| Program Spotlight: Turning Strategy into Results. |
Working to Rebuild Important Habitats.
by Alexis Baldera, Senior Manager, Coastal Program
Waterbirds depend on Texas’s coastal islands for nesting. Twenty-six species of colonial waterbirds gather on these islands each year to nest and raise their chicks. With open water separating the mainland from the islands, these sites naturally provide some protection from predators and human disturbance. Many of the islands are man-made, created during the dredging of coastal waterways, and are now severely eroding. Audubon and partners across the coast work to manage these sites to make them as suitable for bird nesting as possible. As erosion continues, we are also working to rebuild and restore these important habitats.
Audubon addresses these pressures through direct habitat protection, restoration, and science-based monitoring. READ MORE
Herds for Birds – Creating Pathways to Engage.
by Anita Gilson, Range Ecologist
Land stewards in the Audubon Conservation Ranching program support some of North America’s most important bird habitat. However, the producers stewarding this critical habitat are often spread across vast distances, managing complex operations with limited access to peer networks or trusted conservation guidance. Many producers are interested in bird-friendly land management but face barriers to participation, including navigating technical assistance programs, understanding financial incentives, and finding examples of practices that work in real-world ranching systems.
As our Audubon Conservation Ranching program expands rapidly across Texas, it has become clear that program growth alone is not enough. To achieve lasting, landscape-scale impact aligned with Audubon’s Flight Plan, we need stronger connectivity among producers and clearer pathways for new landowners to engage with the program. READ MORE
Saving Habitat Across a Changing Landscape.
by Chloe Crumley, Engagement Manager
Conserving and restoring habitat is one of Audubon’s core strategies for bending the bird curve, but this work is becoming increasingly challenging in Texas. With the state’s population expected to double by 2050, rapid development threatens to outpace the protection of open lands and neighborhood green spaces. And with most Texans now living in urban areas, the health of our communities—for birds and people—will increasingly depend on the conservation actions we take today in our cities. But it’s not only cities that deserve our attention; university campuses and large, institutional landscapes play a critical role as well.
Bird City Texas was created to address the challenges from rapid urbanization by helping communities reduce threats to birds while improving habitat, public engagement, and environmental stewardship. READ MORE
Texas Takes Flight: Cities and Campuses Uniting for Bird‑Friendly Buildings
by Chloe Crumley, Engagement Manager
While we’ve made tremendous progress through the Lights Out, Texas! initiative—a movement championed by Audubon Texas and partners where more than 20 cities and landmarks, including Dallas’s Reunion Tower, dim their lights to protect migrating birds—reducing light pollution is only half the challenge. To fully safeguard birds in flight, we must also address the threat posed by glass itself.
We design offices, schools, and homes with massive floor-to-ceiling windows because we crave a connection to the outdoors. However, to a bird, that transparent glass is invisible, or worse, its reflection of the sky and trees looks like a clear path forward. READ MORE |
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