Bolivar Peninsula Beachfront Development Boom Continues

Bolivar Holdings, LLC of Beaumont Texas, proposes to build a 37.95 acre 150+ unit beachfront development on land surrounded by the Bolivar Flats Shorebird Sanctuary. A permit application has been submitted to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers outlining the wetland impacts of the development and proposed mitigation.

Overview of Bolivar Flats Shorebird Sanctuary Houston Audubon Society's 1146 acre, Bolivar Flats Shorebird Sanctuary is an exceptionally productive complex of mud flats, salt marsh, uplands and gulf-front beach. This ideal combination of habitats provides resting, feeding and/or breeding sites for hundreds of thousands of birds each year. Bolivar Flats' special importance to 25 species of shorebirds prompted its designations as an "Important Bird Area" by the American Bird Conservancy and the National Audubon Society and a "Site of International Importance" by the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network. Of particular significance are the large numbers of endangered Piping Plovers and threatened Snowy Plovers which use this area as a migratory stop-over and wintering location. The sanctuary uplands are made up of coastal prairie interspersed with many seasonal freshwater ponds. These areas provide good-quality habitat for grassland birds and nesting habitat for Mottled Ducks a National Audubon Watch List species.

• See US Army Corps of Engineers Permit for the Bolivar Beachfront Project
• See Article on the Bolivar Peninsula's Strong Sales and Rental Demand

The Houston Audubon Society is running a anti-development campaign against the permit, but they already have over a 1000 acres right there and what better than a 20 acre housing development could you want next to it?

If they are able to stop this housing permit, they may not be able to stop the next company that wants to put in a refinery or other industrial operation at that spot.

This is a complete outrage, how could this happen? I grew up on that refuge and a housing developement would totally wreck the preserve. This person above me obviously has never been there because if he had than he would know that a development would wreck the overall feal of this place and the habitat that all of those birds depend on. greedy developers!