In 1993, ConocoPhillips helped form a unique alliance of two conservation groups, three federal and state agencies and two petroleum companies to expand and improve habitat at High Island, Texas. Located about 60 miles south of Houston, High Island is one of the most important resting places for neotropical migrants as they migrate to the United States each year from Central and South America.
Through the efforts of ConocoPhillips employees and corporate funding, the
Gulf Coast Bird Observatory (GCBO) was created, which has expanded into a network of protected habitats across the Gulf Coast from Florida to Mexico.
ConocoPhillips continues to provide funding and ConocoPhillips people are deeply involved in creating the partnerships necessary to acquire and maintain other GCBO sites throughout the Gulf Coast. The GCBO works to protect birds, habitat and birding areas along the Gulf of Mexico from the Florida Keys to the Yucatan Peninsula. One of the four Houston Audubon Society's sanctuaries on High Island is the S.E. Gast Red Bay Sanctuary, named in honor of a ConocoPhillips employee who has been instrumental in the habitat improvement and public education at High Island.