2023 - Aransas Pathways

NEWS RELEASE: Aransas Pathways Volunteer Training Day

We are so thankful for our Volunteers! Come hep us restore our Aransas County Pathways. Bring your garden gloves, wear good shoes and work clothes. Aransas Pathways invite you to help restore our natural gardens. When: November 2, 2023 from 9am to 10:30 am. Where: Tule East Demo Garden (across the Street from Walmart) – 2010 Tule Park Dr.

BIRDING WITH BOB in October 2023

Friday, October 20, 20238:30 to 11:00 a.m. Meet at the parking lot behind the “Rockport Beach” sign, just before entering Rockport Beach Park, 210 Seabreeze Drive, Rockport, TX 78382 Celebrate the birds of the Rockport area! Join volunteer (and retired park ranger and bird guide) Bob Showler to look for birds at Aransas Pathways sites and other points of interest. Be prepared to drive your own car up to 20 miles round-trip and bring water, sun & insect protection, and binoculars (if you have them; loaner binoculars also available). We may be walking up to 1/4 mile at certain stops. Beginning birders welcome!! Access to most sites is free, but there is a $10 fee to enter Rockport Beach Park (free to annual passholders; visit Rockport Beach (rockportbeach-texas.com) for more information on purchasing an annual pass). Contact Jennifer Heard jheard@aransascounty.org 361-556-5308

Volunteer Day at Castro Nature Sanctuary

Volunteer Day at Castro tomorrow 5/10/2023 and Thursday 5/11/2023 9:30-11:30 planting day. Thank you. Linda S. Castro Nature Sanctuary 4140 Hwy 35 N., Rockport, TX 78382 (map below)

Coffee with Connie

Aransas Pathways Birding Connie Hagar Cottage Sanctuary Please join us for “Coffee with Connie” on May 13th, 9:30 am to 11:30 am. Location: Connie Hagar Cottage Sanctuary, 1401-1499 S. Church St., Rockport, TX 78382 (see map) Folks will be on hand to answer plant questions or provide information about the Sanctuary.

Our Heritage: Ranching & Farming

An opening you will not want to miss! Bluegrass music, Dutch oven demonstrations, branding and more! Printable Flyer Dutch-oven cooking by Edwin Quintero and Sara Rock from TPWD – Goose Island State ParkWatch as local brands are burned into commemorative tiles. Waymon & Brenda Williams, will tell stories and play bluegrass. At the C801 E. Cedar St.Rockport, TX 78382

Simon Michael Gallery

510 E. King St., Rockport, TX 78382 (see map) Though the Simon Michael Gallery at 510 E. King Street is no longer active, its legacy looms large in the Rockport art scene. Simon Michael moved to Rockport in 1948 and began teaching art at a time when formal art instruction was rare in small-town Texas. His efforts gave rise to what became known as the Rockport Art Colony, laying the groundwork for what is now the Rockport Center for the Arts. Michael’s former studio has been honored with a Texas Historical Marker, recognizing his impact on both Rockport and the broader Texas art community. Known for his dedication to teaching and promoting the Gulf Coast aesthetic, Michael attracted students from across the state—some of whom, like Dalhart Windberg, went on to become celebrated artists themselves. The spirit of his gallery lives on through Rockport’s thriving arts culture, and his influence is still felt in the community’s ongoing support for artists and the arts.

Lamar Burton Wetlands Sanctuary

28.149858 -97.001094 (see map) partially Through a generous donation Aransas First is preserving and creating public access to 105 acres of wetlands in the critical Lamar Peninsula, the winter home of the endangered whooping cranes. It will have dirt or grass trails or open ground to walk on for visitors but parking area is ADA and is a great birding site We will formally open it with kiosks and signage after kiosks are built in May. We are waiting for whooping cranes to leave.

Bent Oaks Rookery Park

1902 E. Maple St, Rockport, TX 78382 or 1401 Broadway St, Rockport, TX 78382 (see map) Bent Oaks Rookery Park is a 8.856-acre piece of land located across from Little Bay, bordered by Broadway, Business Highway 35, and Maple Street, was purchased by the city in January 2016 for $2.995 million using tax and revenue certificates of obligation. A 14-space parking lot was installed about one month before Hurricane Harvey. The nearly nine-acre piece of property includes large windswept oaks and an active, federally protected Great Blue Heron and Great Egret rookery. The city bought the property to preserve the trees and rookery.