Birding with the Greener Gulfton Community

By Zoe Gapayao, Houston Audubon Community Outreach Manager

Just outside the 610 Loop in southwest Houston, you’ll find the international community of Gulfton. About 58% of Gulfton residents were born outside of the United States, 75% of whom were born in Latin America. In the middle of the neighborhood, families regularly gather at Burnett Bayland Park to recreate on its soccer fields, walking trail, community garden, playground, basketball court, skate park, splash pad, and community center.

We enjoy routinely holding nature-based programs with Madres del Parque, a dedicated group of mothers supporting and enhancing the community around Burnett Bayland Park. Last December, we were excited to host a Christmas Bird Count (CBC) at the park in collaboration with Madres del Parque, The Nature Conservancy, Harris County Precinct 4, and Latino Outdoors. CBC is the nation’s longest-running community science project that the National Audubon Society started in 1900. Counts are conducted every yearand data is used in analyses, peer-reviewed publications, government reports, and annual summaries for the CBC. We counted ten species of urban birds and were lucky enough to observe a Cooper’s hawk with its prey for over 20 minutes through a spotting scope. The hawk and an American goldfinch were two valuable contributions to the overall Buffalo Bayou CBC South-Southeast Area trip report.

In August of 2020, a heat mapping project in Houston identified Gulfton as the hottest neighborhood in Harris County. It was 17 degrees warmer than the coolest part of the county, which can be attributed to the long stretches of pavement that hold heat and a lack of tree cover. According to a Rice University Kinder Institute study, urban heat islands are disadvantaged areas and communities of color that suffer from urban tree inequality. Gulfton would need an additional 86 acres of green space in order to meet the Houston Parks Master Plan recommendation of 8 acres of park space per 1000 people.

The majority of the 55,000 residents live in large apartment complexes with only two small areas dedicated to single-family homes. Despite this lack of green space, many residents maintain a connection to nature by growing plants on their balconies that are reminiscent of their cultural roots. The Gulfton community knew something had to be done and that nature could serve as their solution to extreme heat while also benefiting their physical, mental, and cultural health. Community leaders, government agencies, and nonprofits worked together to develop a community-informed “greening” master plan.

Through the Greener Gulfton plan, The Nature Conservancy, organizational partners, and community members are focusing on nature as a way to improve physical and mental health, enhance climate resilience, and increase biodiversity in Gulfton. This plan highlights interventions like creating a plaza for social gathering, plants and art, planting trees to increase shade, and adding greenery and shade structures to public transportation stops. Enhancing Houston Audubon’s nature-based programming in Gulfton is just one effort among the many actions taking place towards a Greener Gulfton.