Volunteers spent their Saturday morning hard at work shoveling dirt to make room for new life in Pharr.

Over one thousand people showed up at the Milagro Tract in Pharr to help replant 10 thousand native tree species on 10 acres.

“It's been incredible just seeing everyone around volunteering coming together for a cause that is so important to restore the ecosystem,” H-E-B Environmental Affairs Manager Anahi Villarreal said.

The restoration will benefit the overall air quality. John Dale, a director who oversees reforestation efforts in Texas and Mexico for the American Forests organization, said the event was a step in the right direction.

“In the Rio Grande Valley, we have less than 10% of our native habitat left,” Dale said. “So over the last 100, 120 years, the Valley was cleared of thorn forest for farmland and now urbanization with the cities. There is even less of it left. The idea is to come back and restore about 40 different species."

Sherry Wilcox, a senior representative for the Animal Defenders of Wildlife, said as the trees get older, they will provide a habitat for many native species of wildlife.

“The forest system itself has over 1,200 plant species, and it is home to over 300 butterflies, 500 bird species and the ocelot — which is a really important small cat native to South Texas," Wilcox said.

The American Forests, Animal Defenders, H-E-B and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are among the organizations involved in the reforestation efforts.

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