January 27, 2003

Galveston Sierra Club

San Luis Pass, at the western tip of Galveston Island, has been identified as a unique natural area worthy of protection, according to the Galveston and Lone Star chapters of the Sierra Club.

San Luis Pass is among the areas featured in the Lone Star Chapter’s annual publication “Special Places of Texas,” intended to highlight significant areas of Texas in need of conservation.

One of the last unaltered tidal passes on the Texas Gulf Coast, San Luis Pass provides natural habitat for rare and endangered species of plants and animals, as well as habitat for migratory wildlife, according to the Galveston Sierra Club. It also is an area of scenic beauty with high recreational value.

“Thousands of black-necked skimmers, a variety of terns and sandpipers make their nests amidst the salt grasses and salt pans," the publication states.  "The Houston Audubon Society cordons off extensive reaches of this property every spring to protect the nesting birds from constant vehicular traffic along the beach. The privately owned San Luis Pass is threatened primarily by vehicular traffic.”

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