Birding Nature Center Plans Addition Ross Cunningham, Matagorda Advocate | 17-Sep-2009
The Matagorda County Birding Nature Center presented a program recently to the Bay City Nature Club for its upcoming plan for the nature park on Tuesday, Sept. 8, at the Bay City Service Center. The plans for building a 7,000 square foot new visitors center at the 35-acre nature park in Bay City begins in January of 2010 with groundbreaking ceremony.
"The new visitors center will welcome visitors to the gateway to the great outdoors in Matagorda County," said MCBNC board member Becca Sitz. "The new facility will cost $900,000. The renderings and architectural sketches are available and ready for review. The beautiful new center will serve as an open door to all visitors and will be a shining star for our city and county."
Sitz said that the new facility at the park would have wrap around porches, large windows, which will provide maximum outdoor scenery for all to view. It will provide classrooms, meeting rooms for the Bay City Nature Club and for other meetings. It will also provide additional convention space.
Ginger Burlingame shared with the club that since the MCBNC opened in 2003, there have been 41,000 plus visitors to the center.
"We average 533 visitors per month and we have over 2,000 out of state visitors. The Texas Ornithological Society met at the center in January with 170 participants," said Burlingame. "The number one hobby in America is birding and birders spend more money than any other hobbyist."
Board member and founder of the MCBNC David Sitz said that the park is located in a natural migratory region, which attracts many birds.
"We are a top attraction to tourist due to the amazing 350 or more variety of birds that are found int he area," said Sitz. "We also sponsor the Audubon Christmas Bird Count every year and Matagorda County has been number one in North America 10 out of 11 years and we are presently number one." Sitz said the park has gardens, two waterfalls, six bridges, ponds, outdoor education center, kiosk, beautiful river, observation deck, boat ramp and many miles of walking trails.
"We will continue to show promise with your support for the new 7,000 square foot visitors center," said Sitz.
The MCBNC is open from sunup to sundown and open all year except Christmas day.
For more information on how you can help support the center call 979-245-3355, fax 979-245-3788 or email: mcbnc@mcbnc.org, or go to their Web site at www.mcbnc.org. Article from the Matagorda Advocate
Bookmark 
Links
