Great news: Our voices were here. City Council on April 10, 2025, approved the appointment of Ted Eubanks on the Pars & Rec Board.
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Dear Council Member ____,
The delay in Ted Eubanks’ appointment to the Parks and Recreation Board is surprising and rather puzzling. Ted Eubanks’ vast experience, proven work record, and background in ecological conservation and planning assures that he is more than qualified for the position.
In response to any suggestion that he is anti-nonprofit, Ted has successfully served on numerous nonprofit boards, including the National Audubon Society, Shoal Creek Conservancy, and others. He has called for honesty and transparency in any park dealings—who could possibly object to that?
He is an award-winning, internationally known innovator, naturalist, science interpreter, and park planning expert. As you can see below, his list of achievements is impressive.
Our parks board deserves thoughtful, fair, and open-minded board members like Ted. This city can only benefit from someone as brilliant, accomplished, and qualified as a candidate like Ted Eubanks.
We encourage you to approve his appointment to the Parks and Recreation Board.
Sincerely,
Carol S. Stall & Phillip W. Thomas
Deep Holly Advocates
78702
Ted Eubanks’ qualifications, not including publications:
- President, Ornithology Group, Houston Outdoor Nature Club
- President, Houston Audubon Society
- President, Texas Ornithological Society
- President, Texas Partners in Flight
- Member, Texas Parks and Wildlife Private Lands Initiative
- Member, Texas Parks and Wildlife Nature Tourism Task Force
- Member, Texas Parks and Wildlife Education and Outreach Committee
- Member, Texas Parks and Wildlife Wildlife Diversity Committee
- Member, Houston Environmental Foresight
- Member, Great Plains / Northern Great Lakes Piping Plover Recovery Team
- Board of Directors, National Audubon Society
- Board of Directors, Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology
- Board of Directors, Watchable Wildlife
- Board of Directors, Shoal Creek Conservancy
- Delegate (Texas), White House Travel and Tourism Conference (October 1995)
PROJECTS
Eubanks has studied the economic impacts and characteristics of outdoor recreation, particularly wildlife viewing, worldwide. Completed projects include the following:
- Wildlife watchers along the Platte River in Nebraska for the Environmental Protection Agency.
- Wildlife watchers on Delaware Bay for the New Jersey Game and Parks Commission.
- Travelers along the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail for Texas Parks and Wildlife.
- Attendees at the Rio Grande Birding Festival for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
- Surveys of wildlife viewers in California for the Kern Valley Biodiversity Festival and the American River Salmon Festival.
- Assessed the North American ecotourism market for the North American Committee for Environmental Cooperation created under the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
- Hackmatack NWR Viability Study (Illinois)
- Emiquon Strategic Public Use Plan (Illinois)
- An Appraisal of Recreation and Entertainment Opportunities in East Park, West Park, and the Wissahickon (Philadelphia Parks and Recreation)
- PA Wilds Dark Skies – an Early Implementation Conceptualization for Cherry Springs State Park
- Sinnemahoning State Park Portal Plan
- Sinnemahoning State Park Nature Tourism Incubator Plan
- Early Action Recommendations for Pine Creek
- Plan for Elk Watching and Nature Tourism in North Central Pennsylvania
- Kinzua Bridge State Park Recreational Assessment
- Clarion River Recreational Assessment
- Cook Forest Cathedral Recommendations
- Cook Forest Trail Recommendations
- Natural Lands Trust Hildacy Preserve Public Use Plan
- Natural Lands Trust Paunacussing Preserve Public Use Plan
- Natural Lands Trust Public Use Dog Card
- Brazoria County Parks (Texas) Interpretive Enhancements
Finally, Fermata and Eubanks have been working outside the boundaries of the traditional interpretive arts and recreation planning. Projects completed include the following:
- Nature-tourism facility feasibility study for Camp Aldrich, Kansas
- Assessment of the Economic and Tourism Impacts of Siting Wind Energy Developments in Kansas Natural Areas for Governor Kathleen Sebelius
- Charles County, Maryland
- Lonetree WMA and Garrison Conservancy District, North Dakota
- Pembina Gorge and the Turtle Mountains, North Dakota
- Big Thicket Region, Texas
- Texas Prairie Rivers Region
- Mission, Texas
- Hidalgo, Texas
- Weslaco, Texas
- South Padre Island, Texas
- Les Cheneaux, Michigan
- Great Bend, Kansas (Cheyenne Bottoms)
- The Rio Grande / Rio Bravo (Texas, Mexico)
- Edge of Appalachia, Ohio
- Wildcatter Ranch, Texas
- New Brunswick, Canada
- Conceptual Plan for Tourism and Recreation – Marinette County, Wisconsin
- Strategy for Experiential Tourism in Western Kansas
- Coastal Bend (Corpus Christi) Birding and Nature Tourism Strategy
- Longleaf Hiking Trail, East Texas.
Eubanks conceptualized and implemented the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail for Texas Parks and Wildlife Department – the first birding trail in the world.
He has also conceptualized wildlife trail projects in Texas, Virginia, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Alabama, Kansas, and Connecticut.
Lastly, he worked with the Texas Prairie Rivers Initiative for the Texas Panhandle region, working with rural agricultural communities and private landowners to diversify their economic base.