October 6, 2011: 6:30 PM to 9:30 PM
Thank you to all of our wonderful donors and guests who helped us raise $200,000 for the Songs Across the Lake gala this year honoring Don Henley and the Caddo Lake Institute. We couldn’t have created such a wonderful event without the generosity of countless supporters, friends, and volunteers. Special thanks goes to our gala co-chairs Heidi Helton Rockecharlie and Lynda Lighthouse Transier and our auction chair Susan Williams Olguin. What a year!
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Gala Invitation in PDF format containing
event details and list of underwriters >>
Gala Press Release >>
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 Mr. Henley, lead singer of the Eagles, is Chairman and founder of Caddo Lake Institute, founder of the Walden Woods Project (the nonprofit organization preserving the land and legacy of Henry David Thoreau), and editor of the book Heaven is Under Our Feet.
*Due to concert scheduling, Don Henley will be unable to attend the event. |
Caddo Lake Institute is a non-profit scientific and educational corporation with the mission of protecting the ecological, cultural, and economic integrity of Caddo Lake, a 27,000 acre lake, 8,000 of which is flooded cypress forest, its associated wetlands, and surrounding plant and wildlife habitats. Caddo Lake is one of only 29 sites in the United States designated as a "wetland of international importance" by the Ramsar Convention. This international convention has advocated for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands for 40 years. |
Gala Co-Chairs: Heidi Rockecharlie and Lynda Transier
Auction Chair: Susan K. Williams-Olguin
Honorary Chairs
Mayor Annise Parker and First Lady Kathy Hubbard
Caroline and Charles Callery • Terry Hershey • Kathrine McGovern
Honorary Committee
Philip and Denise Bahr •
Sara and Mark Bettencourt •
Claire and John Caudill •
Gracie and Bob Cavnar
Connie and Clayton Cooke •
Yvonne and Rufus Cormier •
Joann and William Crassas •
Clayton and Shel Erikson
Gene Graham •
Kay and Gregory Gregg •
Karen and Mark Johnson •
Ann and Arthur Jones
Wendy and Mavis Kelsey, Jr. •
Jeanie Kilroy •
Debbie and Don Macbeth •
Beth Madison
Mary Ann and David McKeithan •
Mary Frances and Clinton Morse •
Nick Rockecharlie •
Franelle Rogers
Carol and Tom Sawyer •
Rosemary and Matt Schatzman •
Vanessa and Perry Sendukas •
Kathy and David Smyth
Houston Audubon Honors the Eagles' Don Henley
by Gina Donovan, Executive Director
Don Henley, co-founder of the rock group, Eagles, was born and raised in Linden, Texas, less than thirty miles north of Caddo Lake. His passion for the only natural lake in Texas stems from his childhood experiences at Caddo. It is where he caught his first fish and spent countless hours exploring.
Why is Houston Audubon honoring a legendary musician? I would ask the same question had I not worked on conservation projects with Caddo Lake Institute (CLI) and known that Mr. Henley founded three environmental organizations. Mr. Henley is the Chairman and Founder of Caddo Lake Institute (1992); founder of the Walden Woods Project (1989) in Concord, Massachusetts; founder of Mulholland Tomorrow (1982) in Los Angeles, California; and editor of the book Heaven is Under Our Feet.
I first met Mr. Henley at the 2000 celebration of the Caddo Lake National Wildlife Refuge designation at the Karnack Volunteer Fire Department/Community Center. I began working with CLI in the late 1990's supporting the refuge designation and opposing an industrial development on a portion of the former Longhorn Army Ammunition Plant. Henley, a rather soft-spoken man, made a few remarks at the celebration praising the work of the locals, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Caddo Lake Institute, and other partners in making this dream a reality. Henley and the Caddo Lake Institute were instrumental in this high-profile, contested designation.
Caddo Lake proper and the Caddo Lake National Wildlife Refuge are vital habitat for abundant migratory songbird and waterfowl species, and numerous other wildlife species. According to an EPA study, 224 species of birds, 22 species of amphibians, 46 species of reptiles, and 93 species of fish have been identified in this area.
Caddo Lake Institute is a non-profit scientific and education corporation with the mission of protecting the ecological, cultural, and economic integrity of Caddo Lake (a 27,000 acre lake, 8,000 of which is flooded cypress forest), its associated wetlands, and surrounding plant and wildlife habitats. Caddo Lake is one of only 29 sites in the United States designated by the Ramsar Convention as a "wetland of international importance." Richard Lowerre, environmental attorney out of Austin, currently serves as CLI's President and plans to attend the Songs Across the Lake event.
