The Nature Conservancy in Texas - Francine Cohn Preserve

Francine Cohn Preserve

Francine Cohn Preserve
© Lynn McBride

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The Francine Cohn Preserve is about a mile from The Nature Conservancy's Shamrock Island Preserve, one of the most important colonial waterbird nesting islands in the Western Gulf of Mexico. Birds nesting on the island rookery are known to forage in the marsh habitats found here on the western side of Mustang Island. Rare species recorded on the preserve include black mangrove, piping plover, peregrine falcon and reddish egret. The preserve features a small cabana with a full view of Corpus Christi Bay, including a two-story observation platform for viewing birds in the marsh and bay systems.

Location
Situated on Mustang Island overlooking Corpus Christi Bay, the Francine Cohn Preserve is located off Park Road 53 in Nueces County, south of Port Aransas.

Hours
The preserve is open for volunteer workdays, otherwise, on appointment basis only. For more information, please contact the Francine Cohn Preserve, P. O. Box 2563, Corpus Christi, Texas, 78403, phone: (361) 882-3584, fax: (361) 882-8561, or email Mark Dumesnil at mdumesnil@tnc.org.

Size
300 acres

What to See: Plants
The marshy wetlands habitat is dominated by smooth cordgrass, seagrasses and glassworts. Upland areas of the preserve are dominated by gulf cordgrass and seacoast bluestem. Along the beachfront is a thriving population of black mangrove.

What to See: Animals
Migrating and resident songbirds, shorebirds, colonial nesting birds, raptors and wading birds all use the area for feeding, resting and roosting. Piping plovers, peregrine falcons, reddish egrets, tricolored herons, great blue herons, ibises, roseate spoonbills and abundant waterfowl are just a few of the many bird species using the preserve.

This site is a key marine conservation area, providing essential fish habitat for numerous commercially and recreationally important species. Red drum, blue crabs, brown shrimp, southern flounder and speckled trout are common.

Why the Conservancy Selected This Site
The acquisition of this preserve is an important starting point for The Nature Conservancy’s efforts to protect Texas's barrier island systems from threats like coastal development, habitat fragmentation, point- and non-point source pollution, off-road vehicle use, and loss of wetlands. A 1999 donation by Marcus Cohn of 22 acres was followed by the purchase in April 2000 of an adjoining 278 acres from a private landowner with the vital assistance of the Coastal Bend Bays and Estuaries Program, Koch and Citgo.

What the Conservancy Has Done/Is Doing
The Conservancy is focusing on the protection of rare freshwater wetlands embedded within the preserve as well as protection of the ecological functions of the various marsh systems and tallgrass coastal prairie.