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Join Galveston Bay Foundation as we work around the Bay to protect the vital natural resource we're all connected to.
If you’ve ever taken the ferry from Galveston to Bolivar, you’ve likely seen the beautiful bottlenose dolphin’s that call Galveston Bay their home. Further north, the Upper Galveston Bay hosts commercial and recreational fisheries. It also accommodates boat traffic supporting the second-largest petrochemical compound in the world, receives runoff from over half of Texas’s population, and is subjected to regular dredging operations. All of these activities threaten the bottlenose dolphin’s habitat.
The Galveston Bay Dolphin Research Program (GDRP), a partnership between the Galveston Bay Foundation and the Environmental Institute of Houston, aims to better understand the dolphins that live in Galveston Bay, with a focus on upper Galveston Bay. Primarily through boat-based surveys, the GDRP studies the ecology, behavior, and health of this population. The GDRP also raises awareness about dolphins through various outreach and education initiatives.
Special Thanks to Our Partners And Sponsors:
When you virtually adopt or name a Galveston Bay dolphin, you become a member of the Dolphin Society and your contribution goes directly to our Galveston Bay Dolphin Research Program. Our adoption kits make meaningful and unique gifts and support Galveston Bay wildlife.
If you are giving the naming/adoption as a gift, you will be able to indicate this when completing the donation form.
Multiple people may adopt the same dolphin, but each dolphin will only be named once. Your dolphin’s name will be permanently used by the research team and will be officially included in our database.
If you have previously adopted a dolphin that is not currently available for adoption but you would like to renew the adoption of your original dolphin, please contact us at cblair@galvbay.org.
To learn more about our partner EIH, please visit their website.
Galveston Bay Foundation’s Water Monitoring Team conducts monthly water quality sampling at various locations around Galveston Bay. The team collects data on air and water temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, salinity, transparency, and other field observations. The data from these samples are analyzed and displayed publicly on our portal. They are also uploaded on our Swim Guide which is a great tool to check and see if the water is safe to swim in!
Informed with these data, we can get a more complete picture of the health of Galveston Bay and utilize it to educate local decision-makers and the public on water quality issues. These important data also help us pinpoint potential problems, understand historical trends, and allows us to advocate for responsible water management practices.
Interested in using these data to answer a water quality question? E-mail us at waterquality@galvbay.org with any questions you have. We’re happy to work with you to find the answers.
