Bishop Chamber banquet features birding talk, civic awards
Written by Patti Trujillo, KingsvilleNow.com
The 67th annual Bishop Chamber of Commerce Banquet was held Thursday, 27 February, in the Bishop High School cafeteria, 100 Badger Lane. High school students served the 128 attendees at the table. Matthew Ulmer was Master of Ceremonies.
“I think the dinner was a great success. I have to give credit to the hard-working volunteers who helped us put this together and to our generous individual and business sponsors,” said Judy Gonzalez, Bishop Chamber executive director.
Tom Langschied, a birding expert and Nature Tour Coordinator with the King Ranch®, presented the keynote program on the area’s avian and natural resources. He pointed out that there are many specialty South Texas bird species that attract birders from around the world to this area; and that birding can bring a boost to the local economy, with proper management.
He focused on the bird species that can be found at the Bishop City Park, with its walking paths through natural habitat and a 9.1-acre lake. Among the many possible species are: scissor-tailed flycatcher (Bishop’s City Bird); green jay (Kingsville’s City Bird); kiskadee flycatcher; vermillion flycatcher; roseate spoonbill; Harris hawk; white-tailed hawk; black-bellied whistling duck; and groove-billed ani.
After the program, the Bishop annual civic awards were presented: Lifetime Service Award to Walter Cookie La Cour; Outstanding Citizen to City Council member Janie Dominguez; Outstanding Business Professional to Bishop Police Chief Larry Lawrence; Outstanding Business Woman to Bishop City Secretary of 29 years, Cynthia Contreras; and Junior Citizen of the Year, high school senior Cassidy Hoyle.
