Below is a list of some of HARC's Programs & Projects that have maps available.

The Texas coast serves as a major nesting area for a number of species of colonial waterbirds. Colonial waterbirds utilize the Texas coast as a nursery area and rely upon plentiful nesting habitat and food supply. They nest in colonies that range in size from just a few to thousands of nesting pairs. Colonial waterbirds forage in various habitats including: open water, mud flats, emergent salt marshes, seagrass beds, and nesting islands. Colonial waterbirds’ reproductive success is dependent upon the availability of suitable habitat which is free from disturbance and habitat loss.

Colonial waterbirds are an important indicator of coastal ecosystem health. Many bird species observed on the Texas Coast are predators on fish, shellfish, or benthic organŽisms, and therefore are important indicators of the health of coastal food webs. Trends in nesting populations are also representative of the health of vital coastal habitats. By assessing trends of colonial waterbird populations and disseminating this information to the public, CSWGCIN will help to educate the public about the importance of colonial waterbirds and the vital habitats upon which they rely.

The Colonial Nesting Birds project implements the data from the Colonial Waterbird Census available along the entire Texas Coast in an interactive mapping application displaying location and interactive graphs. The application displays species of nesting birds by feeding guild (i.e. species associated with a particular foraging habitat such as marsh feeders: herons and egrets) along with the annual abundance associated with each species at a given rookery site. Data extend back thirty years; annual fluctuations in nesting populations are clearly displayed in the mapping application.