An Audubon Bird Sanctuary
Port O'Connor, Texas

© 2000-08 Sundown Island

Fall 2004 Workday
October 16, 2004

Devon volunteer, Lynn Travis, points to a tree, six-eight foot high, that was planted last fall. Photo by Hannah Olson.

Workday Photo Gallery

Sundown Island , an Audubon bird sanctuary built from dredge spoil in 1962, is located where the Matagorda ship channel and the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway cross in Matagorda Bay . The island is leased from the Texas General Land Office and managed by the National Audubon Society’s Texas Coastal Sanctuaries program. Chester Smith is the Warden in charge of overseeing after the island.

Twice a year volunteers come to do maintenance on the island. Saturday, October 16, 2004 , approximately 25 volunteers came for the “Fall Sundown Island Workday.” It was a bit warm for October, but the light winds made the twenty minute boat ride across the bay an easy trip. It turned out to be a gorgeous day. The dry landing on the dock was much appreciated by volunteers. Formosa Chemical, a frequent contributor to Sundown Island provided a grant to help pay for the materials and labor to build the dock.

Devon volunteers, Cynthia Blaine and Dale Blakeman lay down the ground cover for the second of two new tree plots planted on workday. Photo by Marcy Spears.

Volunteers planted nearly sixty trees provided by Devon Energy Corp., including Wesatche (or huisache), Thorny Hackberry, Mesquite , Salt Cedar, and Ebony. These trees are critical habitat for nesting birds. Because the island was created from dredge fill, there were no trees. Birds sometimes plant volunteer trees, but help from humans is more productive. Every spring and fall, volunteers plant and/or maintain various tree plots on the island. Last fall, volunteers from Devon Energy Co., created two new plant areas for trees. Most of the trees are a foot or two in height when planted. The trees planted last fall are now eight to ten feet in height (wow!). The wet spring experienced this year probably help spur the phenomenal growth observed on Workday.

Other volunteers worked on beach cleanup, racking up more than twenty large bags of trash along with large pieces of junk washed up on the beach, including signs, lumber, fencing, drums—you name it. One of the volunteers discovered a rather attractive barnacle-covered ladies shoe.

Jeremy Cecil (Chester Smith's grandson)(L) and Devon volunteer, Bill Parker (R), finish up the relocation of the "Colonial Waterbird Nesting Site" sign. It was moved to make it easier to see from the water. Photo by Hannah Olson

Gary Eskelson volunteered to drive the tractor to spread “LOGIC” to help combat the fire ants. Fire ants are a serious problem for birds that nest in the sand, such as Terns and Seagulls. Chester Smith said “with the light winds on workday and Gary ’s determination, we got the best coverage for fire ants—ever.”

This group of volunteers also worked on signage. “We have not caught up on replacing the Audubon Sanctuary signs back that were destroyed by Hurricane Claudette,” Chester said. Chester had volunteers move one sign from the end of the dock (close to shore) to the front of the dock (closer to the water) where it can be easily seen. No one should dock their boat there or go on the island without the express permission of Audubon Warden, Chester Smith. The sign that used to be on the shoreline on the east end of the island was also replaced.

Chester Smith, Sundown Island Warden (L) with Abel DeLeon (R) with the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, Galveston District. Photo by Marcy Spears

In November or December, the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers has contracted King Fisher Marine to add dredge fill from the channel to the island. The erosion caused by Hurricane Claudette on the east side of the island has placed the windmill and the dock at risk. Abel De Leon, a civil engineer with the Corps, has designed a method of adding fill to the north east end to protect the windmill and the dock.

It was a great workday! Chester Smith thanks all of the volunteers for their hard work and to Devon Energy for providing transportation and lunch for the volunteers! If you would like more information about Sundown Island , contact Chester Smith at popsbirds@aol.com.