Policy and Advocacy

Brown Pelican Photo: Joseph Tenne / Audubon Photography Awards

SUCCESS!

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 The bills capitalized on myths and outdated misconceptions that brand the Ashe juniper, also known as Mountain cedar, as a nuisance tree.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

Happenings in the Texas 88th Legislature
Policy And Advocacy

Happenings in the Texas 88th Legislature

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.

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Texas Policy Priorities for 2023
Policy And Advocacy

Texas Policy Priorities for 2023

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.

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City of San Antonio Proposed 2022 Bond
Policy And Advocacy

City of San Antonio Proposed 2022 Bond

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.

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SpaceX has grand plans for its Starship / Superheavy program in Boca Chica.
Policy And Advocacy

SpaceX has grand plans for its Starship / Superheavy program in Boca Chica.

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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Brown Pelican

Latin:  Pelecanus occidentalis

Illustration for Brown Pelican

Golden-cheeked Warbler

Latin:  Setophaga chrysoparia

Illustration for Golden-cheeked Warbler

Painted Bunting

Latin:  Passerina ciris

Illustration for Painted Bunting

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Latin:  Corthylio calendula

Illustration for Ruby-crowned Kinglet

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