Earth Day Project at Linda S. Castro Nature Sanctuary this Saturday!
We invite you to join Texas State University Wildlife Society for our Earth Day Project Saturday, April 10, 2021 from 9 am to 1 pm at Linda S. Castro Nature Sanctuary 4041 TX 35 Rockport Texas 78382. In celebration of Earth Day we will be adding mulch to the pathways and garden areas. Bring your gardening gloves, water, masks and favorite gardening tool. What better way to give back to your community while being outdoors and celebrating Earth Day! If you would like to volunteer at one of the Aransas Pathways contact Deanna Spruce pio@aransascounty.org or call 361-790-9496. Mark your calendars for future clean up dates at Connie Hagar Cottage Sanctuary 8 am to 10 am, April 24, 2021; May 15, 2021; June 19, 2021, July 17, 221, August 21, 2021. Thank you! View the Aransas Pathways map at: https://bit.ly/PathwaysMap
Earth Day Project at Connie Hagar Cottage Sanctuary Coming Soon!
Aransas Pathways “March Mulch Madness” was a wonderful success at Connie Hagar Cottage Sanctuary. Thank you Volunteers and Quirky Birds Coffee for helping with “March Mulch Madness” at Aransas Pathways Gardens. We invite you to join us for the next Earth Day Project Saturday, April 24, 2021 from 8 am to 10 am at Connie Hagar Cottage Sanctuary at 1401 S. Church St. In celebration of Earth Day we will be planting native plants in the mulched pathways and garden areas. Bring your gardening gloves, water, masks and favorite gardening tool. What better way to give back to your community while being outdoors and celebrating Earth Day! If you would like to volunteer at one of the Aransas Pathways contact Deanna Spruce pio@aransascounty.org or call 361-790-9496. We need your help at Connie Hagar. Come join us April 24, 2021 at Connie Hagar Cottage Sanctuary 8 am to 10 am. Mark your calendars for future clean up dates at Connie Hagar Cottage Sanctuary 8 am to 10 am, April 24, 2021; May 15, 2021; June 19, 2021, July 17, 221, August 21, 2021.Thank you! View the Aransas Pathways map at: https://bit.ly/PathwaysMap
“Mulch Madness” at Aransas Pathways Gardens
Volunteers Needed for March 20, 2021 Aransas Pathways invite you to help restore our natural gardens at Connie Hagar Cottage Sanctuary at 1401 S. Church St. on Saturday, March 20, 2021 from 8 am to 10 am. We will be adding mulch to the pathways and garden areas. Bring your gardening gloves, water, masks and favorite gardening tool. What better way to give back to your community while being outdoors and social distancing! If you would like to volunteer at one of the Aransas Pathways contact Deanna Spruce pio@aransascounty.org or call 361-790-9496. We need your help at Connie Hagar. Come join us March 20, 2021 at Connie Hagar Cottage Sanctuary 8 am to 10 am. Mark your calendars for future clean up dates at Connie Hagar Cottage Sanctuary 8 am to 10 am, April 17, 2021; May 15, 2021; June 19, 2021, July 17, 221, August 21, 2021. Thank you! View the Aransas Pathways map. Printable version of the flyer – Mulch Madness 03-20-2021
Help Restore Aransas County Pathways Gardens
Help Restore Aransas County Pathways Gardens Volunteers Needed for February 20, 2021 Printable Flyer for Feb. 20, 2021 Aransas County Pathways invites you to help restore our natural gardens at Connie Hagar Cottage Sanctuary at 1401 S. Church St. on Saturday, February 20, 2021 from 8 am to 10 am. Bring your gardening gloves, water, masks and favorite gardening tool. What better way to give back to your community while being outdoors and social distancing! If you would like to volunteer at one of the Aransas Pathways contact Deanna Spruce pio@aransascounty.org or call 361-790-9496. We need your help at Connie Hagar. Come join us February 20, 2021 at Connie Hagar Cottage Sanctuary 8 am to 10 am. Mark your calendars for future clean up dates at Connie Hagar Cottage Sanctuary 8 am to 10 am, March 20, 2021; April 17, 2021; May 15, 2021; June 19, 2021, July 17, 221, August 21, 2021. Thank you! View the Aransas Pathways map at: https://aransaspathways.com/wp-content/uploads/Aransas-Pathways-map-for-web-2020.pdf
Volunteers Needed November 20-21, 2020 to Help Restore Aransas Pathways Gardens
Aransas Pathways and Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi Sea Grant Program invite you to help restore our natural gardens at Linda Castro Bird and Nature Venue at 4041 TX-35 Rockport, TX. We also invite you to Connie Hagar Cottage Sanctuary at 1401 S Church St. What better way to give back to your community while being outdoors and social distancing! Bring your gardening gloves, water, mask and favorite gardening tool. If you would like to volunteer at one of the Aransas Pathways contact Deanna Spruce pio@aransascounty.org or call 361-790-9496. The weather is great now, and we need help at these places:
Coastal Holiday Event, Sat. Nov. 14, 10 AM at the History Center
You’re invited to join the party at the History Center to unveil signage for our garden exhibit and view the coastal holiday display inside. The fun begins Sat. Nov. 14 at 10 AM with coffee & donuts and brief comments about the historic foundations on display in the garden. Events will be held outdoors, weather permitting. We are proud to announce the opening of our coastal holiday exhibit, “Holiday Fare … Brought to You by Land, Sea, and Air”. The holiday celebration will include thematic trees echoing our current exhibit, “Sails, Trails, Rails and Wings.” Of course, we will not forget Santa … a special room will be dedicated to a collection of Old World Santas. The signage in the garden will relate stories about historic foundations from around the county – Bunker house shellcrete wall from Lamar, ledge from Rocky Point, shellcrete from a Brundrett home on Allen, and geodetic marker from the corner of Concho and Church Streets. Items in the exhibit were donated by the McLallens, the Floyds, the Navigation District, Patty Dunn and Janet Taylor. Funding for the project came from the Castaways Thrift Shop. Friends of the History Center would also like to thank the 2020 business members for their support: Farmers Insurance Greg Yarbrough, Barbara Daniels CPA, TWFG (Melaine Head), Prosperity Bank, Frame of Mine (Harriet McCarty), and GSM Insurors. The History Center at 801 E. Cedar St. is open Mon. & Fri. 10 AM-2 PM and Sat. & Sun. 1-4 PM. Learn more about Aransas County history by exploring the website www.thehistorycenterforaransascounty.org or call 361 727-9214.
BIG SIT – a big success at Connie Hagar Cottage Sanctuary
The “Big Sit” is an event held every year and sponsored by Texas Parks and Wildlife to promote birding and to record bird species in locations across the state. It is celebrated as the Great Texas Birding Classic. The Friends of Connie Hagar sponsored a team to honor the late Connie Hagar – the 1st lady of Texas birders. The team was headed up by Rockport’s Susan Foster. Due to COVID restrictions the number of participants was very limited. The total number of participants was nine. Birders gathered from 6 am to 6pm at the Connie Hagar Cottage Sanctuary and they were required to sit within a 50 foot circle. From the circle at the Sanctuary site with binoculars, they could observe birds on the bay at Water St., in the prairie on the south and east part of the property and in the brush and oaks on the west side. A total of sixty species were observed including Sandhill Cranes, migrating Franklin Gulls and several species of Hawks. Team members reported sightings to Susan Foster who kept track of the species observed on the ebird app and then sent the results sent to Texas Parks and Wildlife. This is a way to continue the collection of data on migrating birds as Connie Hagar did in the 1930-60s. The Connie Hagar Cottage Sanctuary is partner with Aransas Pathways and is located at the corner of South Church St. and First Street (1491 S. Church St.) in south Rockport. The 6.25 acres was purchased in 1995 to protect the environment and to honor Connie Hagar. The gardens feature native plants that attract birds and butterflies. The plants are labeled so that visitors may see how native plants adapt to this environment. Workdays are held on the third Sat. of each month at 8:30 am. You may join Friends of Connie Hagar by sending $25 dues to Box 2465, Rockport TX 78381. Story submitted by Pam Stranahan on behalf of the Friends of Connie Hagar, PO Box 2465, Rockport, TX 78381
Volunteers Help Restore Aransas County Pathways Gardens
This September Aransas Pathways had local and out of town volunteer’s help restore our natural gardens after Hurricane Harvey. Due to COVID-19 we have not received any of our out of town volunteer groups. We recently had Morgan Ayers, a natural resource specialist from Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi, Sea Grant Program along with two volunteers help us with Linda Castro Bird and Nature venue while maintaining social distancing. We would like to thank Morgen Ayers, Debbie Minns and Melissa Guthrie for helping us. If you would like to volunteer at one of the Aransas Pathways contact Deanna Spruce pio@aransascounty.org or call 361-790-9496. We have our next scheduled clean up at Connie Hagar Cottage Sanctuary October 17, 2020. We have scheduled clean ups at Linda Castro 8:30am-11:30am October 9 and 23 and November 6. We also thank our amazing volunteers that feed our hummers at our Pathways! Weather is great now we need help at these places: Connie Hagar Cottage Sanctuary-1401 S Church St; Ivy Lane– 499 Ivy Lane; Linda S. Castro Nature Sanctuary– 4140 Hwy 35 N; Rockport Demo Bird Garden Tule East– 2002 Tule Park Dr. and History Center– 801 E. Cedar @Church. Best day to volunteer at the History Center is 9am Fridays but call 361-727-9214 to let them know in advance.
Bird City Letter of Support
ARANSAS PATHWAYS PROJECT ARANSAS COUNTY2840 Hwy 35 N.Rockport, TX 78382 November 2020 Aransas County Pathways supports the application to receive the Bird City status from the Parks and Wildlife Department. Aransas County and the City of Rockport and Town of Fulton are rich in natural resources. Our wealth of historic sites, birding opportunities, water-based recreational opportunities and the dedication of the community to their preservation are self-evident in the many organizations that have been established. Linda S. Castro Nature Sanctuary is 4 1/2 acres which contains 3 distant habitats…a live oak motte, a remnant of a coastal prairie, and an ephemeral pond. A coastal Live Oak forest is special because of the native shrubs and plants that makeup the understory. This plant community, together with the Live Oaks, is called an oak motte. Oak mottes are valuable stopover habitats for migrating songbirds. The coast prairie consists of native grasses and wildflowers which provide food and shelter for many different varieties of wildlife. Other sites include Henderson Habitat, Connie Hagar Cottage Sanctuary and Tulle Marsh East and other venues. Also Aransas County Pathways has a Pavilion with interpreted signage at Tulle Park West with a footbridge to Shell Crete Nature Venue. The interpretive signage at the Pavilion explains each Aransas Pathways Venue. The Pavilion has a deck for relaxation and observing nature along Tule Creek. This facility functions as the trailhead for the Pathways ecotourism venues. We are proud of all our Aransas County Pathways Venues, our many partners, friends, volunteers, community and proud to share with visitors from all over the world. It would be an honor to receive the Bird City status from the Parks and Wildlife Department. Thank you for your consideration. Aransas County Pathways Co-Chair Aransas County Pathways Co-Chair Tom Callan De McLallen
Key Allegro: A Vision for Growth
Exhibit opens: August 10, 2019 The Friends of the History Center for Aransas County announce the opening of the exhibit “Key Allegro: A Vision for Growth” set for Saturday, August 10th, 7:00 p.m. at 801 E. Cedar Street in Rockport. From a Karankawa Indian settlement to the resort community it is today, Key Allegro’s history is colorful and storied. The exhibit will portray the early history of the coast to the present day, capturing all aspects of the growth of Key Allegro and how it impacts Aransas County and the surrounding areas. Artifacts, maps, photographs, and videos will further illustrate the long-term vision. Keynote speaker for the opening will be Carla Krueger, daughter of Carl Kreuger, Jr. who purchased Key Allegro in 1961. Carla and her friends will share stories of her father’s vision and often unique marketing events to increase public interest in developing the property. Light refreshments will be served. Admission is free. The exhibit will run from August 10 – November 17, 2019. Programs will be held on Sunday afternoons at 2:00 p.m. The following topics will be presented: The History Center for Aransas County at 801 E. Cedar Street is open Mondays and Fridays 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m., Saturday 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. and Sunday 1:00 -4:00 p.m. You are invited to join the Friends or become a docent on a volunteer basis. For more information, visit our web site: www.thehistorycenterforaransascounty.org or call 361 727-9214.