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Sponsors of Sundown Island
- Audubon Society—
- Pays for the Warden's annual salary, a boat, and some of
the expenses for operating and maintaining the island.
- Pays the annual rent of the island to be used as a bird
sanctuary to the State of Texas.
- Army Corps of Engineers,
Galveston District—
- Donated 65-foot towers on the island to be used for nesting
platforms
- Provided Intercoastal Waterway dredge fill over the years
to combat ever increasing erosion from weather and ship traffic.
During 2001, 15 acres of dredge fill was added to the island
to increase habitat area.
- During 2001-2002, the Corps has paid for the installation
of 1,700 feet of concrete mats to slow down erosion.
- Devon
Energy Corp. —
- Has generously donated
3000 feet of water pipe used to bring water to three ponds
on the island.
- Paid $3800
for the windmill (when Chester lost one of his pledgers).
- Supported the 2001-02 Spring and Fall Work Days by recruiting
workers from the Gulf Division office in downtown Houston.
- Ducks Unlimited—Paid
for the drilling of a water well to supply water to one large
natural pond and several man-made ponds.
- Exxon—furnished
computer equipment and a camera to be used for identifying birds
and communicating with volunteers; paid for seedling trees planted
on the island for bird habitat.
- Formosa Plastics—
- Provided a $16,000 grant to Sundown Island, for a new John
Deere tractor to be used to help clear parts of the island,
to make fire ant treatment easier, and as a way of hauling
heavy materials for nesting platforms to the center of the
island.
- Donated $130,000 worth of equipment, Geotubes, and labor
to help stop beach erosion.
- Has helped with workday expenses for the last seven years.
- Over the years, the Formosa nursery has provided hundreds
of trees and professional help to plant them. These trees
have provided much needed habitat for the birds.
- M.I. Drilling Fluids (Schlumberger)—Donated
pallets
of Bentonite used to seal the two new ponds, coordinated the
work on the ponds, and drove about half the Devon volunteers down
from Houston in a company van for the Feb. 24, 2001 workday, and
participated in the workday activities.
- King Fisher Marine
in Port Lavaca—
- King Fisher Marine has supplied barges and the use of their
work boats to transport equipment and supplies, volunteers
and visiting Audubon staff.
- Moved the huge 65-foot towers, now used as nesting platforms,
to a safer, more central location on the island.
- The Olson Family—Ed and Linda Olson, and their children
have been involved with the Sundown Island workdays for years,
donating many hours of service by building nesting platforms,
helping to clean up the beach, and preparing a picnic feast for
the other volunteers, complete with a portable picnic table.
- Port Lavaca Wave—Generously
helped to finance workdays, recruit volunteers, and publicize
events in the paper. Throughout the years, Steve and Pam Bales
have volunteered much of their time to help with the bird sanctuary.
Steve has written many articles about the status of the bird sanctuary
and its inhabitants which have appeared in the Wave.
- Robbie Gregory's Spoonbill Express—Robbie Gregory
has generously volunteered his time and boats to take workers
and equipment to the island on a regular basis.
- United States Fish and Wildlife,
Soil Conversation District—Planted four plots of experimental
trees as well as maintained data on seven different types of trees
for future plantings as part of the Wet
Net program.
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