The Third Annual Buenos Aires NWR Grasslands Fair!
On a cool breezy day in November The Friends of Buenos Aires NWR held their 3rd Annual Buenos Aires Grasslands Fair. The Headquarters grounds was filled with visitors enjoying the "fresh airs", the aroma of food, and the sounds of happy voices, ethnic music and Sally Gall, our charming hostess and the manager of the refuge.
If you stood in just the right spot you could see rows of vendor and organization tables, the big tent with people coming and going from the presentations, a music group, Mexican, South American or Native American depending on the moment and the leisurely flow of visitors. The mischievous wind snatched the aromatic smoke of barbecues and the fragrances of fresh-baked pastries and delivered them straight to your nose.
Desert animals were also in attendance: raptors, lizards and snakes and small mammals.
Inside the Visitor's Center the permanent exhibits were complimented by a gallery of photographs and art appropriate to the world of Buenos Aires. Each artist donated a piece to a raffle for the Friends that did very well.
Special visitors stepped out of history to give us connections with the human legacy of this land. These included the family that bought the ranch from Pedro Aguirre in the late 19th century and the family that made it certain that Brown Canyon Preserve was saved by selling it to the refuge in 1995.
The event was concluded by a moving plea from Arturo of the Azteca Dancers for loving and living in harmony with our mother planet.
Photos courtesy Ray Goodwin, Betty Mulcahey, Mart Scott and Robert Farrell
