The winter birds are in town.
Come out to the Lamar Bruni Vergara Environmental Science Center at Laredo Community College on Saturday, Nov. 4 for an opportunity to see more than 20 bird species.
Nature lovers of all ages are invited to participate in the Early Bird Trail Walk at 9:15 a.m. at the LBVESC. Binoculars and bird guidebooks will be available.
Other activities on tap this Saturday include scheduled feeding times for the center’s turtles at 10 a.m., fish at 10:30 a.m. and the family of American alligators at 11 a.m.
LBVESC staff also will offer a formal tour of the facility starting at 11:15 a.m.
This fall, the science center has opened its doors to the public on the first Saturday of each month from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
“The LBVESC introduced Saturday hours to the public for the benefit of families and individuals who are unable to visit the center during the week,” LBVESC Director Tom Miller said.
The center also will conduct a sale of native plants that have been raised over the last three years by LCC students participating in a environmental entrepreneurship program.
The community is invited to purchase an array of native plants, including mountain laurels, ebonies, palo blancos, granjenos, anacuas, agaves, anacahuites and others. The prices for the plants range from $5 to $15. Proceeds benefit the science center.
“Planting native plants can help you save utility money and encourage our native wildlife to prosper,” Miller said.
Located on the north side of the main campus, the environmental science center is open for self-guided eco tours of the center’s living laboratory, which features more than 100 creatures native to the river and the region.
The center features hands-on demonstrations, water areas for live specimens native to the Rio Grande ecosystem, growing areas for native vegetation, wildlife diorama displays, a wetlands demonstration project and the adjacent Paso del Indio Nature Trail, located along the Rio Grande river banks.
The center houses rare fish, snakes, ducks, tortoises and the nearly extinct horny toad, as well as a fox, raccoon, and bobcat.
The LBVESC’s star attraction is the family of American alligators.
Admission to the center is $4 per adult and $2 per child, ages 4 to 18, and senior adults. Admission is free with a valid LCC or TAMIU student ID card.
For more information, call the LBVESC at 764-5701.
Office of Marketing and Public Information
West End Washington St.
Laredo, TX 78040-4395
956- 721-5140
Fax 956-721-5443