Audubon Conservation Ranching (ACR) is working on potential new additions of four ranches in Texas ranches and one in New Mexico for certification. Audubon Texas is working alongside these fantastic producers to formulate their 3-year habitat management plans, which detail management actions throughout the property designed to holistically improve grassland bird habitat.

ACR is also gearing up for our 2024 monitoring season, by planning breeding season surveys for our existing certified ranches. This data will be used to demonstrate how on-the-ground management activities are affecting bird populations. We anticipate sharing positive historical data in bird populations with the 2024 results. 

Audubon Texas and ACR have been busy the past quarter! In January, the Audubon Conservation Ranching team attended the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo with Jacob Poinsett, Education Manager at Trinity River Audubon Center. Tabling at the Kids Gone Wild event, Audubon Texas connected with visitors to share awareness of native mammals, plants, pollinators, reptiles, and birds. In February, ACR attended the Panhandle Wildlife Conference, a wonderful event from Texas Parks and Wildlife, Texas Tech University Department of Natural Resources Management, and the Texas Wildlife Association that brought more opportunities for partnership, field days, and presentations. March brought presentations on Audubon Conservation Ranching to the Texas Land Trust Council’s Texas Land Conservation Conference, garnering interest from additional landowners and partners.

Audubon Texas is also excited to begin expanding the Audubon Conservation Ranching team. Preparation is underway to add an ecologist covering South Texas and the Gulf coast in the coming months. These new positions are important for the addition and support of new ACR lands in key geographies across the state.