by Richard Gibbons, Audubon Texas Director of Conservation

Hello Audubon Network! I have been with Audubon Texas for two months now and the outlook is hopeful and exciting. I am fortunate to be joining the team when Audubon is planning the next several years of conservation work. For us Texans, the way forward is coming into focus.   

Audubon’s conservation priorities are being guided by four themes. We must slow and reverse population declines for bird species across the state in all habitats, but especially grasslands and arid lands. To be successful in our shared mission, we need to plan with our equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging values front of mind; collaborate throughout the hemisphere for full life-cycle conservation; and prepare for the full range of climate change.  Finally, we should play to Audubon’s strengths. If we plan and execute well, our early successes will inspire support and our capacity for positive change will grow. 

This work can be possible through thoughtful collaboration with our partners, centers, and Audubon chapters. Having spent nearly a decade with Houston Audubon, and several years with other chapters in Texas and Louisiana, I know that chapters are filled with innovation, grit, and regional expertise. Over the next year, I plan to work with Audubon Texas’s Engagement team to visit many of the chapters and communities to learn what creative conservation solutions you’ve developed for problems we’re all facing. We need your support and guidance to meet some ambitious conservation goals in Texas. Please ask the tough questions, hold us to account, and challenge us to be better partners and conservationists. The clock is ticking, and we have much to do.