Laguna Atascosa, Lower RGV refuges add acreage - Yahoo News

Jan. 8—New tracts of land were added to two national wildlife refuges in the Rio Grande Valley, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials report.

At Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge, 40 acres adjacent to the refuge were added in Cameron County. The northwest portion of the tract is part of an old resaca.

Wildlife documented on or near the property include cardinal, horned lark, mockingbird, red-tailed hawk, Harris' hawk, northern harrier and golden-fronted woodpecker, along with evidence of raccoon, coyote and deer.

At the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge, 19.71 acres of a former farm field along the natural floodplain of the Rio Grande were added.

Native wildlife species that will benefit from this acquisition include opossums, eastern cottontail rabbits, coyotes, raccoons, striped skunks, bobcats, green jays, golden-fronted woodpeckers, doves, flycatchers, hawks, kestrels and caracaras.

In all, nearly 6,000 acres were added to wildlife refuges across Texas.

"We are grateful for all of the partners who assisted us in acquiring and conserving these extraordinary properties for the benefit of wildlife and the American people," said Amy Lueders, USFWS Southwest regional director. "Each of these acquisitions protects a unique piece of the Texas landscape along with the resident and migratory wildlife that call it home. I encourage everyone to visit a National Wildlife Refuge to experience these wondrous places in person."

The new lands bring the total acreage of the 21 Texas federal refuges and three national fish hatcheries to nearly 700,000 acres.

The acquisitions were made possible with the help of non-profit conservation partners and private donors, including The Nature Conservancy, Knobloch Family Foundation, The Brown Foundation, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, The Bezos Earth Fund, The Conservation Fund, Friends of the Wildlife Corridor, and Friends of Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge.

To purchase the acquisitions, the Service spent a total of $14 million from the Land and Water Conservation Fund and the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund.