Preservation Mode: Audubon seeks growth, to host lunch

A historical adobe fortress, 15 acres of wild habitat and some of the rarest creatures in the country have one thing in common: they can all be found at the intersection of Texas Boulevard and 12th Street.

The Frontera Audubon historical nature preserve has been around since 1974, but could be one of Weslaco's most well-hidden retreats, said Executive Director Wayne Bartholomew.

The preserve is home to hundreds of species of butterflies and is one of the handful of bird-watching centers in the Mid-Valley area.

"Our mission is to preserve the environments of the Valley," Bartholomew said. "We've worked with U.S. Fish and Wildlife, Texas Parks and Wildlife and other nonprofits to establish the Wildlife Corridor. We were one of the core founders of the movement to get the corridor up and running."

Land that was once used as pasture and orchard space has been replanted and transformed into a thicket of mainly native plant species and wetlands, Bartholomew said. The low-lying area is designed to create habitat by retaining water. Water retention at Frontera also means less flooding for the surrounding area.

"We're looking at increasing our retention capacity for storm water and the length of time the storm water is on our property so it doesn't flush out of here and damage the local neighborhoods," Bartholomew said.

Also on Frontera Audubon property is the Skaggs house.

Formerly the home of citrus farming bankers C. Lester and Florence Richardson Skaggs, the weathered two-story home and official Texas historical site sits weathered near the entrance to the habitat.

But there are plans for renovating the old fortress, Bartholomew said.

Current possibilities for the house's use include travel and student lodging, as well as an intimate reception hall, he said.

"It's going to take some time and obviously some money," Bartholomew said. "But there are some good architects in the Valley who have focused a lot of their work on historic rehab."

Bartholomew is no stranger to home construction or renovation. The former builder has a 15-year background in high-end residential work with Realm Design Construction Inc., an Austin-based company.

"I've seen much worse structures come back," Bartholomew said. "These are structures that haven't been occupied in years that are fully restored. We are going to bring it back and give full consideration to all the historical details."

Bartholomew said funds for the project have been put up in the past by the Weslaco Economic Development Corporation, the Texas Historical Commission and other private and public entities.

The finished product could cost more than $200,000 Bartholomew said.

"Right now the house is just sitting there untouched," he said. "We've got a committee right now and are actually looking for more people to join in to begin that evaluation process. We want to get it up and running and have it kept as true to period as much as we possibly can."

Frontera Audubon will host a habitat-preserving fundraiser lunch Oct. 4. with a $6 charge for each plate. Delivery will be available for those purchasing 10 plates or more.

Events for the day include a free butterfly walk and a 9:30 a.m. presentation by local butterfly expert and co-author of Butterflies of Northeastern Mexico, Richard Lehman. Frontera Audubon is located at 1101 S. Texas Blvd.

For more information, or to purchase tickets, contact Wayne Bartholomew or Gloria Lopez at (956) 968-3275.

"We want to bring the community in a little bit more to see what we have to offer here and at the same time raise a couple of dollars to help support what we're doing," Bartholomew said.