Leadership
Board of Directors
Josefina Ledesma
Board Member
Melissa Nieto
Board Member
Ruben Villanueva
Board Member
Araceli Everitt
Board Member
Melissa Saldivar
Board Member
Hollie S. Johnston
Executive Director
The oldest nature center in the Rio Grande Valley — a 6-acre urban paradise dedicated to education and conservation since 1984.
“To provide educational opportunities and to foster appreciation and understanding of the Lower Rio Grande Valley’s unique natural communities of flora and fauna.”— VNC Mission Statement
The Valley Nature Center’s 6-acre park is home to a wide variety of the LRGV’s native plants and animals. Many plants were transplanted over the past 40 years from sites slated for development, preserving species that might otherwise be lost forever.
We are the only non-profit center fully dedicated to environmental education south of San Antonio and east of Eagle Pass. Our state-of-the-art green facility, completed in October 2014, features interactive displays for the whole family.
Founding volunteers transformed a vacant lot in the middle of Weslaco into the green gem it is today.
We offer a wide variety of exceptional educational programs throughout the year. The LRGV is one of the top birding and butterfly destinations in the United States.
Wander our trails and you may encounter Malachite butterflies, Plain Chachalacas, Great Kiskadees, Buff-bellied Hummingbirds, Texas Tortoises, Cottontail Rabbits, and many lizard and amphibian species.