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ANNUAL REPORT 20211WELCOME FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR 2PROGRAMS CONSERVATION & RESTORATION 3 BLAIR WOODS MASTER PLAN & HISTORY 5 EDUCATION 9 ADVOCACY 10 ACCESSIBILITY & INCLUSION 11 COVID PIVOT 15TRAVIS AUDUBON BY THE NUMBERS 17PEOPLE 19FINANCES FINANCIAL STATEMENT 20 OUR GENEROUS MEMBERS & DONORS 21 OUR GENEROUS PROGRAM PARTNERS 25TRAVIS AUDUBON TIMELINE 27JOIN US! 29CONTENTSOUR VISION is to inspire conservation through birding. OUR MISSION Travis Audubon promotes the enjoyment, understanding, and conservation of native birds through: • inclusive environmental education • habitat protection, restoration, and management • conservation advocacyThe author of Ecclesiastes (and the Byrds) said it well: to everything, turn, turn, turn…When you’re a person who notices birds, you’re probably attuned to the seasons. Migration sets the clock for many of us, and of course, living in Texas means we cannot avoid noticing the temperature changes between July and February. There are profound insights to be found in these cycles and patterns, too. Buds turn to blooms, but also fade and go to seed. We can see the renewal of the soil, but we know things must decay to enrich it. There are the physical seasons, and there are personal ones, as well. In her book Wintering, Katherine May says, “We have seasons when we flourish and seasons when the leaves fall from us, revealing our bare bones. Given time, they grow again.” I have been struck by this simple realization again and again in 2020 and 2021: there is a season for every thing. Like for everyone during the pandemic, this season for Travis Audubon has been full of both good and bad. We have seen an increase in members and continuing interest in birds and nature from people of all ages... and we have been unable to be in the same room with these new birders. We have (thankfully) maintained robust levels of funding to keep our organization running smoothly… and our programs have had to mostly pause for social distancing. We will continue to be in a season of change along with the rest of the world... and we are making it through. We can fulfill our mission as we work from home. We can spend time together outdoors and hope soon to be safely indoors again. We will surely have ups and downs ahead… and we have a lot to celebrate.And so we thank you, members and friends, for your support during this season. You have showed up smiling on Zoom, helped us to fundraise virtually, and volunteered and encouraged the staff in myriad ways. We are here because of you, helping us flourish but also supporting us when we need to “re-grow our leaves.”Turn, turn, turn. Thank you for all the ways you support the work of Travis Audubon. With appreciation and best wishes,Nicole NethertonExecutive Director, Travis AudubonDEAR MEMBERS & FRIENDS2CONSERVATION & RESTORATIONConservation is an essential mandate and one of our founding priorities since 1952. Travis Audubon members and friends help us restore and protect natural spaces for birds and birders in Central Texas and beyond. GOLDEN-CHEEKED WARBLER HABITAT AT BAKER SANCTUARYWe continue to provide critical habitat for the Golden-cheeked Warbler (GCWA) at Baker Sanctuary, a part of the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve. Our top priority here is for the management of a healthy, productive population of GCWA, now and into the future. Current research shows that GCWA generally do best in a woodland composed of native species in a 70:30 ratio of Ashe Juniper to hardwoods. To keep the habitat at Baker Sanctuary healthy, we use two strategies: removing non-native, invasive plants, and caging desirable hardwoods in the uplands to protect them from deer. Some of these desirable hardwoods include Spanish Oak, Shin Oak, Texas Ash, and Escarpment Black Cherry. Last year, we saw continued progress in both areas with the removal of 647 individual non-native, invasive plants and the caging of an additional 8 hardwoods, for a total of 315 individual trees caged to date. Last year marked the fifth year of an effort to systematically count the GCWA at Baker Sanctuary in the most accurate way possible, by banding adults and delineating their territories. With help from dedicated volunteers Beth Samuelson, Toni Taylor, Celeste Treadway, and Alexis Puchek, a new survey area, the North Valley plot, was initiated. The North Valley plot will be surveyed for an additional two years and, with its completion, will mark the end of survey work on the northern Sanctuary and the shifting of focus to the southern Sanctuary. At the same time, full Sanctuary point counts will continue to be important to compare the data with already known territory densities. Territory mapping is very labor intensive and involves some risk to the warbler when mist netting and banding. Once the entire Sanctuary has been surveyed, point counts will become the primary method of determining abundance and population trends.COMMONS FORD PRAIRIE AND METROPOLITAN PARKCommons Ford Ranch Metropolitan Park is a 215-acre preserve along the Colorado River in West Austin, with 40 of these acres as prime riparian restored native prairie habitat. The original restoration project, begun by Ed Fair in 2010, continues to be maintained and spearheaded by the Commons Ford Prairie Committee and its many volunteers and partners. This successful restoration effort has been significant given that less than 1% of native prairies still exist today in the United States. We are honored to be a part of protecting this beautiful Central Texas habitat – and the birds and wildlife that thrive there.The restored native prairie has had a profound impact for birds over the past decade. The very diverse habitats (prairie, lake, and riparian) make Commons Ford the only place in Travis County with such a variety of ecosystems. It’s no surprise that Commons Ford is the second-best place in Travis County to find birds, with an eBird list boasting 269 species! Whether it’s educational plant walks, Eastern Bluebird nest box repair, prairie management walks, or the nest watch program, there’s always ample wildlife wonder at Commons Ford Prairie and Metropolitan Park.33CHAETURA CANYONWith more than eleven acres of verdant woods, Chaetura Canyon is a jewel of West Austin. Despite the pandemic preventing regular volunteer work days, Sanctuary Stewards Paul and Georgean Kyle continued important trail work and habitat restoration, including the ongoing efforts to revitalize the few grassy areas of the Canyon with the removal of sapling Ashe Juniper trees. World Swift Day was once again a virtual event hosted by the Kyles. Dr. Jane Goodall was kind enough to introduce the program again this year. The participants were wide-4ranging, representing several states, Belgium, and two Canadian Provinces. The Kyles continued to partner with landowners in Central Texas to build eight additional Chimney Swift towers. They also completed a new tower construction publication based on their latest design.Dr. Carlos Rodriguez with The University of Texas at Austin and Emory University began the final year of his bio-acoustic recording research on the Chimney Swifts nesting at Chaetura Canyon. Regular monitoring of all 18 towers on the Sanctuary and monthly avian point counts continued, as well. This year, monthly photo surveys were conducted on each point count.BLAIR WOODS MASTER PLAN & HISTORYMASTER PLAN AND DAIRY BARN Blair Woods Nature Preserve, a ten-acre property on East MLK, was gifted to Travis Audubon in 1985 by Dr. Frank Blair and his wife Fern. Dr. Blair was a prominent zoologist at UT, known for his studies of reptiles and amphibians, with much of his field work taking place on the property. We believe Fern was the birder and history buff in the family, and likely the inspiration for their gift.As East Austin has grown, it became clear to TAS that Blair Woods would be an important center for our education programming. Over the last two years, Travis Audubon has undertaken a master planning process for Blair Woods that will help further focus our efforts towards community outreach and education. At the outset, Board members made three important decisions: (1) Travis Audubon was committed to retaining Blair Woods and honoring the legacy of Frank and Fern Blair’s gift; (2) maintaining the vast majority of the property (nine acres) as a bird and nature sanctuary, guided by the Habitat Plan developed in 2013; and (3) exploring the possibility of building a new Travis Audubon educational center on the remaining acre. Our Blair Woods neighbors have been a vital part of guiding this work and helping preserve the unique history of the property.55666The “Blair Build” master planning process is focused on the one-acre area containing the Blair House and several historical outbuildings close to the home. We are just starting the visioning process, and we have even more exciting work to accomplish to increase accessibility and learn the best ways we can meet the needs of the surrounding community. All the while, the work of habitat management that has been under way for many years continues, guided by the Blair Woods Core Team. Dedicated volunteers have removed invasive species, planted natives, seeded and watered a pollinator garden, built a Chimney Swift tower and trails, and more. The nine acres that make up the preserve are being revitalized and a wonderful and grounding natural space is re-emerging. In 2020, Travis Audubon secured grant funds from the St. David’s Foundation and the Burdine Johnson Foundation for repairs to the historic barn. The barn is thought to be about 110 years old and was originally used as a dairy barn. Even though repair work was paused early on in the pandemic, Travis Audubon resumed essential repairs in March 2021. The intent for the repair work on the barn was to save as much of the existing materials as possible, using new material to stabilize the structure. The finished barn building will be used as a shade structure and outdoor classroom for public gatherings in the future. The work was completed with help from Nathan Quiring (Clayton Korte), Jerry Garcia (Structures), and Justin Roppolo (ATC Construction). The completion of this important project is the first of many improvements to come at Blair Woods. The developing master plan for this site includes accessible trails throughout the preserve, a bird blind and water feature, and eventually a new building for TAS. What a gift Blair Woods was and is to our organization, and how exciting it is to see projects come to fruition!HISTORY FROM THE GTI ENVIRONMENTAL AND EL CAMINO REAL REPORTS AND ACCESSIBLE TRAILS MASTER PLAN In 2020, the Travis Audubon Board of Directors authorized the use of grant funds to enable GTI Environmental and El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail Association to explore the history of Blair Woods. Using archival research and shovel testing, they discovered the high probability that part of historic Fort Colorado, a Republic of Texas-era fort active between 1836 and 1838, was located in the Blair Woods property line. (In fact, it’s possible that some of the existing materials in the dairy barn may have been salvaged from the Fort and used in its construction.) This fort was strategically placed along what is now the El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail, a 2,500+ mile network of trails that connected Spain’s then capital of Mexico City to the first capital of Texas at Los Adaes, now in present-day Louisiana. Fort Colorado was occupied for just two years. We have stories about life at the fort as handed down from Noah Smithwick, recorded by his daughter in 1900 when he was in his 90’s. He served as a blacksmith, mechanic, interpreter, and negotiator. He described negotiations and trade with neighboring Comanche and Coahuiltecan tribes, who camped in the vicinity of Coleman Springs. A swale, a depression formed in the land from years of continual traffic to and from the springs, can be seen today leading up from Coleman Springs towards the high ground. We are excited to share this history as we continue to learn more. Open to the public every day from 9am–4pm, we invite you to visit this peaceful place to enjoy birds and nature as well as learn about Austin’s past.BLAIR WOODS MASTER PLAN & HISTORY78Next >