Environmental staff reconnects with the natural and cultural resources they protect

July 23, 2024

By Paul Stinson

FORT DAVIS — In late April, 25 members of TxDOT’s West Texas environmental staff left the hum of their computers to listen to nature, wildlife experts and Native American tribal representatives as part of a field training exercise on natural and cultural resources to strengthen ties with colleagues and the environment they protect.

The excursion for environmental project planners and specialists to the Davis Mountains region included visits to national and state parks, prairie dog towns, Comanche Springs, the University of Texas at Austin McDonald Observatory and other settings for a close-up view of plants, lizards, birds, bats, the spring source for the Edwards Aquifer and more.

“Getting the opportunity to learn about these resources from experts and see them yourself – versus behind a computer screen – is vital for professional development and improving your job performance as environmental staff,” said Rebekah Dobrasko, TxDOT environmental affairs director.

The training is expected to foster a deeper comprehension of the resources TxDOT is charged with protecting — as required by law — and how our projects may impact them.

“When we understand this, we are able to provide better input to our project engineers and designers,” Dobrasko said.

In that vein, the Mescalero Apache and the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo tribes spoke to the group, sharing their history and the important places, plants, animals and other natural resources revered for their significance.

“This isn’t something we get to experience every day, and it gave me a better understanding of why it is important that we coordinate with these groups for certain projects,” said Holly Brady, TxDOT environmental planner in Odessa.

That interactivity speaks to TxDOT’s commitment to building relationships with tribes as part of a consultation process guided by the National Historic Preservation Act. That law helps identify and minimize any potential impacts of a project on prehistoric archeological sites, cemeteries and other places of cultural significance.

Additionally, a visit to the bat-occupied underside of a bridge on SH 17 over Frazier Canyon offered a glimpse of the resources TxDOT protects.

Employees also heard from a Texas Parks & Wildlife Department official speak on the deadly impacts of White-nose Syndrome on hibernating bats, and how to identify endangered and threatened species in Texas.

“The visit to the bridge underpass and the presence of bat communities was an eye-opener,” said Adrian Aguirre, an environmental specialist in El Paso.

The experience, he said, highlighted the importance of thorough environmental reports prior to construction and the importance of effective management to minimize a project’s impact on the habitat of protected and endangered species.

Bridget Dawson, a project planner in San Antonio, lauded the experience for the knowledge and its regenerative qualities.

"It's easy to get bogged down in the mundane of our jobs — the changing laws and regulations, redoing project clearances that are affected by these changes, and so on,” she said. “This environmental field training course was a grassroots revival of passion for everything that led the TxDOT environmental staff to this profession in the first place — our love for nature and the desire to better understand, protect, and preserve it.”