Harlingen is a city in Cameron County in the central region of the Rio Grande Valley of the southern part of the U.S. state of Texas, about 30 miles (48 km) from the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. The city covers more than 40 square miles (104 km2) and is the second-largest city in Cameron County, as well as the fourth-largest in the Rio Grande Valley. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 64,849, for a growth rate of 12.5% since the 2000 census.
Brownsville is a city in Cameron County in the U.S. state of Texas. It is located on the western Gulf Coast in South Texas, adjacent to the border with Matamoros, Mexico. The city covers 81.528 square miles (211.157 km2) and has a population of 183,392 as of 2018. It is the 131st-largest city in the United States and 16th-largest in Texas. It is part of the Brownsville–Matamoros conurbation. The city is known for its year-round subtropical climate, deep-water seaport and Hispanic culture.
Edinburg is a city in and the county seat of Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. The population was 74,569 as of the 2010 census, and in 2018 the estimated population was 98,665.
Weslaco is a city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. As of the 2010 census the population was 35,670, and in 2018 the estimated population was 41,171. It is located at the southern tip of Texas in the Rio Grande Valley near the Mexican border, across the Rio Grande from the city of Nuevo Progreso, Rio Bravo, Tamaulipas.
For the Texas State Park see Big Bend Ranch State Park.
The Rio Grande Valley is a transborder socio-cultural region located in a floodplain draining into the Rio Grande river near its mouth. The region includes the southernmost tip of South Texas and a portion of northern Tamaulipas, Mexico. It consists of the Brownsville, Harlingen, Weslaco, Pharr, McAllen, Edinburg, Mission, San Juan, and Rio Grande City metropolitan areas in the United States and the Matamoros, Río Bravo, and Reynosa metropolitan areas in Mexico. These cities are surrounded by many small neighborhoods or colonias. The area is generally bilingual in English and Spanish with a fair amount of Spanglish due to the diverse history of the region. There is a large seasonal influx of winter Texans or Texans who come down from the north for the winter and then go back up north before summer hits.
Royal Botanical Gardens (RBG) is headquartered in Burlington and also owns extensive natural areas and gardens lands in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. It is one of the major tourist attractions between Niagara Falls and Toronto, as well as a significant local and regional horticultural, education, conservation, and scientific resource. On 31 July 2006, Royal Botanical Gardens was selected as the National Focal Point for the Global strategy for plant conservation (GSPC) by Environment Canada.
Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center and Botanical Gardens is a nonprofit nature center with botanical gardens on the grounds of the Chihuahuan Desert Research Institute, the parent organization. It is located off Texas State Highway 118 about 4 miles (6.4 km) south of Fort Davis, Texas, United States. The Center is open Monday through Saturday, except major holidays. An admission fee is charged.
The Rio Grande Valley State Park (RGVSP) is a park located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, established in 1983. Although officially named "State Park" this open space is actually managed by various local, state and federal agencies, as well as other organizations.
The Rio Grande Nature Center State Park is a New Mexico State Park located adjacent to the Rio Grande in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA. The Rio Grande Nature Center is a 38-acre urban wildlife preserve established in 1982. About two thirds of the grounds of the Park are set aside as habitat for wildlife. The remaining acreage contains a visitors center, two gardens, several wildlife viewing areas, an education building and a building housing the non-profit Wildlife Rescue, Inc. There are four constructed ponds which provide habitat for birds and other wildlife and which mimic wetland features of the historical flood plain of the Rio Grande.
The World Birding Center is the official title given to a combined nine parks and nature preserves in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas managed by a partnership of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, and the local communities in which the parks reside. The stated mission of the World Birding Center is to “protect native habitat while increasing the understanding and appreciation of the birds and wildlife,” with an additional emphasis on promoting local economic development through ecotourism.
The Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge is a 90,788-acre (367.41 km2) National Wildlife Refuge located in the Lower Rio Grande Valley region of southern Texas.
The Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail is a state-designated system of trails, bird sanctuaries, and nature preserves along the entire length of the Texas Gulf Coast in the United States. As the state of Texas hosts more bird species than any other state in the U.S. the trail system offers some of the most unusual opportunities for bird-watching in the world. The "trail" is actually 43 separate hiking and driving trails that include 308 birding sites. The sites themselves feature a variety of viewing opportunities with boardwalks, observation decks, and other amenities. The trails boast more than 450 bird species. The trail system is managed by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department as part of the Great Texas Wildlife Trails which also include the Heart of Texas Wildlife Trail, the Panhandle Plains Wildlife Trail, and the Prairies and Pineywoods Wildlife Trail.
Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park is located at 2800 S. Bentsen Palm Drive south of the city of Mission in Hidalgo County in the U.S. state of Texas. It serves as the headquarters for the World Birding Center.
Cromwell Valley Park is a public park just to the north of Baltimore City. The park initially opened in 1993, on 426 acres (172 ha) of rural farm land. It is primarily open fields, woods, cultivated gardens and orchards. The varied terrain provides an excellent habitat for local wildlife, particularly birds of prey which feed on large populations of mice, rabbits and other small mammals. Healthy populations of white-tailed deer, red fox and local songbirds can also be found throughout the park. Several miles of trails traverse the park making it popular among local hikers, birdwatchers and photographers.
Founded in 1967, the Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary is located in McKinney, Texas, United States. With a 289-acre wildlife sanctuary, five miles of hiking trails, about fifty acres of wetlands, a two-acre native plant garden, a butterfly house, live animals, indoor and outdoor exhibits, the Heard welcomes over 100,000 visitors annually. The Heard is one of the most important attractions in the City of McKinney.
Resaca de la Palma State Park is one of three state parks belonging to the World Birding Center and managed by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. At 1,200 acres, Resaca de la Palma State Park is the largest of the World Birding Center sites and is located in Brownsville. The property was acquired by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department in 1977 and was opened to the public in December 2008. A resaca is a type of oxbow lake that can be found in Texas, and is a former channels of the Rio Grande. It is naturally cut off from the river, having no inlet or outlet.
Churchville Nature Center is a facility of the Bucks County, Pennsylvania Department of Parks and Recreation and is located in Churchville, Pennsylvania. The center focuses on environmental education, public outreach and the preservation of native wildlife through its wide range of programs, projects and surveys. The nature center offers educational programing year round through its Environmental Education and Lenape Village departments. The center features a native butterfly house and covers 55 acres of wildlife preserve.
Texan by Nature, originally formed in 2011 as Taking Care of Texas, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit focusing on uniting business and conservation. Texan by Nature is headquartered at 3500 Jefferson St, Suite 301, Austin, Texas.
The National Butterfly Center is a private nature preserve which serves as an outdoor butterfly conservatory. It is located adjacent to Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park, near the city of Mission in Hidalgo County in the U.S. state of Texas.
