Brown Pelican
Latin: Pelecanus occidentalis
Brown Pelican Photo: Joseph Tenne / Audubon Photography Awards
Thanks to the fast, persistent action by our partners from the Hill Country to North Texas, including Travis Audubon Society, Bexar Audubon Society, and the City of Cedar Hill, we were able to stop a set of bills (HB2239 and SB1426) that would have eliminated the ability of local governments to regulate the removal of Ashe juniper (Juniperus ashei) trees. Ashe junipers are required for the nesting success of the federally endangered Golden-checked Warbler. The bills capitalized on myths and outdated misconceptions that brand the Ashe juniper, also known as Mountain cedar, as a nuisance tree. Audubon Texas offers special thanks to legislators Representative Erin Zwiener (D-45), Senator Royce West (D-23), Senator Roland Gutierrez (D-19), Senator Sarah Eckhardt (D-14), and Senator Bob Hall (D-2) for their persistence with colleagues to limit and ultimately stop legislation that went against the values of their communities!
Audubon Texas’s legislative priorities are focused on three primary areas: habitat preservation for an endangered species, the creation of a historic state land and water conservation fund, and the future of the Texas energy grid.
Opposed to HB2239, 88th Texas Legislature
The 2023 Texas legislature has convened, and a question nags: are birds political animals? Texas’s birds will be relying on Audubon Texas and our partners to represent them.
Mitchell Lake Audubon Center Improvements. A joint project between Audubon and San Antonio Water System, these improvements will enable Mitchell Lake to be a FREE visitor experience, accessible to all.
Boca Chica: SpaceX continues its extraordinary march toward Mars. Deep in South Texas only a few miles from the Texas-Mexico border, in some of the state’s most pristine shorebird habitat, SpaceX has grand plans for its Starship/Superheavy program, which may one day take people to Mars. Audubon Texas is monitoring the project, focusing on ways to inform the conversation by focusing on evidenced-based conservation, community science, and community engagement.
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