Javier de Leon says the Estero Llano Grande State Park in Mercedes has given Mid-Valley residents the sort of quick access to natural wonders that many Texans lack.

“A lot of people when they think of a state park, they think of a place like Garner State Park where you have to drive many hours to get there,” said de Leon, who is Estero Llano’s park superintendent. “We’re nestled right here, between Mercedes and Weslaco and just north of Progreso. It’s a 10-minute drive from where they (residents) live.”

It’s a special year for the state park in Mercedes, which is located just east of FM 1015 at 154A Lakeview Drive. Estero Llano opened in the summer of 2006, so this year marks the state park’s 20^th anniversary. It has proven to be jewel not only for the Mid-Valley but for the entire Rio Grande Valley – and beyond. The 230-acre Estero Llano has become a national birding hotspot that draws birders from all corners of the United States.

“It’s a really nice anniversary to say here’s what we have achieved,” de Leon said.

Range Of Diversity

Estero Llano may not have the size of a Bentsen State Park in Mission or the Resaca de la Palma State Park in Brownsville.

But it does have a fascinating diversity of habitat. De Leon describes it as a park with four segments. They are:

·      Camp Thicket, a former church retreat property acquired for the park in 2012. It provides cabins and meeting areas for large groups along with having lots of old growth native habitat.

·      A tropical segment that was once the site of a mobile home park. It sits near Camp Thicket on Estero Llano’s' west side and has a mixture of old native habitat growth and fruit trees like mangos and citrus that were planted years ago by mobile home residents.

·      The wetlands that were carved out of farmland in the early 2000s and during the winter and spring months are home to hundreds of ducks and other migratory water-dependent birds. The area is also where park visitors can find the resident alligators at Estero Llano. Just to the south of the wetlands is Llano Grande Lake, a naturally occurring lake that is part of the Arroyo Colorado watershed.

·      On the park’s northeast side is Camino de Aves, which de Leon describes as being the dry and desert part of Estero Llano with turtles, horned frogs and thickets of mesquites.

The range of habitat diversity partly explains why Estero Llano has become so acclaimed as a national birding hotspot. Rare bird sightings like the Elegant Trogon at the state park set off a dash to Mercedes by birders from around the nation. The coppery-tailed bird is rarely seen outside of southern Arizona to neighboring sections of Mexico.

“It gives us the nature seal of approval,” de Leon said of the rare bird sightings at the park.

Moving Forward

From its 20-year mark, moving forward, de Leon and his staff will continue their array of events and programs that draw students from those in elementary school to the college-aged doing research.

There are also family-centric activities like the summer archery program and science fairs for children. Park facilities after two decades of use are also in need of some upgrades and improvements. A courtyard at the old mobile home site is in the works and will host large gatherings like nature expos.

Estero Llano has built a loyal fanbase, de Leon said, with about 30,000 visitors on an annual basis. The park superintendent would like to do better.

“We still hear, ‘man, I live in Mercedes and I didn’t know you all were here,’ ’’ de Leon said. “There are over one million people in the Valley. One of these days, we’ll get to all of them. There’s still a lot of work to do.”

- Ric Cavazos

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