Wildlife refuge to remain closed throughout week

The Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center and trails will remain closed for the remainder of this week and are not expected to open until August 2, due to flooding and damages brought upon by Hurricane Dolly.

"We need to make sure visitors can come out here and safely enjoy the refuge," said John Wallace, acting project leader for the South Texas Refuge Complex. "Right now, there are a lot of tree limbs and branches on the roads, as well as standing water."

Many of the public facilities were damaged due to the heavy winds and flooding and are not yet accessible to the public. The refuge housing had numerous shingles blown off the roof, the Visitors Center had water leaks, and the popular 15-mile Bayside Drive has standing water and debris that make it impassable.

"The main roads coming into the refuge have a lot of debris and flooding as well," said Wallace, who adds that the refuge is still without electricity. The refuge is using emergency generators.

Although the refuge is taking time to regroup and fix their damages, much of the wildlife in the area has emerged to make it a great time for animal watching.

"Wildlife usually weathers the storms better than we do," Wallace said.

A multitude of waterbirds, roadrunners, shorebirds, Texas tortoises and amphibians have surfaced in the wake of Hurricane Dolly.

Visitors who would typically visit Laguna Atascosa NWR are encouraged to consider visiting Santa Ana NWR, seven miles south of Alamo.

"Some of the trails on Santa Ana NWR do have standing water and debris, but the Visitor Center is open and the public can still go out and access the hawk watch tower, the cemetary and the paved wildlife drive," Wallace said.

To plan a future trip to the Laguna Atascosa NWR, call (956) 748-3607. The administrative office is expected to open for business again Friday.