The Buena Vista Lagoon Nature Center.
BVAS prides itself on its educational programs, especially the programs geared towards children. BVAS provides approximately 3,000 local students free visits to the Nature Center with developmentally appropriate presentations, and nature discovery hikes along the trail. Several local elementary schools benefit from a bus grant providing free transportation to the Nature Center. Other educational programs offered to the community include birding trips, preschool story time, and special nature programs. As of January 2016, BVAS became landowners with the land acquisition of the 3.5acre parcel across the highway from the Nature Center. The land is an irreplaceable piece of rare coastal wetland, and home to the endangered Light-footed Ridgway’s Rail. Conserving this property has created a buffer between urban development and the ecological reserve, allowing for the restoration of salt marsh wetlands and THEOSIDER.COM 39