The environment is for everyone and all of us have a vested interest in it...Whether you are a naturalist, concerned about the preservation of our life-sustaining resources, an outdoorsman who values healthy waterfowl, fish and wildlife populations, an urbanite who enjoys the accessibility of nature for rest and recreation and its added quality of life, and agriculturalist who depends on it for a living and its bounty to feed the world, or the industrial user who converts the resources to goods and services for a modern society...all of us depend and expect a clean, healthy environment.

The Texas Rice Belt is an environmentally important part of the coastal prairie of Texas. From Port Arthur to Port Lavaca, it occupies land area within 18 counties of the upper Gulf Coast. Not only is this area valuable for its agricultural production, but it is also vitally important to the delicate ecosystems of five of the state's seven major river basins. These bays and estuaries provide the spawning and breeding grounds for hundreds of fish and bird species. Although Texas wetland has declined by 47% over the last 50 years, the man-made wetlands provided by the rice industry supply over 300,000 acres of these dwindling areas. These wetlands are vital as winter feeding and roosting grounds of millions of ducks and geese who have made this area the final stop in their annual migration on the Central Flyway.

With a heavy human population, this area also supports a unique blend of agricultural, industrial, urban and recreational users...all of whom have diverse interests and needs within a sensitive ecosystem. Rice farmers recognize the importance of sustaining our natural resources and are striving to work in harmony with the environment. In fact, rice cultural practices can actually enhance the delicate ecosystem balance. But realizing the matter is bigger than just agriculture, rice producers want to work with others concerned with the issues. As a result, Texas R.I.C.E. (Rice Industry Coalition for the Environment) was formed in 1994 as a means for all concerned users to work together.

The mission of Texas R.I.C.E. is to build a coalition of interests to foster and strengthen relationships between the rice industry and the natural resources of our rice producing area. To accomplish this mission, Texas R.I.C.E. has targeted three goals. They are:

Education and enhancement of the rice resource in the Gulf Coast ecosystem are the goals of Texas R.I.C.E.'s current and planned projects.

Among the projects currently being conducted are public access bird viewing sites which consist of viewable rice fields flooded for waterfowl habitat during the winter months. Sites are planned for all of the counties of the Texas rice growing areas.

Texas R.I.C.E. has also developed studies to measure public perception concerning the rice industry and rice farming on the part of both the public and environmental and conservation groups. This information is being used to develop educational programs for school and the public. These programs will stress the importance of the coastal areas of Texas to fish, birds and wildlife as well as defining rice farming's place in this important area of upper Texas Gulf Coast in and around the Houston area.

Texas R.I.C.E. also participates with other groups in the Gulf Coast area involved with creating and conserving migratory waterfowl habitat, preserving the coastal ecosystem and consensus building on issues of mutual concern to diverse stakeholders. It is believed that these alliances and joint efforts being made will help protect the upper Texas Gulf Coast now and in the future to preserve its invaluable place as the winter home of the Central Flyway as well as the year round home of Texas' diverse population of shore birds, raptors, and other wildlife, dependent on the richness of this ecosystem.

Texas R.I.C.E. is a non-profit organization and is sustained through different levels of participating members, from individuals to corporations. Projects and activities are also funded through grants from private and public foundations and trust. Any individual, group, organization, agency or company that has an interest and concern about the environment and the use of our natural resources within the Texas rice-growing area may join.

The different levels of membership are as follows:

Individual - $15

Family - $45

Sustaining - $100

Not for Profit - $100

Corporate(under 100 employees) - $100

Corporate(over 100 employees) - $250

Founding Member - $1000

Benefactor - $5000