Crews installed a 20-foot-tall steel Great Blue Heron at the entrance of Oso Wetlands and Preserve the first weekend of December 2015. Courtesy photo
Corpus Christi’s newest piece of public art now welcomes visitors to Oso Bay Wetlands Preserve and Learning Center. A 20-foot-tall Great Blue Heron made of steel was erected recently as part of the new Southside nature park.
The heron holds a wriggling fish in its beak and cost around $100,000. It was designed as a permanent art piece by Houston-based artist Dixie Friend Gay.
The money comes from a $6.3 million voter-approved bond project that turned 162 acres of trash strewn land back to nature. The location had been scarred by off roading and dumping and was once home to a military installation and brick factory.
Nature continues to reclaim the area which now boasts two miles of pedestrian-only trail surfaced with pavement, soil and crushed granite; 1.25 miles of paved trail for cyclists and pedestrians; and a learning center, still under construction.
Visitors attending the regularly scheduled nature hikes spy coyotes, javelina, bobcats, deer, gulf coast toads, leopard frogs and many, many bird and insect species.
The preserve is located at the intersection of North Oso Parkway and Wooldridge Road. Parking is available at Holly Road and Paul Jones Avenue, with additional parking at Wooldridge Road and N. Oso Parkway. The parking lot and building grounds are still under construction, so be carefull when you come to see the big bird!
Oso Wetlands Preserve is open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Admission is free. Owned by the City of Corpus Christi, the preserve seeks input from area residents on how to better serve community needs. To participate in the assessment, click here.
