Meeting Summary: 2026 will be the 30th annual Great Texas Birding Classic, a birding competition hosted by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Each spring, this competition engages birders in a variety of categories across the state to get outside, document birds, and raise money for conservation projects. This talk will share a history of the classic, ways to get involved, and answer questions you may have about participating.

About Our Speaker: Shelly Plante is the Nature Tourism Manager for Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, working in the Outreach and Education Program. She believes community-based conservation, education and partnerships are critical to the future of our natural resources and has worked throughout Texas to connect people to conservation through birding, paddling, and other forms of outdoor recreation for close to 30 years. Shelly manages the Great Texas Birding Classic, Great Texas Wildlife Trail, the Texas Paddling Trails Program, and Texas Pollinator BioBlitz.