Frontera Audubon is a natural urban jewel tucked in the South Texas town of Weslaco, five miles from the Rio Grande and Mexico. Our 15 acre site offers opportunities for birders and all those interested in the wonders of nature and biodiversity. In addition to our Visitors’ Center with Gift Shop and Meeting Room, Frontera is working to renovate a large Mediterranean-style home on the property for future use as a community meeting/gathering place.
Hours:
Tuesday – Saturday 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Sunday 12 noon – 4 p.m.
Closed Mondays
Address: 1101 South Texas Blvd. Weslaco, TX 78596
Phone: (956) 968-3275
Volunteerism at Frontera.Volunteers are treasured at Frontera Audubon as we strive to maintain an educational and inspiring natural environment and Visitors’ Center with limited funding. Opportunities for those seeking to give back and participate in creating a sustainable Frontera include: participation in a training session which includes learning the keypoints of the Thicket and then leading small group tours, assisting in grounds clean-up, providing staff support in the Center, working in our gift shop, distributing fliers and program information in the community, and the perpetual task of cleaning and refilling bird feeders! There truly is something for everybody. And there is always the opportunity to chat with the birders, the butterflies, and the nature enthusiasts who gather at this special spot in the mid-Valley.
Our history includes the help of many devoted volunteers who find a few hours each week to “schedule Frontera.” We appreciate every one of them! If you are interested in joining this group please contact the Frontera Audubon offices at (956) 968-3275.
Stop by and enjoy this small patch of urban habitat with its own unique ecosystem. And if you have more time, talk to us about volunteering. The paybacks are enormous, and the wildlife is waiting for you.
Chachalaca in the Thicket. Photo by M. Delesantro.
Most often, the hummers are in abundance. Photo by M. Delesantro.
A LITTLE MORE HISTORY ….
We are about the environment! Frontera Audubon has a 35 year history molded by the times, molded by a changing political environment and molded by a changing physical environment.
We are about conservation! Frontera Audubon has hatched innovative region-wide conservation and education efforts including The Wildlife Corridor Task Force, the Valley Nature Center, the Valley Land Fund, the Tram educational tours at Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge and the Rare Bird Alert. The Frontera mission is to “preserve the environments of the Rio Grande Valley.”
Well before establishing a formal home, Frontera was active in working on environmental causes. Then, in 1992, Frontera began efforts to build its own “nest” with the acquisition of 15 acres of native habitat, old orchard, and one historical landmark. The property was donated to Frontera Audubon by the Skaggs family of Weslaco, who came to Weslaco in 1923 and built the masonry house designed by architect R. Newell Waters in 1927. It was designated a historical landmark in 1993 by the Hidalgo County Historical Commission. Plans for the home restoration have changed over the years with the original intent to utilize the upstairs of the house as Frontera Audubon Society’s main offices and the downstairs as an interpretative history museum. Today, Frontera’s offices and visitors’ center are housed in a new building erected on the site of the Skagg’s garage, and the original home is vacant. A Frontera committee, the Skaggs Property Development Committee, is in place to consider options for the historic home and surrounding landscape.
The total Audubon complex consists of 2.5 acres of organic citrus orchard dating to the late 1920’s and assorted native/non-native landscaping around the visitors’ center and historic home. In addition, there are approximately 3.5 acres of wetlands; and 9 acres of secondary growth. This area is known as the Thicket, and it is beloved by nature enthusiasts.
Hello,
My name is Peter Darling. I live just outside Portland, Maine. I’m coming to southern Texas for work but will have some time off. I’d like to see as much of the birds, butterflies, plants and animals of the area as I can in my limited time there. Here is my schedule:
Tues, Mar 15, Fly into Austin and drive to Corpus Christi
Wed, Mar16, Bird Corpus Christi then drive to Weslaco
Thurs to Sat, Mar 17-19, Bird the Weslaco to Brownsville area
Sun, Mar 20, Bird and drive to Austin
Mon, Mar 21, Drive to Dallas to pick up co-worker
Tues to Thurs, Mar 22-31, Working in Plano during the week but able to bird early mornings and later in the evenings. Will also have the weekend free
Fri, April 1, Drive to Austin
Sat & Sun, April 2-3, Bird Austin
Mon & Tues, April 4-5, Working but able to bird early mornings and later in the evenings
Wed, April 6 Early morning flight home.
I use ‘bird’ above to mean any kind of outdoor wildlife viewing. I am very fortunate to be able to travel for work. I have met some wonderful birders – Ric in Muskegon, Michigan, Carolyn in Houston and Craig, Dan and the whole Sacramento Audubon trip folks on the Sierra hike. I would be happy to forward any of them as references.
If you have some time and would like to show me some of your favorite hot spots or know of someone else or a group or trip that would be good for someone from away, as we say here in Maine, I’d be very grateful. My number is 207-899-7173 for phone or text and my email is pdar2@yahoo.com.
Thank you very much,
-Pete