Conservation Grant Projects

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Conservation Grants

Conservation Grants can be awarded to projects anywhere in Texas. In its first 27 years the Birding Classic has donated $1,163,000 in conservation funding to nature tourism and avian habitat restoration, enhancement, and acquisition projects throughout the state!

Number of grants awarded (and their amounts) are determined based on team registration fees (independent and sponsored) and corporate sponsorship dollars collected each year. The Birding Classic is a cost-recovery event, so once minimal event costs are covered all remaining funds go to conservation grants in Texas. Organizations are not required to register a team in the Birding Classic to be eligible to submit a project proposal.

All approved projects submitted by the May 1st deadline will be provided to winning Birding Classic teams to select which projects are funded by Conservation Grants. Conservation Grants awarded each year will include projects meeting conservation grant criteria for at least one each of the following (dependent on funds raised):

  • General Conservation Grant – Birding Classic staff and winning team(s) work together to select project(s) from approved project list. Winning team(s) include one or more of the top scoring Adult Weeklong and/or Big Day teams (Statewide Tournament category and/or Regional category(ies) with the highest number of registered teams).
  • Lone Star Bird Award – One randomly selected Big Sit! team chooses grant award project from approved project list (team selection is based on the Lone Star Bird rules and does not necessarily go to the top scoring team).
  • State Parks Grant – Birding Classic staff and the winning State Park Tournament team work together to select a state park project to receive funding from the approved project list.
  • Nature Tourism Grant – partial funding for Texas Parks and Wildlife nature tourism programs (such as Great Texas Wildlife Trail map reprints). 

Does your organization want to propose a project for funding consideration?
Conservation Grant Criteria
Conservation Grant Proposal Form
Conservation Grant Proposal Due Date: May 1, 2024


Projects funded through the Great Texas Birding Classic

2023 Projects:

$10,000 Statewide Weeklong Conservation Grant – Selected by Two Eagles & a Chick, sponsored by Deep South Marine, LLC
Project:Native Tree Planting at Exploration Green – submitted by Exploration Green Conservancy
Project Location: Clear Lake/Houston, Harris County

$10,000 Intact Flock Central Texas Coast Big Day Conservation Grant – Selected by Swarovski Roadside Hawks, sponsored by Swarovski Optik, N.A.
Project: The Held/Moran Nature Sanctuary – submitted by Audubon Outdoor Club of Corpus Christi
Project Location: Corpus Christi, Nueces County

$10,000 Intact Flock Heart of Texas East Big Day Conservation Grant – Selected by Cemetery Birders
Project:Circle Acres Nature Preserve Bird Blind and Water Feature – submitted by Ecology Action of Texas
Project Location: Austin, Travis County

$5,000 Toyota State Park Conservation Grant – Selected by Beasts of Bird’n
Project: Garner State Park Riparian Habitat Enhancement – submitted by Garner State Park, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
Project Location: Concan, Uvalde County

$5,000 Lone Star Bird Award Conservation Grant – Selected by The Chachalocos, sponsored by the City of Edinburg
Project: Adapting Bird Management to Frequent Drought Using Supplemental Water – submitted by Native Prairies Association of Texas
Project Location: Colorado City, Mitchell County

$5,000 Sunrise to Noon Conservation Grant – Selected by Sandhill Craniacs, sponsored by CenterPoint Energy
Project: Replacement of Forested Wetlands Boardwalks at the Gulf Coast Bird Observatory – submitted by Gulf Coast Bird Observatory
Project Location:Lake Jackson, Brazoria County

$1,000 Roadrunner Plate Conservation Grant (Heart of Texas East Big Sit!) – Selected by The Tweeting Chats
Project: Packery Channel Oak Motte Sanctuary – submitted by Audubon Outdoor Club of Corpus Christi
Project Location: Corpus Christi, Nueces County

$1,000 Roadrunner Plate Conservation Grant (Upper Texas Coast Big Sit!) – Selected by CenterPoint Wirebirds, sponsored by CenterPoint Energy
Project: Circle Acres Nature Preserve Bird Habitat Enhancement – submitted by Ecology Action of Texas
Project Location: Austin, Travis County

Previous Years:


2022 Projects:

$10,000 Dispersed Flock Statewide Big Day Conservation Grant – Selected by Two Eagles & a Chick, sponsored by Deep South Marine, LLC
Project: Indiangrass Preserve Bird Blind and Wetland Restoration Project – submitted by Coastal Prairie Conservancy
Project Location: northwest of Houston (near Waller), Waller County

$5,000 Intact Flock Central Texas Coast Big Day Conservation Grant – Selected by Party Fowl
Project: Packery Channel Oak Motte Sanctuary – submitted by Audubon Outdoor Club of Corpus Christi
Project Location: Corpus Christi, Nueces County

$5,000 Intact Flock Lower Texas Coast Big Day Conservation Grant – Selected by Parking Lot Birders
Project: Kerrville Bird Observatory Network – submitted by Schreiner University, City of Kerrville, Riverside Nature Center, Nobilitea, Texan by Nature
Project Location: Kerrville, Kerr County

$5,000 Intact Flock Toyota Upper Texas Coast Big Day Conservation Grant – Selected by Free Falling Falcons
Project: BJ Bishop Wetlands: Creating Space for Birds and People – submitted by Big Bend Conservation Alliance
Project Location: Presidio, Presidio County

$5,000 Lone Star Bird Award Conservation Grant – Selected by Shore I Saw It
Project: Birding Platform at Gazebo Nature Preserve (at Lake Livingston Dam) – submitted by Piney Woods Lakes Chapter, Texas Master Naturalist
Project Location: Livingston, Polk County

$5,000 State Park Conservation Grant – Selected by Armadillo by Morning
Project: Prairie Preservation – submitted by Mother Neff State Park Association
Project Location: Mother Neff State Park, west of Moody, Coryell County

$6,000 Total Grants:
$5,000 Sunrise to Noon Conservation Grant – Selected by Swarovski Wandering Hawks, sponsored by Swarovski Optik, North America
$1,000 Central Texas Coast Big Sit! Conservation Grant – Selected by Swarovski Optik Sitting Hawks, sponsored by Swarovski Optik, North America
Project: Polliwog Pond – submitted by Audubon Outdoor Club of Corpus Christi
Project Location: Corpus Christi, Nueces County

$1,000 Adult Statewide Big Day Dispersed Flock Conservation Grant – Selected by Swarovski Optik Scattered Hawks, sponsored by Swarovski Optik, North America
Project: Seabourne Creek Nature Park-Wetland Enhancements – submitted by Coastal Prairie Chapter, Texas Master Naturalist
Project Location: Rosenberg, Fort Bend County

$1,000 Heart of Texas East Big Sit! Conservation Grant – Selected by Birding on Broadmeade
Project: Enhancing Circle Acres Nature Preserve Grassland and Wetland Habitats – submitted by Ecology Action of Texas
Project Location: Austin, Travis County

$1,000 Prairies and Pineywoods West Big Sit! Conservation Grant – Selected by Shore I Saw It
Project: Trinity River Audubon Center-Prairie Restoration – submitted by Trinity River Audubon Center
Project Location: Dallas, Dallas County

$1,000 Upper Texas Coast Big Sit! Conservation Grant – Selected by Centerpoint Wirebirds, sponsored by Centerpoint Energy
Project: Creation of Bird Viewing Area with Bird Bath/Water Feature at Bayside Regional Park – submitted by Galveston Bay Area Chapter, Texas Master Naturalist
Project Location: Bacliff, Galveston County

2021 Projects:

$10,000 Dispersed Flock Statewide Big Day Conservation Grant – Selected by Socially Distanced Flycatchers, sponsored by Deep South Marine
Project: Davis Mountains Preserve Wildlife Viewing Area & Water Feature – Submitted by The Nature Conservancy, Texas Chapter
Project Location: Davis Mountain Preserve, Jeff Davis County                                        

$6,000 Total Awarded by Two Teams:
$5,000 Toyota Conservation Grant for State Parks – Selected by Gawking Geese
$1,000 Prairies and Pineywoods West Big Sit! Conservation Grant – Selected by Brazos Banditry, sponsored by Moore Wild Birds
Project: Lake Somerville ADA Accessible Bird Blind – Submitted by Rio Brazos Audubon Society
Project Location: Lake Somerville State Park, Burleson/Lee Counties

$6,000 Total Awarded by Two Teams:
$5,000 Sunrise to Noon Conservation Grant – Selected by Swarovski A.M. Kestrels, sponsored by Swarovski Optik North America
$1,000 Central Texas Coast Big Sit! Conservation Grant – Selected by Port Aransas Spoonbills, sponsored by Port Aransas/Mustang Island Chamber of Commerce &  Tourism Bureau
Project: Nature Preserve at Charlie’s Pasture (Enhancing Clay’s Hill Habitat) – Submitted by City of Port Aransas Nature Preserve
Project Location: Nature Preserve at Charlie’s Pasture, Port Aransas

$5,000 Intact Flock Heart of Texas East Big Day Conservation Grant – Selected by Parking Lot Birders
Project: Wildlife Viewing Station and Interpretive Trail at Wildwood Park – Submitted by Keep Nolanville Beautiful
Project Location: Nolanville, Bell County

$5,000 Intact Flock Upper Texas Coast Big Day Conservation Grant – Selected by Swarovski Second Jabirus, sponsored by Swarovski Optik North America
Project: Resoft County Park Wetland Habitat Development – Submitted by Brazoria County Parks Department
Project Location: Resoft County Park, Alvin

$5,000 Intact Flock Upper Texas Coast Big Day Conservation Grant – Selected by Free Falling Falcons
Project: Creation of a Bird Viewing Area at Joseph S. and Lucy L. Cullinan Park – Submitted by Cullinan Park Conservancy
Project Location: Joseph S. & Lucy H. Cullinan Park, Sugar Land

$5,000 Lone Star Bird Award Conservation Grant – Selected by Off Their Nuthatches
Project: Birding on the Border, Know Your Natives! – Submitted by Valley Zoological Society - Gladys Porter Zoo
Project Location: Gladys Porter Zoo, Brownsville

$1,000 Heart of Texas East Big Sit! Conservation Grant – Selected by Birding on Broadmeade
Project: Montopolis Habitat Restoration – Submitted by Ecology Action of Texas
Project Location: Circle Acres Nature Preserve, Austin

$1,000 Upper Texas Coast Big Sit! Conservation Grant – Selected by Centerpoint Wirebirds, sponsored by Centerpoint Energy
Project: Quintana Sanctuaries Re-Veg Project – Submitted by Gulf Coast Bird Observatory
Project Location: Quintana Neotropical Bird Sanctuaries, Quintana

2020 Projects:

$10,000 Dispersed Flock Statewide Big Day Conservation Grant – Selected by Socially Distanced Flycatchers, sponsored by Deep South Trucking
Project: Christmas Mountain Oasis: Improvement for Birds and Birders – Submitted by Trans-Pecos Bird Conservation, Inc.
Project Location: Christmas Mountains Oasis, Brewster County

$5,000 Intact Flock Prairies and Pineywoods West Big Day Conservation Grant– Selected by Wellborn Warblers ($5,000)
$1,000 Heart of Texas East Big Sit! Conservation Grant – Selected by Beau’s Birds ($1,000)
Project: The 6th Addition to the Coastal Heritage Preserve via Acquisition at Middle Tract Project – Submitted by Artist Boat, Inc.
Project Location: Artist Boat Coastal Heritage Preserve, Galveston Island

$5,000 Toyota Conservation Grant for the Intact Flock Upper Texas Coast Big Day – Selected by Swarovski UTC RoadHawks, sponsored by Swarovski Optik North America
Project: Bleachers for Birders – Submitted by Texas Ornithological Society
Project Location: Hooks Woods Sanctuary, High Island

$5,000 Lone Star Bird Award Conservation Grant – Selected by The Double Stuffed Orioles
Project: Bird Viewing Blind and Prairie Restoration – Submitted by Friends of Caddo Mounds, Inc.
Project Location: Caddo Mounds State Historic Site, Alto

$5,000 State Park Conservation Grant – Selected by Gawking Geese
Project: Bird Viewing Platform – Submitted by Fairfield Lake State Park
Project Location: Fairfield Lake State Park, Fairfield

$1,000 Sunrise to Noon Conservation Grant – Selected by The SCENIC GALVESTON Sandhill Craniacs, sponsored by CenterPoint Energy
Project: Armand Bayou Nature Center Rookery Island Enhancement – Submitted by Armand Bayou Nature Center
Project Location: Armand Bayou Nature Center, Houston

$1,000 Central Texas Coast Big Sit! Conservation Grant – Selected by Swarovski Optik Sitting Hawks, sponsored by Swarovski Optik North America
Project: Port Aransas Nature Perserve: Enhancing Paradise Pond Bird Habitat – Submitted by City of Port Aransas Nature Preserve
Project Location: Joan and Scott Holt Paradise Pond, Port Aransas

$1,000 Upper Texas Coast Big Sit! Conservation Grant – Selected by CenterPoint Wirebirds, sponsored by CenterPoint Energy
Project: Hermann Park Invasive Species Removal and Bird Habitat Restoration – Submitted by Hermann Park Conservancy
Project Location: Hermann Park, Houston

2019 Projects:

$10,000 Weeklong Conservation Grant – Selected by Colluding Curlews/Baker Barges
Project: Addition to the Coastal Heritage Preserve – Submitted by Artist Boat, Inc. Artist Boat will use these funds toward the purchase of approximately 75 acres of land within a tract referred to as Anchor Bay. The purchased tract would be added to and be managed as part of the Coastal Heritage Preserve. This project will conserve foraging, roosting, and wintering habitats used by numerous coastal-dependent and migratory bird species, including federal and state threatened species.
Project Location: Artist Boat Coastal Heritage Preserve, Galveston Island

$5,000 Toyota Conservation Grant, Regional Big Day - Upper Texas Coast – Selected by Free Falling Falcons/Independent
Project: Quintana Beach County Park Bird Viewing Station – Submitted by Brazoria County Park. This grant will allow the construction of a slat covered observation deck overlooking the lagoon, which will provide better bird and Monarch watching opportunities. The Brazoria County Parks Department has already funded the construction of an educational center, wetland garden, and boardwalk at Quintana Beach County Park, so this funding will allow observation without disturbing wildlife at the pollinator garden and the wetland garden.
Project Location: Quintana Beach County Park, Quintana

$5,000 Conservation Grant, Regional Big Day - Central Texas Coast – Selected by Swarovski Optik Bay-winged Hawks/Swarovski Optik North America
Project: Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge Audio Tour – Submitted by Friends of Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge. The objective of this project is to produce and create an audio tour of significant sites and activities on the Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge. Visitors may explore the refuge by automobile, bicycle, or by foot and stop at designated places and listen to short audio clips that describe various features of the landscape, including wildlife, habitats, history, and refuge operations and management. Audio tours will be available by podcast, mobile app, and on CD.
Project Location: Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge, Anahuac

$5,000 State Park Conservation Grant – Selected by Gawking Geese/Independent
Project: Alligator Lake/Grebe Marsh Restoration – Submitted by Friends of Estero Llano Grande State Park. Alligator Lake and Grebe Marsh, two of the most popular wetlands at Estero Llano Grande State Park for both birds and birdwatchers, was in danger of habitat degradation and a reduction of water management control. The flow meter for the irrigation water feeding these wetlands broke, and this funding will enable to park to replace it. Park staff rely on the flow meter to accurately manage water levels for the great variety of bird species and other wildlife dependent on the wetlands. This easily accessible area is used in education, tours, and birding due to its dependability for attracting desirable species.
Project Location: Estero Llano Grande State Park, Mercedes/Weslaco

$5,000 Sunrise to Noon Conservation Grant – Selected by SCENIC GALVESTON Sandhill Craniacs/SCENIC GALVESTON, Inc.
Project: McAllen Nature Center Pond with Stream – Submitted by City of McAllen, McAllen Nature Center. The McAllen Nature Center will use this grant to build a small pond with a babbling waterfall and stream at the main bird feeding station in the north area of the park. This project aims to provide fresh water to encourage migratory and resident birds to visit, as well as provide a picturesque viewing area for visitors to watch the birds. This center is the only native landscaped area within the city’s core and boasts free admission year-round, but it currently has no running water feature.
Project Location: McAllen Nature Center, McAllen

$5,000 Lone Star Bird Award – Selected by Lucifer Madness 2019/Independent
Project: Calera Spring Wildlife Viewing Area and Evening Photography Blind – Submitted by Compadres del Rancho Grande. Restoration funding from this grant will cover exclusion fencing to keep feral livestock out of the Calera Spring site at Big Bend Ranch State Park in an effort to re-establish bunch grasses, trees (namely the cottonwood and willow galleries with multitier understories), and other vegetation that stabilize banks and provide habitat and migration corridors, supplying nesting and cover areas for year-round and migrating birds. Additionally, this grant will fund an enhancement to build a wildlife viewing area and photography blind near the spring within the exclusion area, including interpretive signage for visitors. 
Project Location: Big Bend Ranch State Park, near Presidio

$1,000 Texas Two-Stop Conservation Grant – Selected by Swarovski Optik Wandering Hawks/Swarovski Optik North America
Project: Ibis Pond Boardwalk Restoration – Submitted by Friends of Estero Llano Grande State Park. A popular and successful spot for birdwatching at Estero Llano Grande State Park is the boardwalk around Ibis Pond, which is located immediately in front of the Visitor. This grant will fund the replacement of portions of trail that have started to deteriorate with recycled plastic lumber, which does well in shaded areas. These improvements will help the trail remain ADA accessible.
Project Location: Estero Llano Grande State Park, Mercedes/Weslaco

$1,000 Central Texas Coast Big Sit! Conservation Grant – Selected by Swarovski Optik Sitting Hawks/Swarovski Optik North America
Project: Pollywog Pond – Submitted by Audubon Outdoor Club of Corpus Christi. The Audubon Outdoor Club will create permanent signage (including a property map with location of trails) with images and descriptions of common wildlife that uses Polliwog Pond Bird Sanctuary.
Project Location: Pollywog Pond, Corpus Christi

$1,000 Heart of Texas East Big Sit! Conservation Grant – Selected by The Peli-cans!/Mitchell Lake Audubon Center
Project: Coastal Wetland and Migratory Stop-over Interpretation Signage – Submitted by South Padre Island Birding and Nature Center. This project aims to educate visitors and the public through interpretative signage about the importance, ecology, and wildlife that inhabit or utilize coastal wetlands either for wintering, nesting, or as rest-stops during migration. Signage would be placed along our boardwalks and around our migratory songbird gardens surrounding our visitor center.
Project Location: South Padre Island Birding and Nature Center, South Padre Island

$1,000 Upper Texas Coast Big Sit! Conservation Grant – Selected by CenterPoint Energy Wirebirds/CenterPoint Energy
Project: Chimney Swift Towers and Interpretive Sign for Seabrook – Submitted by Seabrook Open Space and Trails Committee. The Open Space and Trails Committee of Seabrook will build two towers with accompanying interpretive signage. One tower will be installed in Pine Gully Park and the other tower will be installed adjacent to that park on land owned by the Port of Houston.
Project Location: Pine Gully Park, Seabrook

2018 Conservation Projects

$10,000 Weeklong Conservation Grant – Selected by Swarovski Optik Highway Hawks/Swarovski Optik, N.A.
Project: Gator Lake Reclamation: Removal of Invasive Species Habitat Control, Waterfowl and Wildlife Restoration – Submitted by South Texas Botanical Gardens and Nature Center, Inc. Funding will assist with the removal of invasive species such as salt cedar, giant cane, Chinese tallow, chinaberry, Brazilian pepper trees, and guinea grass around Gator Lake and throughout the wetland and adjacent uplands. The overall goal is to remove invasive species to increase lake capacity for wading birds, shore birds, and other wildlife. Once invasive plants are removed, funding will help buy materials for placement of a bird viewing platform.
Project Location: South Texas Botanical Gardens and Nature Center, Corpus Christi

$5,000 Toyota Conservation Grant, Regional Big Day - Upper Texas Coast – Selected by Free Falling Falcons/Independent
Project: Holly Beach Acquisition, Laguna Atascosa NWR – Submitted by the Conservation Fund. These funds will contribute directly to a multi-million-dollar project to secure the 1,540-acre Holly Beach tract along four miles of the Laguna Madre frontage for inclusion in the National Wildlife Refuge. This project protects the property from development and will provide a buffer to disturbance for wildlife, protect water quality and quantity, and allow for large scale hydrologic restoration within the Laguna Madre and Bahia Grande.
Project Location: Laguna Atascosa NWR, Rio Grande Valley

$5,000 State Park Conservation Grant – Selected by Mercedes RedCrowns/Mercedes Economic Development Corporation
Project: Llano (Grassland) Restoration – Submitted by Friends of Estero Llano Grande State Park. This grant project will help fund invasive species removal to enable the restoration of 10-acres worth of grassland habitat within the park using native grasses, forbs, and shrubs. This effort will enhance bird diversity as well as improve viewing conditions within these grasslands.
Project Location: Estero Llano Grande State Park, Weslaco

$5,000 Sunrise to Noon Conservation Grant – Selected by SCENIC GALVESTON Sandhill Craniacs/SCENIC GALVESTON, Inc.
Project: Enhancement of Eagle Lake Municipal Park – Submitted by Revitalize Eagle Lake. This municipal park was recently added as a stop on the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail’s Central Coast map. There is currently no interpretive signage to educate visitors on the diversity of birds, wildlife, and natural vegetation to be seen at this site, nor is there map signage to orient or guide visitors. This grant will help fund professional interpretive panels for installation on site to enhance visitor experience.
Project Location: Eagle Lake Municipal Park, Eagle Lake

$5,000 Lone Star Bird Award – Selected by Brazos Banditry/Moore Wild Birds and Thomas Moore Feed
Project: Port Aransas Nature Preserve, Enhancing Neotropical Migratory Bird Habitat – Submitted by City of Port Aransas Nature Preserve. Funding for this project will be used to remove invasive species such as KR Bluestem and guinea grass making room for the installation and care of 45 native trees such as live oaks, black willows, and yaupon holly within the Preserve. The addition of these native trees will contribute to the resiliency and diversity of the Preserve.
Project Location: Port Aransas Nature Preserve (Clay’s Hill), Port Aransas

$2,750 Upper Texas Coast Big Sit! Conservation Grant – Selected by Courageous Conservationists/Artist Boat, Inc.
Project: Artist Boat Coastal Heritage Preserve Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail and Viewing Area – Submitted by Artist Boat, Inc. These funds will be combined with donated design time from the University of Texas School of Architecture’s field-based program for advanced design students as well as funding from other sources to create the first public viewing platform, bird blind, and trail at the Preserve for birders, cyclists, hikers, and island visitors and residents.
Project Location: Artist Boat Coastal Heritage Preserve, Galveston

$2,750 Heart of Texas East Big Sit! Conservation Grant – Selected by The Peli-cans!/Mitchell Lake Audubon Center
Project: Restore Connie Hagar Cottage Sanctuary – Submitted by Friends of Connie Hagar. This grant will help fund the last piece of an $80,000 enhancement project for the Sanctuary, the construction of a pavilion to use for a rest area, interpretive and educational programs, and wildlife viewing.
Project Location: Connie Hagar Cottage Sanctuary, Rockport


2017 Projects:

$10,000 Weeklong Conservation Grant – Selected by NRG Eco-Eagles/NRG Energy
Project: The Fourth Addition to Settegast Coastal Heritage Preserve through Acquisition at Anchor Bay – Submitted by The Artist Boat, Inc. Artist Boat is expanding the bayside portion of the Coastal Heritage Preserve by purchasing 65 acres on the West Galveston bay side. This grant will help with that acquisition, protecting high priority wetlands and coastal prairie and bringing the total number of protected acres at the preserve to 669.
Project Location: Settegast Coastal Heritage Preserve, Galveston Island

$5,000 Toyota Conservation Grant, Regional Big Day - Upper Texas Coast – Selected by HAS-Swarovski Optik UTC Hawks/Swarovski Optik, N.A.
Project: The Held/Moran Nature Preserve – Submitted by Audubon Outdoor Club of Corpus Christi. Funding from this project will be used to remove invasive Brazilian Peppertrees, create walking trails, and develop and install permanent educational signage, including maps and interpretive wildlife information.
Project Location: Held/Moran Nature Preserve, Corpus Christi

$5,000 State Park Conservation Grant – Selected by Gawking Geese/Independent
Project: Resaca de la Palma Lane Rehabilitation Project – Submitted by Resaca de la Palma World Birding Center. Funds will be used to repair an existing park road to re-connect the park to currently inaccessible trails as well as connect the paved tram loop of the park to key birding areas. Additionally, new bilingual interpretive signage will be created and installed to enhance the visitor experience for birders and other wildlife watchers.
Project Location: Resaca de la Palma State Park and World Birding Center, Brownsville

$5,000 Sunrise to Noon Conservation Grant – Selected by SCENIC GALVESTON Sandhill Craniacs/SCENIC GALVESTON, Inc.
Project: Virginia Point Living Shoreline Oystercatcher Nesting Enhancements – Submitted by SCENIC GALVESTON, Inc. The Galveston Bay Area Chapter – Texas Master Naturalists will use these funds to create large nesting pads that would provide critical nesting habitat for the American Oystercatchers and additional space for oystercatcher chicks. The pads will be created within a few hundred feet of existing oyster reefs to provide a convenient food source. GBAC plans to add native vegetation to provide protection for chicks.
Project Location: Virginia Point Peninsula Preserve, Galveston Bay shoreline on mainland

$5,000 Lone Star Bird Award – Selected by Bird is the Word/Independent
Project: Nature Preserves of Port Aransas - Joan & Scott Holt Paradise Pond Enhancement – Submitted by City of Port Aransas. This project will beautify the street entrance to the Paradise Pond property by creating a new native pollinator garden along a 275-foot fence line leading to the preserve. These gardens will increase the native habitat available to wildlife as well as help identify the entrance to this popular birding area.
Project Location: Joan & Scott Holt Paradise Pond, Port Aransas

$5,000 Upper Texas Coast Big Sit! Conservation Grant – Selected by Artist Boat’s Courageous Conservationists/Artist Boat, Inc.
Project: Polliwog Pond Bird Sanctuary – Submitted by Audubon Outdoor Club of Corpus Christi. Funds will be used to remove invasive plants and trees at Polliwog Pond, install educational signs with maps and wildlife identification, and construct a pier/boardwalk into one of the pond areas to enhance viewing experiences for birders and other wildlife watchers.
Project Location: Polliwog Pond Bird Sanctuary, Corpus Christi

$1,000 Central Texas Coast Big Sit! Conservation Grant – Selected by Port A Spoonbills/Port Aransas Chamber & Tourist Bureau
Project: B.J. Bishop Wetlands Viewing Center – Submitted by La Junta Heritage Center. Project funding will be used to build a viewing blind on the north side of the wetlands. The building will be constructed of adobe with an ocotillo roof, complementing the area architecture. There will be room for visitors to view wildlife at the sanctuary as well as kiosks containing recent sightings and interpretive materials.
Project Location: B.J. Bishop Wetlands, near Presidio

$1,000 Heart of Texas East Big Sit! Conservation Grant – Selected by FBI-Feathered Body Inspectors/Independent
Project: Wetland Restoration and Enhancement Project – Submitted by Friends of Estero Llano Grande State Park. The wetlands at Estero Llano Grande State Park are a premier birding destination but are in need of repairs. Funds will be used to make improvements to the wetland that include controlling invasive plants and bolstering, repairing, and replacing existing water control structures.

Project Location: Estero Llano Grande State Park and World Birding Center, Weslaco/Mercedes

$1,000 Lower Texas Coast Big Sit! Conservation Grant – Selected by South Padre Island Birding & Nature Center’s Wrong Terns/South Padre Island Birding & Nature Center
Project: McAllen Nature Center Native Plant Nursery – Submitted by City of McAllen, McAllen Nature Center. McAllen Nature Center will use funds to create an on-site plant nursery in order to grow plants specific to the site’s needs that are unavailable at local nurseries. These funds will enable the center, more specifically, to increase native forbs beneficial to birds and other wildlife.
Project Location: McAllen Nature Center, McAllen


2016 Projects:

$10,000 Weeklong Conservation Grant – Selected by NRG Eco-Eagles/NRG EnergyThis grant will provide funding to remove non-native invasive plants, restore native vegetation, and repair an existing dock and stairs for viewing along the Brazos River.
Project Location: GCBO, Lake Jackson

$5,000 Upper Coast Regional Big Day Toyota Conservation Grant – Selected by HAS/Swarovski Optik UTC Hawks/Swarovski Optik N.A.Funding will provide public access to a prime birding location and include boardwalk trails through the wetland providing vantage to fresh and brackish marsh for birders.
Project Location:
Horseshoe Marsh Bird Sanctuary, Bolivar Peninsula

$5,000 State Park Conservation Grant – Selected by the Dirty Swainsons
Project: Wild Bird Viewing Enhancements at Visitors Center –
Submitted by Devils River State Natural Area-Del Norte Unit.
This grant will make it possible to add new wildlife viewing areas by the newly remodeled Headquarters/Visitor Center at this site. Signage, loaner optics, feeders, and more will make it easy for visitors to view wildlife as soon as they enter the center.
Project Location:
Devils River SNA, Del Rio

$5,000 Lone Star Bird Award Conservation Grant (Big Sit! Team) – Selected by Swarovski Optik Sitting Hawks/Swarovski Optik N.A.
Project:
Nature Preserves of Port Aransas-Joan & Scott Holt Paradise Pond EnhancementSubmitted by City of Port Aransas. The addition of a new winding entry boardwalk as well as revegetation with native plants, trees and shrubs at the entry to Paradise Pond will be possible with this funding.
Project Location:
Joan & Scott Holt Paradise Pond, Port Aransas

$5,000 Regional Big Sit! – Heart of Texas East Conservation Grant ; Selected by the Tweeting Chats
Project:
Explore and Restore Youth Program – Submitted by Travis Audubon Society. This project will enhance the trails, provide interpretive signage, and enhance the chapter’s ability to provide programming to visitors at this East Austin Travis Audubon Sanctuary.
Project Location:
Blair Woods Sanctuary, Austin

$5,000 Texas Two-Stop Conservation Grant ; Selected by Swarovski Optik Wandering Hawks/Swarovski Optik N.A.
Project: Lakeview Bird Viewing Area; Submitted by Friends of Estero Llano Grande State Park. Funding provided by this grant will enable the park to remove invasive species and restore native vegetation to a key area where they will also build a photo blind and install a water basin, making the area appealing to birds and birders.
Project Location: Estero Llano Grande State Park and WBC, Weslaco/Mercedes

$1,000 Conservation Grant Project – Selected by SCENIC GALVESTON Sandhill Craniacs/SCENIC GALVESTON
Project:
Quinta Mazatlan, Great Homes for Great Birds Submitted by City of McAllen, Quinta Mazatlan World Birding Center. This project will provide additional homes for birds to nest, more resting sites for tropical migratory birds, expanded research, and innovative outreach and educational programs.
Project Location:
Quinta Mazatlan WBC, McAllen


2015 Projects:

$10,000 Weeklong Conservation Grant – Donated by NRG Eco-Eagles/NRG Energy
Project: Virginia Point Coastal Prairie Brush Control – Submitted by SCENIC GALVESTON, Inc.
Virginia Point is primarily uncultivated original coastal salt prairie and intact prairie wetlands with 2+ miles of Galveston Bay shoreline on the mainland side of West Galveston Bay. It is important migrant stopover habitat and is a fall migrant trap. This project proposes selective retreatment of Virginia Point acreage and expansion of the aerial spray treatment they’ve had success with into new areas.
Project Location: Virginia Point, Galveston Bay shoreline on mainland

$5,000 Lower Coast Conservation Grant – Donated by Trogan Men
Project: Accessible Path for Salineño Bird Refuge– Submitted by Friends of the Wildlife Corridor.
This enhancement project for wildlife viewing will build a walking path for the Salineño Bird refuge (owned by the Valley Land Fund and maintained in partnership with the US Fish and Wildlife Service). This site is managed and protected as a native wildlife habitat and is a natural area of riparian forest adjacent to the Rio Grande River, a perfect area for bird habitat. This project will improve access for birding and wildlife viewing while protecting critical habitat for birds. This firm and stable path will enable visitors to remain on a trail instead of walking on or near vegetation which could potentially damage habitat.
Project Location: Salineño

$5,000 State Park Conservation Grant - Donated by Gawking Geese
Project: Bird Viewing Area – Submitted by Friends of Goose Island State Park.
Goose Island plans to build and provide another birding oasis that will allow the birds some much needed rest and allow the public to view them. Along with creating a better birding area we want to create a better birding experience for the increasing number of birders who visit our park by having loaner binoculars and a spotting scope for guided bird walks. By creating a new, bird viewing area, away from park roads and vehicles, and providing visitors with proper birding gear we hope to create not just a bird oasis, but also a spot that the public can view these little wonders and not disturb them.
Project Location:
Goose Island State Park, Rockport

$5,000 Lone Star Bird Award – Donated by The Painted Bunting Bunch
Project: Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge – Submitted by The Conservation Fund.
The Conservation Fund (TCF) proposes to protect through fee simple acquisition 1,781 acres of native Tamaulipan thorn scrub, coastal prairie and marsh, wind flats, bayfront and tidal saltmarsh along Laguna Madre to be conveyed after acquisition to the Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge (NWR). Protection of this ecologically diverse property in Cameron County (the Boswell-Jenkins tract) will link already protected lands through a native habitat corridor that safeguards 1,200 plant species, more than 530 species of birds, more than 300 North American butterfly species, and 17 threatened or endangered species. Since the 1920's, it is estimated that approximately 95% of the original native brush land in the Lower Rio Grande Valley has been cleared or altered for agriculture and urban development. The property is under imminent threat from industrial and infrastructure development to accommodate the Lower Rio Grande Valley’s booming population growth, including a proposed bridge through this Coastal Corridor that would connect to the northern end of South Padre Island’s developed area (will be combined with additional sponsor contributions).
Project Location:
Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge, Cameron County


2014 Projects:

$5,000 Weeklong Conservation Grant – Donated by Swarovski Optik Highway Hawks/Swarovski Optik
$5,000 State Park Conservation Grant - Donated by Gawking Geese
$1,000 Lower Coast Conservation Grant - Donated by Cayman Cowboys
Project: Habitat Restoration and Visitor Safety-Hazard Removal – Submitted by Friends of Estero Llano Grande State Park. Three different teams selected this habitat restoration project at Estero Llano Grande State Park to receive a total of $11,000 in conservation grant funding to help fund removal of concrete debris and rubble from a former RV site in the middle of the park, increasing the safety of park visitors and also freeing up that land for habitat restoration efforts in the future.
Project Location: Estero Llano Grande State Park, Weslaco

$5,000 Weeklong Conservation Grant – Donated by Swarovski Optik Highway Hawks/Swarovski
Project: High Island Forested Habitat Restoration – Submitted by Houston Audubon. High Island forested habitats are used by resident, wintering, breeding, and migrating bird species, and this project will help with removal of Chinese Privet and other invasive species to restore native habitat.
Project Location: High Island

$1,000 Upper Coast Conservation Grant - Donated by Free Falling Falcons
Project: Parkland Pre-K Hummingbird Habitat – Submitted by Ysleta Independent School District Parkland Pre-K. Grant funding will be used to establish, protect, and nourish a Desert Willow tree garden by Parkland Elementary School. The project proposal was submitted by Ysleta Independent School District Parkland Pre-K and the pre-kindergarten class will use this as a habitat protection and art project to highlight and bring awareness to the garden and conservation needs in the desert environment.
Project Location: Parkland Elementary School, El Paso

$1,000 Lone Star Bird Award – Donated by Big O’Birders
Project: Maddin Prairie Preserve Restoration Maintenance – Submitted by Native Prairies Association of Texas. The Maddin Prairie Preserve offers wildlife viewers an opportunity to witness native prairie habitat and this project funding will be used to upgrade the site gate, provide road and trail maintenance, and create informative signage and a bird checklist for birders and naturalists.
Project Location: Maddin Prairie Preserve, Lake Colorado City


2013 Projects

$5,000 Conservation Grant – Adult Weeklong Tournament
Awarded by: Swarovski Optik Highway Hawks (sponsored by Swarovski Optik North America)
Project: Hazel Bazemore Park Improvements – submitted by Audubon Outdoor Club of Corpus Christi. Using the $5,000 grant as well as volunteer labor the Corpus Christi Hawk Watch will create a permanent water feature to serve as a drinking and bathing area for birds as well as construct a photography blind approximately 30 feet from the water feature so visitors can enjoy the wildlife that come to use it. These funds (along with an additional match of $1300 raised for signage) will also enable the creation of permanent interpretive signage to be installed in four existing kiosks.
Project Location: Hazel Bazemore Park in Corpus Christi

$5,000 Conservation Grant – Adult Upper Texas Coast Big Day Tournament
Awarded by: Swarovski Optik/Houston Audubon Hawks (sponsored by Swarovski Optik North America and Houston Audubon Society)
Project: Bolivar Peninsula Prairie Restoration and Interpretive Trail – submitted by Houston Audubon Society. The Bolivar Peninsula has yet to fully recover, economically or biologically, from the series of hurricanes that occurred between 2005 and 2008. The Carolyn Callery Prickly Trail was closed following hurricane Ike due to debris and infrastructure damage. Houston Audubon will use this $5,000 grant (matched with $5,000 of its own funds and volunteer hours) to remove the Salt cedar growth that has occurred over the last 4 years, plant native plants in their place, remove debris left over from Ike, and replace the bridges and boardwalks that allow the public to view wildlife in the marshes and prairies of Bolivar Peninsula. Additionally, interpretive signage will be installed along the trail to educate visitors.
Project Location: Horseshoe Marsh Sanctuary on western end of Bolivar Peninsula in Galveston County

$1,000 Conservation Grant – State Park Tournament
Awarded by: Weslaco Mid-Valley Orioles (sponsored by Weslaco Economic Development Corporation)
Project: Kiskadee Wetlands Restoration – submitted by Friends of Estero Llano Grande State Park. The east end of Estero Llano Grande State Park has been a wetland, but the small Kiskadee Pond is all that remains to support a wide array of bird life. The 10-acre project area includes established stands of native trees with wide expanses for open water.  This $1,000 grant will contribute to over $90,000 in additional funding and donations to allow the park to clear a large illegal dump, raise an existing road, create a small levee and manage water levels allowing for the restoration of this wetland area for wildlife and wildlife viewers.
Project Location: Estero Llano Grande State Park, Weslaco

$1,000 Lone Star Bird Award – Big Sit! Tournament
Awarded by: Port Aransas Spoonbills (sponsored by Port Aransas Chamber of Commerce)
Project: Bird Feeding Areas, Trails, and Markers – submitted by Utopia Park. Grant funding will be used to enhance the park by improving and adding trails, bird feeding areas and interpretive signage. This project will provide food and water for birds while providing improved viewing opportunities for birders at this park along the Sabinal River in Utopia.
Project Location: Utopia


2012

2012 was an informal planning year for the Birding Classic before the tournament went statewide in 2013. Several teams participated in an informal tournament that year and raised funds for habitat projects locally in the spirit of the Birding Classic, but no formal grants were awarded through TPWD. Results for that event are posted online.


2011 Projects

$10,000 Weeklong Conservation Grant – Donated by Fabulous (EL) Fifties/Swarovski Optik North America
Brazilian Pepper-tree removal Port Aransas Nature Preserve – Submitted by City of Port Aransas
This project will continue work to remove and prevent spreading of the exotic and invasive pepper-tree. The plant is listed on the TX Dept of Agriculture’s noxious plant list and control is of utmost concern. Suitable plants such as mesquite, lantana, prickly ash, bay tree and coral bean will be planted.

$10,000 Central Coast Conservation Grant – Donated by Dallas Scissortails/Audubon Dallas
Restoration of Avian habitat on the Welder Wildlife Refuge – Submitted by Welder Wildlife Foundation
This project will focus on controlling invasive species, particularly catclawvine, Chinese tallow, huisache and Chinaberry. These plants have created a canopy which has led to less diverse herbaceous vegetation. The basal stems will be cut and hand treated with herbicide. The naturally occurring native vegetation can recover thus restoring threatened avian habitat.

$10,000 Upper Coast Conservation Grant – Donated by TAMUG WildBirders/WildBird and KOWA
Northern Bobwhite habitat restoration at the Sandyland Sanctuary – Submitted by The Nature Conservancy - Big Thicket Program
This project’s goal is to conduct restoration treatments of prescribed burn, herbicide and mechanical control and feral hog removal to improve the upland forested habitat to benefit the Northern Bobwhite.

$10,000 Energy Saver Conservation Grant – Donated by Weslaco Slice of the Good Lifers/Weslaco Chamber of Commerce
Southmost Preserve Habitat Restoration – Submitted by The Nature Conservancy
This project will focus on herbicide treating invasive grasses on 22 acres of the preserve. Five acres will be replanted with native plants from their native plant nursery.

$3,000 Lone Star Bird Award – Knight Birds/Corpus Christi CVB
Packery Channel Oak Motte Sanctuary Habitat Enhancement – Submitted by Audubon Outdoor Club of Corpus Christi
This project will consist of the installation of a drip fountain and connecting to the city water supply as a source of fresh water for times when rainfall is low.

Bonus Conservation Grant Selections for 2011
With additional tournament funds raised for Conservation Grants, Birding Classic staff got together and chose two projects for the remaining $10,000. Here they are:

$7,000 Conservation Grant
Freeport Wetlands Habitat Improvements – Submitted by City of Freeport
This project will serve the dual purpose of improving the habitat with plantings of natives such as spike rush, cordgrass and wax myrtle as well as educational signage displaying common birds that can be seen from various locations along the trail.

$3,000 Conservation Grant
Russ Pittman Park Enhancement – Submitted by Nature Discovery Center
Exotic plant species will be removed and replaced with woody and herbaceous natives. The project will increase the amount and diversity of understory vegetation to create higher quality habitat for insects and avifauna.


2010 Projects

$20,000 Weeklong Conservation Grant – Environmental Partners/RRI Energy
Columbia Bottomlands Acquisition – Submitted by Houston Audubon Society
The Columbia Bottomlands are a beautiful network of wetlands, prairies, and bottomland hardwood forests running inland along the floodplains of the Brazos, San Bernard and Colorado Rivers. The estimated remaining acreage of bottomland hardwood forest is 177,000, down from an original estimated 700,000 acres.

$5,000 Lower Coast Conservation Grant – The RedCrowns/Harlingen Convention & Visitors Bureau
Colonial Waterbird Sanctuaries in the Lower Laguna Madre – Submitted by Audubon Texas
The primary activity of this project will be predator control with a secondary need for vegetation work and beach clean-up.

$7,500 Central Coast Conservation Grant – Swarovski Roadside Hawks/Swarovski Optik N.A., Ltd.
Hans & Pat Suter Wildlife Refuge Restoration/Enhancement – Submitted by Corpus Christi Convention & Visitors Bureau
This project will include repairs to the existing boardwalk and benches, install a photography blind, and remove invasive guinea grass and Brazilian Pepper Tree in the sanctuary.

$7,500 Upper Coast Conservation Grant – TAMUG WildBirders/WildBird
Osceola Plantation Acquisition Submitted by The Conservation Fund
Contribute to the acquisition of a 1,500 acre addition to the San Bernard NWR. It is one of the highest priority properties for protection in the Columbia Bottomlands.

$7,500 Energy Saver Grant – Weslaco Slice of the Good Lifers/Weslaco Chamber of Commerce
Valley Land Fund Salineno Enhancement Project – Submitted by Valley Land Fund
Restoration project – The project will focus on removal of invasive plants, prepare ground, purchase and plant native plants, and improve the irrigation system for the newly planted shrubs and trees.

$3,000 Lone Star Bird Award – Donated by Stewart Title Peepers/Stewart Title Port Aransas
Brazilian Pepper Tree Removal and Control – Submitted by City of Port Aransas Nature Preserve
The Nature Preserve includes a number of stands of Brazilian Pepper Tree and this project will focus on their removal and replacement with native plants tolerant of the harsh conditions.


2009 Projects

$20,000 Weeklong Conservation Grant – Donated by RRI Environmental Partners/RRI Energy
Matagorda County Birding and Nature Center Habitat Improvement
Restore and enlarge the wetlands and prairie areas of the property to the benefit of the birds and other wildlife
Property size: 34 acres in Matagorda County, Central Texas Coast

$3,000 Upper Coast Conservation Grant – Donated by TAMUG WildBirders/WildBird
Acquiring an addition to the Texas Mid-Coast NWR Bird Pond Unit
Property size: 28 acre addition, Brazoria County, Upper Texas Coast

$3,000 Lower Coast Conservation Grant – Donated by Swarovski Roadside Hawks/Swarovski Optik, N.A.
South Padre Island World Birding Center Habitat Improvement
The eastern most portion of the property will be enhanced for birds by creating an upland brush habitat by planting native trees and shrubs.
Property size: 10 acres, Cameron County, Lower Texas Coast

$3,000 Energy Saver – Donated by Slice of the Good Life/Weslaco Chamber of Commerce
Wetland Creation and Educational project - Submitted by Valley Nature Center
A ½ acre wetland will be created and educational signage will be installed next to the new education center due to open in the fall of 2010.
Property size: 6 acres, Hidalgo County, Lower Texas Coast

$3,000 Lone Star Bird Award – Vopak Vultures/Vopak NA
Warren Lake Wildlife Viewing Platform - Submitted by Katy Prairie Conservancy
This project will pay to purchase native coastal prairie seed and plant it along both sides of a 650 ft long access path to the viewing platform.
Property size:  0.5 acre to be planted, (30,000 acres total property) Waller & Harris Counties, Upper Texas Coast

$3,000 Lone Star Bird Award – Sora Winners/Corpus Christi Convention & Visitors Bureau
Wetland Creation and Educational project - Submitted by Valley Nature Center
A ½ acre wetland will be created and educational signage will be installed next to the new education center due to open in the fall of 2010.
Property size: 6 acres, Hidalgo County, Lower Texas Coast


2008 Projects

$20,000 – Donated by Environmental Partners/Reliant Energy:
Texas City Prairie Preserve, Borrow Ditch Wetland Restoration Project – submitted by The Nature Conservancy
Restoration project – Galveston County
A section of the ‘borrow ditch’ created with the construction of the Texas City levee that borders the Preserve will be filled in with material to create a section as mudflat (5-10 acres) and the rest as coastal marsh (5-10 acres).

$10,000 – Donated by the ConocoPhillips Cranes/ConocoPhillips
Sabine Woods Oak Motte Enhancement - submitted by Texas Ornithological Society
Restoration project – Jefferson County
Improvements to the 30 acre property will be continued by planting live oak and mulberry trees, with some of the live oak being large, to provide additional food and cover for migratory birds. An improved water system will be included to support the newly planted trees.

$10,000 Energy Saver – Donated by Weslaco Slice of Good Lifers/Weslaco Chamber of Commerce
Wetlands Restoration Project - submitted by Frontera Audubon Society
Restoration project – Hidalgo County
Invasive species will be removed within and around the marsh, two ponds and the storm water drainage channel. A mixture of native species will be planted in the areas that are peculiar to the requirements of each habitat and soil type.

$10,000 Lower Coast – Donated by the Swarovski Roadside Hawks Two
Warbler Rest Stop on South Padre Island – submitted by Gabriel Tree of Life Foundation.
One lot, 50x100 feet, will be planted with shrubs and trees known to be most critical for Nearctic/neotropical migrants. A water system for the new plants and a drip for the birds will be included.

$10,000 Central Coast – Donated by the Zeiss LSU Tiger-Herons
Brazilian Pepper Tree Removal at two city birding locations, Paradise Pond and the Birding Center – submitted by City of Port Aransas
Funds from this grant will be used to eliminate invasive plant species and replace them with native species that will provide improved habitat for resident and migratory bird species.

$10,000 Upper Coast – Donated by the TAMUG WildBirders
Hooks Woods Motte Enhancement – submitted by Texas Ornithological Society
The objective of this project is to plant Live Oak, Bald Cypress, hackberry and mulberry trees to provide additional food and cover and food for migratory birds helping to restore habitat damaged during the passage of Hurricane Humberto in 2007.

$3,000 Lone Star Bird Award – Donated by Vopak Vultures/ Vopak North America
Friends of the Anahuac Wildlife Refuge, Coastal Prairie Invasive Species Control
Restoration project – Chambers County
Invasive Chinese Tallow will be treated by applying herbicide and allow the native coastal prairie of the refuge to continue improving toward a pre-agricultural state.


2007 Projects

$20,000 - Donated by Environmental Partners/Reliant Energy
Columbia Bottomlands Conservation - Acquisition submitted by Houston Audubon Society
Location: Brazoria County
Funds will cover acquisition costs for the purchase of more key tracts and will include appraisals, surveys and land consulting fees to develop proposals and offers to secure additional critical avian habitat of the highest priority.

$10,000 - Donated by ConocoPhillips Cranes
Goose Island Walkway to Wetland Wildlife - Enhancement submitted by Texas Parks & Wildlife
Location: Goose Island State Park, Aransas County
This project will entail constructing an 85 foot long walkway over a salt marsh for providing public access to the western half of Goose Island State Park. The walkway will facilitate interpretive programs about the on-going shoreline stabilization and 24 acre salt marsh restoration project.

$10,000 - Donated by Bushnell Butcherbirds
Texas City Prairie Preserve - Restoration submitted by The Nature Conservancy
Location: Texas City, Galveston County
The project objective is reduction and eventual elimination of deep-rooted sedge on the property. It is a non-native plant of primary concern for prairie management. Funds will be used to purchase herbicide and backpack sprayer, pay for labor to spray apply the herbicide to identified patches of land and follow-up with winter time prescribed burns.

$10,000 Lower Coast - Donated by Swarovski Roadside Hawks
Sabal Palm Audubon Center - Restoration and Enhancements submitted by Audubon Texas
Location: Brownsville, Cameron County
This project involves habitat restoration to enlarge part of the resaca in order to have more surface water for waterfowl and other wildlife. The project will also fund repairs to wildlife viewing features at the Center, including the wetland bridge and viewing blind over the resaca, as well as the palapa in the butterfly garden. A second viewing blind will be added to existing trails/boardwalk.

$10,000 Central Coast - Donated by Zeiss LSU Tiger-Herons
Packery Channel Sanctuary Habitat - Restoration submitted by Audubon Outdoor Club of Corpus Christi, Inc.
Location: Corpus Christi, Nueces County
This project involves restoration of lots to the habitat native to this unique barrier island, to include the following: installation of semi-porous bottom material for marsh to aid in water, purchase and planting of trees native to area, and removal and control of cat-tails and Brazilian Pepper trees from the existing marsh. Enhancement to follow after restoration is complete will include extension of boardwalk and installation of educational boards to explain the value of the area as habitat and refuge as well as type of birds, animals and vegetation observed.

$10,000 Upper Coast - Donated by TAMUG Xtreme Birding Team
Horseshoe Marsh Prairie - Restoration submitted by Houston Audubon Society
Location: Port Bolivar, Galveston County
Houston Audubon's Horseshoe Marsh Bird Sanctuary contains approximately 500 acres of coastal prairie habitat, and approximately 400 acres of the sanctuary are degraded by exotic Chinese tallow trees. This project will fund eradication of tallow trees using herbicide.

$3,000 Lone Star Bird Award - Donated by Nikon WildBirders
Coastal Sanctuary Understory Diversification - Restoration submitted by Houston Audubon Society
Location: Coastal Sanctuaries in Chambers County
The goal is to diversify the habitat at Boy Scout Woods and Smith Oaks by providing better food sources for resident, overwintering and migrating birds. This will be achieved by removing invasives and replanting with native species.


2006 Projects

$20,000 - Donated by Environmental Partners/Reliant Energy
Packery Channel Sanctuary Habitat Restoration - submitted by Audubon Outdoor Club of Corpus Christi. This project has been ongoing for over 10 years to save the only stand of live oaks on the entire 113 miles of Padre Island. This new funding will allow for a semi-porous bottom to be installed in the marsh area to aid with water retention, purchase native tress for planting in the sanctuary, extend the existing boardwalk and install educational displays explaining the importance of this critical habitat.

$12,000 - Donated by NikonWildBirders/Nikon and WildBird magazine
Bolivar Peninsula Land Acquisition Fund - submitted by Houston Audubon Society. The land targeted for acquisition by the Bolivar Peninsula Land Fund is priority wildlife habitat on the Bolivar Peninsula, important breeding, wintering and migratory stopover habitat for birds. Land costs have soared in recent years due to developer interest and this fund helps Houston Audubon be in a position to acquire suitable tracts as soon as they become available.

$9,000 - Donated by the ConocoPhillips Cranes/ConocoPhillips
Acquisition of Migrant Stopover Habitat on Quintana Island - submitted by Gulf Coast Bird Observatory. This project is directed at purchasing addition lots to create a contiguous stretch of land that can be re-vegetated with native trees and shrubs. Quintana is located in the heart of one of the most important flyways for nearctic-neotropical migrants crossing the Gulf of Mexico.

$3,000 Lower Texas Coast - Donated by the Swarovski Roadside Hawks/Swarovski
Habitat Restoration at the Sabal Palm Sanctuary - submitted by Audubon Texas. This project focuses on the restoration of 35 acres of fallow field at the Sabal Palm Sanctuary in Brownsville and is part of a larger effort to restore 150 acres of fallow field. Exotic plants will be removed and native species planted.

$3,000 Central Texas Coast - Donated by the Texas A&M Wildlifers/NBID Associates
Native Coastal Prairie Restoration on the Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge - submitted by Attwater Prairie Chicken NWR. This project encompasses about nine acres of former rice field that will undergo non-native, undesired vegetation removal, site preparation and subsequent planting of native seed. This grant will cover the purchase of the native grass seed.

$3,000 Upper Texas Coast - Donated by the Grey Feathers/Independent
Coastal Prairie Invasive Species Control - submitted by Friends of Anahuac Refuge, Inc. This grant will be used to control invasive plants, primarily Chinese tallow, on 350 acres of coastal prairie on Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge.

$1,000 College Challenge Cash Prize - Donated by the Zeiss LSU Tiger-Herons/Carl Zeiss Optics
Coastal Sanctuary Understory Diversification - submitted by Houston Audubon Society. This project will allow for the purchase of native understory plants that will be used to replace invasive exotic plants at Houston Audubon’s coastal sanctuaries (Boy Scout Woods, Smith Oaks, Eubanks Woods, S.E. Gast Red Bay Sanctuary and Dos Vacas Muertas).

$1,000 Lone Star Bird Award - Donated by Team McRee Ford/McRee Ford
Texas City Prairie Preserve Deep-rooted Sedge Removal - submitted by The Nature Conservancy. This project will reduce the impact of the sedge where it occurs with a new eradication plan and will control any future spread.


2005 Projects

$20,000 - Donated by Donated by Environmental Partners/Reliant Energy
Bird Observation Tower and Education Platform Project - Submitted by Scenic Galveston, Inc. This project involves a 2500-acre wetland and coastal prairie complex on the I-45 Estuarial Corridor and Virginia Point Preserve. The spartina marsh, tidal flats and nesting islands are host to a large variety of birds year round. This project will contribute toward a roadside marsh viewing/wetlands interpretive/birding area.

$12,000 - Donated by Swift Wildbirders/Swift Optics and Wildbird magazine
Habitat Protection for Houston Audubon's Carolyn Raizes Davis Bird Sanctuary - Submitted by Houston Audubon Society. This project will help protect 63 acres of bottomland hardwood forest along Chocolate Bayou from intrusion and erosion caused by All-Terrain vehicles.

$9,000 - Donated by the ConocoPhillips Cranes/ConocoPhillips
South Padre Island Migratory Bird Sanctuary - Submitted by The Valley Land Trust. Further enhancements of this haven for neo-tropic migrants will include a drip fed shallow water feature, additional native vegetation, a viewing blind and a boardwalk.

$3,000 Upper Texas Coast - Donated by Leica Lone-Starlings/Leica Sport Optics
Quintana Island Habitat Enhancement - Submitted by the Gulf Coast Bird Observatory. This will help fund the Gulf Coast Bird Observatory's continuing project creating forested woodlots on this small island to provide additional habitat for trans-gulf migrants and also, expand public viewing areas.

$3,000 Lower Texas Coast - Donated by the Three Rails and a Young Coot/Independent
Estero Llano Grande State Park Wetland Habitat Restoration - Submitted by the World Birding Center - Estero Llano Grande State Park. This project will provide funds for purchasing Montezuma Bald Cypress tress for planting as part of an ongoing 20 acre wetland restoration project to provide additional complexity and structure to the habitat.

$3,000 Central Texas Coast - Donated by Lovely Zorrillos /Independent
Fred Jones Sanctuary Enhancement - Submitted by Audubon Outdoor Club of Corpus Christi This Audubon Outdoor Club of Corpus Christi, Inc., project will provide funding for purchasing materials for constructing a viewing blind and repairs to existing structures.

$1,000 - Donated by Stewart Title Peepers/Stewart Title Co.
Packery Channel Sanctuary Habitat Restoration - Submitted by the Audubon Outdoor Club of Corpus Christi. Money is to be used for native plant purchases to enhance the habitat.


2004 Projects

$20,000 - Donated by the ConocoPhillips Cranes/ConocoPhillips and the Swift WildBirders/Swift Instruments and WildBird Magazine
Packery Channel Sanctuary Enhancement - Submitted by the Audubon Outdoor Club of Corpus Christi. This Audubon Outdoor Club of Corpus Christi, Inc., project will acquire and enhance remaining undeveloped lots in a housing subdivision on Padre Island, creating an island of green for neotropical migrants.

$12,000 - Donated by the Environmental Partners/Reliant Energy
Dickinson Bay Bird Island Restoration - Submitted by Galveston Bay Foundation. This restoration project is intended to replace one of the islands that has eroded from Dickinson Bay over the past six decades, restoring the colonial waterbird habitat associated with it.

$9,000 - Donated by the Butcherbirds/Birder's World Magazine and Bushnell Performance Optics
Quintana Island Habitat Enhancement - Submitted by the Gulf Coast Bird Observatory. This project will revegetate previous land acquisitions with mature native trees and understory vegetation as well as create one or more freshwater ponds.

$3,000 Upper Texas Coast - Donated by the Loonatics/Independent
Texas Point NWR Woodlot Restoration - Submitted by Texas Point National Wildlife Refuge. This restoration project will create a coastal woodlot to provide stopover, rest and refueling habitat for migratory songbirds through the planting of quick-growing and long-term native tree seedlings.

$3,000 Lower Texas Coast - Donated by the Swarovski/WBC Roadside Hawks/Swarovski Optik N.A. and World Birding Center
Photogenic Water Features - Submitted by the World Birding Center - Estero Llano Grande State Park. This project will provide funds for the building of three solar powered ponds.

$3,000 Central Texas Coast - Donated by Team Audubon/ConocoPhillips
Blucher Audubon Center Migrant Songbird Habitat Restoration - Submitted by Audubon Texas (in partnership with Coastal Bend Audubon Society). This project will provide funds for the purchase of pond supplies, native plants and interpretive signs and plant labels.

$1,000 - Donated by Swarovski Sitting Hawks
South Padre Island Migratory Bird Sanctuary - Submitted by the Valley Land Fund. Money is to be used for habitat restoration.


2003 Projects

The Lone Star Bird Award for the Big Sit! Tournament was added to the $50,000 Conservation Cash Grand Prizes.

$20,000 - Donated by Swift WildBirders/Swift Instruments and WildBird Magazine:
Port Bolivar Wetlands Restoration Project (Houston Audubon Society)- This project ultimately involves acquiring a 650-acre wetland complex on the Bolivar Peninsula known as the Horseshoe Marsh. The acquisition of the Horseshoe Marsh tract will protect the entire drainage system of lagoon, salt water marsh, fresh water wetlands and coastal prairie.

$12,000 - Donated by the ConocoPhillips Cranes/ConocoPhillips:
Created Wetland at the Gulf CoastBird Observatory (Gulf Coast Bird Observatory) -This will help fund the enhancement project creating a bog pond to provide habitat for high-priority species and construct public viewing spaces so that the public may enjoy seeing these species.

$9,000 - Donated by Environmental Partners/Reliant Energy:
Native Coastal Prairie Restoration at AnahuacNational Wildlife Refuge, Chambers County (Friends of Anahuac Refuge)- This project will remove and control exotic plants and plant native species to restore the ecological function of the area as coastal tall grass prairie.

$3,000 Central Coast - Donated by Team Audubon/ConocoPhillips
Packery Channel Sanctuary Acquisition (Audubon Outdoor Club of Corpus Christi)- This Audubon Outdoor Club of Corpus Christi, Inc., project will acquire remaining undeveloped lots in a housing subdivision on Padre Island, creating an island of green for neotropical migrants.

$3,000 Upper Coast - Donated by TAMUG-s Whooping Aggies/Reliant Energy:
Created Wetland at the Gulf Coast Bird Observatory (Gulf Coast Bird Observatory) This will help fund the Gulf Coast Bird Observatory's enhancement project creating a bog pond to provide habitat for high-priority species and construct public viewing spaces so that the public may enjoy seeing these species.

$3,000 Lower Coast - Donated by Brunton Banditos/Brunton Co.
Hugh Ramsey Nature ParkEnhancement (Arroyo Colorado Audubon Society) -This project will provide funds for enhancements such as native plants and special viewing areas within the Hugh Ramsey Nature Park in Harlingen.

The following project received the first ever Lone Star Bird Award:

$1,000 - Donated by Swarovski Sitting Hawks/Swarovski Optik, N.A.:
Valley Nature CenterWetlands Restoration Project (Valley Nature Center) -Money is to be used for site enhancements at the center.


2002 Projects

The rules changed to allow the winning team in each Sectional Tournament to award a Conservation Cash Grand Prize in addition to the three prizes the Weeklong teams select.

$20,000 - Donated by The Third-Basic WildBirders/WildBird Magazine:
Packery Channel Sanctuary Acquisition (Audubon Outdoor Club of Corpus Christi Inc.)- Project to acquire remaining undeveloped lots in Packery Channel Subdivision, creating an island of green for neotropic migrants.

$12,000 - Donated by The Dow Skimmers/The Dow Chemical Company:
Columbia Bottomlands ForestAcquisition Project (Gulf Coast Bird Observatory) Acquisition of bottomland hardwood forest in Brazoria County near one of the existing tracts in the Texas Midcoast National Wildlife Refuge complex.

$9,000 - Donated by Team Audubon/ Phillips Petroleum and Houston Audubon Society:
Dickinson BaySeawall Prairie Restoration Project (The Nature Conservancy of Texas)- Project to remove/control Chinese Tallow to restore the ecological function of the area as coastal tall grass prairie. Control methods will include prescribed fire, manual cutting and use of herbicide.

$3,000 Lower Coast - Donated by Borderline Birders/ The Brunton Co. and Victor Emanuel Nature Tours:
Hugh Ramsey Nature Park Habitat Enhancement Project (Arroyo Colorado Audubon Society) Provide funds for plants and planting equipment for habitat restoration of Hugh Ramsey Nature Park in Harlingen.

$3,000 Central Coast - Donated by AEP/CP&L Coots/ American Electric Power:
Packery Channel Sanctuary Acquisition (Audubon Outdoor Club of Corpus Christi Inc.) Project to acquire remaining undeveloped lots in Packery Channel Subdivision, creating an island of green for neotropic migrants.

$3,000 Upper Coast - Donated by Kingwood Kingbirders/Independent:
Invasive Exotic Removal From High IslandSanctuaries (Houston Audubon Society) -Removal of Chinese Tallow trees from coastal prairie habitats in Boy Scout Woods and Smith Oaks.


2001 Projects

$25,000 - Donated by The Second-Basic WildBirders/WildBird Magazine:
Packery Channel Sanctuary Acquisition (the Audubon Outdoor Club of Corpus Christi in partnership with Texas A&M University at Corpus Christi) Award monies will be used for Purchase of additional undeveloped lots to add to the Packery Channel Sanctuary.

$15,000 - Donated by The Dow Skimmers/Dow Chemical Company:
Columbia Bottomlands Forest Acquisition Project (the Gulf Coast Bird Observatory in partnership with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the Trust For Public Land) Award monies will be used for sight survey, appraisal and acquisition of Columbia Bottomland Forest. Purchased lands will be under the ownership of the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service.

$10,000 - Donated by Team Kenedy/Kenedy Memorial Foundation:
Quintana Island Habitat Acquisition and Restoration Project (the Gulf Coast Bird Observatory in partnership with the Brazosport Birders and Naturalists) Award monies will be used for sight survey, appraisal and acquisition of native habitat on Quintana Island, as well as restoration and revegetation of purchased property.


2000 Projects

$25,000 - Donated by The Canadians/Kowa Optimed:
Bolivar Flats Shorebird Sanctuary Addition (Houston Audubon Society) The money helped pay for the more than 550 acres of salt marsh next to the sanctuary.

$15,000 - Donated by The Dow Skimmers/Dow Chemical Company:
Quintana Island Habitat Acquisition and Restoration Project (Gulf Coast Bird Observatory) The money purchased wooded parts of the island used as a first stop by migrating neotropical birds.

$10,000 - Donated by The Roadrunners/Landmark Graphics:
Packery Channel Sanctuary Acquisition (Audubon Outdoor Club of Corpus Christi) The money helped purchase undeveloped lots in a residential area, creating an "island of green" used by birds that spend the winter, as well as migrating neotropical birds.


1999 Projects

The rules changed to allow the top three winning teams to designate a project to receive money.

$25,000 - Donated by the Wild Birders/WildBird Magazine:
Paradise Pond Sanctuary Acquisition (Gulf Coast Bird Observatory, Audubon Outdoor Club, City of Port Aransas, Central and South West Services, Inc.) 7.83- acre tract with 2 acres of natural, permanent freshwater depressional wetland (the only one on Mustang Island). Money will be used for site survey and appraisal, pond site acquisition and land acquisition for access.

$15,000 - Donated by the Landmark Graphics Team:
Native Coastal Prairie Restoration on Anahuac NWR
, 40 acres (USFWS/Anahuac NWR) Money will be used on abandoned rice fields to control Chinese tallow, restore the original hydrology and reintroduce native prairie grass seed.

$10,000 - Donated by Team Audubon/Phillips Petroleum:
Tracking Landbird Migration in Texas and Beyond: Partners In Flight Migration Monitoring Program
(GCBO, Southeast Partners in Flight, Department of Defense, USFWS) Long-term monitoring of high priority migratory birds. Money will be used on computer services (data entry, web site entry and statistical analysis) and printing of 4-year report.


1998 Projects

The team sponsored by WildBird Magazine won first place. The WildBirders decided to divide the money unequally among three conservation projects:

Bolivar Flats Shorebird Sanctuary Addition (Houston Audubon Society) Money used to pay for 178-acre tract adjacent to Bolivar Flats Shorebird Sanctuary. Wetlands on this tract drain into marshes within the sanctuary.

South Padre Island Habitat Protection and Restoration Project (Valley Land Fund, Rio Grande Valley Bird Observatory, Valley Nature Center, South Padre Island Nature Center) Money used to acquire, revegetate, and protect habitats containing native brush vegetation valuable to Neotropical migratory birds making landfall during trans-Gulf or Circum-Gulf migrations.

The Harlingen Bird Sanctuary (RGV Birding Festival, Valley Land Fund, USFWS, City of Harlingen, Harlingen Chamber of Commerce) Money used to pay back loans for the purchase of 40 acres of native thornbush and riparian habitat.


1997 Projects

The first place winning Compaq/Houston Audubon Society team allocated the money equally to three conservation projects:

The John M. O'Quinn I-45 Estuarial Corridor Acquisition & Restoration (Scenic Galveston, Inc.) Money used toward the purchase of 900 acres of the I-45 Estuary, restoration to emergent intertidal marsh of approximately 40 badly degraded acres, and management as a public nature preserve.

Colonial Waterbird Sanctuaries Project (Texas Audubon Society) Money used for long-term Avian Monitoring project for high priority species and to expand the Texas Waterbird Survey to cover middle and south coast habitats not presently surveyed.

Wings Over Weslaco (Frontera Audubon Society) Money used for construction of a viewing blind on the Frontera Audubon Society Sanctuary.

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