As the construction of the Matagorda Ship Channel began back in 1962 to allow ocean-going vessels to travel from the Gulf of Mexico into Matagorda Bay, a small island started to be formed from all the sand and mud dredged up from the bay bottom. It didn’t take long for the new island 3 miles off of Port O’Connor, Texas to be discovered by waterbirds, and for ground nesters like gulls and terns to start nesting on the sand. As time went on, grass and small brush grew on the island and tree nesters began to nest there, too. The birds seemed thrilled about this new island – probably mostly due to it being a safe site, located far enough from other land that very few mammal predators could access it.

In 1975, the National Audubon Society could see that the birds liked the location of this island, then named Sundown Island, and so they leased the island from the Texas General Land Office. Jesse Grantham, Texas Director of Bird Conservation and Texas Sanctuaries Manager, was on assignment to find a warden to steward the birds, as well as monitor and maintain the island. Chester Smith was a Port O’Connor resident and came highly recommended by the local Port O’Connor Hardware store owner. Chester was known to be a trust worthy person who loved the outdoors, and with a “get it done” attitude and approach.

After the first interview in early 1986, a match was made and Chester became the first Audubon Warden of Sundown Island.

Chester was on a mission to bring back one of his favorite bird species, the Brown Pelican. Starting in the 1940s, the Brown Pelican population declined because of negative impacts of the pesticide DDT getting into their food chain. When the pelicans ate contaminated fish, it resulted in egg-shell thinning. Before the embryo had a chance to develop, the thin egg shell would break under the weight of the parents. As a result, the Brown Pelican was unable to reproduce effectively, and their numbers in Texas dropped to less than 100 birds in the late 1960’s, with fewer than 10 breeding pair.

Fortunately, the use of DDT was banned in 1972 – but the damage had been done, and Brown Pelican sightings had become rare in the Matagorda Bay area.

Chester teamed up with Ray Little, who was the Audubon Warden for the Corpus Christi area, where the Brown Pelican population had first begun slowly recovering, and attempted to reintroduce them to the Matagorda Bay area. Chester and Ray gathered up a few Brown Pelican chicks in the Corpus Christi area, and transported them to Sundown Island. Chester built a pen using wood and chicken wire, and put the chicks inside. He also put a bucket of seawater with small fish in it for them to eat. Every morning, Chester would go out to the island with his cast net, catch some fish, and restock the bucket. And it worked! The chicks survived and thrived, and Chester became a full-time cast-netting parent for a few weeks. Then, he started leaving the top to the enclosure open, and putting the bucket outside to coax the growing chicks outside the pen. Before long, they discovered the fresh minnows swimming just off of the beach, and no longer needed the bucket. And that’s how the Brown Pelican got its start on Sundown Island. Today, they are seen in great numbers all around Matagorda Bay and Port O’Connor.

Chester was recognized for his efforts to save the Brown Pelican with several awards and honors. Through good policy and the efforts of many other conservationists like Chester, the recovery of the Brown Pelican was very successful up and down the Texas Coast, and across the U.S. Due to this dramatic recovery, the Brown Pelican was removed in 2009 from the U.S. Endangered Species List.
And now, some 60 years after Sundown Island was first formed, waterbirds of 18 species arrive each Spring to take up residence on the island to build nests and raise their chicks. This low-lying, 70-acre bird island near Port O’Connor has become one of the top 3 largest rookeries along the Texas Coast for Colonial Waterbirds. In May 2023, the Texas Colonial Waterbird Survey recorded over 22,000 nesting pairs of colonial waterbirds of 18 different species nesting on Chester Island – including more than 2,300 nesting pair of brown pelicans.

This is where my DNA comes in… Chester was my father. My husband, Tim and I were Chester’s volunteer assistants for many years, and later became the wardens after Chester’s death in 2011. Chester was so proud of his involvement with Audubon that he was buried in his Audubon coveralls and hat with the red Audubon patch. And Sundown Island was renamed to Chester Island Bird Sanctuary in his honor.
The Aug-Sep 2023 issue of Texas Parks and Wildlife Magazine has a great article about Audubon marking 100 years of coastal conservation in Texas, and looking to challenges ahead. Photos in the article are from Chester Island, and feature several of our partners and volunteers!

Note: If you fish around the island, please DO NOT walk on the island, as there are eggs on the beach and many young fledglings hanging out on the shore line. We kindly ask you to stay out at least 50 yards from shore – whether in your boat or wading. And please no walking or fishing on the concrete mat, where many young birds hang out. The rookery island is protected by federal law, and we ask you to help us keep Chester’s Birds safe.

Port O’Connor teacher Erin Gayler was named one of the Top 20 Elementary Educators of Texas, Region 3 Education of the Year. and TEA Master Teacher.

She is pictured here with Port O’Connor School Principal Kelly Wehmeyer.

Drive on down to the west end of the seawall on Bay Avenue in Seadrift and you will see that the new seawall project has begun! It’ll be worth the wait (since Hurricane Harvey!) and won’t we be the envy of the Texas Coast! Pictured are John Mendiola and Michael McClees. They are part of the construction crew of S.R.Trident. S.R.Trident is based in the Corpus Christi area. John and Michael are pile drivers. Michael says, “We are happy to be here!” If he only knew how happy we are that he and his crew are here!

Right now the crew is cleaning up in front of the existing seawall removing debris and they are preparing to pour the concrete wall panels that will be used to make the new seawall. The project is scheduled to take 285 days. -Tanya DeForest

Outstanding 4-H members and volunteers were recently recognized at the annual Calhoun County 4-H Achievement Banquet.

In 4-H, star awards are the most prestigious award that a 4-H member can receive. The Bronze Star Award is given to junior-level 4-H members (grades 3-5), the Silver Star Award is given to intermediate-level 4-H members (grades 6-8), and the I Dare You and Gold Star Awards are given to senior-level 4-H members (grades 9-12).

The 2023 Bronze Star Award recipient was Keeley Brumfield from the Lakeside 4-H Club in Seadrift, and the Silver Star Award recipient was Beth Boone from the Town & Country 4-H Club in Port Lavaca. The 2023 “I Dare You” Award was presented to McKenna Guevara from Port O’Connor’s club, Intercoastal 4-H, and the Gold Star Award (presented by County Judge Richard Meyer) was awarded to Justice Epley from the Lakeside 4-H Club in Seadrift. The 2023 scholarship was awarded to Madyson Lovett from the All-Around 4-H Club in Port Lavaca. The Friend of 4-H award was presented to the Matagorda Bay Mitigation Trust. The Honorary 4-H Member award was given to Karen Lyssy. The Meritorious Award was presented to Ashley and Chase Evans.

On behalf of the Calhoun County 4-H organization, we would like to congratulate this year’s award recipients and thank our volunteers and community for their support. -Amy Boone

Patrick Buhler

It’s been over a year ago, but for Patrick Buhler it’s like yesterday when he experienced his life-changing experience. You see… Patrick Buhler died in the ambulance, and like Lazarus in the Bible, he came back to life after several attempts to reactivate his heart. He had a massive heart attack that left him with the use of only 20% of his heart. Now Patrick’s heart has been restored to 40%.
Patrick is so grateful to the EMS that he visits the Port Lavaca EMS station often taking them food gifts while expressing his thanks. The two EMS heroes that were with him the day of his heart attack were James Warmuth and Joe Robert Perez. Pictured from left to right are James, Patrick, and Joe.

Just like the background of the picture that says “teamwork” it took the teamwork of James and Joe to save Patrick. Joe had to pull over the ambulance to help James reactivate Patrick’s heart when it stopped. It would stop eight more times on the way to Citizens Memorial Hospital. All this time Patrick was unaware of what was happening. He wouldn’t find out anything until he came out of a coma days later.

Patrick is originally from Victoria and has lived in Calhoun County specifically in Port O’Connor and Alamo Beach for 12 years. He is one of eight children of Barbara and William Buhler. Patrick has done carpentry all his life. For the past 12 years he has had his own company called PB Fencing and Deck. The reason Patrick loves to live by the water is because he’s been around it all his life. His family used to have a bay home in Port O’Connor on the corner of Washington and Jackson Street.

Patrick wants to thank the staff at Citizens where he was hospitalized, and he extends endless gratitude to James and Joe who came that day from the Seadrift EMS substation. Patrick also wants to recognize the Port O’Connor Volunteer Fire Department who were there with him until James and Joe were able to come. Patrick wants to note that because of the proximity of the Seadrift EMS substation it saved his life.