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Recreation
Eco-Tourists Flock to Rio Grande Valley for Its Bounty of Tropical Plants and Wildlife
McAllen is the center of the Rio Grande Valley, an area known as “The Texas Tropics” for its abundance and variety of plant and animal life. In addition, McAllen’s thousands of palm trees have earned it the title “City of Palms.”
Along with multitudes of birds and butterflies‚ more than 125‚000 eco-tourists annually migrate in and out of the Rio Grande Valley‚ an area known as “The Texas Tropics.”
With nine branches composing the World Birding Center‚ nature festivals‚ museums and parks‚ the region is nearly as rich with opportunities to appreciate its natural offerings as the variety of flora and fauna itself.
“Eco-tourism is a healthy way to enjoy our natural treasures without stressing the land. So it’s a win-win‚” says Colleen Curran Hook‚ manager of the McAllen branch of the World Birding Center‚ located at the historic Quinta Mazatlan.
Martin Hagne‚ executive director of Valley Nature Center in nearby Weslaco‚ says the 6-acre park attracts two types of visitors – eco-tourists and families.
“Our visitors come from all over the world to enjoy our natural resources‚” Hagne says. “But we also get a lot of families and school field trips that come to learn about nature‚ like our birds‚ butterflies and all the species of plants and animals you can find here.”
The Valley is home to hundreds of species of wildlife‚ including endangered large cats like the jaguarondi and ocelot‚ and birds such as the green jay and red-crowned parrot. In addition‚ veteran birders consider the Valley to be the most desirable of all U.S. destinations because of the more than 500 bird species that migrate through and live here permanently.
The McAllen International Birding Festival‚ held each spring‚ highlights the biodiversity of the area with guided field trips to experience plants and animals found nowhere else in the country. Other locations to enjoy nature include the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge‚ Bentsen-Rio Grande State Park‚ Frontera Audubon Thicket‚ Edinburg Scenic Wetlands and the North American Butterfly Association’s Butterfly Park.
The Santa Ana Refuge is open daily from dawn to dusk and offers 12 miles of trails and photography blinds.
Located along the Rio Grande‚ just southwest of Mission‚ Bentsen-Rio Grande State Park offers visitors native wetlands‚ dry chaparral‚ shady trails and bird-watching.
Quinta Mazatlan is considered a backyard habitat among the World Birding Center locations. The historic and beautiful 8-acre estate is one of the largest remaining hacienda adobe homes in Texas. Built in the 1930s‚ it is nestled in a backdrop of lush green vegetation.
Curran Hook says area residents don’t need to live on a ranch or estate property to experience their own backyard refuge‚ and families may learn how to create just that at the annual Hummingbird Days event in April.
“Families learn simple and inexpensive projects that can enhance their own backyards to attract and support our local specialties and migrating birds‚” Curran Hook says.
Story by Julia Benitez Sullivan
Photo by Wes Aldridge
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