We are a 501c3 non-profit privately owned conservation organization headquartered in Lake Jackson, Texas. Our Mission is to protect birds and their habitats around the Gulf of Mexico and beyond. Our Purpose is to be a reliable science-based partner with communities, educators, governments, industry, individuals, and other conservation groups to pursue our mission. Our History: On April 23, 1993, eight organizations formed an alliance, working to protect birds and habitat in and around the Gulf of Mexico. The efforts of our founding partners resulted in the establishment of the Gulf Coast Bird Observatory in September 1997 to act as am umbrella organization for Gulf Coast avian conservation projects. Guided by the nation-wide Partners-in-Flight initiative, the GCBO’s conservation plan encompasses key migratory bird stopover habitat in the U.S. and Mexican states that border the Gulf of Mexico, and beyond in the tropics. • Houston Audubon Society • The Nature Conservancy of Texas • The Nature Conservancy of Louisiana • Phillips Petroleum Company • Amoco Corporation • National Fish and Wildlife Foundation • US Fish and Wildlife Service • Texas Parks and Wildlife Department GCBO’s Integrated Approach to Accomplishing our Mission is: • Scientific Research • Land Protection • Education Research Some of our research and monitoring have or is currently including: • Columbia Bottomlands Forest Bird Study • Smith Point Hawk Watche • Cuba Hawk Watch • Cuban Neotropical Migration Study • American Oystercatcher Stewardship • Whooping Crane Recovery Plan • Priority Species Recovery Plans • Nesting & Winter Plover Studies • Beach Nesting Birds Studies • PINS Winter Avian Monitoring • BTNP Breeding Bird Monitoring • Motus Towers Project – 15 towers along Texas coast • Black Skimmer Project • Loggerhead Shrike Project • Eastern Willet Migration Study Land Protection • Land Acquisition Fund • Tropical Forest Forever Fund • Quintana, TX • Site Partner Network The Land Acquisition Fund is a major invested fund that the GCBO uses to give one land acquisition grant each year to a conservation organization buying land to be conserved along the coastal counties of the Gulf of Mexico from Florida to Texas. The Tropical Forest Forever Fund is a major invested fund that the GCBO uses to give one land acquisition grant each year to a conservation organization buying land to be conserved in Latin America. The fund has helped fund 27 projects in 10 countries to date. GCBO owns or holds easements on 3 bird sanctuaries located on the Quintana Island in Brazoria County, Texas. They are conserved as stop over sites to help migratory birds. Education & Outreach Some of our current education projects include: • Quintana Spring Fling • Kid’s Summer Bird Camp • Xtreme Hummingbird Xtravaganza • Brew On The Bayou • Family Days • Upper Texas Beach Trash project • Community Booths • Local & International Birding Trips • Local Media Articles – to 8 newspapers • Monthly Banding Station • Adopt an Oystercatcher • Community & Industry Talks • Visiting Groups Gulf Coast Bird Observatory 299 Hwy 332 West Lake Jackson, TX 77566 979-480-0999 info@gcbo.org www.gcbo.org