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| Title | The Spoonbill, April 2001 |
| Contributor (Local) |
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| Publisher | Outdoor Nature Club |
| Date | April 2001 |
| Subject.Topical (LCSH) |
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| Subject.Geographic (TGN) |
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| Genre (AAT) |
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| Language | English |
| Type (DCMI) |
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| Original Item Location | ID 2007-023, Box 13, Folder 5 |
| ArchivesSpace URI | /repositories/2/archival_objects/9886 |
| Original Collection | Outdoor Nature Club Records |
| Digital Collection | Outdoor Nature Club Newsletters |
| Digital Collection URL | http://digital.lib.uh.edu/collection/2007_023 |
| Repository | Special Collections, University of Houston Libraries |
| Repository URL | http://libraries.uh.edu/branches/special-collections/ |
| Use and Reproduction | In Copyright |
| File Name | index.cpd |
| Title | Image 1 |
| Format (IMT) |
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| File Name | uhlib_2007_023_b013_f005_004_001.jpg |
| Transcript | The Spoonbill A Publication of the Ornithology Group Of the Houston Outdoor Nature Club April 2001 May Program The Ecological Importance of Fort Hood Fort Hood, an abandoned military base in central Texas, encompasses an area of about 370 square miles in Bell and Coryell Counties. The base is best known to the birding community as a nesting area for endangered golden-cheeked warblers and black-capped vireos. Dr. Kenneth "Corky" Johnson, a professor at Mary Hardin Baylor University, will talk about his studies in this ecologically-sensitive area and the steps that are being taken to preserve the habitat of endangered bird species. The abandoned base is located in an area exploding in population, resulting in disruption and destruction of important natural habitats. The abandoned base represents an opportunity to provide sanctuary for area wildlife populations. The topography ofthe base, reminiscent of west Texas, is marked by low hills, mesas and extensive rocky exposure. "Hie vegetation consists of open grassy areas, almost barren rocky slopes and areas of mixed woodlands dominated by oak and juniper. 7:00 p.m. Monday, May 7, 2001 Bayland Community Center 6400 Bissonnet No Learning Corner in May Studies on the base have yielded 33 species offish, five of which are considered pollution- intolerant, and 49 species of amphibians and reptiles. Species diversity indices indicate the environment to be generally healthy for these animals. An inventory ofthe animal life has not been compiled, but Bell County hosts approximately 325 species, most of which are probably present on Fort Hood. Two shiny cowbirds have been collected on Fort Hood. Monitoring studies on the black-capped vireo have been carried out on the base since 1987, when the species was federally listed as endangered. The golden-cheeked warbler was listed in 1990, and studies on this species began in 1991. The resulting management practices implemented on the base, including trapping and removing brown-headed cowbirds, have been successful. An extensive fire affected a large area ofthe base in February of 1996. Although the endangered species were not present at the time, substantial areas of core nesting area were impacted. The effects of that fire on those species are still under study by federal and Texas Nature Conservancy biologists, and a fire protection plan has been developed and put in place. Join us on the 7th to hear about Dr. Johnson's efforts to preserve habitat for important Texas species. In this issue: About the OG 2-3 Field Trips 3 Beginning Birding 4-5 Clearinghouse 6-7 Membership Form 8 |