|
| |
Boy Scout Woods (Louis B. Smith Bird Sanctuary)
A combination of hackberry/oak motte, coastal prairie and wetlands one mile from the Gulf of Mexico on High Island. Open to the public year round, Boy Scout Woods has extensive boardwalks that make birding possible for wheelchair-bound birders. Volunteers host the Boy Scout Woods Sanctuary daily from mid-March to early May each spring.
Purkey's Pond Each spring thousands of birdwatchers from
all over the world come to sit in the grandstands
overlooking Purkey's Pond, eager to see the
many species of migrating birds that come to
drink and/or bathe.
Prothonotary Pond When HAS received donated land from Amoco
Production Company in 1993, Prothonotary Pond's
primary vegetation was Chinese Tallow trees,
an invasive exotic that provides little useful food
for wildlife. One of HAS's habitat improvement
projects has been the conversion of Prothonotary
Pond from a tallow pond to one surrounded by
native Bald Cypress.
Picnic Shelter
The new covered picnic shelter at Boy Scout Woods was finished just in time for spring migration in 2007. This has already become a favorite spot to watch the bird activity around Bessie's Pond. Funds for the picnic shelter were donated by Larry Wright in memory of his wife Shirley, who enjoyed birding in Boy Scout Woods.
History
Boy Scout Woods consists of 60 acres of woods,
coastal prairie and wetlands. 15.7 acres were
purchased by HAS with the help of members
and friends, 44 acres were donated by Amoco
Production Company, and 0.3 acres were
donated by Ted Eubanks.
In 1982 Houston Audubon purchased the first 4 acres
of oak/hackberry woods from Louis B. Smith,
who had purchased the woods from Amoco
Production Company and had added many
kinds of fruit and nut trees. The sanctuary
property was officially named the Louis B. Smith
Bird Sanctuary in 1982. An additional 11 acres surrounding the 4-acre tract was donated to Houston Audubon by Amoco Production Company in 1994. Smaller tracts were acquired by purchase (Buceme Tract, 1.21 acres, 1993; Charpiot Tract, 0.46 acres, 1994) and donation (Eubanks Tract, 0.35 acres, 1993; Amoco Tract, 44.77 acres, 1994).
The property was known as Boy Scout Woods
before Houston Audubon purchased it because of the scout
camp that existed on the property, and the
sanctuary is still known by that name.
|
View High IslandSanctuaries in a larger map |
|
|
|
