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Karen Telleen-Lawton: CaliTexas 2

by Karen Telleen-Lawton, Noozhawk Columnist
https://www.noozhawk.com/karen-telleen-lawton-calitexas-2/
June 3, 2024 | 3:00 pm

Texas has a lot going for it, as I shared in my last column: a profusion of Blue Bonnets (lupine) and other wildflowers, safe and scenic bike paths, and a gracious Southern style.

They also boast coastlines facing just about every direction, thanks to barrier islands and a sloping east-south coast.

Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge, Bolivar Peninsula, Texas. (Karen Telleen Lawton)

Texans dress across a similar spectrum as Californians, ranging from casual to better-left-unseen. Their official motto is “Friendship,” which we felt in spades.

I encountered some surprises in the Lone Star State. Most importantly, we didn’t discern a huge difference between Mexican food in California and Tex-Mex. We tested and tasted this proposition all along our route.

A friend explained that Tex-Mex dishes have more cheese, but the only item that bore that out for us was a menu item listed as “chili con queso.” I ordered “con queso” once, naively thinking it was chili topped with grated cheese. Instead, it was melted processed cheese in a bowl for dipping chips.

Other than that disappointing order, Tex-Mex was delicious from El Paso to Galveston and everywhere in between. Ask my bathroom scale if I enjoyed the food!

Another surprise was a remark by a guard at The Alamo that Texas is permitted to fly its flag as high as the U.S. flag.

“Since we were first a country for a decade, we negotiated that right when we joined the Union,” he revealed.

I thought that was a fascinating factoid but wondered (to myself) about Hawaii, which was a kingdom before it was a state.

Turning to the internet, I discovered that any state may fly its flag as high as the American flag – but no higher. So there you go.

You might consider Texas to be a solidly red state. Indeed, Fox News played in every hotel breakfast room we visited. Both U.S. senators plus 25 of 38 Texas representatives are Republican. However, Texans themselves are decidedly purple.

According to Pew polls, 40% are Republican or lean Republican, 39% are Democrat or lean Democrat, and 21% have no lean. This may be why Texas seems environmentally conscientious, with the yawning exception of oil and gas issues.

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Take birders, for instance. In Galveston, we attended a week-long birding event called Feather Fest. Texas is on the Central Flyway and sees an amazing variety of birds, from tiny calliope hummingbirds to dazzling roseate spoonbills.

In a competitive annual bird count, a Texas group almost always comes in first place, which is a tribute not only to the variety of birds but also to the number of birders who go outside to spot them.

Seven of the top 10 count areas this year were Californian (Santa Barbara placed sixth with 196 species), but first place (218 species) and third place (202 species) were Texas regions.

Birders, not surprisingly, are highly interested in land and water conservation and protection.

I asked Feather Fest organizers whether Texas birders tend to lean toward one party or the other. They insisted that you cannot predict. Political affiliation by whether or not someone is a birder. “All Texans are very protective of the environment.”

We met two Texas science teachers at a birding event kayaking through an estuary. (I clarified first that alligator habitat is freshwater, not seawater or brackish water.) I asked them how it was to teach about the environment in Texas. They looked at each other and chuckled. “It’s not easy,” they admitted.

Texas has a whole separate science curriculum than the rest of the nation, they told me. But by and large, they teach about the environment and ignore the politics.

They just get stuff done without mentioning words like “carbon taxes” and “climate disruption.”

Will it work in the long run? I don’t know. The Texas equivalent of our Western Gull is their Laughing Gull, so that may say something.

Plastic-Free July

During my visit to Easter Island, situated 2100 miles west of mainland Chile, I was struck by the ubiquity of plastics. It was a profound experience encountering plastic waste in such a remote and pristine environment, prompting me to reflect on the pervasive nature of plastic waste in our world.

The Library

The public library held a special place in my heart as my first love outside of my family. My connection to it resonated with Susan Orlean’s description in “The Library Book”: “I loved wandering around the bookshelves, scanning the spines until something happened to catch my eye.” The library offered a sanctuary for exploration and discovery, shaping my love for literature and knowledge.

Black Lives Matter

Last week, my email inbox was flooded with what I feared were mere platitudes about Black Lives Matter from organizations I am involved with. Everyone seemed to be expressing apologies, acknowledging that no one had been doing enough. This experience prompted me to reflect on the importance of taking meaningful action to support the Black Lives Matter movement.

Triple Emergencies II

In my last column, I discussed the interconnected global emergencies of pandemics, climate change, and biodiversity loss. A friend reached out to me, seeking clarification on the relationship between these issues. I found it challenging to articulate a clear explanation, prompting me to delve deeper into understanding the intricate connections among these triple emergencies.

Plastic-Free July

The Library

The public library held a special place in my heart as my first love outside of my family. My connection to it resonated with Susan Orlean's description in "The Library Book": "I loved wandering around the bookshelves, scanning the spines until something happened to catch my eye." The library offered a sanctuary for exploration and discovery, shaping my love for literature and knowledge.

Black Lives Matter

Triple Emergencies II

Black Lives Matter

June 15, 2020

2020 – June, Justice, Life

Triple Emergencies II — An Illustration

June 1, 2020

2020 – June, Birds – Birding, Climate Disruption, Food – Eating – Sleep, Life

Triple Emergencies

May 18, 2020

2020 – May, Carbon, Disasters, Disease, Healthcare, Nature and Science

Help with Kelp

September 18, 2008

Carbon, Climate Disruption, Environmental Issues

Want to Watch Eagles Nest in Peace?

April 14, 2008

2008 – April, Birds – Birding, Environmental Issues, Islands, Local Interest (Santa Barbara), Marine Animals, Nature and Science

Sustainability Poster Pup: The Island Fox

March 29, 2008

2008 – March, Birds – Birding, Islands, Local Interest (Santa Barbara), Marine Animals, Nature and Science, Pollution – Fossil Fuels

Black Lives Matter
June 15, 2020
Last week my email teemed with what I feared were mere platitudes about Black Lives Matter from organizations with which I’m involved. Everyone is “sorry,” no one “has been doing enough.” I didn’t trash them, though, and when I sat down to read, I found them to be heartfelt and…Read the rest
2020 - June, Justice, Life
Triple Emergencies II — An Illustration
June 1, 2020
Last column, I wrote about the co-incident and related global emergencies of pandemics, climate change, and biodiversity loss. A friend asked me to help her understand the relationship. I struggled a bit to provide a clear explanation. A couple days later, a good illustration almost literally flew in my face.…Read the rest
2020 - June, Birds - Birding, Climate Disruption, Food - Eating - Sleep, Life
Triple Emergencies
May 18, 2020
An emergency is typically an acute, awful event. Locally, we’ve reserved the term for wildfires, debris flows, and occasional earthquakes. They take over the news for a few days, months or years, and perhaps result in new standards for building and zoning. Life for most of us goes on pretty…Read the rest
2020 - May, Carbon, Disasters, Disease, Healthcare, Nature and Science
Help with Kelp
September 18, 2008
The “ewww” factor notwithstanding, it is one of Earth's ecological treasures that's worth cherishing. By Karen Telleen-Lawton, Noozhawk Columnist If you grew up near beaches and brothers, you may not have good associations with seaweed. My memory could be faulty, but it seems like my brother would wait until I was…Read the rest
Carbon, Climate Disruption, Environmental Issues
Want to Watch Eagles Nest in Peace?
April 14, 2008
EagleCAM captures island nest with two healthy chicks. And, yes, Noozhawk’s Karen Telleen-Lawton is hooked on the voyeuristic view. Behind my Dell screen a vocal bird band accompanies my writing. I hear a Pacific slope flycatcher and perhaps chats, warblers and island scrub jays. Below these confident calls I discern…Read the rest
2008 - April, Birds - Birding, Environmental Issues, Islands, Local Interest (Santa Barbara), Marine Animals, Nature and Science
Sustainability Poster Pup: The Island Fox
March 29, 2008
Against steep odds, and with an assist from man, a hardy species is making a determined comeback. The island fox, a Channel Islands native barely a foot long, almost shrank to nothing. The fox’s amazing story has a hopeful ending, and garners my first Noozhawk column because it epitomizes the…Read the rest
2008 - March, Birds - Birding, Islands, Local Interest (Santa Barbara), Marine Animals, Nature and Science, Pollution - Fossil Fuels

Black Lives Matter
June 15, 2020
Last week my email teemed with what I feared were mere platitudes about Black Lives Matter from organizations with which I’m involved. Everyone is “sorry,” no one “has been doing enough.” I didn’t trash them, though, and when I sat down to read, I found them to be heartfelt and…Read the rest
2020 - June, Justice, Life
Triple Emergencies II — An Illustration
June 1, 2020
Last column, I wrote about the co-incident and related global emergencies of pandemics, climate change, and biodiversity loss. A friend asked me to help her understand the relationship. I struggled a bit to provide a clear explanation. A couple days later, a good illustration almost literally flew in my face.…Read the rest
2020 - June, Birds - Birding, Climate Disruption, Food - Eating - Sleep, Life
Triple Emergencies
May 18, 2020
An emergency is typically an acute, awful event. Locally, we’ve reserved the term for wildfires, debris flows, and occasional earthquakes. They take over the news for a few days, months or years, and perhaps result in new standards for building and zoning. Life for most of us goes on pretty…Read the rest
2020 - May, Carbon, Disasters, Disease, Healthcare, Nature and Science
Help with Kelp
September 18, 2008
The “ewww” factor notwithstanding, it is one of Earth's ecological treasures that's worth cherishing. By Karen Telleen-Lawton, Noozhawk Columnist If you grew up near beaches and brothers, you may not have good associations with seaweed. My memory could be faulty, but it seems like my brother would wait until I was…Read the rest
Carbon, Climate Disruption, Environmental Issues
Want to Watch Eagles Nest in Peace?
April 14, 2008
EagleCAM captures island nest with two healthy chicks. And, yes, Noozhawk’s Karen Telleen-Lawton is hooked on the voyeuristic view. Behind my Dell screen a vocal bird band accompanies my writing. I hear a Pacific slope flycatcher and perhaps chats, warblers and island scrub jays. Below these confident calls I discern…Read the rest
2008 - April, Birds - Birding, Environmental Issues, Islands, Local Interest (Santa Barbara), Marine Animals, Nature and Science
Sustainability Poster Pup: The Island Fox
March 29, 2008
Against steep odds, and with an assist from man, a hardy species is making a determined comeback. The island fox, a Channel Islands native barely a foot long, almost shrank to nothing. The fox’s amazing story has a hopeful ending, and garners my first Noozhawk column because it epitomizes the…Read the rest
2008 - March, Birds - Birding, Islands, Local Interest (Santa Barbara), Marine Animals, Nature and Science, Pollution - Fossil Fuels

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Black Lives Matter
June 15, 2020
Last week my email teemed with what I feared were mere platitudes about Black Lives Matter from organizations with which…
Triple Emergencies II — An Illustration
June 1, 2020
Last column, I wrote about the co-incident and related global emergencies of pandemics, climate change, and biodiversity loss. A friend…
Triple Emergencies
May 18, 2020
An emergency is typically an acute, awful event. Locally, we’ve reserved the term for wildfires, debris flows, and occasional earthquakes.…
Help with Kelp
September 18, 2008
The “ewww” factor notwithstanding, it is one of Earth's ecological treasures that's worth cherishing. By Karen Telleen-Lawton, Noozhawk Columnist If you…
Want to Watch Eagles Nest in Peace?
April 14, 2008
EagleCAM captures island nest with two healthy chicks. And, yes, Noozhawk’s Karen Telleen-Lawton is hooked on the voyeuristic view. Behind…
Sustainability Poster Pup: The Island Fox
March 29, 2008
Against steep odds, and with an assist from man, a hardy species is making a determined comeback. The island fox,…

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