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Photos courtesy of GCBO staff. March 2008 GCBO receives donation from ConocoPhillips
With a long-term commitment to protect Avian Flyways, ConocoPhillips (COP) and its employees participate in a broad variety of projects to help refine scientific knowledge about birds, to protect and improve wildlife habitats and to provide educational programs about birds. It is this commitment that led COP to the doorsteps of GCBO. Since 1993, ConocoPhillips has served as an annual sponsor for GCBO, donating nearly $900,000, and their staff remains deeply involved in environmental stewardship throughout the Gulf Coast. All of us at GCBO deeply appreciate our partnership with ConocoPhillips!
First Plover Survey Report
Hi, Ben Wardwell
here with my first update on plover surveys. My task is to
survey the entire coast from the Sabine River in Jefferson County to
the Colorado River in Matagorda County once a month. I have
completed my first round of surveys and am happy to report that
everything went smoothly. At the beginning of the surveys, I
was finding single Piping Plovers spaced along the beach, but lately
I’ve been finding them in groups of 6 to 10 birds which may indicate
migration staging. Only 5-10% of the birds I’ve been seeing
are color-banded. Piping Plovers are the most common species
right now with far fewer Snowy Plovers and only a small number of Wilson’s Plovers. This
is expected to change as the Piping Plovers leave for the breeding
grounds beginning in mid-April. I’ve been fortunate to meet many
volunteers and have even enlisted help from a few, which is great
because local knowledge and enthusiasm are invaluable for this type
of long term research. Thank you to all and I hope to meet everyone
else soon.
GCBO Receives Fringe Tree in Honor of Arbor Day
GCBO is fortunate to have
been adopted by the Lake Jackson Garden Club this year. To
commemorate Arbor Day, the Garden Club donated a beautiful Fringe
Tree which we planted near our building with the help of the Cradle
of Texas Master Naturalists and Master Gardeners. We look
forward to enjoying watching this tree grow and flourish at our
sanctuary. Thank you Lake Jackson Garden Club! Monthly Bird Banding at GCBO
You are invited to join us for our monthly bird banding program
at the GCBO Headquarters in Lake Jackson on Saturday, March
15th. Licensed bird banders and GCBO Research Associates Robert
and Kay Lookingbill band at the sanctuary on the third Saturday
of each month. Birds are captured for banding in very fine nylon
nets known as “mist nets” because they are almost invisible in
the environment. Captured birds are weighed and measured and
their species, sex, and age are recorded. Each is fitted with an
aluminum leg band with a unique number provided by the U.S. Fish
& Wildlife Service and released unharmed. If the bird is
captured again, the band provides the link to retrieve this
history, which then gives important information on the routes
used by migrating birds, their longevity, and general physical
condition. Be a part of conservation for birds along the Texas Coast by sponsoring a GTBC team! The twelfth annual Great Texas Birding Classic is just around the corner and this year we will surpass the $600,000 mark for habitat conservation. Check out www.birdingclassic.org or contact Carol Jones at GCBO for more information. You can be a part of the GTBC as it surpasses granting $600,000 for habitat conservation. Register your team on-line or by the traditional paper route. Go to www.birdingclassic.org to find the Official Entry Agreement and Registration form.
. GCBO Receives $25,000 Challenge Grant In late 1998, GCBO received it's first gift of permanent funds from member Craig Damuth, thus establishing the Land Acquisition Fund (LAF). As contributions to the fund have grown, our policy has been to carefully invest all of the principal and use only the proceeds to make contributions toward the purchase of critical bird habitat in and around the Gulf of Mexico. Our LAF is slowly growing but this year we have a new opportunity that will serve to grow this fund substantially. The Malcolm C. Damuth Foundation has awarded the GCBO a Challenge Grant of $25,000 a year for the next three years. Of course, this means we need to raise $25,000 per year to match the grant. So if land acquisition is your passion, there is no better time than now to make a contribution as we can double your investment! Our first challenge deadline is October 31, 2008. Contact Cecilia (criley@gcbo.org) for details or questions. |
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| www.gcbo.org | Telephone 979-480-0999 | Contact Us |
103 W. Hwy 332, Lake Jackson, TX 77566
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