Nature Speaker Series
The winter to spring speaker series is in partnership with the McAllen Chamber of Commerce and Texas Nature and Environmental Photographers (TexNEP).
We'd like to thank our sponsor, Thurmond Eye Associates, for supporting environmental education!
Enjoy a variety of speakers on Thursday evenings covering everything from birds and butterflies to culture and art of the Rio Grande Valley.
Schedule & Fees | Date: | Thursday Evenings (October through April) |
| Time: | 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm |
| Fee: | Included in General Admission
$1.00 Seniors (65+) $2.00 Adults |
October
7th Cook Local! Drink Local! with Chef James
Esteemed chef from Alhambre, cooking with locally grown ingredients-come have a taste of the valley’s best food and wine!
14th “A River Runs Through It” Life along the Rio Grande River
By Andrew Sansom, Director of River Systems Institute, Austin, Texas
21st “Long Road to Recovery-Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle is Back”
By Pat Burchfield, Director of Gladys Porter Zoo
28th “Butterflies…Here Today, Gone Tomorrow?”
By Bryan E. Reynolds, Founder of “Butterflies of the World Foundation” out of Lexington, OK
November
4th “Live Birds of Prey Show-The Raptor Project”
By Jonathan Wood, Master Falconer and Wildlife Rehabilitator
11th “Birding Adventures in Australia”
By James Currie, native of South Africa, TV Personality for Nikon’s Birding Adventures, masters degree in Sustainable Environmental Mgmt.
18th “Wildscaping Your Backyard”
By Allen Williams famous for his native landscaping company and own backyard that attracted the very secretive Blue Mockingbird!
December
2nd “Secrets of the Chaparral” Release of New Video on Native Plants
By Richard Moore, outdoor reporter. Art Gallery opening by Daniel Adams, watercolor exhibit on native valley trees.
9th “Collected Tales from the Rio Grande”
By authors from the Rio Grande Valley Storytellers plus book signing
16th “A Magical Mesquite Holiday”
By staff at Quinta Mazatlan! Taste-test foods made with mesquite and other local plants plus create mesquite craft projects for that special gift!
January 2011
6th “Roses in a Butterfly Nature Lover’s Garden”
By Jennifer Wilson, owner of Wild August Nursery, Harlingen
13th “Exploring the Edges of Texas” Book on traveling the 4,000 mile border
By authors Walt & Isabel Davis, botanist and bird lady from Dallas
20th “Snakes of Texas”
By Frederic Zaidan III, M.S., Ph. D, Professor of Physiological Ecology and Herpetology, UTPA
27th “How to Raise a Monarch Butterfly” New Book Release
By author Mary Thorne. It’s simple to create a home for butterflies!
February
3rd “Birds in your Backyard: How to Identify and Attract Them”
By Cliff Shackelford, Nongame Ornithologist for Texas Parks & Wildlife, Austin
10th Speaker to Come
17th “Organic Vegetable Gardening in Your Backyard-from Patio to Raised Beds”
By Ouina Rutledge, Office for Sustainability, University of Texas Pan American
24th “Drawing in the Courtyard” with Sketch Artist Grover T. Beaman
You’re invited to draw with a professional sketch artist-tools supplied.
March
3rd Speaker to Come
17th “Native Plant Talk & Sale on St. Patrick’s Day” Go Green!
By Michael L. Heep, native plant nurseryman and UTPA Instructor
31st “Nature’s Sponge Painting in the Courtyard”
Create a sponge painting with Dina Saldana, professional artist from SPI
April
7th “Feathered Dinosaurs & Other New Discoveries”
By “Dinosaur George” Blasing, writer, paleontologist, TV personality with shows on the History Channel
14th “An Effort to Restore a Grassland Species-the Aplomado Falcon”
By Paul Juergens, Biologist for the Peregrine Fund in Idaho
21st Speaker to Come
28th Speaker to Come