Special to the PRESS
The South Padre Island Birding Nature Center and Alligator Sanctuary (SPIBNCAS) announced a new grant award of $12,000 from HEB Our Texas Our Future.
The grant is funding the environmental education program for field trips with local Title 1 schools serving students who are economically challenged, and might not have the opportunity to pay for field trips. The grant also includes some family vouchers for a limited number of families.
The focus of the grant is to help local students not only learn about and experience the treasure of the Rio Grande Valley’s unique coastal habitat, but also contribute to protecting and conserving it.
“We care about and conserve what we experience,” says SPIBNCAS Naturalist Educator, Javier Gonzalez.
According to SPIBNCAS, Gonzalez’s messages is exactly why a Texas Education Knowledge and Skills alignment to the field trips will be a critical part of the program.
SPIBNCAS serves more than 80,000 visitors annually and approximately 1,500 school students on field trips each academic year and summer, according to the center. 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.
The mission of SPIBNCAS is to educate the public about birds of South Padre Island and its environs: the flora, fauna and the natural environment of South Padre Island and the Laguna Madre Coastal area, with an emphasis on conservation and environmental awareness. SPIBNCAS is a nonprofit organization created by SPI’s Economic Development Corporation.
Over 200 different species of coastal and migratory birds are recorded at the center each year.
“Our habitats here along the shores of the Laguna Madre are critically important to thousands of migratory birds and they also host an incredible diversity of resident coastal wildlife. This special opportunity that HEB has granted us will help us educate our local youth about the amazing environment in their backyards. We are excited to inspire the next generation of scientists and conservation biologists during these upcoming field trips to our site,” said Gonzalez.
“We are extremely grateful to HEB for its continued partnership, particularly this year because this award serves students who would not normally be exposed to hands on environmental education,” said Cristin Howard-Enholm, SPIBNCAS Executive Director.
Those interested in learning more about SPIBNCAS can visit https://www.spibirding.com/ or follow it on Facebook and Instagram.
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