Reddish Egret perched upon roots
on Evia Island
Evia Island is a colonial wildlife
sanctuary - humans are not
allowed on the island
[June 2005]
Ally Levy named Evia Island
in November 2001
Damage from Hurricane Ike in 2008
Overview
To address the need for colonial waterbird habitat in Galveston Bay, the Port of Houston Authority (PHA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), following the suggestions of the Beneficial Uses Group (BUG) Plan, constructed a bird sanctuary. The bird sanctuary is in the form of a 6-acre island, one mile north of the Bolivar Peninsula. The island, now known as Evia Island, was constructed using materials dredged from the expansion of the Houston-Galveston Navigation Channels.
The island is managed by a team including the Audubon Society and BUG partners. These partners include Texas Parks & Wildlife, Port of Houston Authority, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
2000-2003
To accommodate all species of Galveston Bay’s colonial waterfowl, the six acre site was constructed to a 12 foot MLT elevation featuring a 250-foot sandy beach behind a protected lagoon. Initial construction was completed in 2000. For nesting opportunities, several species of native South Texas trees and bush were planted in 2001 and 2002. In March 2002, the Audubon Society oversaw the planting of a variety of vegetation on the island. The grass, trees and shrubs attract a large array of birds, and provide food and shelter for them.
Evia Island is home to a large variety of birds. In the summer of 2001, (the first nesting season after construction) more than 3,000 birds were present on the island. To the excitement of BUG members, many of the birds were nesting on the island prior to the full establishment of vegetation, including an estimated 750 Royal Terns, 12 Gull-billed Terns, 950 Sandwich Terns, 10 Forster’s Terns and 450 Black Skimmers. The federally listed, endangered Brown Pelican also was using the island for resting and loafing.
2004-2007
Although platforms were built in early 2005 for the herons and egrets, these birds preferred the native Bacharris halimifolia, commonly known as salt marsh elder. Nesting waders, targeted by the BUG because their nesting habitat in the Galveston Bay system had been decreasing, used the mesquite and prickly pear bushes. Fledgling chicks of all nesting species used the protected beach on the island’s south shoreline. Especially preferred from May through July, the barren sandy patches are occupied by the terns and skimmers.
2008-present
By 2008, Evia Island hosted an average of 3,732 nesting pairs of birds. This number represents an amazing 16 of Galveston Bay’s known 21 nesting species. The recorded nesting pairs per species for 2009 are just as impressive:
• Brown Pelican (366)
• Sandwich Tern (1,500)
• Royal Tern (3,000)
• Laughing Gull
• Black Skimmer (60)
• Forster's Tern
• Gull-billed Tern
• Great Blue Heron (6)
• Great Egret (23)
• Snowy Egret (100)
• Little Blue Heron
• Tricolored Heron (250)
• Cattle Egret
• Black-crowned Night (8)
• Least Tern
• Roseate Spoonbill (10)
• Reddish Egret (15)
In September 2008, Hurricane Ike caused substantial damage to the island. The vegetation and beach features were destroyed. Much of the riprap shore protection was lost. However, the damage did not deter nesting terns or pelicans during the 2009 nesting season. Evia Island is scheduled for restoration along with Bolivar Marsh beginning in the summer of 2010.
Evia Island is a wildlife sanctuary, so the public is asked to refrain from landing or going onto the island. The site is patrolled by Wardens from the Texas Parks and Wildlife.
How The Island Got Its Name
In November 2001, the BUG sponsored an island-naming contest. More than 100 Houston and Galveston area schools participated in the contest and hundreds of entries were judged. Ally Levy, a fourth grader at Silverlake Elementary School in Pearland, Texas, was selected as the winner. She chose “Evia Island” for Jose de Evia, the man who originally mapped Galveston and named the area for his superior, Galvez. Thanks to Ally, the island has an official name.
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Overview
