By ARABELLA SERRATA
Staff Writer
Recently, employees from the Port Isabel Starbucks helped the South Padre Island Birding Nature Center and Alligator Sanctuary [SPIBNCAS] prepare their gardens for Fall migration. The PRESS spoke with Sylvia Soliz, the Marketing Manager of SPIBNCAS.
Some volunteers assisted multiple times at the center during the past month. Kristin Holt, Jesse Rosenbaum, Ricky Arreola, Edith Carreto, Blanca Tabares and Sky Young assisted on Tuesday, July 23. Holt and Young returned for the following Wednesday, July 24. Michelle Pineda and Iliana Montelongo joined them.
Some volunteers helped with “Habitat Tuesday,” which consisted of habitat work such as pulling weeds and trimming branches.
“It was a lot of lugging, and raking, and bending, and pulling,” said Soliz.
She said the volunteers worked for three hours in the morning. Soilz refers to SPIBNCAS as a “living classroom” that needs to be constantly maintained for the best educational experience.
“Everything here is for the birds and the pollinators,” said Soliz.
The garden upkeep was done to ensure the birds had “new growth” waiting for them when they returned during fall migration.
“Every fall, mid-October through November, we get hundreds of birds that come from all over. As small as your pinkie finger to as big as a hawk,” said Soliz.
Soliz explained SPIBNCAS is the “premier stop” on SPI for birds on their Fall migration journey. She said the native plants found on SPI are “geared towards the birds,” making the Island an attractive stop for them.
“We also get pollinators, like the Monarch butterfly, and other butterflies,” said Soliz.
According to Soliz, SPIBNCAS provides a safe environment cultivated for migrating birds and other wildlife with their needs in mind. The center is fully committed to the animals that reside within it, temporarily or permanently.
SPIBNCAS does its best to cater to the animals that migrate there, and to the needs of the native animals that naturally thrive, according to Soliz.
Starbucks pursues sustainability and environmental initiatives according to its official website.
The company appears to have made multiple efforts to improve its environmental impact, including a reusable cup program currently being tested in select locations.
Anyone who wishes to volunteer is encouraged to visit SPIBNCAS’s website at https://www.spibirding.org/.
For more information, contact SPIBNCAS at (956) 761-6801 or email them at choward@spibirding.com. SPIBNCAS also has a Facebook, Instagram and X [formerly known as Twitter] account for continuous updates on the center and its activities.
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