Learn more about our work protecting this important Texas species and read how kids in Massachusetts are pitching in. Download Texas Conservation Milestones print version (914kb). Texas Conservation Milestones Home Protecting the Edwards Aquifer Restoring a Gulf Coast Treasure Saving the Attwater's Prairie Chicken from Extinction Richard Garriott: Conservationist, Space Traveler Balancing Energy and Conservation Yoakum Dunes Preserve A New Trail Showcases an Old-Growth Forest Conservation from Caddo Lake to the Lower Brazos River A New Home for Conservation in Texas Dick Bartlett: An Unparalleled Legacy Our Supporters

The release of captive-bred Attwater’s prairie chickens into the wild continues to be the linchpin of the Conservancy’s work to save the species from extinction, and this year featured some noteworthy triumphs in that effort.

Once a thriving species that numbered close to a million birds, Attwater’s prairie chicken populations today have dwindled to only a few dozen in the wild, and their survival hinges on repopulation efforts by the Conservancy and partners.

As it has been since 1995, the Conservancy is committed to repopulation efforts for the prairie chickens at Texas City Prairie Preserve on Galveston Bay, and released 31 captive-bred birds at the preserve last August.

Hurricane Ike, which made landfall near Galveston on September 13, largely spared the Conservancy’s staff and properties. However, the Category 2 storm did lead to the death of three of the 24 prairie chickens at the preserve, wreaked havoc on prairie chicken release schedules and caused damage to facilities at Texas City. Luckily for the Attwater’s prairie chickens, relief came from a most unexpected place — The Park School in Brookline, Massachusetts. Spurred by science teacher Brian Cassie, the first-, second- and third-grade classes at Park collected nearly $400 in coins that were donated to the Conservancy and the Houston Audubon Society to help wildlife affected by the storm.

Their donation was used to help repair damaged acclimation pens at Texas City Prairie Preserve. Students at The Park School can be assured that their kindness and support will help make a difference for the Attwater’s prairie chicken. 

The rapid disappearance of the coastal prairie is the primary reason for the decline of the Attwater’s prairie chicken, placed on the Endangered Species List in 1967. The tallgrass coastal prairie they depend on once covered 6 million acres; today, only about 2 percent of it still remains, mostly in fragmented tracts. Finding additional suitable habitat is of critical importance for long-term survival of the species. The recovery of this bird now depends on the willingness of private landowners in the coastal plains to conserve habitat and release wild birds onto their land.

Some of the best remaining Attwater’s prairie chicken habitat occurs on the Refugio and Goliad prairies near Victoria, where private landowners supported the release of the captive-bred birds in 2007. In August and September, 135 captive-bred birds were released here by biologists from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service with the assistance of Wade Harrell, the Conservancy’s Coastal Prairies project director, and other Conservancy staff. 

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Nature picture credits (left to right, top to bottom): Photo © Clay Carrington/TNC (Attwater's prairie chicken); Attwater's prairie chicken drawing courtesy of The Park School; Photo © Austin Business Journal (Laura Huffman); Photo © Rebecca Flack/TNC (Frio River); Photo © Danny White/TNC (Oysters); Photo © Clay Carrington/TNC (Attwater's prairie chicken); Photo © Will van Overbeek (Richard Garriott); Photo © David A. Williams (prairie grass); Photo © Janet Haas (pronghorn); Photo © TNC (Lennox Woods Preserve); Photo © Lynn Mc Bride/TNC (Caddo Lake); Photo © Insite Architects (Pearl Brewery design); Photo courtesy of Dick Bartlett (Dick Bartlett); Attwater's prairie chicken video courtesy of J Dyar.