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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.
- Ducks Unlimited—Paid
for the drilling of a water well to supply water to one large
natural pond and several man-made ponds.
- Energy XXI—Sundown Island is thrilled to have a new sponsor for Sundown Island this year. Energy XXI will be sponsoring the fall workday, October 23, 2010 by recruiting volunteers, purchasing supplies and providing lunch to the workers on workday.
- 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.
- 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.
- Rig-Chem, a manufacturer and distributor drilling fluids, donated two two-hundred seventy-five gallon water tanks to be used to water trees and seedlings on Sundown Island. The tanks were delivered to Port O'Connor in March and taken to the island in April 2010. They are a welcome addition and will help develop habitat for the birds during nesting season.
- 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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