Anyone who has visited Bentsen Rio Grande Park might be interested in the
following which I copied from a posting to CoBirds (similar to Tweeters but
in Colorado).

The habitat of Bentsen park and portions of the surrounding area and within
communities in the four counties of The Valley is going to be improved for
wildlife, particularly birds, in this project. The idea is to bring more
birders to the area, and these people seem to understand that birds are
critical to that effort.

Bentsen is indeed being closed to camping and RV use. Primitive camping is
gone now. The RVs that line the interior of the park will be gone this
coming summer. Work then will begin on habitat restoration, I was told.

Bentsen is a riparian area, evolving to depend on annual river flooding.
Since construction of the Falcon Dam, and because of a prolonged drought,
flooding is a thing of the past. The cedar elms and Mexican ash trees in the
park are dying, as is other kinds of vegetation, I was told. The plan is to
restore a flooding regime to the park and to rehabilitate vegetation. The
planners of this project believe that more and improved native habitat will
be good for birds.

Bentsen park now contains about 600 acres. The WBC plan is to create a
linked conversation management area of almost 1,500 acres. This will be
native and restored native habitat along the river, in and adjacent to the
present park. This land will include the park proper, the acreage on which
the WBC headquarters building will sit, and about 650 acres of adjacent U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service land presently not available to visitors. This
land will be maintained as natural habitat.

The headquarters building will be built on what is presently an onion field.
That site will be restored to native habitat, I was told.

Indeed, vehicular traffic in the park will be no more. Access will be
similar to what you find at Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge or, on a
smaller scale, High Island. You will park your car and walk into the park on
a series of trails. I was told that there will be 13 miles of trails. A tram
will offer park access for handicapped visitors or people who simply do not
care to walk. I have birded Bentsen, Santa Ana, and High Island. For access
and undisturbed birding, give me the latter two. The new Bentsen also will
offer bird feeding stations, water for birds, blinds for bird watchers and
photographers, and a hawk-watch tower.

An RV park is planned for land nearby. Also nearby will be a 100-acre park
planned by the North American Butterfly Association and a 243-acre relic
stand of native thorn scrub -- Chihuahua Woods -- owned by the Nature
Conservancy. The total project includes participation by communities in the
area, and that is said to include other habitat projects. The new Ilano
Grande State Park will open near Weslaco, and Brownsville also will get a
new state park, Resaca de la Palma, which will restore former river resacas
and riparian habitat.


Hugh Jennings
Bellevue, WA
hughbirder at aol.com