Betsy Black arrived at Bolivar Flats early on Saturday morning, binoculars around her neck, hoping to catch a glimpse of the federally-protected piping plovers that frequent the area. She’d recognize them by the high-pitched sound males make to advertise their presence to potential mates.
Saturday’s celebratory bird walk on the Bolivar Peninsula northeast of Galveston almost didn’t happen.
Black and more than a thousand donors from 47 states pitched in to save Bolivar Flats from developers who owned a portion of the land and were planning to build 30 beach houses — structures that would almost definitely flood in due time and infringe upon the shorebird sanctuary known to half a million birds.
Over a period of years, Houston Audubon spent about $4 million acquiring 1,240 acres. But late last year, the nonprofit still needed $3 million to buy 53 remaining acres from developers with Sanderling Bolivar. Houston Audubon launched a massive fundraising campaign and met the goal, closing on the land before the January 15 deadline.
On Saturday after the bird walk, Houston Audubon president and CEO Jed Aplaca announced, with about 100 guests cheering him on, that the group was standing on a site that would be protected “forever.”
“This is a win for the birds, but it’s also a win for our legacy of conservation in Texas,” Aplaca said. “This acquisition was made possible by the unwavering support by our donors — many of you — and a community that understands that a healthy coast is a vibrant coast.”
Among the guests at Saturday’s event were David and Winnie Burkett. Winnie is a former Houston Audubon executive director and now a volunteer and fundraiser. The couple hosts other birders at a beach house in High Island called “The Roost.”
“The beauty of nature is wonderful,” said David Burkett, 82, a retired geologist, as he shared maps with guests showing them plans for Bolivar’s future.
Black grew up next to a forest reserve in Illinois and started birding with her father when she was 10 years old. Now 68, she’s lived in Bellaire for more than four decades and retired from the oil and gas industry. She loves to count the birds and feel the north wind coming in with the warblers, so she makes trips to Bolivar Flats or High Island whenever she can. In the fall, she attends a birding festival in Michigan.
“When you live in a city, you want to be out in the middle of nowhere,” she said. “I love that I can do it by myself. I do it for mindfulness.”
Pete Deichmann, land conservation director for Houston Audubon, said the nonprofit is planning a nature trail with a short boardwalk to an observation platform at the end of Rettilon Road, scheduled to open in late 2027. Now that Houston Audubon owns all 1,300 acres in the area, they’re connecting 12 sites across the peninsula from the ferry landing to High Island, but they are mostly focused on preservation, he said.
A gate and cement poles called “bollards” have been installed to encourage a pedestrian experience, so even though visitors can drive and camp on the beach, the birding area is protected, Deichmann explained. “It’s an area of the sanctuary that no one has had good access to before,” he said.
Aplaca added: “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.”
Deichmann said he’d been working for over a decade to protect the shorebird sanctuary and was thrilled that the community’s dedicated birders got to be part of Saturday’s celebration.
“That mosquito that took a little bite out of you, maybe it goes and lays its eggs in the marsh,” he said. “Soon enough, you’re part of a cliff swallow nesting or you’re part of a hatching American avocet in the Rolling Plains. Or a red knot migrating all the way north of the Arctic Circle to the southern tip of Argentina. That’s what’s really cool about Bolivar Flats. It’s literally connecting us to other parts of the world.”
A Galveston hurricane in 1900 destroyed almost every structure on Bolivar, 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. As spring break kicked off over the weekend, RVs were already making their way into town despite the threat of gloomy weather.
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 into the Lone Star State’s economy, according to Texas Parks and Wildlife.
Deichmann highlighted the importance of preserving the land for the birds and for the humans who love to interact with them.
“Over half a million birds are using this sanctuary throughout the year. Forty different species of shorebirds have been documented, and all of that was put at risk by this 52-acre development [proposed] smack dab in the middle of the property,” Deichmann said.
At Saturday’s event, Black got to see the piping plover she was looking for, along with avocets and ospreys. She has trouble naming a favorite bird. She loves them all, even the pigeons. “I’ve only been pooped on once this year,” she said.
Burkett quipped, “You haven’t been on the ferry much, then.”
Black says of course she was excited that she had a hand in saving Bolivar from home developers, but notes that she and others were committed to ensuring it didn’t happen.
“We said no way,” she said. “We weren’t going to let them take our sanctuary.”