For over a century, Audubon Texas—the state office of the National Audubon Society—has been at the forefront of conservation efforts across the state. We are dedicated to advancing policies that protect birds, people, and the places they depend on. Our 2025 Texas legislative agenda reflects this commitment, aligning with our strategic Flight Plan and supporting Audubon’s national Healthy Birds, Healthy Planet policy agenda. These initiatives emphasize the vital connection between bird conservation, climate resilience, and environmental sustainability.

The National Audubon Society, through its Texas state office, is a trusted nonpartisan organization that serves as a convener and bridge-builder, uniting diverse perspectives across the political spectrum. We work to shape meaningful laws and policies at all levels, from local communities to the State Capitol and national strategy. Through this collaborative approach, we are committed to protecting critical habitats, enhancing climate resilience, and empowering communities and partners to take action.

Expertise and Credibility:  Audubon is a respected and influential voice on public policy issues, from town halls to the Texas Capitol in Austin, and the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C. Audubon Texas is committed to advancing environmental conservation through collaborative, science-based solutions that benefit birds, habitats, and people. Across the skies and across the aisle, our mission transcends partisan affiliations, focusing instead on fostering sustainable practices and implementing impactful changes in partnership with ally organizations, tribes, legislators, state and federal agencies, and communities. Remaining impartial and balanced ensures our work is guided by shared values, evidence-based strategies, and a collective commitment to environmental stewardship. 

A Voice for Birds:   Audubon Texas, the statewide office of the National Audubon Society, is a nonprofit environmental conservation organization working to protect birds and the places they need, today and tomorrow. In this spirit, Audubon Texas engages in advocacy efforts at the local, state, and federal levels on behalf of Audubon members, aligning with our strategic Flight Plan and supporting Audubon’s national Healthy Birds, Healthy Planet policy agenda.  

Many of the challenges that impact people also affect birds. Our policy efforts prioritize protecting birds, particularly endangered and threatened species, and preserving their habitats. We focus on advancing climate action, promoting responsibly-sited clean energy and transmission infrastructure, securing public funding for landowner incentives to support Texas’ conservation economy, and addressing other mission-critical issues identified by Audubon Chapters, Centers, or certified Texas Bird Cities. 

Connection to Broader Initiatives:  Policy advocacy is an integral part of Audubon Texas' statewide mission, complementing our local, state, and hemispheric programs that protect birds, promote stewardship of their habitats, and foster impactful partnerships. Through these efforts, we aim to improve access to healthy ecosystems in our communities and bend the bird curve, reversing the decline of bird populations across the Americas. 

Our broader initiatives include Audubon Conservation Ranching, Bird City Texas, Lights Out Texas!, Texas Leaders in Conservation, Coastal Conservation, and Audubon Urban Conservation. We also work closely with local chapters and Audubon Conservation Action Centers to amplify our impact through mission-driven programs and initiatives. 

2025 Legislative Priorities Overview

1. Protecting Critical Bird Habitats

• Coastal Conservation: Advocate for funding to restore and protect Texas' coastal ecosystems, including rookery islands, beaches and barrier islands, and marshes critical for resident and migratory birds.
• Grasslands and Savannas: Promote incentives for private landowners to conserve and restore grassland habitats across the state.

2. Advancing Climate Resilience

• Responsible Renewable Energy Siting: Champion policies supporting responsibly sited  renewable energy projects, ensuring they are developed in ways that avoid or mitigate impacts to birds and their habitats. Advocate for best practices and recommendations identified in Audubon’s forthcoming Offshore Wind Report.
• Responsibly Sited Transmission: Advocate for policies that align energy transmission infrastructure with best practices identified in Audubon’s 2023 report, Birds and Transmission: Building the Grid that Birds Need. This includes prioritizing advanced technologies and routes that minimize habitat fragmentation and avoid critical bird areas.
• Carbon Sequestration Initiatives: Back incentives for nature-based carbon solutions, including grassland preservation and coastal restoration.
• Climate Adaptation: Advocate for funding to study and implement strategies that enhance resilience to climate change for both wildlife and communities that align with Audubon’s 2019 report, Survival by Degrees: 389 Bird Species on the Brink.

3. Engaging Communities in Conservation

• Access to Outdoor Spaces: Support initiatives that expand access to nature, particularly in areas with limited opportunities, to encourage greater engagement with nature.
• Education and Workforce Development: Expand funding for programs that engage youth and young professionals in conservation careers and promote environmental literacy.

4. Supporting the Texas Conservation Economy

• Landowner Incentives: Strengthen programs such as the Texas Farm and Ranch Lands Conservation Program (TFRLCP) to support private land stewardship in Texas.
• Bird-Friendly Practices: Promote bird-friendly building standards and safe lighting ordinances to reduce bird collisions in urban areas and foster asense of environmental stewardship and community pride in protecting local wildlife.
• Sustainable Funding Mechanisms: Advocate for robust conservation funding through state budgets and innovative mechanisms.

View the Audubon Texas 2025 Legislative Priorities one pager here

How to Get Involved - Support legislative priorities to protect and advance conservation in our state with Audubon Texas.  

Speak up: Send a note to your Texas state representatives and senators to share your concerns as an Audubon member and constituent, and advocate for conservation issues that matter to you. Personal emails, phone calls, or scheduled visits can make a significant impact.  

Join an Audubon Advocacy Day: Walk the halls of the Capitol with Audubon Texas on Wednesday, February 19th to meet your state representative and senator in person and invite them to bird on the lawn.  For more details and to participate click here...

Stay Informed: Signup to receive timely Action Alerts and stay in the know on when we will need your help, plus receive our quarterly newsletter jam-med packed with statewide updates.  

Quorum Bill Tracker: Follow our bill tracker to know what bills we are watching that may benefit, or harm, Texas. If you have a special interest in speaking up for or against a bill, let us know at audubontexas@audubon.org 

Additional options

• Attend a public hearing or meeting 
• Join Advocacy Campaigns: Partner with other organizations aligned with your priorities to receive updates, participate in coordinated action alerts, and amplify your voice through collective efforts. 
• Connect with your local chapter. Many chapters around Texas are tracking local issues that affect birds and their habitats in their backyards.