The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) awards a $260,000 grant to the Peregrine Fund to support critical habitat restoration efforts in collaboration with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Park Service partners in the lower Rio Grande Valley. awarded money. The Peregrine Falcon Foundation will use this funding to expand suitable habitat for several endangered species, including the northern aplomad peregrine falcon, eastern black rail, and Texas botteli sparrow.
“Fizash and mesquite trees have encroached on the native coastal prairie grasses that are important nesting habitat for the Aplomad falcon,” said Ralph Duggins, Peregrine Foundation board member and former chairman of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission. he said. “We are especially grateful to the National Park Service and the Fish and Wildlife Service for their support of these restoration efforts.”
The National Park Service owns the Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service owns the Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge. This restoration project will target more than 1,400 acres of public lands in these locations that are currently affected by invasive woody vegetation. Peregrine Falcon Foundation biologists will conduct comprehensive monitoring of bird communities before and after restoration, allowing for the quantification of impacts on habitat improvements.
“This grant represents an important opportunity to restore an important grassland ecosystem that has been systematically degraded for decades,” said Brian Mutch, Peregrine Falcon Program Director, Aplomad Falcon Program Director. said. But it is rebuilding the entire ecological network essential to South Texas’ biodiversity. ”
Recognized by the American Bird Conservancy as a Globally Significant Bird Area, the Lower Rio Grande Valley is one of the most ecologically fragile and biologically diverse areas in Texas. Restoration efforts associated with the NFWF grant will focus on Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge and Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park, sites of historical significance for the Northern Aplomad Falcon and rich biodiversity.
“By focusing habitat restoration efforts on these critical locations, we will not only improve our ability to return the Aplomad peregrine falcon to a sustainable population size within its historic range, but also share the same ecosystem. We can also help many other species that depend on grasslands,” said Paul Jurgens, Vice President of Domestic Programs and Conservation at the Peregrine Foundation.
The Hayabusa Foundation is grateful to NFWF for supporting this important initiative. NFWF board members include Texans’ Kit Moncrief and Ryan Lance.
