Members are invited to join us Saturday, March 25, for our Spring Member Event: a trip to the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge Myrtle Foester Whitmire Unit. Refuge staff will give us a behind the scenes tour of the unit.

 Closed to the public, the Whitmire Unit is an important resting area for migratory waterfowl and other birds. It's quite an interesting unit. Unlike the other units, there is active management of water levels. There are also cattle on the unit, in a controlled grazing project.

 The plan is to meet at the La Salle Monument in Indianola (see Google Map) at 8:30 a.m. and travel to the unit in refuge vehicles. You'll need to wear long pants and boots or closed toe walking shoes. Be sure to bring water, snacks, and insect repellent. You'll probably want to also bring binoculars and/or a camera. If you have a spotting scope, you might want to bring that also.

 The tour will include both driving and walking. We expect it to end by 1:30.

 For those that want to spend more time in the area, there's food available nearby. There is a historic cemetery at Indianola that can be good for birding during migration, and Texas Ornithological Society has a bird sanctuary at Magic Ridge, between Indianola & Magnolia Beach. With all the warm weather, early migrants may be coming through.

This is a members only event, so members won't be able to bring guests unless they join FAMI. New members will be eligible to reserve a space upon receipt of membership dues.  Our group will be limited to 15 people, so please be sure to RSVP at info@friendsofaransas.org. You should get a confirmation within 24 hours. If your membership is anything other than individual, you should specify how many will be attending. Feel free to email the same address if you have any questions. 

 

Current members should have received an email invitation. If you are a current member and did not receive an email, please contact treasurer@friendsofaransas.org.