The public is invited to a community celebration commemorating Kerrville’s designation as a “Bird City,” to be held from 5-7:30pm on January 17, at The Kerrville Hills Winery at Schreiner University, 2100 East Main Street.

The event is free, and will include door prizes, wine tasting, live music, and food truck. Community partners will be on hand to discuss the program and answer questions.

Initiated by Riverside Nature Center, the certification as “Bird City Kerrville” by the National Audubon Society involved a consortium of community partners including Hill Country Master Naturalists, Native Plant Society of Texas, Wild Birds Unlimited Kerrville Nature Shop, Bexar Audubon Society, Schreiner University Field Station, and the City of Kerrville.

The process has involved creating educational programming, installing attractions, making improvements to bird habitat on public and private property, and spreading the word about the area’s native birds.

The positive impacts for the area will be ongoing, according to Chris Distel, Ph.D., Professor of Biology and Field Station Director at Schreiner University.

“Not only is it nice to recognize the commitment to our natural history, but this designation is likely to attract more birders to our community,” Distel said. “Many of these folks will dine in our restaurants, stay in our hotels, and buy our fuel, having a positive economic impact on the wider community.”

Contact: Michael Bennett, 830-792-7462, MBennett@schreiner.edu

Volunteers install native plants along the new extension of the river trail, one of the initiatives that helped Kerrville earn the designation as an official “Bird City.”