UTB/TSC Archives - Gorgas Science Foundation
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Treasures of the Rio Grande delta
John Bax and Gorgas Science Foundation, Inc.
John Bax provides cinematography for an exhaustive study of the Lower Rio Grande Valley.
Long known as the River of Destiny, the Rio Grande has been the focus of both conflict and peace between Mexico and the United States. Although rich in history, the river’s delta also supports a rich legacy of natural history. Twisting and turning from the Chihuahuan Woodlands to the Gulf of Mexico, the last 250 miles of this great river form a rich delta, a transition zone between the semiarid tropics and the temperate north. Since 1900, most of the delta’s native vegetation has been lost, but many small islands of endangered habitat survive at the edge of farms and cities. These islands harbor an incredible number of endangered or threatened species. Some are known only from the delta or reach their northern limits here.
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At a Bend in a Mexican River
John Bax and Gorgas Science Foundation, Inc.
More than 50 years ago, bird artist and ornithologist George Miksch Sutton visited a hidden river along the eastern escarpment of Mexico’s Sierra Madre Oriental. Although he had visited many places in the world, perhaps none so enthralled him. His vivid memories were published in 1972, exactly 50 years later. Cinematographer John Bax was compelled to visit the same enchantingly beautiful stream that flows from the foot of the dark and majestic mountain. This video features 38 rarely seen neo-tropical birds. These, and numerous others, are included in the video.
