Early Activism
Outline of what this section will cover, equivalent to 2 to 3 chapters in a book. Content will be posted as funding becomes available. If you have photos, film/videos, or insight or tips for this section, please contact us.
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Ned’s love of birds started young. He got deeply active with the Texas Ornithological Society in the early ‘50s. By mid-decade he’s using his lawyer skills to lobby for and win protections for golden eagles and Harris hawks. He went on to attempt to get statewide bird-protection laws. His struggle to get protections for shorebirds from beach vehicular traffic. What and how he did it.
Then in the mid ‘50s Ned attended a big Audubon summer conference held outdoors in the Hill Country with Roger Peterson as the main speaker. He got it. To protect birds you had to preserve habitat. Bird protection must be statewide so they could fly freely. There needed to be habitat islands amid the sea of development for them. Genie said: He returned on fire with one goal: save habitat.
After one of the League convos in the ‘50s, Genie came back with inside news that was bad for habitat. Real bad. Elected officials and politically-connected business interests were seriously planning to dam just about every river in East Texas for reservoirs. Much of the water would be shipped to West Texas for agriculture in an arid zone and so urbanites could have nice lawns. Learn about the coalition, aided by Ned, that defeated this insane plan.
In the middle of the Big Thicket process, Ned took on another challenge. Golden-cheeked warblers were one of his favorite birds. So in 1967, when he learned the Farmer’s Home Association, a federal taxpayer funded entity, planned to loan money to create a golf course in Meridian State Park northwest of Waco, he went ballistic. This was prime golden-cheeked warbler habitat and plans called for clearing over 60 acres of very old oaks and junipers. To win he had to gather all he’d learned in the Thicket campaign. Coalition building, media outreach, involvement of the public and governmental agencies, and lobbying an array of elected officials. And he had to do it all with letters, phone calls, and fliers. Learn how to apply Ned’s techniques to modern eco battles.
