The loss of wetlands associated with the gulf coast of texas has been well-documented

The Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service Region 2 awarded the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department a $1,028,775 Formula Grant under the Wildlife Restoration and Basic Hunter Education and Safety program (CFDA 15.611) from September 1, 2023 to August 31, 2027. The grant will support the establishment of flooded agricultural fields as migratory bird sanctuaries along the Gulf Coast of Texas to provide shallow water habitat for migrating, staging and wintering shorebirds and waterfowl. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department will partner with voluntary landowners and manage public lands to flood fields with existing water sources during summer through early spring. The flooded fields will not be open to hunting to minimize disturbance to migratory birds. Additionally, the Coastal Bend Bays & Estuaries Program, Inc. was awarded a $25,000 subgrant to support related habitat restoration efforts in the project area.

For many decades, rice agriculture has proven to be a surrogate for many breeding, staging, and wintering migratory birds in texas. However, recent declines in riceagriculture in texas, combined with the loss of historical wetlands, have created a deficiency of freshwater wetlands along the gulf coast of texas, especially in the midcoast region. Texas parks and wildlife department (tpwd), along with partners, will work to establish flooded agricultural fields, primarily recent or fallowed agricultural fields, during the last summer through early spring period to provide shallow water for migratory, staging, and wintering migratory birds, mostly shorebirds and waterfowl. The newpartnership will work with voluntary landowners or public lands when available in the identified counties that will flood their agricultural fields with existing water deliveries (through water reclamation authorities or existing irrigation wells). In addition, theseareas will not be hunted to minimize disturbance and minimize individual energy budgets of migratory birds. Previous exercise with the gulf coast joint venture has identified many areas in the midcoast region which lack large areas of freshwater that are notdisturbed during the waterfowl hunting season. This project aims to assist in reversing the decline in body condition of waterfowl, wintering waterfowl abundance, and increase non-coastal wetlands that may be used by migrating or wintering wading and shorebirds.