Resaca de la Palma grand opening Saturday

OLMITO - The visitors center is stocked, the resaca is full of water and the tram is ready to roll as Resaca de la Palma State Park holds its grand opening Saturday morning.

Following two years of construction and at least one delay, the eighth of nine sites of the World Birding Center will officially open its doors to the public at 8 a.m. The park had been open on a limited basis since Oct. 15.

The grand opening of the 1,200-acre park near Olmito will include a flag raising by the Army's 812th Quartermaster Company, ribbon-cutting ceremony, performances by local artists, wildlife tours, a children's archery program, raptor program and other activities. Vendors will provide food.

Admission to the park for Saturday only will be free.

The grand opening ceremony starts at 10 a.m. and includes guest speakers Carter Smith, executive director of Texas Parks & Wildlife, and Larry Pressler, director of the McAllen Parks and Recreation Department and chairman of World Birding Center, Inc.

Resaca de la Palma is one of the few tracts remaining in the Rio Grande Valley untouched by agriculture or development.

Two hundred and twenty five species of birds have been documented at the park, including green jays, Altamira orioles, ringed, belted and green kingfishers, roadrunners, chachalacas, yellow-billed cuckoos and groove-billed anis.

Pablo de Yturbe, Resaca de la Palma State Park manager, said the plants, however, make the park special.

"The quality of the flora around the resaca is unique in the United States and of course that brings in all the birds and butterflies," de Yturbe said.

Some of the native trees include Mexican olive, Texas ebony and sabal palms.

The resaca, for which the park is named, meanders 6.5 miles through a variety of habitats, including a riparian forest with four observation decks.

At each of those observation decks there will be interpretive speakers talking about park birds, butterflies and dragonflies, native plants and wetlands wildlife.

The interior of the park itself is only open to pedestrians and bicycles. Three trams, each holding about 25 people, will make regular trips through the park, dropping off and picking up park-goers.

Park hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and the park is open every day.
---
IF YOU GO
From Expressway 77/83, exit west on FM 1732 at Olmito; go 2.5 miles and turn left at New Carmen Road; follow for 1.5 miles; at the end of the paved road, turn left at the park entrance. For more information, 956-350-2920