Original article by Ian Hartzler 2002, HAS update 2008
The Gulf of Mexico is a natural obstacle faced by millions of migratory birds that must either cross or go around it each spring and fall as they travel between their breeding and wintering grounds. The habitats surrounding the Gulf are used by over 800 species of birds, about 300 of which are nearctic-neotropical migrants that rely on Gulf Coast habitats to rest and refuel. Many of those birds winter in the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve, a 1,000,000 hectar reserve located two hours south of Cancun on the east coast of the Yucatan Peninsula.
During the spring of 2000, the Houston Audubon board of directors decided to partner with Amigos de Sian Ka'an at the suggestion of Gulf Coast Bird Observatory (GCBO) as part of GCBO's Sister-site Partnership program. To kick off the partnership, Houston Audubon provided funding for conservation projects at Sian Ka'an with money from Phillips Petroleum Company designated for protection of neotropical migrants. 
Those funds were used to carry out guide training workshops in local communities and to construct trails and a modest visitor center. The workshops trained community members in bird identification and appreciation, use of binoculars and field guides, and how to lead tour groups. The visitor center was built along a nature trail in the Maya archeological area near the indigenous forest community of Chunyaxhe.
In the fall of 2002, representatives from the Houston Audubon Board of Directors visited Sian Ka'an as guests of Amigos de Sian Ka'an to see the results of those projects, including a trip to Chunyaxhe and the visitor center. An article in the January 2002 issue of Houston Audubon newsletter, The Naturalist, described that experience and the enthusiasm of the board members for the projects.
Houston Audubon has continued to support bird conservation efforts in the Yucatan by sponsoring Sian Ka'an guides at the Yucatan Bird Festival and by providing financial support to Ninos y Crias, a nature education program that provides nature workshops, with emphasis on birds, to Yucatan children.
