(Courtesy photo)
The South Padre Island Birding Nature Center and Alligator Sanctuary (SPIBNCAS) announced last week a new grant award of $10,000 from H-E-B Our Texas Our Future to create interactive touch tanks at the center for the enjoyment of adults and children alike.
The grant will partially fund South Texas Marine Life Exhibits, complete with new touch tanks for a fully interactive experience for 2024 visitors. The saltwater touch tanks will feature South Padre Island Marine Life and be curated for environmental learning. “We care about and conserve what we experience,” says SPIBNCAS Naturalist Javier Gonzales. That’s why an entire educational curriculum with the impact of plastics and pollution will be part of the touch tank exhibits.”
The SPIBNCAS serves more than 80,000 visitors annually and approximately 1,500 school students on field trips each academic year and summer. The number of students reached can expand with this funding and assist SPIBNC in partnering with schools to help students become informed citizen protectors and researchers, according to a SPIBNCAS press release.
The mission of the SPIBNCAS is to educate the public about the birds of South Padre Island and its environs: the flora, fauna, and natural environment of South Padre Island, the Laguna Madre Coastal area, with an emphasis on conservation and environmental awareness. The addition of touch tanks will enhance the SPIBNCAS’s educational offerings for visitors.
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