SPORTS + OUTDOORS

Get Gatorwise at Brazos Bend State Park! Park staff and volunteers will be offering various alligator-themed programs throughout the weekend of August 27th & 28th, 2011 at the Gatorwise Weekend. Visitors to the Nature Center will have ample opportunities to engage in "hands-on" learning. Children will be able to earn a "Gatorwise" button by attending only one program or hike and answering a few questions. The Nature Center will be 9:00am - 5:00pm both days.

New hatchling alligators will also be on display. This year's pod was hatched from eggs collected from a nest that was in jeopardy of abandonment. When the mother alligator made the nest and laid the eggs, water levels were almost normal in Creekfield Lake. Creekfield, one of the more shallow lakes, quickly dried up, causing the mother to have to travel a great distance from the receding waterline (where she keeps cool) to her nest.

In order to give the mother a break and keep potential predators, such as raccoons, opossums and feral pigs from raiding the nest, park staff collected the eggs plus the nesting material and continued the incubation process in a storage room at the nature center. Incubation takes approximately 65 to 70 days. The eggs were collected in the middle of July and hatched on August 14th. Of the 50 eggs, 21 hatched successfully. The remaining eggs had no developed embryos.

Live animals are used by park staff as teaching tools. It is important to note that although hatchling alligators can tug at the heart-strings, it is illegal to keep alligators of any size as pets. All of our alligators used in educational programs are released back into the park after about one year in captivity. At this early age, they are no threat to humans and can survive on their own.

Alligator viewing at the park is best during the milder months of the year. Reptiles prefer days that are also comfortable for most humans. They avoid activity during the mid-day heat. Look for them early or late in the day. They do not hibernate but instead are torpid during cold or hot spells. Mating activity can be seen or heard from April to late May. When hiking the trails in the wetland areas, it is important to be familiar with the park's "alligator etiquette" which is found on park maps and posted throughout the park. Remember that nature rules the park and you are a guest in her home.