Sponsor Energy XXI Hosts Annual Workday for Chester Island

(From back to front) Victoria Fluitt, Nichole Crisp, and Brenda Guzman unload a heavy beam from the Aqua-Barge to be used on the shed extension. Photo credit: Marcy Spears.

February 25, 2012
View Photo Galleries (Workday and Memorial)
By: Marcy Spears

Energy XXI sponsored their annual workday on Chester Island on February 25, 2012. Thirty-nine volunteers participated, consisting of Energy XXI employees joined by some of Chester Smith's family members and friends.

In addition, Audubon's new Coastal Manager, Amanda Hackney, joined the volunteers for the Energy XXI workday. Read more about Amanda here!

The trip out started an hour later than planned because of the rainy weather—but the water was calm and made the crossing to the island an easy one. Another new sponsor, Bisso Marine Company provided two Aqua Barge crew boats and captains to take volunteers to the island. In addition, long-time family friend and Port O'Connor resident, Jack Jackson provided his Parker boat to transport volunteers to the island and ferry out tree seedlings and other supplies.

The Energy XXI volunteers organized the duties and crews before they even hit the beach. Three groups were created to handle construction projects, planting trees, and beach clean-up. Other members coordinated lunch and related supplies to keep everyone fueled-up and working. A special thanks goes out to Lynn Travis (a long-time volunteer) who could not be here for workday but coordinated and delivered the tree seedlings that were planted during workday. Read more...

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Renaming of Sundown Island and Memorial to Chester Smith

A Brown-Pelican monument to honor Chester Smith was installed on the re-named coastal birding sanctuary—Chester Island—during the 2012 Spring Workday. The text on the monument base says: "Chester Smith, Audubon Warden, 1986–2011. Photo credit: Marcy Spears.

February 25, 2012
By: Marcy Spears

During the Spring Workday on February 25, 2012, the Audubon Bird Sanctuary known as “Sundown Island” was renamed to Chester Island in honor of Warden Chester Smith who passed away in 2011. In addition, a memorial "Brown Pelican Monument" honoring Chester was installed overlooking the tractor shed—the operations hub on the island.

Chester served as the island’s warden for twenty-five years from 1986 until his death in 2011. When he began his work as warden, there were fewer than ten pairs of endangered Brown Pelicans nesting on this Matagorda Bay dredge-filled island. Due to his efforts and those of his loyal volunteers—the 2011 annual census found nearly 2,029 breeding pairs of pelicans.

The Brown Pelican was removed from the Endangered Species List in 2009. Chester Island is one of a group of island sanctuaries along the Texas Coast established by Audubon in 1923. The Coastal Bend Bays and Estuaries Program and the Houston Audubon Society work with the island wardens and community volunteers to protect nesting birds by controlling fire ants and other predators, planting shrubs and trees to improve habitat, and educating the public.

After his death, friends and family donated money to be help continue his work on Chester Island. Chester’s son-in-law, Tim Wilkinson is the island’s new Warden. He and his wife Peggy have spent more than a decade assisting Chester and working with volunteers on this coastal sanctuary.

Members of the Smith family, friends, and Energy XXI volunteers brought the two-hundred and fifty-pound “Pelican Monument” to the island. View photos of the monument transport and installation here.

A video filmed by Texas Parks and Wildlife over a two-year period (2004-2006) was recently re-posted on YouTube in Chester’s honor. You can view this video here.

More information about Chester and his dedication to his colonial-nesting birds can be found at the links below:

• Chester Smith, Audubon Texas Coastal Warden Dies, from a blog article on Audubonmagazine.org published July 2011.
• Chester Smith, Warden of Sundown Island Obituary, from the Dolphin Talk newspaper
• Coast Guard story, from an issue of Audubon Magazine published July–August 2010.
• Comments and stories from family and friends and favorite e-mails from the warden here, from a blog published June 2011 to honor Chester.

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The website and other documents will be changed from Sundown Island to Chester Island during the upcoming months. Please help to get the word out. Once this work has been completed, a notification will be e-mailed to subscribers.