[texbirds] Re: TexBirds violence report misleading
- From: txbrush@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- To: texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx, Alamoinn@xxxxxxx
- Date: Sat, 21 Jul 2012 20:02:19 -0700 (PDT)
Amen, Keith! I share your assessment.
Regards and continued good birding,
Tim Brush
Edinburg, TX
--- On Fri, 7/20/12, Alamoinn@xxxxxxx <Alamoinn@xxxxxxx> wrote:
From: Alamoinn@xxxxxxx <Alamoinn@xxxxxxx>
Subject: [texbirds] TexBirds violence report misleading
To: texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Friday, July 20, 2012, 11:00 AM
I was very disturbed to read a posting yesterday by one of our best Valley
birders, "Eastern Hidalgo County 7-19-12," which casually prefaced a good
birding report with unrelated information on local criminal and law enforcement
activity.
Clearly it was simply a passing observation. There was no causal link to
birding, no involvement of birders. The observation does not present an
accurate picture of the Valley, It will likely be read amiss since it was out
of context. Furthermore it is now a part of the permanent archival record of
TexBirds, which I am herewith correcting. Unless it relates directly to birders
and birding hot spots I do not see the point in reporting items off the local
nightly TV news. It is simply not an accurate picture of the situation for
birders and birding in the Valley.
Birding the Valley is safe. Crime statistics in the Valley are lower than in
most other U.S. urban areas. McAllen is at a 20 year low in crime (according to
McAllen's Chief of Police). We live here in family oriented, largely
Christian communities, where people care for each other and for their
neighbors. Violence of the kind occurring in Mexico is not experienced in the
Valley. Valley crime consists of violence within the gang and drug world, plus
limited family violence. The three incidents reported on 7-19 all involved the
gang/drug world and law enforcement officers.
Birders should know that the Valley is safe for travel and for birding. Due to
our border location there are huge federal and state law enforcement assets
based here, and they are doing excellent work. I am active with the South Texas
Refuges Friends groups and we receive regular updates on criminal activity in
the vicinity of some 125 refuge tracts across the Valley. For six months of the
year refuge volunteers live in RVs on river tracts such as Salineno, and for
twelve months of the year on Santa Ana, and Marinoff tract, and I hear from
them about how it is. I also speak to about a thousand visiting birders a year
about their field experiences, and to many local residents in our communities
here. And I bird the Valaley, by myself, with others, and guiding groups.
Based on all my sources, I wish to assure readers of TexBirds that the Valley
is safe for birding, and birding is really great here.
Living here in the poorest counties in U.S., it was exciting to read our latest
South Texas Nature visitor survey (conducted by Texas A&M) which reveals that
the Valley receives some $460 million per year from birding (non-consumptive
nature tourism) and this supports thousands of jobs for good people, including
many biologists, and supports 180,000 acres of critical bird habitat. A few
thoughtless sensitized words dropped casually here and there could due to
misunderstandings wipe out birding visitors and the jobs and habitat they
support. Who wants that to occur? Please keep reports focused on birds and
birding.
Come enjoy great birding in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. Your visit supports
critical bird habitat here.
Thank you.
Keith Hackland
Alamo, Texas
President Friends of the Wildlife Corridor, Board member of Friends of Laguna
Atascosa, Lower Rio Grande Valley Nature Center, South Texas Nature Marketing
co-op, RGV Film Commission, Alamo Chamber, Hidalgo co-op
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