Pharr partners with U.S. Fish and Wildlife and volunteers for largest U.S. reforestation event; city schedules highway cleanup

Pharr officials and conservation partners announced plans for the Rio Reforestation planting event on Oct. 18 and a companion volunteer campaign, and gave updates on local cleanup and beautification projects during the Keep Pharr Beautiful Board meeting on Sept. 16.

The Rio Reforestation event is set for Oct. 18, from 8 a.m. to noon, with a pre-event information session at the city library on Oct. 16 from 6 to 7 p.m., city and refuge staff said. Laura de la Garza, who represented the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at the meeting, said the planting day “is actually the biggest planting event in the United States,” and that last year’s event drew “about 1,600” volunteers and is expected to grow this year.

The board said the event includes multiple partners — American Forests, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, City of Pharr staff and local organizations — and will be promoted broadly through city channels, social media and utility mailings. De la Garza said the partnership demonstrates municipal support for conservation and creates green spaces that benefit both wildlife and local residents.

Keep Pharr Beautiful staff also reported a scheduled Adopt-a-Highway cleanup along Cage Boulevard, from Old Canaries (start point) to Moore Road, beginning at 8 a.m. on the cleanup day. Gracie Casas, Special Projects Manager for Parks and Recreation, said Pharr-San Juan-Alamo (PSJA) Southwest students have signed up — 38 students from various chapters — and that 20 to 25 city employees have confirmed attendance.

Remy Vargas, Urban Ecologist, described additional outreach tied to the reforestation work: seed-library programming with the city library’s children’s department, classroom and toddler events teaching seed planting, and a media campaign that will include a promotional video and podcast. Vargas said the city has arranged support from public safety, with police, fire and EMS on standby for larger volunteer operations.

Board members discussed a beautification effort at the municipal golf course led by the parks department. Vargas said staff and the golf-course director, Will (last name not specified), identified five planting areas including restroom zones, the course entrance near hole No. 1 and buffer strips behind holes to serve as both landscaping and barriers to deter cart shortcuts. Isaac Escuelado, assistant director, said engineering will supply aerial mapping and property-plotting to guide final designs.

On staffing and grants, Vargas said the grant timeline is approved and the city has posted two job openings tied to the grant: an Urban Forester and a Community Coordinator. He said applicants are already applying and that recruitment channels include the Texas A&M wildlife job board and local university job boards; the Urban Forester position prefers a certified ISA arborist but the hiring pay scale may adjust for candidates who lack that certification.

Other items reported to the board: the Coastal Expo has been moved from December to February because of scheduling conflicts and school testing schedules in December; city staff will continue to finalize logistics. The meeting also introduced new board member Mercedes Guillen; board members welcomed her and deferred a longer bio to the board-comments portion of a future meeting.

Votes at a glance - Approval of the Aug. 19, 2025 meeting minutes: motion made and seconded, voice vote in favor; outcome recorded as approved (voice vote; counts not specified). - Motion to excuse an attendee (not specified in transcript): seconded by Mr. Perez; outcome recorded as approved (voice vote; counts not specified). - Motion to adjourn: moved and seconded; outcome recorded as approved (voice vote; counts not specified).

The board closed by encouraging continued volunteer recruitment and media outreach ahead of the Oct. 16 library event and the Oct. 18 planting day. Staff said they will finalize maps and logistics and that Parks and Recreation will coordinate tools, safety vests and trolley support for volunteer transport where needed.