RESPECT BIG BEND

IMG_8211- bill broyles
Community members, landowners, energy industry and service providers, conservation organizations and regulators come together during a series of seminars to learn more about potential energy development in the Trans-Pecos and to engage in dialogue with other stakeholders.

Respect Big Bend Energy Development Seminar Series

In 2019, the Borderlands Research Institute (BRI) and partners established the Respect Big Bend (RBB) coalition. The RBB coalition aims to inspire, engage and empower community stakeholders to conserve the unique resources and protect the iconic communities of the Greater Big Bend Region of Texas, while developing energy responsibly. Identified groups for this project include landowners, mineral owners, energy industry and service providers, community members, conservation organizations, and regulators.

Stakeholders can learn more about potential energy development by attending Respect Big Bend seminars.

Stakeholder engagement efforts are extremely varied and significant in scope. To engage differing stakeholders, BRI is hosting a community webinar series, elected officials’ luncheons, and Trans Pecos conservation partner brown bag lunches. BRI also co-hosted (with the Texas Agricultural Land Trust or TALT) a landowner workshop and delivers Respect Big Bend presentations to varied civic groups, organizations, and individuals.

Free and open to the public, the webinar series are designed to engage a broad constituency of Big Bend community members to better inform them on recent energy projections, potential impacts on communities and conservation values, and to develop creative strategies to conserve the unique resources and communities of the region.

BRI and partners also established the Tri-County Stakeholder Advisory Group (SAG) consisting of a select assemblage of 17 stakeholder representatives from the Greater Big Bend Region. The SAG members are assisting in this process by working together to identify priorities and shape a shared vision of how the Greater Big Bend Region will look moving forward. Stakeholders include landowners, mineral owners, energy industry and service providers, community members, and conservation partners. Together, the SAG identified and agreed upon the shared values of the Big Bend Region within the Tri-County area. These values include:

  • Ranching Heritage & Private Property Rights
  • Viewsheds & Vistas, Dark Skies, Remoteness & Quietness
  • Sky Islands, Water Resources, & Grasslands
  • Tourism & Hunting
  • Community, Safety, & Quality of Life
  • Culture, Music, and Arts
  • Wildlife & Migratory Corridors

The Respect Big Bend Coalition was launched by the Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation, and is sponsored in part by the Permian Basin Area Foundation, The Meadows Foundation, and the Still Water Foundation. The Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation is a Texas foundation that seeks innovative, sustainable solutions for human and environmental problems. The Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation works as an engine of change in Texas, supporting high-impact projects at the nexus of environmental protection, social equity and economic vibrancy. Find out more about the project at RespectBigBend.org.

Shared Values

While the small towns of the Big Bend region all share a strong sense of community, they also boast an individual culture expressed through a strong appreciation of music and … Read More

The Chihuahuan Desert is the largest desert in North America, covering close to 200,000 square miles in Mexico and the Southwestern United States. It encompasses the entire Greater Big Bend … Read More

The Big Bend region is reminiscent of a lost era and tends to attract people who want to escape the hustle of the city and who value a slow-paced, quality-filled … Read More

The values that locals cherish about the Big Bend region of Texas are the same values that draw people to visit this area. Hundreds of thousands of tourists travel to … Read More

If there is one term that best describes the topography and biology of the greater Big Bend region, it is diverse. High mountain ranges erupt from sparse desert floors, with … Read More

Getting away and taking time for yourself is important. Many people get away and take a break from a busy life by connecting with nature. Catching a sunset in a … Read More

Reports

Summary Report

Thinking Differently About Energy Development A Balanced Approach

By Respect Big Bend coalition

Technical Report

Development by Design in West Texas:
Mitigating Energy Sprawl Through Cooperative Landscape Planning


By Kei Sochi, Jon Paul Pierre, Louis Harveson, Patricia Moody Harveson, David V. Iannelli,
John Karges, Billy Tarrant, Melinda Taylor, Michael H. Young and Joseph Kiesecker

Stakeholder Engagement

Respect Big Bend Stakeholder Engagement Progress Report 2019

By Borderlands Research Institute