Audubon Society opposes bill to cut city regulations on trees

Members of the Travis County Audubon Society plan to gather on the grounds of the state Capitol at 8 a.m. today to pass out fact sheets to members of the House about the dangers posed by House Bill 2239 by state Rep. Ellen Troxclair, R-Austin. The bill is scheduled to be considered by the House on Tuesday. The Audubon Society told its members in an email that the bill aims to “remove local protections currently in-place for the Ashe Juniper tree. This native Texas tree provides the only nesting habitat for the endangered Golden-cheeked Warbler.” Troxclair served on the Austin City Council from 2014 to 2018. Audubon Society members say removing the trees from “local oversight poses a dangerous threat to the survival of the Golden-cheeked Warbler. Breeding habitat for this bird is limited to the Greater Texas Hill Country Region. Rapid development and clear cutting of Ashe Juniper tree habitat for nearly a century resulted in the warbler’s listing as an Endangered Species by U.S. Fish and Wildlife in 1990.” Troxclair told KXAN that some Texans “are already facing a complicated bureaucratic nightmare for just wanting to manage their own land. HB 2239 would let Texas’ private property owners make their own decisions about what grows on their property.” However, the only tree specifically targeted in the bill is the Ashe juniper.