These river critters are making a splash and teaching people about life in the San Antonio River Basin. Keep an eye out for the Basin Besties as they pop up online and across the river basin, ready to spread their passion for a safe, clean and enjoyable river.
Get to Know Heronimo!
The heron who cares about river safety
Heronimo is a Great Blue Heron with a great big job — keeping the river basin safe. The largest species of heron in North America, Great Blue Herons are patient, majestic, graceful, and social. Heronimo stands tall while wading in the river or perched high in a heronry above. The Basin Besties’ eye in the sky, Heronimo has exceptional eyesight and night vision, which are useful for gathering information and spotting potential threats, like flooding. Heronimo also has a powerful voice that commands attention, perfect for teaching people about safety and warning them about danger.
Heronimo takes the job seriously, but has a knack for explaining important things in a fun, engaging way. Heronimo’s also not afraid to be a bit goofy, and is quick to make a safety-related joke that might fly over your head.
Heronimo loves to relax by doing yoga along the river, so you might occasionally see them standing still, spreading their wings out wide in a warrior pose. That’s also how herons dry their wings. Soon, they’ll be back to gliding steadily over the water between slow wingbeats, scanning the river basin.
Up Next, Meet Rex!
This clever raccoon loves a clean river
Rex may be a Common Racoon, but is a one-of-a-kind, chaotic force throughout the river basin. Mostly for good.
Rex just can’t help being a bit of a lovable, relatable mess. In true “trash panda” fashion, Rex loves garbage — picking it up, collecting it, and reusing it. But the more Rex learns about how litter from the land makes its way into our river, the more they enjoy reminding people where it’s supposed to go. A creative, resourceful critter, Rex has hands that are perfectly suited for crafting things out of found litter — like their signature styrofoam-cup hat and drinking-straw bowtie.
Raccoons are scavengers by nature, so Rex is constantly scouring the river and the land around it — foraging for food, finding hiding spots, and adding trash to their collection. Raccoons are smart and endlessly curious, so Rex knows all about the plants and animals that can be found along the San Antonio River. If you ever get a peek into Rex’s notebook, you’ll find pages full of information about every living thing you might encounter in the river basin.
Good Golly, Meet Ollie!
An otter-ly enjoyable river recreation enthusiast
Ollie is a playful, adorable North American River Otter who’s loving every second of being back in the river basin. Ollie is known around South Texas as The Comeback Kit—”kit” being the proper name for a baby otter. There used to be more river otters throughout the river basin, but trapping, pollution, and habitat loss made them leave the basin for a while. Efforts to restore and protect our waterways have allowed otters like Ollie to call the San Antonio River home once again.
Determined to make the most of their return to the basin, Ollie is the number-one champion of recreation at the trails and parks along the river. Hiking, fishing, kayaking, swimming, going to community events, you name it — Ollie’s up for any new experience.
On land, Ollie can run fast and slide through the mud even faster. But Ollie loves any reason to be in the water, whether it’s playing, snacking, paddleboarding, or collecting samples to test the river’s water quality. Ollie cares deeply about water quality because a safe, clean river is more enjoyable for everyone. Although river otters don’t have built-in pouches like sea otters do, Ollie carries a bag to hold their favorite pebble, toys, and tools. It also has pages of notes about water quality levels and maps of their favorite swimming spots. If you’re lucky, you might spot Ollie running or paddling toward the next adventure.
Downloads
Always keep your Basin Besties close by downloading some coloring pages and other fun learning materials.
Heronimo
Rex
Ollie
Basin Besties
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