PARKS AND WILDLIFE FOUNDATION OF TEXAS

TPWFs Lead program seeks to advance the capabilities of the Texas Game Wardens who have watched over the lands, waters, wildlife, and people of Texas for over 125 years. Every year Texas Game Wardens patrol over 10 million miles by vehicle and 160,000 hours by boat, facing challenges as unique as the 254 counties they serve. With more than 550 commissioned peace officers throughout the state, game wardens tirelessly lead the way in critical search and rescue operations; render aid during times of natural disaster like hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, and wildfires; and provide conservation enforcement and education for fishing, hunting, and boating. Texas Game Wardens are widely recognized as the best trained corps of conservation officers in the nation, and 2024 marked the 7th anniversary of TPWFs successful S. Reed Morian Gear Up for Game Wardens program. Since its launch in 2017, Gear Up for Game Wardens has outfitted game wardens across Texas with specialized equipment ranging from thermal search and rescue drones and side-scan sonar units to custom-outfitted ATVs and UTVs for off-road patrols, fully outfitted K-9 units, and even custom-made skiffs for shallow-water patrols and seagrass regulation enforcement. The program has now raised over $5.5 million through 2024 and procured and put into service an estimated value of $6.3 million in specialty equipment for game wardens in every region of the state.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundations (TPWF) Steward program is focused on priority land conservation acquisitions. Since its inception in 1991, TPWF has helped conserve over 215,000 acres of land across Texas. TPWF works to restore and conserve fragile ecosystems, including over 110,000 acres of native grassland habitat, which provides sustenance for hundreds of native and migratory species. TPWF has helped conserve more than 7,100 acres of coastal barrier along Matagorda Peninsula, which serves as a sea turtle nesting location and a nesting and foraging site for a variety of wading birds and shorebirds. The peninsula is also an important part of storm surge mitigation, protecting East Matagorda Bay and the mainland. TPWF also helped acquire the iconic 17,351-acre Powderhorn Ranch to create the Powderhorn Wildlife Management Area and future state park, one of Texas most exciting land conservation projects to date. The Powderhorn acquisition was a multi-partner effort that conserved valuable fish and wildlife habitat and created access to undeveloped, restored coastal prairie. In 2024, TPWF supported Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) in the purchase of lands to be added to Bastrop State Park and Enchanted Rock State Natural Area (SNA) that would have otherwise risked conversion to residential development. The addition of 43 acres to Bastrop State Park further protects the westernmost stand of loblolly pine trees in the United States and critical habitat for the endangered Houston toad. The acquisition of 630 acres adjacent to Enchanted Rock SNA expands the sites recreational opportunities while also protecting scenic views from one of the states most visited landmarks. Through TPWFs Buffer Lands Incentive Program, which supports partner land trusts that acquire conservation easements across the state, TPWF has supported the protection of more than 24,400 acres from the Trans-Pecos and Edwards Plateau to the Rolling Plains and Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes ecoregions. In 2024, TPWF supported four conservation easement projects totaling over 5,400 acres in Bandera and Val Verde counties. In a state with limited protected public and private lands, TPWFs Steward program is critical to meet the needs of a growing population while simultaneously protecting the wild things and wild places that make Texas special. Our land acquisition program touches every corner of the state, helping steward Texas open spaces for the next generation.