Scouts, Texas State work to establish “Safe Harbor” for Houston Toad
Posted by Jayme Blaschke
University News Service
October 25, 2007
 Photo by Dr. Robert Thomas |
Researchers from Texas State University-San Marcos will join with Boy Scouts in Central Texas 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 27 for a signing ceremony dedicating the Lost Pines Scout Reservation outside of Bastrop as a “Safe Harbor” for the endangered Houston Toad.
The agreement with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, with expert advice and support from Environmental Defense, will develop future habitat for the endangered species.
The Federal “Safe Harbor Agreement” certifies that the Capitol Area Council, Boy Scouts of America, has agreed to develop favorable habitat for the Houston Toad. This agreement is the result of cooperative conservation work involving Scouting, the Federal government and Environmental Defense. Environmental Defense has championed partnerships between land owners and the government to help make sure environmental laws and conversation best practices are put into action. Researchers have great concern about the Houston Toad, since only six counties in
The Safe Harbor Agreement builds upon the work that began in 2000 at the council’s nearby Griffith League Scout Ranch, involving the Capitol Area Council, USFWS and the Department of the Interior. Mike Forstner of
The Boy Scouts of America will turn 100 years old in 2010. Scouting has always taught its members to conserve and preserve natural resources--long before the concept of “being green” became part of the nation’s vocabulary.
For more information, contact Charles Mead, Capitol Area Council, at (512) 966-1586 or via email at chmead@bsamail.org; or Jennifer Dickson, Environmental Defense, at (512) 691-3442 or via email at jdickson@environmentaldefense.org.