Endangered Species Update
In 1997, the interior least tern, an endangered bird, chose to create nesting grounds in two areas at TXU’s Big Brown Mine in Central Texas. After the first nesting season, TXU formed a partnership with wildlife professionals from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Railroad Commission of Texas (RCT), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and Texas A&M University to develop a management plan for the species’ long-term recovery and habitat needs on company property.

In 2004, a new management plan was prepared and approved by the USFWS and the RCT. This plan succeeded in helping 10 fledglings survive to migrate despite the second-highest rainfall total ever recorded in the area. Since 1997, TXU efforts have helped 73 fledglings hatch and migrate. This is an admirable survival rate for a species that typically nests in areas where weather and predators often destroy many of the eggs or claim hatched chicks prior to fledging.