Business History Books » Business Plans » City of McAllen, TX to destroy bird habitat
City of McAllen, TX to destroy bird habitat
Question:
> Yadaaa Yadaaa Yadaa > OK, troops, here is the truth behind the hype. My companion Dixe (a Sun > Conure) and I used to go out about 6 am on 2nd st in McAllen and watch the > Red-headed Green Parrots frolicking in the trees.
What trees? From business highway 83 close to Houston there are no trees I can see. Maybe there were some before but no longer. On one side of 2nd street is a covered canal. Accross the street there are: the Target deparment store, some clinics, the Toyota dealership, a large field empty except when an oil rig is setup in it, and then the armory. As I said, there are some trees around Houston, but old man Waugh’s beautiful treed property is no longer there. It was razed and now has a bunch of office suites. Traffic in 2nd street is indeed hideous, but some of the congestion is also due in some proportion to the 18 wheelers that routinely rumble through it (ignoring the no thru trucks signs). > Widening McColl and making it > the main thruway might free up the traffic on 2nd and allow the parrots who > cavort there some time. But of course there are those parrots who are used to > hanging out on McCall….
The local flock of parrots seems to have been originally at the old trees in a rundown hotel at the corner of business 83 and McColl. This latter property was razed to make a beatiful, paved over, used car lot. The parrots moved (except for the nestlings, I suppose) a couple of blocks south to the neighborhood in the corner of Dallas and McColl Road. > Bottom line: the parrots running wild in McAllen are crying out to the > (mostly Hispanic) residents of the mighty Rio Grande Valley to see them as > more than a tourist trap. They are a unique natural resource to be treasured > …… > Dixie and I will be watchingand praying for the McAllen wild parrots…. > Sparky
Thank you for your prayers. Some of us are indeed mexicanos and we also don’t like the brainless development we see going on. Something is wrong about all this paving and bulldozing. (The city’s idea of economic development is out of alt.pave.the.earth, whose FAQ sez that ‘pavement is beautiful’) I am still being woken (am on the corner of Dallas and McColl road) up by the chachalacas and some mourning doves. These chachas are really saurian looking beasties, you look at them and cannot help thinking "velociraptor". Apparently, they are usually at odds with the parrots. The wife thinks that the chachas are eating the parrot eggs hence the periodic warfare both camps seem to engage in. I used to think that we had some very large roaches flying around in the daytime and was ready to slap one with the shoe until to my amazement I realized that it was a hummingbird. There is also some redheaded gentleman who insists on pecking holes into an old encino tree in our yard. Normally I don’t mind the noise except that I cuss him (or her?) out when he insists on doing his thing at siesta time. Oh well. The city of McAllen is indeed a tourist trap but maybe its government is showing more wisdom than I have credited them. After all, if they erradicate the parrots and chachalacas no one will be woken up early and no poop bombs will drop on people or cars. There will no longer be hummingbirds which igonorant folks like me mistake for roaches. As for the ecotourism, well, the way to keep the birders coming is going to entail contracting the Walt Disney Corporation to set up animatronic birds ala kontiki room and plant rubber trees to replace the ones bulldozed. If it works for Disney, it ought to work for McAllen. There is another advantage to this plan. Nowadays the whitewing dove is being hunted savagely as it seems to be a "sport" to go to the boonies, get drunk, and shoot at these birds (not that the hunters could really eat what they kill, as these doves are mostly bone). All sorts of folks come down to the Lower Rio Grande Valley and into Mexico to play Rambo shooting doves. So I don’t expect the whitewing dove to be around for much. On the other hand, if we had the animatronic birds (with a titanium skeleton to withstand shot, maybe surplus DOD birds) there is no reason why hunting season could not be extended year round. Today (saturday) I went to the Texas Tropics Nature Festival part of which was being held at the McAllen Sheraton. I took a clipboard and some home-made buttons with the pic of a parrot and started giving these out and asking for signatures on a petition to prevent the widening project. I got over 100 signatures in only a few hours. I made it a point of not entering the Sheraton as I knew they would kick me out, so I stayed out on the street. I am sure that if I had gone in I would have gotten over a thousand signatures. I am not a birder (unless you count the chickens –foghornus leghorniensis– I raise) but I was honored to obtain the support and encouragement of many fine folks who attended. Several of the people who signed the petition –I am told– are experts in this field and some had come as far as Graz, Austria. Everyone I approached was supportive and some were rather incensed at what was going on. It was worth frying one’s brains in the south Texas sun. Inevitably, a drone from the city must have gotten wind of what I was doing so they sent two Sheraton goons to shoo me away, but since I was on public land, the street, they could not stop me. I am going to route this petition to the trogs in the city government and use it as ammo for whatever battle is ahead. I again am asking that if you could send a blurb to the local rag, the McAllen Monitor, it might help the cause. The email address is:
Response:
What is going on?…used to live in Brownsville..went to Rio Grande-Bensten State park coz it’s the birding captial of the states…everyone freaked when I walked around with my Nanday..thought it was a Green Jay….McAllen and Texas in General used to PRIDE themselves in their birding status…Que paso?…What’s up? Everybody…screw the masses…we only want to have some fun 0(+>…D.M.S.R.
Response:
> The best way to save Texas birds is to > ban Yankee encrouchment into the > Lone Star State. Many Texas birds are > declining in number, but there is no Yankee shortage….seems to me that > the > whole northern part of the US is crawlin’ with ‘em !!! > Its still ok to visit…… > Doug > "We are the people our parents warned us about" Jimmy Buffett
BRAVO!! Yes the whole state seems to have a migration of Yankees as well as Californian’s. In fact Austin has sooo many persons from California moving in because of it’s hills and beauty and inexpensive compared to California housing costs. Now for Texas housing costs Austin is the highest cost of living in the whole state. McAllen OTOH, is very cheap, but there are no jobs. Isn’t that always the way? We have the golden cheek warblers nesting in this area right now. None on my property though. Boohooo! I have enough cedar, so I can not figure out why no golden cheek warblers. Gwen
Response:
Excuse ME!! I take offense to that as a reformed YANKEE!! I should have been born here but was not and that is my fault?! I care for birds especially those here. Why do you think I moved here in the first place!? I missed the bird songs in the winter. I do not cut down excessive amounts of trees and my idea of clearing is just enough trees to make a driveway. Me and my ex had some land together and I made it very difficult for him to remove trees from the property. I resent being told I am not wanted here. Heidi in South Central Texas.
The best way to save Texas birds is to ban Yankee encrouchment into the Lone Star State. Many Texas birds are declining in number, but there is no Yankee shortage….seems to me that the whole northern part of the US is crawlin’ with ‘em !!! Its still ok to visit…… Doug "We are the people our parents warned us about" Jimmy Buffett
Response:
Oh lighten-up Heidi ! You’re already in Texas, so lock the gate behind you !!! And get one of those bumper stickers that says "I wasn’t born in Texas but I got here as soon as I could". Have an iced tea and a beer. Get a big fluffy hair do. Watch a Cowboys game, and trash Oklahoma. It was a joke, no one can blame you for wanting to live in Texas—-take a look around you, is it any wonder that the rest of the country is jealous ? Doug "We are the people our parents warned us about" Jimmy Buffett
Response:
Yadaaa Yadaaa Yadaa OK, troops, here is the truth behind the hype. My companion Dixe (a Sun Conure) and I used to go out about 6 am on 2nd st in McAllen and watch the Red-headed Green Parrots frolicking in the trees. Widening McColl and making it the main thruway might free up the traffic on 2nd and allow the parrots who cavort there some time. But of course there are those parrots who are used to hanging out on McCall…. Bottom line: the parrots running wild in McAllen are crying out to the (mostly Hispanic) residents of the mighty Rio Grande Valley to see them as more than a tourist trap. They are a unique natural resource to be treasured …… Dixie and I will be watchingand praying for the McAllen wild parrots…. Sparky – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> disregarding the birds that >live in them", said Sparks, an organic farmer and musician. >CIty Engineer Bobby Balli said city traffic counts show that McColl Road >should be widened to at least four lanes between Highway 83 and the >expressway, with five lanes at intersections and a signalized intersection at >Dallas Street. There are no plans to raise the speed limit. >"Right now, it’s basic survey work == going out and seeing what’s out there >in >terms of utilities, existing right-of-way, trees, shrubs," he said. >The city may have to relocate from eight to 15 trees and shrubs, Balli said, >but no environmental impact assessment is planned. >"I wouldn’t think it would affect the birding," he said of the project. >Local birding experts have varying views on how much impact the widening >would >have on the birds. >"It doesn’t take much. People can go in and take out a few trees in the >wrong >place and that’s it — you have tipped the balance," said Tony Bennet, a >Harlingen, Texas, birder who leads tours in the area. >But Tim Brush, an ornithologist and associate professor at the University of >Texas Pan American said it could simply cause some of the birds to move >toward >Second Street. "Usually, a bird gets pretty faithful to an area, so if >something happens they’re going to shift the shortest possible distance," he >said. >McColl Road residents want the birds to stay put, so they spoke to the City >Commission at last Monday’s regular meeting, expressing adamant opposition to >the widening of the road. >City officials said they plan to hold a workshop and a public hearing, both >in >April, so they can weigh the issue carefully.
Response:
The best way to save Texas birds is to ban Yankee encrouchment into the Lone Star State. Many Texas birds are declining in number, but there is no Yankee shortage….seems to me that the whole northern part of the US is crawlin’ with ‘em !!! Its still ok to visit…… Doug "We are the people our parents warned us about" Jimmy Buffett
Response:
>What trees? From business highway 83 close to Houston there are no trees I >can see. Maybe there were some before but no longer. On one side of 2nd >street is a covered canal. Accross the street there are: the Target >deparment store, some clinics, the Toyota dealershi
Your’e too far north.Right at the corner of 2nd(Col.Rowe) and Jackson is where I always saw the wild parrots – in the trees in the yard of some rich folks with lots of trees… Sparky Everybody…screw the masses…we only want to have some fun 0(+>…D.M.S.R.
Response:
Good for you. It seems that the politicos of our once beautiful cities can now longer see the beauty that surronds us. They only see opportunities for kickbacks. As a resident of Albuquerque I see the same thing here. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Yadaaa Yadaaa Yadaa > OK, troops, here is the truth behind the hype. My companion Dixe (a Sun > Conure) and I used to go out about 6 am on 2nd st in McAllen and watch the > Red-headed Green Parrots frolicking in the trees. > What trees? From business highway 83 close to Houston there are no trees I > can see. Maybe there were some before but no longer. On one side of 2nd > street is a covered canal. Accross the street there are: the Target > deparment store, some clinics, the Toyota dealership, a large field empty > except when an oil rig is setup in it, and then the armory. As I said, there > are some trees around Houston, but old man Waugh’s beautiful treed property > is no longer there. It was razed and now has a bunch of office suites. > Traffic in 2nd street is indeed hideous, but some of the congestion is also > due in some proportion to the 18 wheelers that routinely rumble through it > (ignoring the no thru trucks signs). > Widening McColl and making it > the main thruway might free up the traffic on 2nd and allow the parrots who > cavort there some time. But of course there are those parrots who are used to > hanging out on McCall…. > The local flock of parrots seems to have been originally at the old trees in a > rundown hotel at the corner of business 83 and McColl. This latter property > was razed to make a beatiful, paved over, used car lot. The parrots moved > (except for the nestlings, I suppose) a couple of blocks south to the > neighborhood in the corner of Dallas and McColl Road. > Bottom line: the parrots running wild in McAllen are crying out to the > (mostly Hispanic) residents of the mighty Rio Grande Valley to see them as > more than a tourist trap. They are a unique natural resource to be treasured > …… > Dixie and I will be watchingand praying for the McAllen wild parrots…. > Sparky > Thank you for your prayers. Some of us are indeed mexicanos and we also > don’t like the brainless development we see going on. Something is wrong > about all this paving and bulldozing. (The city’s idea of economic > development is out of alt.pave.the.earth, whose FAQ sez that ‘pavement is > beautiful’) > I am still being woken (am on the corner of Dallas and McColl road) up by the > chachalacas and some mourning doves. These chachas are really saurian > looking beasties, you look at them and cannot help thinking "velociraptor". > Apparently, they are usually at odds with the parrots. The wife thinks that > the chachas are eating the parrot eggs hence the periodic warfare both camps > seem to engage in. I used to think that we had some very large roaches > flying around in the daytime and was ready to slap one with the shoe until to > my amazement I realized that it was a hummingbird. There is also some > redheaded gentleman who insists on pecking holes into an old encino tree in > our yard. Normally I don’t mind the noise except that I cuss him (or her?) > out when he insists on doing his thing at siesta time. Oh well. > The city of McAllen is indeed a tourist trap but maybe its government is > showing more wisdom than I have credited them. After all, if they erradicate > the parrots and chachalacas no one will be woken up early and no poop bombs > will drop on people or cars. There will no longer be hummingbirds which > igonorant folks like me mistake for roaches. As for the ecotourism, well, > the way to keep the birders coming is going to entail contracting the Walt > Disney Corporation to set up animatronic birds ala kontiki room and plant > rubber trees to replace the ones bulldozed. If it works for Disney, it ought > to work for McAllen. There is another advantage to this plan. Nowadays the > whitewing dove is being hunted savagely as it seems to be a "sport" to go to > the boonies, get drunk, and shoot at these birds (not that the hunters could > really eat what they kill, as these doves are mostly bone). All sorts of > folks come down to the Lower Rio Grande Valley and into Mexico to play Rambo > shooting doves. So I don’t expect the whitewing dove to be around for much. > On the other hand, if we had the animatronic birds (with a titanium skeleton > to withstand shot, maybe surplus DOD birds) there is no reason why hunting > season could not be extended year round. > Today (saturday) I went to the Texas Tropics Nature Festival part of which > was being held at the McAllen Sheraton. I took a clipboard and some > home-made buttons with the pic of a parrot and started giving these out and > asking for signatures on a petition to prevent the widening project. I got > over 100 signatures in only a few hours. I made it a point of not entering > the Sheraton as I knew they would kick me out, so I stayed out on the street. > I am sure that if I had gone in I would have gotten over a thousand > signatures. > I am not a birder (unless you count the chickens –foghornus leghorniensis– I > raise) but I was honored to obtain the support and encouragement of many fine > folks who attended. Several of the people who signed the petition –I am > told– are experts in this field and some had come as far as Graz, Austria. > Everyone I approached was supportive and some were rather incensed at what was > going on. It was worth frying one’s brains in the south Texas sun. > Inevitably, a drone from the city must have gotten wind of what I was doing so > they sent two Sheraton goons to shoo me away, but since I was on public land, > the street, they could not stop me. I am going to route this petition to the > trogs in the city government and use it as ammo for whatever battle is ahead. > I again am asking that if you could send a blurb to the local rag, the McAllen > Monitor, it might help the cause. The email address is:
Response:
Note: Please support the pro-bird residents in this fight. The article below explains what is going on. A short note to the McAllen Texas Monitor would help: (City of McAllen phone numbers at the end of the article.) The Monitor — Sunday, March 28, 1999 Proposed Widening of McColl Road Could Chase Away Birds in Area — By Allie Johnson MCALLEN — Trev Sparks was awed last Spring by watching fuzzy chachalaca chicks growing up in the yard of his home on South McColl Road. But those chicks may not be around next year, if the city uproots trees to widen the road to five lanes. He and neighbors who are protesting the city’s plan say the area is an old neighborhood with a rich habitat, full of exotic birds and native trees such as ash, mesquite, and bougainvillea. "We can’t go willy nilly mowing down trees and disregarding the birds that live in them", said Sparks, an organic farmer and musician. CIty Engineer Bobby Balli said city traffic counts show that McColl Road should be widened to at least four lanes between Highway 83 and the expressway, with five lanes at intersections and a signalized intersection at Dallas Street. There are no plans to raise the speed limit. "Right now, it’s basic survey work == going out and seeing what’s out there in terms of utilities, existing right-of-way, trees, shrubs," he said. The city may have to relocate from eight to 15 trees and shrubs, Balli said, but no environmental impact assessment is planned. "I wouldn’t think it would affect the birding," he said of the project. Local birding experts have varying views on how much impact the widening would have on the birds. "It doesn’t take much. People can go in and take out a few trees in the wrong place and that’s it — you have tipped the balance," said Tony Bennet, a Harlingen, Texas, birder who leads tours in the area. But Tim Brush, an ornithologist and associate professor at the University of Texas Pan American said it could simply cause some of the birds to move toward Second Street. "Usually, a bird gets pretty faithful to an area, so if something happens they’re going to shift the shortest possible distance," he said. McColl Road residents want the birds to stay put, so they spoke to the City Commission at last Monday’s regular meeting, expressing adamant opposition to the widening of the road. City officials said they plan to hold a workshop and a public hearing, both in April, so they can weigh the issue carefully. "These people mad very compelling arguments," said City Commissioner Joh Schrock. "It’s certainly not going to get rammed through." City Commissioner Phyllis Griggs, an advocate for "green space." said she admired the residents for speaking out. "I think they were 100 percent right. I love that people come before the City Commission and say, ‘No, we don’t accept that,’" she said. SParks provided commissioners with a list of 24 species of birds he says live in his neighborhood — from the plain chachalaca to the green jay to the great egret. "These birds are all residents of the neighborhood in question," SParks said. The birds draw binocular-bearing birders from out out state and even foreign countries, he said. "The Self=Guided Tour", a sheet printed by the McAllen Chamber of Commerce listing sever area birding spots, names the neighborhood between Business 83 and McColl and Second Street, as an area to spot red-crowned parrots, golden- fronted woodpeckers, white-winged doves, kiskadees, black-bellied whisting- ducks, and plain chachalacas. "This area is a great in-town birding hot spot," the publication states. Sparks would like to see it preserved as such. "When you are sitting there and a whistling tree dove flies by and starts talking to you, it’ll melt you in your shoes," he said. Another McColl Road resident, Laura Hall, suggested the city embark on a different sort of project to improve the area: Put in speed bumps, a jogging trail and a median down McColl Road with trees for the birds. "Think of the results as the first of one of McAllen’s many garden districts," she said, "The city should not let (the old neighborhoods) wither on the vine and be paved over." Resident Mario Quijano said widening the road also would jeopardize the safety of the residents — children who cross McColl to go to school, the elderly who out walking, and pet owners who walk their dogs. "Widening McColl Road will negatively impact the aesthetics and safety of our neighborhood," said Quijano, who lives at the corner of Dallas and McColl. "It is a local street to us and children have to cross it on their way to school. The elderly at the Casa de Amigos #2 live on their social security checks and they push their shopping carts accross McColl Road to get to a nearby convenience store to buy food. Dodging 18 wheelers will not improve the quality of their lives." But Schrock said the benefits of growth must be considered. "At what point in this city, or any city, do you look at economic development versus quality of life? It’s got to be a balance, and it’s really tough," Schrock said. "We’re all anguishing about it." He said the commission will try to do what is best for a majority of people. Quijano said the neighborhood should not be sacrificed just so people who live in the booming residential areas of North McAllen can have speedy access to strip malls in South McAllen. "The length to be widened is only 0.8 miles long. The widening would result in an ridiculous 9.2 seconds in time savings to the average motorist," explained Quijano, an engineer and mathematician. "There is no significant benefit whatsoever that results. I have asked and neither the city engineering nor the planning department have been able to provide numbers to support their decision. The neighborhood and the bird habitat would be destroyed for nothing." SParks suggested drivers who pass through the neighborhood should not be in such a hurry to get to work or go shopping. "People who drive through that McColl place right now, if it doesn’t referesh their soul, then they’ve got to slow down and smell the daisies," he said. City of McAllen phone numbers: City Hall — Main Information Number — 956 972-7000 Planning Department — 956 972-7050 City Manager — 956 972-7120 Engineering Department — 956 972-7070 McAllen Chamber of Commerce: 956 682-2871