Join us, from 9 am – 2 pm, Sunday, August 12, at the National Butterfly Center in Mission, Texas, for Reclaim the River, a free, family-friendly event to promote the enjoyment of the Rio Grande River, and educate the public about this remarkable natural resource.
Planned activities include sand sculpting by the award-winning artist, Sandyfeet of South Padre Island; Segway test drives by SegValley; guided nature hikes; angler education and fishing for youth; Project WILD Aquatic lessons; guerrilla gardening for pollinators; tug o’ war; a wildlife petting zoo; pet adoptions by Mission Pawsible; and a blessing of the river and the flotilla by Father Roy Snipes of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church. All boaters are welcome to join us, above Anzalduas Dam, upriver from Riverside Club, to receive this blessing.
All of these activities will take place on the center’s property south of the levee, where cyclists and joggers are welcome! Families are encouraged to bring their bikes, beach chairs and a picnic. Read more, here!
Texas Butterfly Festival Update
If you are planning to attend the 23rd Annual Texas Butterfly Festival, register soon. Three trips are SOLD OUT and our block of special-rate hotel rooms are disappearing fast. Unlike in recent drought years, exceptional rains throughout the Rio Grande Valley bode very well for this fall. In fact, the National Butterfly Center is bursting into bloom, as are spectacular sites for which we’ve scheduled tours.
And don’t forget the North American Butterfly Photo Contest, because your best shot could win the $500 ‘Grande’ Prize. The portal will open for contest submissions in a few weeks; so, grab your camera and get outdoors!
We can’t wait to receive you in Mission, Texas, where the butterflies are always wonderful and the camaraderie warm at the country’s very best place to enjoy an abundance of wild, free-flying butterflies across exceptionally diverse habitats during the peak of migration season.
Contracts for Phase 1 of Border Wall construction are expected to be awarded next month, in September, with land clearing and levee excavation to begin this winter. The mounded earthen levee will be replaced with an 18 foot-tall, vertical concrete slab with 20 – 30 foot-tall concrete-filled steel bollards on top. While all of this was made clear to us last August, when Chief Manuel Padilla of the Rio Grande Valley Sector visited in person, this information is now being disseminated and confirmed by Customs & Border Protection’s Office of Border Wall Management.
Thursday, Dr. Glassberg, president of the North American Butterfly Association and Marianna Trevino Wright, executive director of the National Butterfly Center, will attend a meeting with Loren Flossman, the Border Wall Program Manager for the Department of Homeland Security. Meanwhile, we await word on whether the district judge is going to grant the government’s request to summarily dismiss our lawsuit…
Bucket List Butterflying!
Often described as a ‘bucket list’ trip, the trek to Michoacan, Mexico, for the migration of the Monarchs is a magical experience! The National Butterfly Center is proud to sponsor its second trip for members and guests to witness this enchanting congregation overwintering in the oyamel fir forests at El Rosario Sanctuary and other preserves high in the mountains.
We racked up over 116 species and lots of precious memories last year, so REGISTER TODAY for 2018, and join us for this all-inclusive BUTTERFLY BONANZA!!!
