February 19, 2020 1222 PM
ALPINE — The Meadows Foundation is granting $100,000 to the Borderlands Research Institute at Sul Ross State University to provide support to the Respect Big Bend Coalition in West Texas. The university program will use the funds to support outreach and education on behalf of Respect Big Bend.
Respect Big Bend was launched by the Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation in 2018 to “protect the natural resources and unique communities of the greater Big Bend region through a collaboration based on sound science, community outreach and education, landscape-scale planning and economic development,” according to a news release from BRI. While the Mitchell Foundation’s namesake George Mitchell is considered the “father of fracking,” the foundation today provides grants for topics ranging from water, clean energy and shale sustainability.
Respect Big Bend has partnered with SRSU’s BRI, and the university program is taking a leadership role in coordinating and implementing the outreach and education aspects of the project. BRI is communicating and meeting with stakeholders through a variety of strategies, from private one-on-one meetings to broader community forums. A series of seminars at SRSU is currently underway as part of the Respect Big Bend effort.
“We’re honored The Meadows Foundation has elected to support the Borderlands Research Institute through this grant award,” said Dr. Louis Harveson, who is the Dan Allen Hughes, Jr., BRI endowed director and professor of wildlife management at Sul Ross State University.
The Meadows Foundation is a private philanthropic institution chartered by the late oil and gas production magnate Algur H. Meadows and his wife Virginia Meadows. The Meadows Foundation contribution comes after a $300,000 gift to BRI this past October from the Permian Basin Area Foundation “to support stakeholder engagement and outreach as part of the Respect Big Bend Coalition’s efforts in West Texas.”
The Respect Big Bend Coalition’s website explains that the organization is “dedicated to collaborating with communities and landowners to maximize the benefits of responsible energy development while sustaining the communities, land and water of the Big Bend region.”
The Borderlands Research Institute, housed at SRSU for over a decade, builds on a long-lasting partnership with private landowners, the university’s Range and Wildlife Program, and cooperating state, federal, and non-governmental organizations.
“Through our Stewardship Services program we will be engaging landowners, community members, and industry partners to ascertain their conservation values for the region. Ultimately, we hope to better prepare West Texas communities for energy development through our participation with the Respect Big Bend Coalition,” said Dr. Harveson.
