Welcome
to
the
Isla d
Whe e
Eg ets
Rule
A
ce tu y
afte
wildlife
wa de s
bega
p otecti g
a
small
isla d
i
Texas,
the
35-ac e
site
has
become
the
wo ld’s
la gest
esti g
colo y
fo
Reddish
Eg ets.
G ee
Isla d
sits
i
the
Lagu a
Mad e,
a
coastal
lagoo
i
southe
Texas.
I
1923,
Audubo
Texas
sig ed
its
fi st
sa ctua y
lease
with
the
Texas
Ge e al
La d
Office
to
p otect
the
isla d.
At
the
time,
coastal
bi ds
we e
u de
seve e
p essu e
f om
hu ti g.
Thei
feathe s
we e
highly
valued
by
the
fashio
i dust y,
while
people
also
collected
thei
eggs
a d
hu ted
the
bi ds
fo
meat.
This
caused
Reddish
Eg et
umbe s
to
fall
sha ply
ac oss
the
Gulf
Coast,
leavi g
the
species
close
to
disappea i g
f om
Texas.
Today,
G ee
Isla d
is
the
ce t e
of
a
much
la ge
co se vatio
etwo k.
Audubo
Texas
ma ages
175
coastal
isla ds,
a d
the
Texas
Gulf
Coast
ow
has
the
wo ld’s
la gest
co ce t atio
of
Reddish
Eg ets.
The
isla ds
a e
also
home
to
thousa ds
of
G eat
Blue
He o s,
G eat
Eg ets,
Roseate
Spoo bills
a d
S owy
Eg ets.
Audubo
ece tly
highlighted
the
histo y
of
G ee
Isla d
a d
the
co ti ui g
wo k
of
coastal
wa de s
i
a
epo t
o
a
ce tu y
of
co se vatio
alo g
the
Texas
coast.
A
difficult
isla d
became
a
atu al
efuge
G ee
Isla d
is
diffe e t
f om
ma y
of
the
othe
isla ds
i
the
Lagu a
Mad e.
Most
ea by
isla ds
we e
c eated
f om
mate ial
emoved
du i g
co st uctio
of
the
Gulf
I t acoastal
Wate way
shippi g
cha el.
G ee
Isla d,
howeve ,
fo med
atu ally.
Its
locatio
a d
difficult
te ai
made
it
a
excelle t
efuge
fo
bi ds.
The
isla d
is
fa
f om
the
mai la d
a d
is
cove ed
with
thick,
tho y
vegetatio
a d
la ge
umbe s
of
biti g
i sects.
These
co ditio s
made
it
difficult
fo
people
to
each
a d
also
kept
ma y
la d-based
p edato s
away.
Ea ly
co se vatio ists
ecog ised
that
the
isla d
could
p ovide
a
fi al
safe
place
fo
Reddish
Eg ets
i
Texas.
Du i g
the
fi st
decades
of
p otectio ,
coastal
wa de s
lived
o
G ee
Isla d
to
p ovide
co sta t
p otectio .
Some
lived
i
a
basic
two- oom
woode
hut.
Alexis
Balde a,
coastal
p og amme
se io
ma age
fo
Audubo
Texas,
said
the
wa de
p og amme
played
a
impo ta t
ole
i
p otecti g
esti g
bi ds.
“G ee
Isla d
was
o e
of
the
fi st
pieces
of
la d
that
Audubo
Texas
leased
f om
the
Texas
Ge e al
La d
Office,”
Balde a
said.
Bi ds
had
bee
heavily
hu ted
fo
thei
feathe s,
eggs
a d
meat,
she
explai ed.
The
Coastal
Wa de
p og amme
c eated
a
pe ma e t
huma
p ese ce
to
p otect
esti g
colo ies
alo g
the
coast.
Bi ds
build
ests
at
diffe e t
levels
G ee
Isla d’s
thick
vegetatio
p ovides
esti g
space
fo
ma y
diffe e t
species.
The
bi ds
effectively
divide
the
isla d’s
bushes
i to
diffe e t
levels
acco di g
to
thei
size.
La ge
bi ds
such
as
G eat
Blue
He o s
a d
G eat
Eg ets
usually
build
thei
ests
at
the
top
of
the
vegetatio ,
whe e
the
b a ches
a e
highest.
Reddish
Eg ets,
Roseate
Spoo bills
a d
Black-c ow ed
Night-He o s
te d
to
est
lowe
dow ,
i
the
thick
middle
sectio
of
the
bushes.
The
smallest
bi ds,
i cludi g
S owy
Eg ets,
use
the
deepest
b a ches
a d
lowe
pa ts
of
the
vegetatio .
Othe
species
also
use
the
isla d.
Glossy
Ibis
est
o
the
sa dy
a eas,
while
Clappe
Rails
live
a ou d
coastal
ma g ove
oots.
A
pai
of
C ested
Ca aca as
also
ests
the e.
The
ca aca as
sometimes
eat
you g
he o s,
but
Audubo
wa de s
do
ot
i te fe e
with
thei
est
because
the
bi ds
a e
p otected.
P otecti g
the
isla d
is
still
ha d
wo k
G ee
Isla d’s
emote
locatio
offe s
p otectio ,
but
it
also
makes
co se vatio
wo k
difficult.
Audubo
Texas
coastal
wa de
B ia
Belle
has
to
clea
a d
ebuild
the
isla d’s
o ly
walki g
t ail
eve y
sp i g.
He
also
emoves
falle
vegetatio ,
checks
fo
i vasive
p edato s
a d
epai s
st uctu es
damaged
by
sto ms.
Although
the
su ou di g
wate
keeps
most
la d
p edato s
away,
some
a imals
a e
able
to
swim
to
the
isla d.
Coyotes,
bobcats
a d
accoo s
have
occasio ally
c ossed
the
lagoo .
Wa de s
egula ly
check
the
isla d
a d
emove
these
a imals
befo e
they
ca
each
the
esti g
colo ies.
A
special
pla t
may
help
the
bi ds
Scie tists
a d
co se vatio
wo ke s
have
also
oticed
a
impo ta t
diffe e ce
betwee
G ee
Isla d
a d
ma y
a tificial
isla ds
i
the
a ea.
G ee
Isla d
has
la ge
amou ts
of
g a je o,
also
k ow
as
spi y
hackbe y.
The
sh ub
has
sha p
b a ches
a d
p oduces
small
o a ge
be ies.
Ma y
a tificial
d edge
spoil
isla ds
a e
mai ly
cove ed
with
mesquite
a d
cactus,
but
they
have
little
o
o
g a je o.
Belle
believes
the
bi ds
p efe
esti g
i
the
g a je o.
“That
pla t
with
the
o a ge
be ies
that
you’ e
talki g
about,
that’s
g a je o,”
Belle
said.
“Almost
all
of
the
[d edge
spoil]
isla ds
out
he e
have
mesquite
o
cactus,
but
they
do ’t
have
g a je o.
A d
that
seems
to
be
the
p efe ed
pla t
fo
the
bi ds.”
Audubo
is
ow
t yi g
to
use
what
has
bee
lea ed
f om
G ee
Isla d
to
imp ove
othe
isla ds.
Belle
has
sta ted
collecti g
g a je o
seeds
a d
pla ti g
them
o
othe
isla ds
ma aged
by
Audubo
i
the
Lagu a
Mad e.
The
aim
is
to
c eate
bette
esti g
habitat
a d
i c ease
the
umbe
of
pla ts
that
bi ds
p efe .
Climate
cha ge
c eates
a
ew
th eat
The
biggest
th eat
to
G ee
Isla d
today
is
o
lo ge
hu ti g.
I stead,
isi g
sea
levels
a d
ext eme
weathe
a e
putti g
p essu e
o
the
sa ctua y.
Sto ms
have
al eady
damaged
impo ta t
st uctu es.
Hu ica e
Ha a
dest oyed
a
elevated
obse vatio
bli d
that
wa de s
a d
visiti g
scie tists
used
to
cou t
bi ds
a d
study
esti g
colo ies
without
getti g
too
close
to
the
ests.
The
obse vatio
towe
has
si ce
bee
ebuilt.
Howeve ,
the
lo ge -te m
th eat
could
be
much
g eate .
Acco di g
to
compute
modelli g
cited
by
Audubo ,
isi g
sea
levels
could
eve tually
cove
as
much
as
15
ac es
of
G ee
Isla d.
That
would
mea
losi g
almost
half
of
the
isla d’s
cu e t
35-ac e
a ea.
Co se vatio ists
a e
the efo e
looki g
at
ways
to
p otect
bi d
habitat
beyo d
G ee
Isla d.
These
pla s
i clude
ma agi g
vegetatio
o
existi g
isla ds
a d
imp ovi g
a tificial
d edge
spoil
isla ds
so
they
ca
suppo t
mo e
esti g
bi ds.
Regula
su veys
will
co ti ue
du i g
eve y
b eedi g
seaso
to
measu e
esti g
success
a d
t ack
cha ges
i
bi d
populatio s.
Belle
is
also
co side i g
pla s
to
esto e
the
isla d’s
old
wa de
hut,
built
i
the
1950s.
The
buildi g
could
eve tually
p ovide
a
base
fo
esea che s
a d
field
biologists
wo ki g
o
the
isla d.
A
ce tu y
of
p otectio
G ee
Isla d’s
sto y
shows
how
lo g-te m
co se vatio
ca
cha ge
the
futu e
of
a
species.
A
ce tu y
ago,
Reddish
Eg ets
i
Texas
we e
bei g
pushed
towa ds
local
exti ctio
by
hu ti g
a d
egg
collectio .
P otecti g
a
small,
isolated
isla d
gave
the
bi ds
a
place
whe e
they
could
b eed
without
the
same
p essu e
f om
people
a d
p edato s.
Today,
the
isla d
suppo ts
o e
of
the
most
impo ta t
Reddish
Eg et
colo ies
i
the
wo ld
a d
fo ms
pa t
of
a
wide
etwo k
of
p otected
coastal
habitat.
The
challe ges
have
cha ged,
howeve .
Hu ti g
is
o
lo ge
the
mai
da ge .
Risi g
seas,
st o ge
sto ms,
habitat
loss
a d
cha ges
to
coastal
vegetatio
ow
th eate
the
sa ctua y.
Audubo
Texas
is
espo di g
by
p otecti g
existi g
habitat,
imp ovi g
othe
isla ds
a d
studyi g
the
co ditio s
that
make
G ee
Isla d
so
successful.
The
goal
is
to
e su e
that
the
sa ctua y
emai s
a
safe
place
fo
Reddish
Eg ets
a d
othe
coastal
bi ds
fo
ma y
mo e
yea s,
eve
as
the
Texas
coastli e
co ti ues
to
cha ge.