Bird guide publicly alleges deception

By ALEXANDREA BAILEY
editor@portisabelsouthpadre.com
A local bird guide says SPI Convention Center & Visitors Bureau Executive Director Blake Henry misled her into a business meeting where she was asked to publicly support the SPI Convention Center expansion, under the guise of a date.
According to Tiffany Kersten, the owner of Nature Ninja Birding Tours, which offers birding tours throughout the Rio Grande Valley, Henry was honest about his identity on his online dating profile, however, she says he was deceptive in his intentions behind the meeting.
Kersten alleges that, in June, she matched with Henry on Hinge, a popular dating app. On July 2, she went public with this encounter via her personal Facebook account, stating that the meeting occurred a few weeks before the post,
and adding that she was unaware of Henry’s position at the CVB before the meeting.

According to Kersten, she and Henry planned to meet for coffee in Harlingen, and it was only then that it was “very clear” that this was not a “date” as she had thought, but a business meeting.

Kersten alleges that by the end of the meeting, Henry offered her a consulting job regarding the expansion, asking for her assistance in developing an alternate plan. She alleges he asked her to speak publicly in favor of the expansion under a modified design. Kersten says she denied the request and advised Henry to hire someone whose expertise was in the field of native plants.

After the meeting, Kersten says Henry messaged her his cell phone number via Hinge. She says that she did not respond. Instead, the following day she acquired his business email and reached out, saying that she would be happy to go over the updated plan for the expansion, free of charge, to which he allegedly did not respond.

Kersten told the PRESS she believes Henry’s actions were “unethical” and that’s the reason she decided to go public with this story on Facebook. Her post sparked public outrage and commenters called for the media to be alerted.

“It’s not ethical from a personal standpoint, of me driving to Harlingen and being basically catfished,” Kersten told the PRESS. “I feel like he catfished me into a business meeting when I was looking for someone to share my life with. But the greater thing is that this is an authority figure in the community that’s supposed to be representing the good of the community.”

The press made multiple attempts to contact Henry regarding the validity of these claims. He asked the PRESS to send questions via email. The PRESS complied but had yet to receive a reply as of Thursday’s deadline.

The PRESS also reached out to City Manager Randy Smith to confirm whether or not Henry’s actions broke any city policy or standards, or if Henry’s position is under any sort of review regarding this incident. No response was received as of the time of publication.

For some background, the South Padre Island Convention Centre, located on the north end of the Island, was constructed in 1992 and designed by LMN Architects from Seattle, Washington. It sits on 30 acres of Cameron County Land, according to Myspi.org. Plans for the Convention Center Expansion Project (CCEP) were released last year and include, but are not limited to, a 380-seat, $22.5 million theatre, a ballroom and kitchen, new restrooms, and new boardrooms. The proposed expansion will increase the square footage of the facility to over 100,000 square-feet. The City of SPI estimates it will cost $105 million.

The Island claims its popularity amongst tourists, with five million visiting annually, and the economic dependence the city has on tourism, is the reason this expansion is such a priority. According to the CCEP, the Island has seen a significant growth in conferences over the years, and fears there is a huge risk in not going forth with the expansion, including a decrease in tourism and the local economy.

   In response to these plans, a Facebook group was created called, “Save the South Padre Island Convention Center Bird Habitat (SSPICCBH).” Conservationists have banded together within the group to preserve the bird habitat surrounding the center they call “crucial.” They say that plans for the expansion should consider the value of the center’s habitat to visitors and birds alike. The growth surrounding the center is included in the top two-dozen birding hotspots in the world, according to SSPICCBH. Conservationists explain that SPI is home to extremely heavy bird migration every fall and spring, and the growth surrounding the Convention Center is the densest and most developed on the Island, representing half its woodland habitat.

Members of SSPICCBH were extremely angered to see initial plans for the expansion illustrating the destruction of this habitat, and many voiced their complaints at City Hall. Henry has made verbal claims that the growth will be unaffected. SSPICCBH does not trust these verbal assurances and is pursuing a written promise and an altered plan.

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An updated conceptual plan for the expansion was provided to the PRESS by SPI City Secretary Nikki Soto. The updated plan reads, “Due to the construction of the convention center expansion and subsequent site improvements, some limited areas of existing landscape may be impacted. To mitigate this, enhanced landscape areas will be planned extensively through the site which expand and improve upon the existing landscape areas. Careful attention will be paid ensuring these proposed landscape massings contain high quality, native plant species optimally conducive to recreational birding and an ideal habitat for birds. All landscaping options are being reviewed to enhance our natural assets and make them more accessible for all. The circle located in front of the convention center will remain intact for our birding community, visitors and Island residents.”