By Carina A. Brunson
Hello and welcome back to south Texas! We are so happy to see your smiling … eyes. We are so excited about what this year will bring, even if it will be a bit different. The Rio Grande Valley is such a great place to be. Great weather, great people, and great friends. I am with y’all, I would much rather be in Texas than shoveling snow up north.
For the past several months many have been uncertain about how the Corona Virus would impact the 2020-2021 Winter Texan season. Even before the season officially began, we have been noticing many sign of the beginning of a new season.
The Winter Texan Times has been hearing from our readers and followers for several weeks now. We have also been able to talk to many park managers and hear what is going on in their parks and the feedback they have been receiving from their residents.
The outlook for this season is positive.
Despite restrictions, most Winter Texans want to come back to the Valley this winter. We keep hearing ‘I would rather be quarantined in in the Valley where it is warm than in the snow.’
Read more: Winter Texan Season approaching, parks will be filled
The Winter Texan Times has been preparing for the 2020-2021 season and we are excited to see our Winter Texans returning. Our first issue will be published on October 21, and the deadline to submit items for this issue is Wednesday, October 14.
The Humane Society of Harlingen is reaching capacity and is in need of urgent adoptive or foster parents to make space for emergency intakes. Lifesaving is only made possible through collaborative efforts with the community.
Here is how you can help:
1. Adopt or Foster. All adoption fees for all animals will be completely waived and completed on a donation basis until further notice. There is never a fee to foster and, for a limited time, all animals are available for foster! We will even give you everything you need to get started with your new furry friend.
Read more: Humane Society of Harlingen in need of adoptive or foster parents
Teresa Stoffel, creator of Winter Texan Activities Group on Facebook hosted a meeting Saturday, September 19, with Winter Texan park activity directors, managers, and Wintertainers™. On the agenda were topics of sanitation measures; thinking outside the box for activities and Wintertainers™; what would be needed to implement new types of activities; and to develop a list of Wintertainers™ willing to fill in for those that might feel the need to cancel.
PIVOT was the big word of the meeting. Stoffel said this is a time that Wintertainers™ and activity directors need to pivot their thinking and start thinking outside of the box. Activities should still go on, and can, even though there are restrictions and precautions that need to be taken.
What a surprise! Say hello to the Gladys Porter Zoo’s new miracle baby…a baby gorilla! Penney, a 33-year-old female gorilla, to everyone's surprise, gave birth to a healthy baby on Thursday, August 20.
Night keepers at the Zoo were astonished to find Penney cradling a newborn in her arms as they were making their usual rounds on Thursday evening. Not only were the night keepers shocked but so was the entire Zoo staff, especially the Zoo’s medical team. This was totally unexpected.
“Years ago, when evaluating Penney for her lack of reproductive success, it was discovered that she had a tumor on her pituitary gland that, in turn, raised her prolactin levels, making it difficult for her to conceive. Thanks to a 45-day, targeted treatment, she was able to reproduce once after the tumor diagnosis was made,” said Gladys Porter Zoo Director, Dr. Patrick Burchfield.
Written by Susan Himes, Susan.Himes@ag.tamu.edu
The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service announced registration is open for the 2021 Birding the Border event.
The event will take place April 29 -May 2, starting with a kickoff social the evening of April 29 at Val Verde Winery.
Del Rio will host the event, which will feature birding trips to a mix of private, restricted-access and public lands in Kinney and Val Verde counties.
The cost of registration is $50 and includes seminars, which will be held April 30-May 1 at the Del Rio Civic Center and feature AgriLife Extension experts. There are also spouse-of-birder passes available to allow participants to bring a plus one to the seminars and social events. If you prefer to register by phone, call Teri Gaston at 830-278-9151 ext. 283.
Read more: Four-day birding event features photography-focused, beginner options
by Melinda Myers
As summer transitions into fall, it is time to help lawns recover from summer stress. Let the weather and the condition of your lawn help you develop a plan suited to your landscape.
Continue mowing actively growing lawns. Mow high, leaving cool season grasses like bluegrass and fescues at least 2 ½ preferably 3 ½ inches tall after cutting. Warm season grasses like bermudagrass, carpetgrass, centipedegrass and zoysia should be grown at 1 to 2 inches tall, while St. Augustine should a bit higher at 2 to 3 inches for best results. Taller grass is better able to compete with weeds, is more drought tolerant and less susceptible to insects and disease.
Check out what’s making a splash at the Gladys Porter Zoo these days . . . North American river otters! Tallulah and Imnaha will be making their public debut in their brand new exhibit on August 28th. Construction of their new habitat is expected to be completed this week and the Zoo’s staff can’t wait to see how much they love their new hangout.
Three year-olds Imnaha and Tallulah are sisters from the same litter. They were born at the Oakland Zoo in California. Just like humans, they have their own unique personalities – one is shy and one is a bit of a troublemaker. But together, they manage to get into all kinds of fun and mischief.
North American river otters are semi-aquatic mammals that spend most of their time in the water. They have thick, protective fur to help them keep warm while swimming in cold waters. They have short legs, webbed feet, and long, streamlined bodies for fast swimming. A powerful tail acts as a rudder and facilitates fast, agile turns.
Read more: Otters Will Be Making a Splash at the Gladys Porter Zoo
Colleen Curran Hook, Executive Director, Quinta Mazatlán
We’ve all heard of the mesquite tree in Texas –either sitting around a mesquite fire cooking fajitas or enjoying the shade of the beautiful tree. It has been dubbed the “Tree of Life” because of its ability to offer life-giving sustenance in harsh environments. The tree has an amazing history and provides native people, past and present, with the Big Five; food, fuel, fertilizer, furniture, and fence posts. Literally, every part of the tree is useful.
