EDINBURG, Texas (Border Report) — Hidalgo County Judge Richard Cortez admitted that earlier than Friday he had by no means been to the Edinburg World Birding Center, which is situated at a well-liked municipal park close to the South Texas border with Mexico.
But hundreds of birders from exterior the area are very conversant in the place.
This realization has prompted him and different border officers to launch a partnership between native, state and nationwide parks and wildlife refuges to encourage extra native residents to get out and benefit from the beautiful nature that’s the Rio Grande Valley area.
It’s known as the Explore Hidalgo County initiative and the timing of this system was launched to coincide with Earth Day on Friday.
Cortez says the objective is to encourage native residents to uncover 9 nationally-recognized state and nationwide parks and wildlife refuges which can be situated in Hidalgo County. These areas have been drawing hundreds of tourists from throughout the nation and world for many years, however now he says it’s time for locals to benefit from what’s in their very own backyards.
“It’s an effort to really to try to continue to publicize the natural beauty that we have. I believe that our nature tourism has been an under-utilized industry and I felt that we really needed to jump-start it and to celebrate it and also use it as a teaching tool for our children. We want our child to be able to protect our environment,” Cortez advised Border Report on Friday.
Eco-tourism brings in $300 million yearly to Hidalgo County, however most of it’s from vacationers.
Cortez stated he believes that quantity may very well be doubled — to add $344 million extra yearly — if extra locals found all that Mother Nature presents on the South Texas border, after which they inform their family and friends.
“We want people from the outside to see it and we also want our people here to enjoy it,” he stated.
That contains Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, a 2,000-acre protect south of Alamo, Texas, that’s so well-known it has been exempt from border wall development by an act of Congress.
But Santa Ana Refuge Manager Imer de la Garza advised Border Report that these residing on the border don’t usually go to the park.
“We’re internationally known, nationally known, a lot of people in the birding community want to come down here to Santa Ana, it’s a very popular place. Lots of birds. I think it’s the local community that needs to know where we are and what we do and that’s where this partnership with Hidalgo County is wonderful and can get that word out to everyone here,” de la Garza stated.
“Everybody else knows about us except we don’t really know about us,” stated Roy Rodriguez of Bentsen State Park in Mission, Texas. “People are coming to our backyard and they have been for several years.”
The county has launched an internetweb site to promote the 9 places, which in addition to Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge and Bentsen State Park, additionally embody:
- Anzalduas Park
- McAllen Nature Center
- Quinta Mazatlan
- Sal de Rey
- Estero Llano Grande State Park
- Old Hidalgo Pumphouse Museum and World Birding Center
- The Edinburg Wetlands