U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Texas Coastal Program
The FWS Texas Coastal Program, established in 1992 as one of
fifteen U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service (FWS) Coastal Program offices, focuses on restoring and
protecting economically, recreationally and ecologically important coastal fish
and wildlife habitats through partnerships. The Coastal Program depends on
collaboration with many interested parties -- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
biologists in other programs, staff at other federal and state agencies,
national, state and local conservation groups, industry representatives, local
officials, and willing landowners. By sharing biological knowledge, offering
technical assistance in identifying and designing restoration projects,
identifying habitat protection opportunities, and by providing federal matching
funds to implement projects, FWS Texas Coastal Program biologists play a vital
role in supporting and implementing coastal conservation initiatives that
succeed through partnerships.
Working in voluntary, non-regulatory partnerships, the FWS Texas Coastal Program has helped:
 | identify and prioritize restoration projects that benefit fish and wildlife resources, |
| restore and protect vitally important intertidal emergent marshes, |
| re-establish seagrass meadows that were lost and protected meadows threatened with degradation or loss, |
| restore and protect coastal prairies threatened by development and invasive plants, |
| protect and manage habitat for colonial waterbirds on island rookeries, and |
| minimize human disturbance for beach-dependent birds. |
FWS Texas Coastal Program biologists have directed much attention to projects
near Galveston Bay and
Corpus Christi. In Galveston Bay, where 170 years of
human activity has led to severe habitat degradation, activities have focused on
identifying, prioritizing, planning and implementing subtidal and emergent marsh
protection and restoration projects, controlling the spread of invasive plants
on coastal prairies and limiting human disturbance of waterbirds on beaches and
colonial nesting islands. In Corpus Christi, efforts have focused on gathering
information and identifying opportunities to conserve seagrass meadows, protect
and manage colonial waterbird nesting islands, limit human disturbance of
beach-dependent birds, and protect water quality in the Laguna Madre. The FWS
Texas Coastal Program plans to expand its focus to other sections of the Texas
coast, where there are countless opportunities to restore and protect nationally
important coastal habitat through partnerships.