Great Texas Birding Classic

RRI Team Takes First at 13th Annual Great Texas Birding Classic

The winning team pictured (L to R):
Bill Baker, Tom Roberts and Andy Dietrich.

HOUSTON – May 6, 2009 – RRI Energy Environmental Partners team finished first at the Gulf Coast Bird Observatory and the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department’s Annual Great Texas Birding Classic! This year the RRI team won a $20,000 conservation prize - marking the fifth consecutive victory by the RRI team!

This year's team, comprised of Seward's Tom Roberts, Andy Dietrich, project engineer, Technical Services, and Bill Baker, Environmental, identified 288 species during the five-day competition. This marks the 13th consecutive year our company has sponsored the event (more than any other sponsor) and the 13th consecutive year our team has participated in the event.

"There is no other event like this anywhere in the world that I am aware of," Bill explains. "The bottom line is that more and more habitat is being preserved and protected for our valuable fish and wildlife". RRI has been proud to be play a major role in this event which, over its history, has provided almost $650,000 to avian habitat conservation projects along the Texas Gulf Coast.

According to Cecilia Riley, executive director of The Great Texas Birding Classic (GTBC), "The event is a friendly, but serious birding-for-conservation tournament and is held each year during April to coincide with the spectacular spring bird migration in Texas."

During the tournament, teams vie to see who can spot and record the most bird species in a given time period. The adult teams with the highest species counts win the privilege of choosing the conservation projects that will be awarded Conservation Grant Grand Prizes. Prior to each year's competition, organizations submit conservation project proposals to win funding through the grants awarded by the winning teams.

The mission of the Great Texas Birding Classic is to increase appreciation, understanding and conservation of birds along the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail through education, recreation, nature tourism and conservation fundraising.

Congratulations to the RRI Environmental Partners Team!