Conservation on Campus

BROWNSVILLE – When taking walks through UTRGV’s campuses students are serenaded with the sounds and sights of nature and wildlife. 

We spoke to Dr. Christopher Gabler, UTRGV’s assistant professor in the School of Earth, Environmental and Marine Biology on what ways we could help wildlife on campus.

 “So, for animals on campus or the most important thing we can do is avoid litter especially plastic litter that might get consumed or become a choking hazard for some of the animals on campus. Also, it’s good not to feed the animals on campus because the food that we consume is usually not the best thing for wildlife. Something you can do a bit off of campus that benefits campus animals would be to garden with native plants can really contribute to the health of pollinators and birds and other insects that need these native plants survive. We have a lot of green space compared to a lot of other campuses. We could do a better job of gardening with native plants. Our campus looks fabulous and it really is one of the things we’re most proud of. One of my biggest recommendations is just to go and enjoy it; look for it. It’s in more places than you might think. Take the time to walk around and peek into dark areas and corners behind buildings and you’ll be surprised by what you might find. So, get out and enjoy wildlife,” Gabler said.

We also asked students about wildlife on campus. 

“The wildlife, it just adds a special touch, it really-it just helps out, like keep the students, like feeling a little bit better every single day like the little duckies and stuff. You know. Yeah. I love the wildlife,” said student Santiago Cardenas.

UTRGV-TV tried to reach out to wildlife on campus. However, they were a bit camera shy.

Click on the video below to watch the full story.