DETOURS
A Green Refuge In Orange
Northwest of downtown, alongside Adams Bayou.
BY DANIEL VAUGHN
FOR FIFTY YEARS the gates of Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center were closed. A bitter freeze in 1958 killed much of founder H.J. Lutcher Stark’s plant- ings, including his prized azaleas. Decades later, reopening plans spearheaded by his namesake foundation were also thwarted by nature, first by Hurricane Rita, in 2005, and then by Ike, in 2008. Finally, in 2009, the 252-acre park opened once again to visitors. Gravel paths wander along- side some three hundred plant species, and everywhere are contemplative spaces that feel far removed from the surrounding city, which lies just across the Sabine River from Louisiana. At the placid Pond of the Blue Moon is the towering Cypress Gate, a platform designed by San Antonio–based architecture firm Lake Flato from logs salvaged after Rita. At Ruby Lake, you’ll find a bird blind for viewing the many varieties of waterfowl that come through, and you just might see an alligator sunning on the dock nearby.
About 51,000 bottlenose dol- phins—the most common spe- cies o the Texas coast—are frolicking in the northern Gulf as you read this. Occasionally, though, one of them ends up on land. The Texas Marine Mam- mal Stranding Network, based in Galveston, responds to an average of 134 strandings per year. Executive director Heidi Whitehead says that after hur- ricanes, she and her colleagues have even rescued dolphins from fields and ditches as far as seventeen miles inland. So before you head to the beach, learn what to do if you come across one.
it can be rescued. Then try to keep it shaded and wet.
IF I FIND A STRANDED DOLPHIN, SHOULD I PUSH
CRITTER OF THE MONTH
Bottlenose Dolphin
IT INTO THE WATER? Often, says Whitehead, a
HOW EXACTLY DOES ONE MOISTEN A DOLPHIN ? You can pour seawater over it or cover it in wet towels. Just be sure to avoid the blowhole. MAY I PET IT? Definitely not. Wild dolphins are a protected species, and any form of harassment (such as trying to touch, feed, or swim with them) is illegal. Whitehead says the best thing you can do is be quiet and keep pets and other people at a distance. —Lauren Larson
beached dolphin is su ering from a lung disease brought on by exposure to bacteria, viruses, or fungi, and it must be treated and rehabilitated. If you try to Free Willy a dolphin back into the Gulf, it is unlikely to survive. WHAT SHOULD I DO? First, call 800-9MAMMAL, which is like a dolphin 911, and someone from Whitehead’s group will talk you through keeping the animal safe until
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