14 Muny Interlocal Agreement Amendments Briefing - Public Comment — original pdf

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14 Muny Interlocal Agreement Amendments Briefing1 of 414 Muny Interlocal Agreement Amendments Briefing2 of 4MEMORANDUM / PUBLIC STATEMENT TO: City of Austin Planning Commission RE: Brackenridge Tract Development Plan - Statement in Support of Preserving the Brackenridge Field Laboratory (BFL) I am writing as a citizen of the state of Texas and University of Texas graduate to urge the City of Austin Planning Commission to reject any development plan that compromises, reallocates, or redevelops the University of Texas Brackenridge Field Laboratory (BFL). As a Regents Professor and Endowed Chair at Texas A&M University - and a former UT Austin graduate student - I can attest that BFL is an irreplaceable, globally unique ecological asset whose scientific, economic, and educational contributions far outweigh any short-term commercial real estate development. My own career serves as direct proof of BFL’s high-yield scientific ROI. In 1993, my initial observations on the grounds of BFL sparked a research trajectory that led to the discovery of density-dependent warning coloration in insects. Published in the premier journal Nature, this finding solved an evolutionary puzzle dating back to Charles Darwin and provided the long- sought key to understanding the swarming and color shifts of the Desert locust - a pest of Biblical proportions that threatens food security across Africa and Asia. That foundational discovery at BFL directly launched my international research career leading to global impacts and commercial innovation. As a result of my work at BFL, I received USDA Postdoctoral Fellowship to work at Oxford University in the UK and conduct field research in West Africa. I then accepted positions with the USDA Agricultural Research Service in Montana, the University of Sydney in Australia, and ultimately my appointment as Regents Professor and Charles R. Parencia Endowed Chair in Cotton Entomology at Texas A&M University. My research in Texas has since expanded into applied agricultural biotechnology, yielding seven U.S. patents to date and commercial microbial crop products used to improve the growth of critical crops including cotton, corn, soybean, wheat and rice for farmers worldwide. BFL is not idle land; it is a high-output research driver. The foundation laid during my time at BFL enabled me to secure over $24 million in research funding throughout my career so far. These resources have directly funded scientific workforce training through the education and mentorship of undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral scholars who now lead in academia, industry, and government - including a former UT undergraduate BFL researcher whom I mentored while a graduate student and is now an Associate Professor of Biology at Tufts University. BFL promotes an informed public by enabling hands-on field courses in diverse habitats (grassland, riparian, forest, and agricultural) taught directly on site at BFL, equipping thousands of UT students with real-world environmental education right in the heart of Austin. Public science activities at BFL engage and educate citizens of all ages and backgrounds in biological 14 Muny Interlocal Agreement Amendments Briefing3 of 4 diversity and the value of conserving dwindling natural habitat in the middle of an ever- expanding urban landscape. Having conducted biological research at major institutions worldwide, I can state with certainty that facilities like BFL are exceedingly rare. Its unique combination of diverse biological habitats situated within minutes of a major university campus makes it one of UT’s true crown jewels. Redeveloping BFL would permanently destroy a living laboratory that continues to generate multi-million-dollar research initiatives, patent-backed innovation, and world-class scientific leaders. I respectfully request that the Planning Commission recognize BFL's profound scientific and economic impact and recommend preserving this globally vital resource in perpetuity. Sincerely, Gregory A. Sword 4308 Whitwick Place College Station, TX 77845 14 Muny Interlocal Agreement Amendments Briefing4 of 4