Texas

American Bird Conservancy
Implementing Best Management Practices for Pollinator Habitat Restoration (TX)
Support on-the-ground implementation of site-specific land management practices to increase the quality, quantity, and connectivity of habitat for monarch butterflies and pollinators in southern Texas. Project will restore 500 acres of degraded habitat within the core area of the monarch’s migratory route by incentivizing landowners for conducting pre-approved land management practices to restore degraded habitat back to suitable habitat for monarchs, pollinators and grassland birds.
$75,000

Anthropocene Alliance
Higher Ground: Green Infrastructure for Resilience (multiple states)
Convene six community-based organizations in disaster-prone neighborhoods to engage local partners to train volunteers and teach residents about nature-based practices and install six high visibility projects as a catalyst for broader implementation. Project will reach 600 community members and successes will be shared with peer flood survivors around the country through a network of 48 leaders in 22 states.
$494,758

Austin Area Urban League
Building Equitable Futures for Our Communities Program  (TX)
Create opportunities for individuals to attain sufficient knowledge, skills, resources, and self-efficacy to enable them to become Resiliency Ambassadors. Project will provide educational programming on preparedness to 196 community members and offer youth Environmentalist Ambassador jobs to 20 collegiate students who will have access to capacity building education before they are eligible to act as Career Services Ambassadors within the local community.
$300,000

Borderlands Research Institute-Sul Ross State University
Marfa and Marathon Grassland Habitat Enhancement for Migratory Birds and Pronghorn — III (TX)
Conduct brush management activities in the Marfa and Marathon grasslands to improve grassland health and habitat for pronghorn and grassland birds. Project will conduct brush management on 4,000 acres of brush-invaded grassland using herbicide treatments, as well as implement fence modifications to promote pronghorn movements.
$246,759

City of Houston
Urban Prairie Project (TX)
Integrate principles of resilience within an affordable housing development that consists of two components: restoring a prairie ecosystem and developing a green corridor within existing gas line easement for community growth. Project will reach 200 community members, restore up to 8 acres of land and serve as a demonstration for how best to integrate green stormwater infrastructure and incorporate an urban prairie ecosystem that prepares the community to be more resilient.
$400,000

College of William and Mary
Conserving Whimbrel Across the Western Atlantic Flyway (multiple states, Canada)
Expand on efforts to monitor declining whimbrel populations along the western Atlantic Flyway. Project will update the whimbrel conservation plan with whimbrel working group input, develop an index of reproductive performance and engage partners to establish a monitoring network, expand roost surveys during spring migration to improve protection at key sites, continue building an online shorebird roost registry, and make managers aware of roost locations to facilitate their protection.
$99,374

Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University
GIS Capacity and Training to Support Gulf-Wide Ecosystem Conservation and Restoration (AL, FL, LA, MS, TX)
Provide geographic information system (GIS) expertise and training in support of Gulf-wide ecosystem conservation and restoration programs and projects. Project will develop GIS layers and maps where Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council and Natural Resources Damage Assessment projects have been approved for planning and implementation by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
$300,000

Friends of the Wildlife Corridor
Reforesting the La Sal del Rey Tract at Lower Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge (TX)
Plant seedlings and reforest 20 acres of a previously farmed field in the La Sal del Rey Tract of the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge. Project will engage community members and 750 school children in a four-day planting event that supports opening the Sal del Rey Tract to hunting in 2021, doubling youth hunting opportunities on the refuge.
$15,000

Gulf Coast Bird Observatory
Studying Migrant and Resident Populations of Loggerhead Shrike to Inform Conservation (TX)
Study habitat affiliations for both migrant and resident loggerhead shrikes present on the Texas Gulf Coast to determine if migrant individuals are using sub-optimal wintering habitat. Project will perform genetic and stable isotope analyses on shrike feathers collected during banding to compare bird origin and habitat quality.
$92,359

Houston Wilderness
Restoring Riparian Habitat Along the Port of Houston Ship Channel (TX)
Reforest riparian areas by planting 10,000 targeted, native tree species with high air pollution and water absorption capabilities along 25 miles of the Port of Houston Ship Channel. Project will restore and improve management on 180 acres to benefit a multitude of migratory and resident birds.
$100,000

Katy Prairie Conservancy
Enhancing Grassland Conservation for Wildlife Habitat in the Katy Prairie (TX)
Create and enhance grassland habitat, enhance landscape connectivity for wildlife migration and ensure the health of the landscape by aiding with regional flood control in the Katy Prairie of Waller County, Texas. Project will bring 200 acres under improved management and restore 145 acres of grassland to benefit multiple declining bird species of concern.
$94,631

Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Foundation
Monitoring Reintroduced Whooping Cranes to Establish a Self-Sustaining Population (LA, TX)
Study habitat use across various life stages of a whooping crane population that has been reintroduced into southwest Louisiana since 2011. Project will track and monitor juvenile whooping crane habitat use and home range and create range maps to help federal and state agencies develop management plans and recommendations for whooping cranes.
$46,542

Manomet
Coordinating American Oystercatcher Recovery on the Atlantic Coast (multiple states)
Provide coordination of the American oystercatcher recovery initiative and actionable change based on lessons learned from 2009 to 2019 and reduce the impact of predators and human disturbance on populations of breeding shorebirds along the U.S. Atlantic coast. Project will contribute substantially to the goals of the Atlantic Flyway Business Plan.
$79,999

Mote Marine Laboratory
Using Electronic Monitoring for Sustainability in the Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Fishery (FL, LA, TX)
Expand electronic monitoring in the Gulf of Mexico reef fish fishery to address fisheries management objectives by monitoring for catch and bycatch, improving data management, and enhancing usability. Project will build on more than four years of electronic monitoring system improvements and comprehensive data collection to advance implementation of electronic monitoring as a Gulf-wide priority.
$500,292

Pheasants Forever
Coordinating Range Wildlife Conservation in the Lesser Prairie Chicken Range (CO, KS, NM, OK, TX)
Work with private landowners and other partners to implement on-the-ground riparian habitat restoration across the lesser prairie chicken range. Project will enroll landowners into voluntary contracts that will restore or improve management on 30,000 acres of southwestern grassland habitat.
$101,436

Pheasants Forever
Farm Bill Program Delivery and Support to Improve Water Quality within the Colorado River Watershed (TX)
Increase technical assistance capacity to accelerate delivery of voluntary Farm Bill conservation programs and practices that address water quantity and quality, as well as wildlife habitat, within the Colorado River watershed in Texas. Project will improve partners’ ability to deliver technical assistance to Texan landowners for wildlife and natural resource conservation.
$150,474

Pheasants Forever
Providing Technical Assistance to Landowners Conducting Habitat Restoration for Grassland Birds (TX)
Build off previously successful work in southeast Texas by continuing support for a range and wildlife conservationist to increase technical assistance capacity. Project will hold workshops and field days for 400 landowners to restore 5,000 acres of working grassland bird habitat, bring 2,000 acres under improved management and develop 35 management plans.
$36,506

Pheasants Forever
Providing Technical Assistance for Landowners Using Prescribed Fire to Benefit Monarch Habitat (TX)
Provide technical assistance to private working lands through the development of a landscape-scale partnership that will educate and train private landowners and land managers in the use of prescribed fire to enhance habitat for monarchs and other pollinators on central Texas. Project will restore 6,600 acres of habitat, develop 30 conservation plans and facilitate 18 workshops reaching 500 landowners.
$300,000

Reef Fish Conservation and Education Foundation
Engaging the Next Generation of Commercial Fishermen in the Gulf of Mexico (AL, FL, LA, MS, TX)
Develop a workforce training program to recruit and educate young fishermen for the commercial seafood harvesting sector. Project will engage fishery leaders from various fisheries across the Gulf of Mexico in face-to-face meetings to design and plan a young fishermen training program for the Gulf of Mexico and develop a review of similar programs around the United States.
$25,835

Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory
Implement a Radio Telemetry Network in the Great Plains and Chihuahuan Desert to Monitor Grassland Birds (multiple states)
Implement a collaborative network of automated radio telemetry stations throughout the Great Plains and Chihuahuan Desert to monitor the annual cycle of grassland birds, including Baird’s sparrow, Sprague’s pipit and chestnut-collared longspur. Project will initiate this effort by holding webinars to recruit and train partners and develop a plan to track grassland birds across the region, install telemetry stations to track focal species, and deploy tags on focal species.
$250,000

Saltwater
Expanding and Improving the Use of Electronic Monitoring in the Gulf of Mexico Shrimp Trawl Fishery (multiple states)
Expand and improve the use of electronic monitoring in the Gulf of Mexico shrimp trawl fishery by installing electronic monitoring systems and collecting data on protected species interactions and red snapper bycatch volume and locations. Project will maximize the utility of the collected data for both fishery management and dealer verification of catch origin and sustainable fishing practices.
$173,145

Stephen F. Austin State University
Monitoring Avian Response to Forest Management in the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley (AR, LA, MS, TX)
Develop a baseline inventory of bird species in bottomland hardwood restoration sites in the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley through the deployment of autonomous sound recorders. Project will compare baseline data to avian community metrics captured in bottomland hardwood forests at different successional stages to identify effective management activities used in forestry wildlife treatments and stages of stand development that need further treatments for maintaining desired forest conditions.
$73,377

Texas A&M AgriLife Research
Salinity Tolerance of Texas Hornshell (TX)
Study the salinity tolerance of Texas hornshell and identify potential locations for its reintroduction or reaches for habitat restoration. Project will provide a better understanding of habitat requirements for Texas hornshell by examining the effects of salinity tolerance for multiple life stages.
$189,868

Texas A&M Forest Service
Longleaf Pine Restoration and Management (TX)
Engage private landowners through education, outreach, and technical and financial assistance to restore, enhance, and conserve 1,000 acres of longleaf pine and bottomland hardwood forest in East Texas. Project will reach landowners through workshops and county landowner association meetings, and promote stewardship planning, prescribed burning, and other forest management practices, benefiting northern bobwhite, Swainson’s warbler, and game species such as wild turkey.
$181,971

Texas General Land Office
Swan Lake Marsh Restoration (TX)
Restore approximately 80 acres of coastal marsh complex within Swan Lake in Galveston County, Texas by utilizing dredged materials to increase intertidal elevations to support marsh habitats and reduce the risk of coastal flooding. Project will protect critical port infrastructure, important aquatic nursery and wildlife habitat, and protect adjacent coastal prairies.
$3,000,000

Texas Rice Industry Coalition for the Environment
Restoring Wetland and Prairie Habitat at the Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge (TX)
Restore habitat for grassland birds, butterflies, other pollinator species and mammals on the Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge in Chambers County, Texas. Project will create and restore 490 acres of year-round freshwater wetland and native prairie habitat.
$27,300

Texas Water Trade
Groundwater Leasing Program to Restore Comanche Springs (TX)
Demonstrate the feasibility of restoring Comanche Springs through a groundwater leasing program. Project will evaluate using voluntary market transactions to reduce pumping in the Edwards-Trinity aquifer to support the reintroduction of Comanche Springs pupfish and Pecos gambusia.
$300,050

Texas Water Trade
Protecting Continuous Flows on the Headwaters of the Colorado River (TX)
Provide landowner outreach and technical assistance within the Llano, Pedernales and San Saba sub-basins of the Texas Colorado River. Project will increase landowner enrollment in programs benefiting threatened freshwater mussels species.
$189,293

The Nature Conservancy
Monitoring and Habitat Enhancement at Diamond Y Spring Preserve (TX)
Monitor and enhance aquatic species and habitats at Diamond Y Spring Preserve. Project will map habitats and establish fish monitoring, evaluate breeding success of species, including Leon Springs pupfish, Pecos gambusia, and others, map vegetation and monitor hydrology to determine restoration potential, update the preserve’s conservation plan, and initiate selected habitat management and restoration actions.
$197,893

U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Texas Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office
Restoration of the Phantom Spring Ciénega (TX)
Restore the Phantom Spring Ciénega to maintain habitat for Pecos gambusia, Comanche Springs pupfish and other endangered aquatic species. Project will remove all of the existing water control features that are no longer functioning and deepen the ciénega to eliminate the need for pumping all together, exploring alternative plans as necessary.
$30,139

University of Oklahoma
Developing Tools to Advance Grassland Bird Wintering Habitat Management Practices (CO, NM, OK, TX)
Expand on an existing framework studying the wintering ecology of longspurs and other grassland birds in the Great Plains using species distribution modeling, automated radio telemetry biologging, and weather radar analysis. Project will develop tools to improve field grassland bird surveys to more accurately estimate abundance and habitat usage, and to improve grazing management regimes to best advance bird conservation.
$138,145