Black Birders Week Event at Cattail Marsh, TX

The Gulf Coast region spanning Southeast Texas and Southern Louisiana contains some of the most productive habitat for bird diversity on the continent. The Golden Triangle of Southeast Texas sits at the convergence of the Mississippi and Central Flyways, while Southern Louisiana anchors the Lower Mississippi Delta of the Mississippi Flyway. The coastal wetlands, bottomland hardwoods, pine forests, and Gulf shores of this shared landscape support over 490 recorded species, including in Louisiana approximately 40% of all migrating shorebird species like the Laridae family, the 2026 Black Birders Week bird of the year. This landscape is an irreplaceable hub for birds and the communities that call it home. Its layered histories have supported a deep blending of cultures over millennia, contributing to the unique heritage of both South Louisiana and Southeast Texas. Yet, Black communities who created and still sustain many of the cultural elements for which this region is renowned are disproportionately impacted by environmental pollution and climate threats that endanger public health, cultural preservation, economic mobility, and biodiversity. This year’s Black Birders Week theme, “Flyways and Freedom: Advocacy, Action, and Future,” invites us to envision a climate movement built by those most affected and grounded in the right of every living community to freely move, belong, and thrive. We invite everyone to join us for a series of events led by local Black scientists, organizers, and artists exploring birding as a gateway to a just, thriving, and healthy Gulf through arts and cultural heritage, outdoor recreation, and civic participation in environmental policy and decision-making.