassauga rattler c. diamondback rattler d. prairie rattler

                                               

            My role in life has been to help people learn about the local flora and fauna, and the local history and geography, as a propenent of place-based education. Knowing about one’s own bioregion is truly the deepest roots of patriotism.

Everyone should be intimately familiar with his or her environment. A person learns to be proud of their homeland by connecting with its history and the local natural world. We are a "LLANERO”, a citizen of our home ecoregion, the Llano Estacado. A Llanero is familiar with the stories, history, and folktales of the Llano Estacado, as well as the natural history. All regional residents should know what Indian tribes lived here, and how they lived, as part of knowing the ecological history of the area. A Llanero also knows the stories of the settlement by people of all cultures.

Can you name 200 species of local animals, insects, and plants? Can you name 50 geographical places within 100 miles? Can you write a full page on that many organisms? Can you tell the period in the "natural calendar" in which they are active? Can you tell how each interacts with others? Can you tell which habitat they prefer? I believe everyone should be able to do that, no matter where they live!