LAGUNA ATASCOSA NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE

Rio Grande Valley -- Protected Nature Hub

Laguna Atascosa, the muddy lagoon in Spanish, is a 45,187-acre preserved area of the Rio Grande Valley as it was before human activities altered the area. The refuge is located about 15 miles (24 km) east of Harlingen, TX, along the coast of Laguna Madre, and was established in 1946. It is a transition zone between the semiarid brushland and subtropical wetlands, and consists of estuaries, marshes, salt flats, and ox-bow resacas.

The refuge headquarter is located in the southern part of the refuge. There are two tour roads and several hiking trails. The area is open to the public from sunrise to sunset for a small fee ($2 per vehicle as of March 1999). There are no public roads inside the refuge connecting the southern and northern areas. The Adolph Thomas Jr. County Park is located in the northern end of the refuge, the only area where camping is permitted. Also at the northern end is the neighboring Green Island owned by the National Audubon Society.

Salt tolerant black mangrove, Avicennia germinans, grow along the beach of Laguna madre. Many plants typical of upland brush vegetation, (such as Opuntia cacti) also grow here. Evidence of human activities and the resilience of nature -- if given a chance, can be found on the lagoon beach. For example, a can of soda, perhaps 25 - 30 years old, is now the home of barnacles and annelid worms.(Click on the "can of soda" to see the barnacle home, then click on the browser's "back" button to get back here.).

<- - Fig. 3. Black Mangrove, Avicennia germinans, next to cactus and brush vegetation at the Laguna Madre beach, and some beach combing items including a very old soda can covered by barnacles. © 1999, Jan A. Nilsson.

Fig. 5. (above left) Spanish Dagger, the common name of many Yucca species. The species which grows in the Rio Grande Valley is Trecul Yucca, Yucca treculeana. © 1999, Jan A. Nilsson.
Fig. 6. (above middle) Indian blanket, also called firewheel, Gaillardia pulchella, a common flower of the Texas coast. © 1999, Jan A. Nilsson.
Fig. 7. (above right) Laguna Atascosa view with an Opuntia cactus in the foreground. © 1999, Jan A. Nilsson.

Fig. 8. (above) Pickle weed, Salicornia, is salt tolerant and common near brackish or salty water. Most are only a few inches high, with herbaceous "asparagus-like" stems, but a few plants grow taller and aquire a semi-woody stem. © 1999, Jan A. Nilsson.

Laguna Atascosa NWR, provides an oasis for wildlife which have few alternatives. The refuge is the largest protected area left in the lower Rio Grande Valley. When Spanish explorers arrived in the beginning of the 1500s, the landscape was very different from what we see today. 3 million acres of costal prairies and brushlands covered a landscape abundant with wildlife. Cattle ranching in the 1800s and agriculture in the 1900s drastically changed this area. Today less than 5% of the original vegetation remains. The refuge is working to re-establish the native brushland, and has planted several old farm fields with native thorn forests.

References:

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. 1997. Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Southwest Regional Office, Albuquerque.

Fig. 9. (above) A large flock of grackles holding an afternoon meeting. Ducks, wading birds, pelicans, green jays, chachalacas, road runners, ocelots, tortoises, javelinas, alligators, and many other species of birds are some of the animals that can be observed in the refuge. The refuge is in the path of a major migratory flyway, and over 360 species of birds visit the refuge during the year, and many overwinter in the refuge. © 1999, Jan A. Nilsson.

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Fig. 10. Small, potential alligator pond near the beach of Laguna Atascosa, with Spanish Daggers in the foreground. According to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, during wet years alligators seem to inhabit every pond. © 1999, Jan A. Nilsson.

The refuge is hoping to expand the protected area to include some of South Padre Island. The unique nature on South Padre Island is in great need of protection before it is too late.

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Fig. 11. On a low hillside, a Spanish Dagger keeps watch over Laguna Madre. Far in the distance across the bay are the cities of South Padre Island and Port Isabel. © 1999, Jan A. Nilsson.

Rio Grande Valley -- Protected Nature Hub