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Connie Hagar Wildlife Sanctuary |
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History of Connie Hagar Wildlife Sanctuary: Located in the heart of Rockport, Texas, in 1943 the Texas Legislature designated, Little Bay as the Connie Hagar Wildlife Sanctuary. It provided birders with fantastic opportunities to spot, study and photography hundreds of resident and migratory birds yearly. Frandolig Island was named after horseman & cattleman, Austrian Franz Joseph Frandolig. The Connie Hagar Wildlife Sanctuary is located between the mouth of Fulton Harbor (northernmost point) and south to the Rockport city limits marker.
SEE GIS MAP OF CONNIE HAGAR WILDLIFE SANCTUARY, TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE INFORMATION AND POINTS OF INTEREST.
Read the Code & boundaries from Texas Parks & Wildlife
Many years later when the Navigation District put the small Frandolig Island up for sale, developers were quick to jump on the opportunity. The island was one of the largest islands in the Little Bay complex. Conservationists along with widely known and respected nature organizations were in an uproar and worried that the bird nesting grounds might be endangered and fought the sale of the property diligently but to no avail. When the sale of Frandolig Island was finalized, Connie took it personally - her most precious birding island where she had watched, learned from, and helped nurture, was being reduced to concrete and pavement. Today, Frandolig Island is the resort community of "Key Allegro."
Gravesites of Connie and Jack Hagar: Jack died August 20, 1962, and Connie passed away on November 29, 1973. Both were laid to rest at the Rockport Cemetery, which overlooks Connie's favorite birding spot, Little Bay and what used to be Frandolig Island (now Key Allegro). See Photo Below:
Roger Tory Peterson: Acclaimed Ornithologist Photo used with express permission from the RTP Institute/Friends of Connie Hagar Inc. Reproduction of this photo is strictly prohibited.
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birdRockport holds the rights to this photo. No Reproduction by Law. Little Bay is within the Connie Wildlife Sanctuary. Small islands and protected waters make a splendid habitat for residential and migratory birds. Connie spent countless day here and on Frandolig Island before developers turned this particular island into a housing development. Birders from all over the world have a stop at Little Bay as part of their primary hot spot when visiting Rockport.
Photo is Copyrighted. No Reproduction by Law. Water Street in south Rockport runs along the shore of Aransas Bay. Whether you walk it or drive it's a great place for birding! Connie would walk the Aransas Bay shoreline to spot and study the birds in the area.
Alfred Eisenstaedt Photo: Cover of Life Magazine, 1954. Used with strict permission by the "Friends of Connie Hagar Inc". Reproduction of the photo is strictly prohibited.
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