Conservation

The Arlington Conservation Council has partnered with the University of Texas at Arlington to create an endowment funding scholarships and research. With $30,000 in matching funds pledged, they aim to raise $25,000 by year-end to support students and environmental research. The initiative highlights their longstanding commitment to environmental education and advocacy.

The Texas horned lizard, a rare reptile, has been disappearing from its native regions due to habitat changes and reduced prey availability. Efforts by zoos and conservationists focus on captive breeding and reintroduction, with successful releases showing promise but requiring suitable habitat and significant effort for broader reintroduction.

In a birding career that has spanned more than half of his life, Ty Allen of Burleson has observed and logged 284 avian species in Johnson County, 371 throughout Texas and 383 in the United States. It’s a count that is continually being revised upward.

Not bad for someone who just turned 19.

Dr. Carly Aulicky, recently appointed as North Texas Outreach and Stewardship Director for the Native Prairies Association of Texas, focuses on preserving diminishing prairies amidst rapid development. Her efforts include engaging communities through educational programs and collaborations, emphasizing prairies’ ecological benefits and Texas heritage.

Volunteers counted dead birds in Dallas to assess the impact of the Lights Out Texas campaign, aimed at reducing building collisions during migration. Though results are preliminary, efforts focus on statewide awareness and lighting reduction. Texas, a crucial flyway, highlights the significant role of lighting in bird mortality.

Texans can support monarch conservation with the new specialty license plate from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Revenue aids at-risk species. Since 2000, the Texas Conservation Plate program has raised over $10 million for wildlife projects. Plates costing an extra $30 are available online or at local tax offices.

Texas regulators advanced a haze reduction plan for national parks without new pollution limits, dismissing federal and environmentalist concerns. The plan doesn't mandate coal plants to adopt pollution-reducing technologies. Environmental groups expect federal intervention due to the plan’s inadequacies. Texas argues the measures are unnecessary and cost-prohibitive.

Dallas' new Urban Forest Master Plan aims to increase tree canopy coverage from 32% to 37% within a decade, improving the city's resilience to climate change. The plan consolidates tree policies, involves a comprehensive tree inventory, and supports the city's climate goals with nature-based solutions, necessitating public-private partnerships.

The Texas Legislature designated Chorioactis geaster, "Texas Star," as the State Mushroom. Native to North Texas, this rare fungus grows on decaying cedar elm stumps and is also found in Japan. Not for consumption, its unique star shape and hissing spore release highlight Texas's natural diversity.