The Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival Goes Beyond

The Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival Goes Beyond

Beyond what?  Beyond looking at birds.  Beyond listing.  Beyond the hobby.

Don’t get me wrong—all that is great fun, and fun is what we’re about.

But we want to morph that fun into worthy things that make a difference as well.  And one of the main ways we do that is our kids programs.

Once upon a time, I used to be the Education Chair.  One year I was hanging the Student Art Contest winners, and Kenn Kaufman stopped to admire some of the amazing stuff these kids had produced.  For example:

He said to me,”You are doing the real work of this Festival.”  Of course, I puffed right up like a rooster.  But it was terrific that the effort of reaching kids was recognized.

These days, Susan Hoehne, who is also Education Director at the nearby Valley Nature Center, does a terrific job of running the kids programs.  These include the Art/Writing Contest (prizes including really nice binoculars courtesy of Eagle Optics), a Friday morning school kid program (in which the auditorium is invaded by busloads of happy students getting to see Jonathan Wood’s live birds), the weekend family area of activities we call Kiskadee Korner (face painting this year!), and Saturday morning bird walks (‘so that’s the one I see in my backyard!’).

Even if you just reach one child per year in a solid, positive, enlightening way…well, then the RGVBF has gone beyond.