An increasingly crowded world has spilled over into the Texas Southern High Plains, and the effects are contributing to population declines of a small bird that relies on the region's saline lakes for survival.

The snowy plover, a shorebird about six inches in length, uses regional saline lakes for nesting and as stopover habitats during migration. Drought, groundwater pumping for crop irrigation and increased rates of nest failures have all contributed to declines in this species during the past 15 years.

SFA environmental science graduate Marshal White '13 has moved to Swaziland, a small country in Southern Africa, where he is helping lead the extensive sustainability efforts of African Christian College.

White, a graduate of Lufkin High School, first attended Harding University in Searcy, Ark. There, he was working toward a degree in biology, but he "got tired of the microscope" and wanted to do something different. His father arranged a meeting between White and someone he knows at the college, and ACC took him on as an intern from August to December of 2010.

SFA student Molly Dyer, a senior from Copperas Cove, howls a battle cry as the character "Rinalda, the mad minstrel" in the School of Theatre's sound lab during a recording of the radio play "The Phoenix on the Sword."

NACOGDOCHES, Texas - Students in the Stephen F. Austin State University School of Theatre are trained to be stage actors in addition to stage managers, technical directors and costume, lighting and sound designers.

NACOGDOCHES, Texas - The Campus Recreation Department of Stephen F. Austin State University will host the 2nd annual Dr. Raymond Lee Worsham Scholarship Bass Fishing Tournament on Saturday, June 28, at Jackson Hill Park and Marina on Lake Sam Rayburn in Broaddus.

All proceeds will benefit the Dr. Raymond Lee Worsham Scholarship for SFA Campus Recreation established with the SFA Alumni Association.

Kelsey Brown, Stephen F. Austin State University history graduate student, has been appointed by Gov. Rick Perry to serve as student regent during the upcoming 2014-2015 academic year.

NACOGDOCHES, Texas - Kelsey Brown of Flower Mound has been appointed by Gov. Rick Perry to serve as student regent for Stephen F. Austin State University during the 2014-15 academic year.

NACOGDOCHES, Texas - An old red and black speckled brick sits among the papers and notebooks on the desk of Stephen F. Austin State University Professor of Theatre Rick Jones.

It's a great conversation piece, but more importantly, it serves as a reminder for Jones that teaching students the historical importance of Irish Theatre has greater impact in Ireland than in a classroom in Nacogdoches. It also reminds him of the significance of being in the right place at the right time.

NACOGDOCHES, Texas - SFA Gardens at Stephen F. Austin State University will host the monthly Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 12, in the Ina Brundrett Conservation Education Building at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center, 2900 Raguet St. in Nacogdoches. Peter Loos, former president of The Native Plant Society of Texas, will present "Native Plants That Work for You."

NACOGDOCHES, TEXAS - Students in the Stephen F. Austin State University School of Theatre will add another element of excitement to all the fun those attending the Texas Blueberry Festival will experience June 14 in downtown Nacogdoches.