Meeting Summary: Because Texas is so big and diverse, we have long taken its vast resources for granted and thought them unlimited. Water or the lack of it blew away that myth. The drought of the 1950’s was the greatest environmental disaster to ever affect Texas, and the response to that disaster was the greatest engineering feat ever accomplished within our state’s borders - from almost no reservoirs before the drought to 196 major reservoirs today. This effort brought water from seemingly nowhere to everywhere and everybody. It has made the Texas we know today but it came at a great cost to our fish, our wildlife and our birds. It dramatically changed the face and future of our state and especially our coast. This talk looks at how that happened, what it means today and the challenges we face in assuring the future health and productivity of our environment and the ecosystems that form it, especially our coast. The well-known saying about the canary in the coal mine extends to many Texas ecosystems and birds are especially effective in telling us that story. They are also some of the species at greatest risk and acting now is key to both their futures and ours. It would be a DAM shame if we fail.

About Our Presenter: Dr. Larry McKinney is the retired Director of the Harte Research Institute (17 years) of TAMUCC. HRI is a trans-disciplinary institute dedicated to problem-solving research focused on the Gulf. He was also Senior Director for Aquatic Resources at TPWD (23 years) before HRI. At the agency his responsibilities spanned water related environmental issues, endangered species, fisheries, and conservation policy, and he was the state’s first natural resource trustee. His 2020 Overview of the Gulf of Mexico has been one of the most cited sources on the Gulf since its publication. He is better known for his articles translating science into English as in his July 2021 TPWD Magazine article Texas Dead Zones and the September 2023, Birds Everywhere article which he co-authored with Lisa Gonzalez, Executive Director of Audubon Texas. Larry is also a member of Audubon Texas State Board, the Coastal Bend Audubon Society, and the Audubon Outdoor Club of Corpus Christi.