Edinburg Scenic Wetlands homepage

Facility Progress

Edinburg Scenic Wetlands

Facilty Progress

In March of 2008, EWBC celebrated its 5th Anniversary. It has been an exciting five years for us, with many successes and growth spurts. Since our inception, we have seen over 80,000 visitors to our facility. Visitors include birders from around the US, Canada, Europe and Asia; recreationalist from all around Texas and Mexico; butterfly and dragonfly enthusiast; school groups; and local RGV families.

While here, many of these visitors explore our grounds looking at native wildlife and plants. Some site favorites include the Green Kingfisher, the Least Grebe, Buff-bellied Hummingbird, the Diamondback Water Snake, the Western Pygmy Blue, Turk’s Cap and other unique organisms. In addition, many visitors participate in our diverse array of programs. In fact, over 50% of our visitors are youth involved in activities such as the 5th grade wetlands program, the RGV Coastal Expo, Summer Camps and Nature Field Trips. For many youth, their visit is a first-of-its-kind nature experience, one we hope to build on over the years.

Beyond our programming, EWBC is constantly improving its grounds for both wildlife and visitors. Since 2003, we have:

• added the Discovery pond (a water feature using recycling potable water)
• improved circulation in the Dragonfly pond
• added four water features in the garden
• expanded the diversity of our cactus garden along a new trail
• added additional native planting throughout the garden for birds and butterflies
• are in the process of establishing native grass/wildflower meadow outdoor classroom, complete with a Pergola
• working with the Edinburg Community to establish a "Community Garden"
• working with the City of Edinburg to renovate our bank shore to proved better habitat for migrating shorebirds

Of course, we could not do all this without great staff and a wonderful volunteer force. Over the last five years, we have grown from a staff of five to a staff of eleven. In 2008, our volunteer numbers were well over 400 for events, activities, and program preparation. There is much more to do, and with your support and active participate in our site and at the other World Birding Center sites, we hope to do more!