Cradle of Texas Conservancy Supports GCBO

In February, the Cradle of Texas Conservancy's board voted to support GCBO with a grant of $18,000 to retire the last of the debt we held from the construction of our Avian Conservation Science Center. The building was completed in 2014 and we have been carrying a debt since that time. This grant gives us the freedom to look forward and focus on our programmatic work rather than trying to come up with ways to pay off the debt and we are very thankful to the Conservancy for supporting us. The Cradle of Texas Conservancy was formed in 1982 to assist local agencies and organizations in their efforts to promote recreational areas and activities within Brazoria County. They have been active in every part of Brazoria County assisting with projects from Alvin to Freeport and West Columbia to Surfside. Thank you Cradle of Texas Conservancy for your support!

Heather Henson Workshop a Hit

 

The Heather Henson Workshop was a roaring success! All the children that participated had a whooping good time and they learned about crane ecology, their relationship to and reverence in Native American and Asian culture and about the connection of all living things with land, water, fire, and air. The session opened with a ritual burning of sage to release the spirits and open the mind. All the children donned crane capes so they could fly around the room like a crane and Heather and her crew performed several skits illustrating the importance of cranes in Tibetan and Native American culture. Everyone made a crane kite to fly outside and then used Native American crafts to make a husk doll and necklaces. It was a day filled with the vibrance of learning about nature!

We Need Your Empty Pots

 

Spring is almost here and that means it's time to get the gardens ready. Each spring we pot up seedlings to replinish our native plant nursery, but this year we find ourselves missing a key component of that process. We don't have any 1 gallon pots! If you have some spare pots that you could donate we would be most appreciative. We have plenty of the other sizes but we're completely out of the 1 gallon size.

Get Ready For Spring Fling

Photo by Pete Romfh

Now it's March and GCBO's Quintana Spring Fling is next month. As in past years, Spring Fling will be held daily the entire month of April at Quintana Neotropic Bird Sanctuary. We will have knowledgeable volunteers and staff on hand to answer your questions, keep a daily list, and sell water, snacks, and field guides. Please stop by and visit! In addition, we need your help to make this event successful. This year GCBO volunteers Peggy & Pete Romfh are organizing Spring Fling. If you would like to offer your unique skills to help out, please contact them by clicking here. On Friday, April 1st at 10:00am (note changed date and time) we will hold a training session at the host station in Quintana for everyone willing to volunteer during the month. Please contact the Romfh's or call GCBO to sign up. Additionally, GCBO hosts an online auction during the month and we are requesting nature related auction item donations at this time. Don't forget to go online April 1 and start bidding!

GCBO Wish List

 

Our wish list was getting smaller but now we need several items for our fieldhouse which will begin housing some field crew for our spring projects in April. Can you help us out? Take a look and see if you can donate any of these items. We will be happy to provide you with a tax donation letter for your efforts!. Thanks so much.

• adjustable Purple Martin house pole (we have a house)
• 40 inch tv or bigger
• 4 chairs for breakfast table
• pair of bookshelf speakers
• new vent hood for stove
• air conditioner (yes we have no air!)
• chest of drawers (2)
• touchpad deadbolt for front door