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 The bills capitalized on myths and outdated misconceptions that brand the Ashe juniper, also known as Mountain cedar, as a nuisance tree.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!