Registration open for Texas Master Naturalist training program

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Published: Thursday, 24 October 2024 22:13

Registration is open to join the 2025 South Texas Border Chapter of the Texas Master Naturalist training class. Training will be in-person. Cameron, Hidalgo, and Starr County residents over the age of 18 and Winter Texans are welcome.

As a chapter of the Texas Master Naturalist Program, the group develops well-informed volunteers to educate, outreach, and serve in the beneficial management of natural resources and areas in the Rio Grande Valley. Texas Master Naturalist is a unique educational volunteer program sponsored by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, Texas Sea Grant Program, and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

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Local community will walk to help defeat ALS®

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Published: Thursday, 24 October 2024 22:06

On October 26, people living with ALS, family members, friends, caregivers, and others affected by ALS will gather at Bannworth Park Pavilion for the 2024 Walk to Defeat ALS Rio Grande Valley. ALS, often called Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease affecting nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. It gradually robs people of the ability to walk, move, talk, swallow, and eventually breathe. ALS has no known cause or cure, and the community is coming together to make ALS livable for everyone, everywhere.

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Texas’ Reigning Monarchs

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Published: Thursday, 24 October 2024 21:56

By: U.S. Senator John Cornyn

Monarch butterflies have captured the hearts of Texans for generations, from students in grade school classrooms growing them from caterpillars to full-grown adults to the Texas legislature designating the Monarch butterfly as our official state insect in 1995. What many Texans may not know is that these seemingly delicate creatures share our same grit and steadfast determination to survive.

Each year, Monarchs embark on a journey that spans thousands of miles, one of the most impressive migrations in the animal kingdom. This incredible voyage transcends borders, cultures, and time.

You may have spotted the Monarch migration, which can cover up to 3,000 miles from Canada to Mexico, passing through Texas. This 300-mile wide path stretches from Wichita Falls in the North to Eagle Pass in the South, making Texas a waypoint for these beautiful butterflies. During their migration, the Monarchs face numerous challenges, including extreme weather conditions, habitat loss, and a shrinking food supply, but in true Texas fashion, they face these challenges head—or antennae—first.

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Three ways to protect migratory birds this fall

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Published: Thursday, 24 October 2024 21:48

For Texans, saving millions of migratory birds could be as simple as flipping a switch.

Each year, nearly two billion birds migrate through the Lone Star State. Many of the migratory species use the night sky as a tool to navigate through the state and back to their homes and breeding grounds.

However, nighttime light pollution has become a growing challenge for many birds, leading to high rates of building strikes and migratory bird deaths. Lights Out, Texas! is an initiative focused on reducing bird losses to building strikes by enlisting the help of Texans.

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Welcome back to the RGV!

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Published: Friday, 18 October 2024 16:26

Hello and welcome back to South Texas and to the Rio Grande Valley! We are so excited that you have come back to visit us. And if you are new to the Valley – you are definitely in for a treat.

The Rio Grande Valley is a great place to be – we say and hear it every year from our Winter visitors and friends. Great weather, great people, and great friends.

I am looking forward to cooler temperatures – which haven’t quite made it this way yet, but it looks like we have some in the forecast. At least it isn’t crazy hot. This slightly cooler weather encourages us to be outdoors a bit more and gives us a chance to enjoy more of what the Valley has to offer. We always find that this time of year is just the right time for everyone to make their return to the Valley – those crazy hot temps have left, and y’all bring the cooler temps with you.

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