When Stennie Meadours began birdwatching in the early 1980s, she went to Bolivar Flats — known as the place to see more than 50 different avian species on any given day — but what she witnessed was young people driving four-wheelers across the beach, “running through the birds over and over again.”
“They don’t know what they’re doing and how valuable this is,” she recalled saying at the time.
Forty-five years later, she’s repeating the same mantra, but this time it’s directed at developers who want to build beach houses on what she considers sacred land.
Back in the ‘80s, Meadours was studying environmental management at the University of Houston Clear Lake, learning the laws governing conservation practices. She pleaded with Galveston County commissioners to restrict vehicular traffic on the beach. It took three years for the county to install “bollards,” short, sturdy posts that prohibit cars from accessing an area of the beach where sediment builds up.
And Meadours’ fight didn’t stop there.
Now 83 years old and a retired biologist and former Houston Audubon board member, Meadours is one of hundreds of birders from across the country supporting the effort to Save Bolivar Flats from developers who want to wipe out a “globally important bird area” referred to as the Bolivar Flats Shorebird Sanctuary.
About 10,000 birders from all 50 states and a dozen foreign countries visit Bolivar Peninsula each year for spring migration. Birding is a huge Texas industry, contributing an estimated $2 billion annually to the Lone Star State’s economy, according to Texas Parks and Wildlife.
But if Houston Audubon doesn’t come up with $3 million by the end of the year, the birding spot will become beach houses that will likely be washed away in the next hurricane, said Pete Deichmann, land conservation director for Houston Audubon.
“It doesn’t make sense to have houses out here,” Deichmann said while standing yards away from the beach with egrets and herons calling in the background. “It doesn’t make sense to put any houses on a barrier island because a barrier island ultimately protects what’s further inland.”
“This is an incredibly important place for migratory birds, particularly shorebirds and wetland birds,” he added. “The birds that are coming here are quite literally connecting this part of Texas to other parts of the world, like the Arctic and the southern tip of Argentina and South America. We have hundreds of thousands of birds that are using this area, especially during migration season. It’s an extremely productive ecosystem.”
The Shorebird Sanctuary is home to about half a million birds, including three endangered species: Houston blackrail, piping plover and red knot.
For the Birds
Houston Audubon has spent about $4 million to date acquiring 1,240 acres in Bolivar Flats. Some of the land was donated or purchased with grant funds. What remains is the 25-acre Shorebird Sanctuary, a tract owned by developers with Sanderling Bolivar.
Houston Audubon has a December 31 deadline to raise the funds to purchase the remaining tract from Sanderling. As of last week, they had about $2.8 million, representing almost 1,000 donations from across the country, and were confident they’d be able to close on the land by January 15.
Sanderling owners and developers Jim Hayes and Tom Harrison did not respond to requests for comment.
The land is platted for development with Galveston County, and vacant lots in a grassy area are labeled for sale. Rettilon Road connects the prairie land to the beach, where a few campers and birdwatchers were out last week on an unseasonably warm November day.
It seems both Houston Audubon and the developers are making future plans for the site. Sanderling’s website advertises “Texas’ best kept secret: private beach living on the Gulf Coast,” a gated 30-home community featuring 15 beachfront properties and 15 “second row” lots.
Who wouldn’t want to have a beach house on the stunning, exclusive Bolivar Peninsula? Well, someone who cares about the environment and wildlife and doesn’t want to have to rebuild in a few years, says Jed Aplaca, president and CEO of Houston Audubon.
“We’re not reducing housing by buying this land,” he said. “Our mission is to advance the conservation of birds and bird habitats. We have almost 4,200 acres that we’re protecting [in the Greater Houston area]. By protecting the birds, you’re protecting everything else that belongs in that ecosystem. We want to make sure they have shelter, food and water. That’s an important part of our sanctuary.”
Aplaca, who grew up in Hawaii, and Deichmann, who was raised in St. Louis, both have loved nature since they were children and agreed that Bolivar Flats is the crown jewel of the properties owned by Houston Audubon.
More than 950 homes are listed for sale, with dozens more available for rent, in the Port Bolivar community, which has less than 3,000 full-time residents, according to Michele McElvain, who moved to the area from upstate New York and works at the Bolivar Peninsula Tourism and Visitors Center.
“I grew up in the land of snow and sleet and I always tell people back home that I’ve never had to shovel sunshine,” she says when asked if she likes Texas. “This is one of the friendliest places I have ever lived. It’s that quintessential small-town feel. It’s quiet, it’s calm and it’s relaxed. It’s a wonderful little melting pot here.”
The Visitors Center is hopping with birdwatchers, McElvain said, noting that it does her heart good to see Houston Audubon doing well in raising funds to save Bolivar Flats. She didn’t want to comment on whether there’s a need for more housing in the area, “but you can drive down the beach and reach your own conclusion about the necessity of more beachfront homes.”
“I’m all for having a place where people can watch birds,” she said. “Some of these lovely people are going on birding safaris. I live on the bay side of Bolivar, surrounded by estuaries, so I’m blessed to see all these birds. I live on a little dead-end street and there will be flocks of birds in the road. I think, this is the kind of traffic jam I can enjoy. I bought a little guide so I can identify some of the birds.”
A Galveston hurricane in 1900 destroyed almost every structure on Bolivar Peninsula, but the community rebuilt. Then Hurricane Ike in 2008 wiped out about 3,500 homes. Bolivar isn’t so much about the homes, residents say, it’s about the people. And a large number of people who pass through, along with those who live there permanently, care about the natural habitat of the birds, Deichmann said.
“There’s nowhere else in Texas where you can see the diversity and quantity of birds on a regular basis,” he said. “And that’s because of sediment and nutrients. By nutrients, we mean food. The fridge is always full at Bolivar Flats.”
More than 100 people wrote letters to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers asking that the site be preserved. “There’s been a lot of local support,” Aplaca said. “They don’t want another RV park.”
Stuart Nelson, a Houston Audubon board officer, said in a promotional video for the Save Bolivar Flats campaign that protecting natural habitat is one of the most important and impactful things the group can do to advance conservation goals.
“It’s pretty amazing to be part of a capstone acquisition for a piece of land that’s globally important,” he said. “This last puzzle piece is really what will seal the deal on protecting the region for generations, forever.”
Forging Ahead
Houston Audubon is already under contract to buy the land; they just have to pay for it. Once that happens, Deichmann said the next step is to “bring out the chainsaws and take down that [Sanderling] sign.”
On a serious note, once the land purchase is closed, Houston Audubon will do what it’s always done: maintain and preserve the site that so many humans and birds have grown to love. Meadours can hardly contain her excitement when she talks about hearing the calls of royal terns, large seabirds with distinctive black crests and bright orange bills.
“When they start flying and calling, I know I’m at Bolivar Flats, and I’m so happy,” she said in a September video interview with Houston Audubon.
Aplaca and Deichmann are planning to construct a nature trail with an observation platform at the end of Rettilon Road.
Even those who aren’t birdwatchers appreciate the need for preservation and the joy it brings to tens of thousands of visitors each year, Aplaca said.
Housing that abuts a nature preserve poses many challenges, the CEO explained. People tend to spray for mosquitoes, thus putting out toxic chemicals on what could have been a meal. Birds eat dragonflies and dragonflies eat mosquitoes, creating a “trophic cascade.” Homeowners also spray chemicals on their lawns that can get into the water.
The connection between the water, the accumulation of sediment and an environment ripe for bugs that the birds can consume is unique to Bolivar, Deichmann said.
“As the tide is going out, the fridge door is opening for the birds to come and eat,” he said. “As the tide comes back in, that fridge door is closing. A lot of times when the tide is out, you’ll see all these birds out on the flats getting in while the getting is good. When the door is closed, you’ll see them resting up on the beach.”
In addition to interfering with the birds’ dinner, new homes add artificial light, Deichmann said.
“A lot of these birds are migrating at night using the stars, partially, so that throws them off,” he said. “When a hurricane does come through, all that debris gets stacked up and there’s chemicals and runoff. So you could make a case [that homes farther away from the beach don’t impact the bird sanctuary], but we can make another case.”
Aplaca pointed out that the bollards protect a certain area of the beach from being disturbed by vehicles but the more people there are in an area, the more likely it is that someone could disrupt the birds by, for example, accidentally stepping on a nest.
“We’re trying to get a good balance here where there’s a good habitat for the birds to be able to survive and thrive, but you’re also wanting to provide an opportunity for people to be out here and enjoy the birds and enjoy nature.”
Cypress-based consultant Jennifer Lorenz is helping organize publicity for the Save Bolivar Flats fundraising campaign and said she believes they’ll meet their goal. As the former executive director of the Bayou Land Conservancy, Lorenz led a campaign in 2012 to save the Deer Park Prairie, raising $4 million in six weeks, and was named Houstonian of the Year.
“We did it then, and this can be done again,” she said.
Meadours will no doubt be among those celebrating when the land purchase is complete.
“Through the years, Houston Audubon has always stepped up,” she said. “I am just so delighted and pleased with all the nesting birds that are out on Bolivar Flats now. I see piping plovers and many different species there, and numbers as great as they were in the ’80s. That is very rewarding.”
The post A Quest to Save Bolivar Flats from Housing Developers appeared first on Houston Press.
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