TEXAS CITY, Texas, Feb. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- The Nature Conservancy of Texas
will dedicate the new ExxonMobil Education and Volunteer Center at Galveston
Bay Prairie Preserve in Texas City at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, February 12, during
a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The new environmental-science education center
will offer students, educators and the general public enhanced opportunities
to learn about the conservation of coastal prairie and marshes and rare
coastal birds.
ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM) has committed $150,000 for the construction of the
center. In 1995, ExxonMobil donated the 2,263-acre property, now known as
Galveston Bay Prairie Preserve, to The Nature Conservancy of Texas, and
provided a $100,000 grant for the enhancement and management of the property.
Galveston Bay Prairie Preserve is home to the last wild population of the
Attwater's prairie chicken, one of the most endangered birds in North America.
Other supporters of the education center include The Cullen Foundation,
BP Amoco and the M.D. Anderson Foundation. Additional sources of funds to pay
for the building are still being sought.
"ExxonMobil supports conservation programs that increase public awareness
and understanding of environmental issues while assisting the preservation and
restoration of threatened and endangered species," said Edward F. Ahnert,
president, ExxonMobil Foundation. "We are pleased that the Education and
Volunteer Center will enhance the Preserve's community education and outreach
programs."
The 3,000-square-foot ExxonMobil Education and Volunteer Center will
provide classroom settings where children and adults can enjoy hands-on
activities and special exhibits and projects the preserve. Major topics in
the education program will include habitat and species conservation; rare
coastal species and their habitats; Texas Gulf Coast birds; coastal ecology;
and species adaptations. For more information on the education program
contact Chiara Deneve at (409) 945-8777 or cdeneve@tnc.org.
The new building also will serve as a visitor center for the public and a
base of operations for the preserve's volunteers. Volunteers at Galveston Bay
Prairie Preserve assist in studying the Attwater's prairie chicken, teaching
students about marine organisms and habitat, restoring coastal marsh and
researching prairie species, and building educational and conservation
exhibits. Call preserve volunteer coordinator Bill Moore at (409) 941-9114 to
learn more about volunteer opportunities.
"A keystone of The Nature Conservancy of Texas' philosophy is something we
call community-based conservation, recognizing that for conservation to
succeed it must involve a broad spectrum of community members," said
Robert J. Potts, state director of the Conservancy in Texas. "Thanks to the
generosity of ExxonMobil and other important contributors, we are able to
provide the people of Texas City and the greater Houston metropolitan area a
learning center for comprehensive education on conserving the wildlife habitat
right here on the shores of Galveston Bay. We also are delighted to offer a
headquarters for the work of our many invaluable volunteers."
The Nature Conservancy of Texas is a non-profit wildlife conservation
organization using scientific research and a cooperative, community-based
approach to protect the unique diversity of animals and plants native to our
state. Part of the international organization The Nature Conservancy, the
Texas operation has more than 33,000 members and has protected nearly half a
million acres of ecologically unique lands in Texas.
Directions to Galveston Bay Prairie Preserve
Directions to the Galveston Bay Prairie Preserve in Texas City (from
Houston): Take I-45 south to FM 1764. Continue on 1764 to State Hwy 146
north. Drive under the underpass and turn left on Hwy 146 north. Go
approximately 1.9 miles. Entrance to the preserve is on the right after
crossing Moses Bayou. For additional information, call the preserve at
(409) 941-9114.
SOURCE Exxon Mobil Corporation
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Related links:
http://www.exxon.mobil.com
CONTACT:
Niki Frances McDaniel of The Nature
Conservancy of Texas, 210-224-8774; or Patty Arenz of Sunwest
Communications, 214-373-1601, for Exxon Mobil Corporation
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