General Land Office and Laguna Madre

General Land Office

Laguna Madre

July 22, 2015

                             

Visiting the General Land Office was one of the highlights of our trips.  The wealth of knowledge gained was impressive.  I was under the belief that the only spills were those of oil from the oil rigs. I have learned that I was wrong there are many different types of spills and they have to be handled in different ways depending on the type of spill and the amount of the spill.  They had several samples of spills they have collected from their cleanups. 

  

                          

This was the last leg of our trip.  We were treated to a ride on an airboat for shallow areas and another boat to go into the deeper areas of the Laguna Madre.  Riding on the airboat, we were able to appreciate the mangroves and the oysters thriving near the mangroves. This was a pristine and healthy ecosystem.  

Palmetto Hill, Mouth of the River and South Jetties

Palmetto Hill

Mouth of the River

South Jetties

July 21, 2015

Palmito Ranch Battlefield National Historic Landmark was the location of the last battle of the civil war.  The forces in South Texas had already agreed on a truce.  An attack on Brownsville was ordered by Theodore H. Barrett.  This land has been unchanged or developed, thus allowing us to appreciate the way the landscape probably was at the time of the battle.

We moved to the mouth of the river as it comes into the Gulf of Mexico.  It was rich in wildlife.  We were able to see several blue herons, but were disappointed to see the amount of trash lining not only the river but also the beach.

     

Silverside Fish

Catfish

Dr. Garcia used the casting net to catch samples of fish that were in the area at the time. He found silverside fish in the sample.  During another sampling, he caught a catfish. Many dead catfish lay along the shore.  Dr. Garcia explained that anglers don't like catfish and instead of throwing them out to be caught again, they discard them on the shore to die.

   
Dr. Ramirez caught a blue crab in his dragging net.  The crab is a bottom dweller and was caught as the net dragged on the beach.  It looked a little dangerous with it's pinchers.

We also saw a group of pelicans flying over the ocean at the mouth of the river.  The amount of wildlife leads us to believe that we have a healthy ecosystem.  However, the amount of trash along the shore was alarming.

              

At the south jetties, Dr. Garcia pulled out a spiny sea urchin from the water.  It was attached to the marble rocks.  He also pulled up something that looked like green grass.  He told us that this is called sea lettuce.  It is edible but tastes very salty.

Drive Along the Border and Sabal Palm

Drive Along the Border

Sabal Palm

July 20, 2015

As we drive down the border wall, we came upon a sign that shows the sentiments of some of the people in this area.  Many people were against the border wall for many different reasons, but I feel that one of the most important is the fauna.  I drive along the border wall very frequently and have seen coyotes and turtles walking along the border wall trying to get to the other side.  This wall has had a negative impact on the fauna in this area.

     

                          

                           Windmill Grass

Ricinus 

   

In front of the border wall sign, we were able to see some of the plants that grow along the Rio Grande River.  I learned the name of the grass we see in many places and about a new plant.  The grass is called Windmill grass which was present and prevalent in this area.  Ricinus was also present.  This plant is also called a tick plant.  Castor oil is made from this plant.

 We then made our way to Sabal Palm Sanctuary.  I loved this picture.  It looks like you're going into Jurassic Park.  In fact, it is a patch of Sabal Palms that make their presence known.  The slant of the palms make them look as if they will fall and make for an interesting view.

                                                                         

We were educated on the Sabal palm and the reason why we still have a significant patch in Brownsville.  Mr. Rabb built his plantation on land that had a vast amount of Sabal palms.  Many acres of palms were cut down to make room for farming, but he had the foresight to leave a patch of Sabal Palms and allowed this special ecosystem to continue. 

                 

   

We also learned that the river boundary was not definite.  The rain would change the direction of the river thus changing the boundary.  At this time, there was an agreement that if someone from the United States gained land due to the boundary change, they would pay the prior owners of the land in the Mexican side for the land they had gained. This agreement was reciprocal.

Palo Alto Battlefield and Laguna Atascosa NWR Headquarters

Palo Alto Battlefield 

Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters

July 16, 2015

Palo Alto Battlefield is the location of the first battle during the United States-Mexican War.  The fact that this is high ground is one of the reasons the United States was able   to win this battle.  

The U.S. had canons that were placed on the high ground and could reposition the canons as needed. The terrain also assisted in the U.S. being victorious in this battle.  The land in this area is very salty.  The Mexican soldiers did not take this into consideration.  Although they had smaller canons, they were not able to maneuver the canons through the "salitre".  As they moved the canons, they became stuck in the salty terrain.

Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge has a great conservation program for the ocelot.  It is a place to see many different varieties of flora and fauna.    

                  

Blue Mist

Tornillo or Screwbean

Just like the Ebony reveals that the ground it is on is high ground, the other plants tell us the composition of the soil around them.  In this area, plants that are in the suaeda genus were present.  This indicates that the ground contains high levels of salt.  Above are pictures of two of these types of plants that tolerate a salty ground system.  

Batis Maritima

This plant is also thrives in salty environments.  It is cosmopolitan, appearing all over the world in salty areas.  Batis Maritima has no varieties, this is the only type of this plant.  It has thick leaves that help it dilute salt.

Texas Olive Tree

A luscious Texas Olive Tree greets visitors at the entrance to the Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters.  It is native to the Rio Grande Valley. 

American Alligator

It was a treat to see an American Alligator in the wild.  It was interesting to see that it was very aware of our tapping on the floor of the wooden bridge with our feet causing vibrations in the water. 

Estero Llano and Rio Hondo

Estero Llano Grande State Park

Low Water Bridge

Rio Hondo 

July 15, 2015

This is the entrance to Estero Llano Grande State Park.  The park covers 230 acres of diverse habitats in which many different types of plants and animals can be seen.  This was one of my favorite places to visit.  It was yet another place that I did not know existed.  

                                               

One of the animals in this wildlife park made it's appearance in this natural site.  I was able to take a picture of a jackrabbit that didn't want to pose for a picture.  In one of the trails, I spotted the exoskeleton of a cicada.  This confirms that cicadas live in the area, but I was unable to spot a live specimen.

Sabal Palms are evident in this area as they are in Sabal Palm Sanctuary in Brownsville, Texas.  I did not know that the palm trees that I have are Washingtonia Palms and not Sabal Palms.  The difference between these palms are that the Sabal Palm has smooth     fronds and the Washingtonia has spikes.

                    

The view outside the office of Estero Llano Grande State Park shows the shallow wetlands with cattails in the forefront and diverse grasslands and trees in the background.  One of the trees that called my attention was the blooming retama with its yellow flowers.

At the Rio Hondo Vertical Lift Bridge, we were able to see numerous mullet along the bank where there is oxygen.  As the barges stir up the silt and unoxygenated water, dead or dying fish come up and seagulls follow barges to take advantage of the dying fish.

Los Ebanos Ferry and Roma Bluffs

Los Ebanos Ferry

Santa Cruz de Rio Grande City

Roma Bluffs

July 14, 2015

                     

                          Los Ebanos Ferry Junction

         

A business that would take pictures of visitors.           

These are two businesses that are located prior to arriving at the Los Ebanos Ferry.  From these pictures, you can conclude that they had been at one time a place where families would come to enjoy food and drinks.  They would probably also stop to buy souvenirs being sold.   The picture on the right displays a building that had a sign for western pictures on the window; which is fun to do even in our time.  Visitors would enjoy the atmosphere of an old town.  I know I did.  I would have loved to see these stores open for business.

           
                  

                 Los Ebanos Ferry Present Day

Los Ebanos Ferry December 22, 1950

These pictures depict the Los Ebanos Ferry.  The picture on the left was taken July 14, 2015.  The picture on the right was taken on December 22, 1950.  I was surprised to see that there is still quite a bit of activity at this border crossing.  However, it can not be compared to the picture on the right.  In this day and age, anyone can own a car, but we only saw one or two cars on the ferry at a time although we have many more cars in our time.  In comparison, in the 1950's, not everyone had a car. It was more of an upper class acquisition, but there were cars waiting in line to cross into the United States.

                 

         Santa Cruz de Rio Grande City

Alter under a ledge

The next stop of this field trip was to the Santa Cruz de Rio Grande City.  This was a new find for me.  I had never been to this area.  From the view on the parking lot, you are led to believe that there is no way you will be able to make it to the top.  I heard some students say they would not make it all the way to the top and I was under the same impression.  Once we started the hike up, we realized it was not as high or steep as it looked from the parking lot.  I learned that we were standing on a part of mesa.  The rest of the mesa was composed of material that eroded leaving only the limestone mesa that will probably be around for a very long time.  This mesa is part of the Catholic religion in the area.  A cross has been erected and pilgrimages are taken to the cross.  There are also some impromptu alters under the ledges of the mesa.

                                      

 




These structures can be attributed to the Spanish colonists and the Mexican settlers of the area.  It is evident that these buildings have been here for a very long time.  I have seen similar structures and similar bricks used in Abasolo, Nuevo Leon.

The view from atop the bluff was breathtaking.  I did not realize that the water level was that low in some areas.  It appears that someone could actually just walk across the river.