North Deer Island (Texas)

North Deer Island
North Deer Island
Geography
Location Galveston Bay, Hitchcock, Texas, USA
Coordinates 29°17′07″N 94°55′30″W / 29.28528°N 94.92500°W / 29.28528; -94.92500
Area 0.583 km2 (0.225 sq mi)
Highest elevation 5 ft (1.5 m)
Administration
United States
State Texas
County Galveston County
City Hitchcock
Additional information
[1]

North Deer Island is an island and wildlife sanctuary located in Hitchcock, Texas, in western Galveston Bay, about halfway between Galveston Island and Tiki Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The 144-acre (0.58 km2) natural island is one of the few natural islands remaining in West Galveston Bay.[2] It is an important waterbird nesting site on the Upper Texas Coast and studies have shown that up to 40,000 pairs[3] of birds nest on the island each year.

Restoration projects

In 2009, a consortium of public and private partners, including the Houston Audubon Society and the Harris & Eliza Kempner Fund, were awarded the Coastal America Partnership Award for recognition of their financial support in the creation of a breakwater to help slow erosion to the island. The partnership also helped fund restoration of wetlands that encompass the island. The award is only environmental honor of its kind given by the president of the United States.[4]

References

  1. North Deer Island on epa.gov
  2. "Texas Gems: North Deer Island". Texas Parks and Wildlife.
  3. "Wildlife Sancturaries". Houston Audubon Society.
  4. Bronwyn Turner. "Presidential honor for Deer Island project". Galveston Daily News. Retrieved 2009-12-03.


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/22/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.