One Year Later–Bolivar Flats

In this heartfelt letter, Houston Audubon President and CEO Jed Aplaca expresses appreciation to Carlis Cole, President of Keep Bolivar Beautiful, for help in the successful protection of the Bolivar Flats Shorebird Sanctuary. Highlighting the conclusion of an ambitious fundraising campaign, Aplaca celebrates the preservation of this coastal habitat and outlines future efforts to restore and monitor the landscape.

Dear Carlis,

Over a year ago, Houston Audubon launched the most ambitious campaign in our organization’s history: the Save Bolivar Flats campaign. We needed to raise $3 million in just six months to prevent the immediate development of the first piece of a 52-acre parcel surrounded by our Bolivar Flats Shorebird Sanctuary. We then needed to raise another $3 million by the end of the year to protect that land forever.  As a new President and CEO at the time, the prospect of such a campaign was overwhelming.

Then something extraordinary happened.

Within hours of our public announcement, support poured in from across the country. Birders, conservationists, partner organizations, and foundations all rallied around this special place. Because of your generosity, Bolivar Flats is now protected forever.

Today, as I walk this newly protected landscape, I have an even deeper appreciation for what we accomplished together. The coastal prairie is alive this time of year—Eastern Meadowlarks sing from the firewheels, Willets parade raucously through the marsh, and a young White-tailed Kite hovers overhead. Out on the beach, Least Terns and Wilson’s Plovers are tending to their young, while Reddish Egrets dance through the shallow water in search of dinner.

And this is just the beginning. We are already tending to the new land, with immediate improvements such as removing utility poles and wires and adding signage in the next year. Our monitoring and bird count activities will extend into the expanded sanctuary acreage and we look forward to seeing more birds thrive in the newly protected lands.

Bolivar Flats is more than a sanctuary for birds. It is a powerful reminder of what can happen when people come together in service of conservation. This lasting legacy would not have been possible without you.

With gratitude,
Jed Aplaca
President & CEO
Houston Audubon