Texas Organization for Endangered Species

The Texas Organization for Endangered Species (TOES) was a non-profit organization founded in 1973. The main goals of the organization at its inception were to gather and organize information pertaining to endangered fauna, flora, and communities within the state of Texas; to work towards state legislation and the Federal Endangered Species Act; to make information on rare species accessible to the academic community as well as to environmental regulators and the general public; and to assemble information from all available sources on imperiled species and publish that information in concise listings. These listings were intended to promote measures to preserve and protect the species therein.

The membership of TOES was at its highest, at 425 members, in 1975, the same year that Dr. Charles Ramsey put together the first TOES newsletter. The organization was successful in many ventures, including lobbying for the passing of the State Endangered Species Act, the Native Plant Protection Act, and the Special Nongame and Endangered Species Act. TOES prevailed for 25 years before being absorbed by the Texas Academy of Science as a section of their activities. Raymond C. Mathews, Jr., was president of TOES and the Chair of the TOES History Project, 1995-1997.

From the guide to the Texas Organization for Endangered Species Records 2000-157; 2000-221., 1971-1999, (Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin)

The Texas Organization for Endangered Species (TOES) was a non-profit organization founded in 1973.

The main goals of the organization at its inception were to gather and organize information pertaining to endangered fauna, flora, and communities within the state of Texas; to work towards state legislation and the Federal Endangered Species Act; to make information on rare species accessible to the academic community as well as to environmental regulators and the general public; and to assemble information from all available sources on imperiled species and publish that information in concise listings. These listings were intended to promote measures to preserve and protect the species therein.

The membership of TOES was at its highest, at 425 members, in 1975, the same year that Dr. Charles Ramsey put together the first TOES newsletter.

The organization was successful in many ventures, including lobbying for the passing of the State Endangered Species Act, the Native Plant Protection Act, and the Special Nongame and Endangered Species Act. TOES prevailed for 25 years before being absorbed by the Texas Academy of Science as a section of their activities. Raymond C. Mathews, Jr., was president of TOES and the Chair of the TOES History Project, 1995-1997.

From the description of Texas Organization for Endangered Species Records, 1971-1999 (University of Texas Libraries). WorldCat record id: 658246189