Editor ––

Migratory Bird Habitat at South Padre Island Convention Centre Threatened!

Architectural expansion plans for the Convention Centre should consider the value of this critical area to visitors and feathered friends alike.

Architectural expansion plans for the Convention Centre should consider the value of the Centre’s birding habitat to visitors and feathered friends alike.

The old-growth birding habitat at the SPI Convention Centre is included in the top two dozen birding hotspots on earth. It is enjoyed by thousands of visitors and photographers and is of vital importance to millions of migratory birds making the perilous voyage over the Gulf of Mexico. The heaviest songbird migration on earth is recorded over South Padre Island every spring and fall.

This small sanctuary at the Convention Centre sports the densest and most developed habitat on South Padre Island. If this this patch of old-growth woodlands is decimated, half of the woodland habitat on South Padre Island will be lost.

It takes twenty years for woodlands like these to mature, and the future of birding on SPI depends on whether this habitat so critical for nourishing and sheltering migratory birds is preserved.

We encourage those concerned about the loss of the convention center habitat to take action. The following is a starting place.

Write to the Mayor, Director of the CVB, City Manager, and City Council members. Encourage others to do the same (see e-mail addresses below).
Write letters to the editor of your local paper to spread awareness of this issue beyond South Padre Island and the Rio Grande Valley.
Attend SPI City Council meetings, introduce yourself, and let the Councilpersons know why you are there. This does not necessarily require speaking during public comments.
Attend SPI City Council meetings and speak during public comments. Approach the podium and introduce yourself. You are limited to three minutes. Please be respectful and positive. The council members cannot respond and since these meetings are published online they are sensitive to any direct criticism. Make suggestions, provide information, ask for their consideration but avoid any accusatory language.

Thank you,

Marilyn Moseley LaMantia

Email addresses:

Mayor Patrick McNulty

pmcnulty@myspi.org

Council Member Lisa Graves

lgraves@myspi.org

Council Member Ken Medders Jr.

kmedders@myspi.org

Council Member Kerry Schwartz

kschwartz@myspi.org

Council Member Rees Langston

rlangston@myspi.org

Mayor Pro-Tem Joe Ricco

jricco@myspi.org

Randy Smith City Manager

rsmith@myspi.org

Blake Henry CVB director

blake@sopadre.com