My name is Brooke Bowman. I grew up in Baytown, TX, an industrial town on the Gulf Coast, where I witnessed firsthand the effects of energy development on coastal habitats. I realized I wanted to be part of the solution rather than part of the problem. This is what led me to pursue an environmental science degree at The University of Texas and what is driving me to continue my education in the Range & Wildlife Management master’s program at Sul Ross State University. 

Land use change in relation to energy development will likely become a large driving factor in biodiversity loss in the future as habitat is further fragmented by increased energy demands of a growing world population. The Permian Basin region of Texas supports a large portion of the oil and gas industry in the United States and is expected to expand. However, the region still hosts a variety of wildlife, including the most economically and ecologically important species of quail in West Texas – the scaled quail (Callipepla squamata) – whose population has been in decline since the early 1960’s.

Scaled quail range encompasses the entire Permian Basin, therefore it is important to seek out whether energy development in this region is influencing their decline. I plan to monitor two different sites: a developed area with active oil and gas projects on-site and a control area with no oil and gas production. In this study, I will investigate the following objectives:

1. Assess habitat selection of scaled quail during breeding and non-breeding seasons in relation to oil and gas development.
2. Determine whether the annual survival of scaled quail is affected by oil and gas development.